Saltwater Fishing Assoiation Pro Speck Series Tournament

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Saltwater Fishing Assoiation Pro Speck Series Tournament

Date: May 1 & 2, 2010
Launch Site: Calcasieu Point Landing
Weigh-in: Lake Charles Civic Center
Entry Deadline: April 10, 2010

Tournament Rules

All SFA Pro Speck Series events are team events and will be limited to a field of 150 teams. Teams will be made up of 2 anglers. Not more than 1 team will be allowed per boat. All prizes will be awarded to the team. Interpretation of these rules will exclusively be left to the tournament director. The tournament director may impose any sanctions he deems appropriate for violations of any rules. The decisions of the tournament director shall be final. Any & all rule changes will take effect immediately and supersede any previously published rules.

Eligibility: Saltwater Fishing Association tournaments is open to all current members of the SFA. Any Saltwater Fishing Association member under the age of 18 entering a tournament must have written consent from his/her parent or legal guardian.

Entry: Entry fee is $200 per team, per tournament. A deposit of $100 is required, with the remaining balance of $100 paid 30 days before the tournament. If the remaining balance is not paid 30 days before the tournament, the team will be charged a $50 late fee. There is no penalty for early payment or payment in full. Entry fees and deposits are not-refundable and not-transferable.

Team Meeting & Check-In: Check-In will be from 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm, with a team meeting at 7:00 pm the day before each tournament begins. Every team will receive and sign for a set of rules, local emergency contact list, flight number and other tournament information at this meeting. It will be mandatory that one angler from each team make this meeting. Exceptions may be taken by the tournament director.

Sportsmanship: All SFA anglers shall demonstrate sportsmanship, professionalism, courtesy and safety at all times. While boating and angling in the vicinity of non-competitors on tournament waters, courtesy must be practiced at all times. Any angler displaying poor sportsmanship and/or conducting themselves in a manner which reflects unfavorably on Saltwater Fishing Association, SFA members, SFA tournaments and/or sponsors shall be subject to disqualification, suspension from Saltwater Fishing Association and/or ban from future SFA events. Any act, deemed by the Tournament Director, that gives a team an unfair advantage not specifically covered under this set of rules shall be disqualified.

Federal, State, & Local Laws: All anglers are expected to obey all applicable federal, state and local regulations and laws. Violation of any laws may result in you being disqualified from the tournament. Repeated violations will result in angler being banned from future tournaments.

Alcohol & Drugs: Alcoholic beverages and/or drugs is prohibited, other than prescription, on board boats during tournament hours. Any team violating this rule will be disqualified from the tournament.

Safety: Safe boating practices will be observed at all times by all teams. Every angler must wear a fastened, U.S. Coast Guard approved personal floatation device anytime the outboard engine is operating.

Weather: In the event of unsafe weather and/or water conditions, Saltwater Fishing Association may delay the start, shorten the fishing time or cancel a competition day.

Emergencies: In the case of medical emergencies, boating accidents, boating problems and/or equipment failure, teams shall contact local ambulance, water patrol, coast guard, etc. Then team shall notify the tournament director of the emergency and team number. This will be the only time during the tournament that anglers will be allowed to leave their boat. Any team rendering assistance to a troubled team shall contact the tournament director. Troubled teams may board another team's boat to finish the tournament with tournament director's permission. These teams will be responsible for marking and distinguishing their catch. This will be the only exception to the 1 team per boat rule.

Identification: Each boat will be given a team number at the start of every tournament. This team number must stay in the boat during the tournament, as it is used for flight times & check points. All boats entering any Saltwater Fishing Association tournament must have a SFA decal. All anglers fishing in any Saltwater Fishing Association tournament must wear a SFA shirt or SFA patch on their shirt. SFA patches are to be worn on both sleeves or the left chest of the shirt.

Flights: All teams will leave the launch site & arrive back in flights. Flights will go out according to team numbers. It will be the responsibility of each team to remember their flight times & team number.

Inspections: Every boat entered in a Saltwater Fishing Association tournament will go through a boat inspection, by tournament staff. Every boat must pass inspection, each morning, before that boat may proceed to the checkout point for the start of the tournament. Any boat failing to go through inspection, will be disqualified from that tournament. Any boat arriving to the launch site late, will wait until all flights have gone out before they go through boat inspection, regardless of team number or flight times.

Checkpoints: Each boat will be required to check-out every morning & check-in every afternoon according to flight times. Any team not checked in on time, will be penalized 1 pound per minute up to 15 minutes. Teams 15 minutes or later will be disqualified. Any team failing to check-in by the end of the day will be disqualified, with the exception of teams having an emergency (equipment failure, boating accident, etc). Those teams will have to contact tournament staff to check-in.

Information: Anglers may share information with other tournament anglers only. This may only be done before & after tournament hours, not during. Tournament anglers may not communicate through any form of electronic communication device during tournament hours, except for emergencies. Anglers may not purchase information and/or hire local expert anglers, including charter/guide anglers.

Protesting and Reporting: All protests must be submitted in writing, with a $100 deposit, to the tournament director or officials within 30 minutes of tournament ending. The tournament director will have the final decision. The protester may be subject to take a polygraph. If the protest is upheld, the protester's deposit of $100 will be refunded. Any team needing to report wrongdoing by another team, should report to the tournament director within 30 minutes of tournament ending. All reports of wrongdoing will be made in confidence. Any infractions discovered will be acted upon by Saltwater Fishing Association and/or SFA tournament officials.

Boating:
Anglers - Must remain in the boat, except for emergencies. All fishing must be done from the boat. At no point in time may an angler leave the boat to land a fish or make the boat or themselves more accessible to fishing waters. All anglers must leave and return to the checkpoint by boat.

Boats - Must be at least 15 feet in length and have all required U.S. Coast Guard safety equipment on board. Every boat must be equipped with some type of operable ignition kill switch, which must be attached to the driver's body anytime the combustion engine is operating.

Communication - A VHF radio is required in all boats entered in any Saltwater Fishing Association tournament. The use of cell phones or any other electronic communication device by tournament anglers is prohibited during tournament hours, with the exception of an emergency (medical emergency, boating accident, equipment failure, etc).

Outboards - Maximum horsepower can not exceed the horsepower limitations as set by the U.S. Coast Guard horsepower rating plate attached to the boat by the manufacturer. There must be a driver in the driver's seat in full control of the boat, anytime the combustion engine is operating and in gear.

Fuel - Fuel will only be carried in factory installed, built-in, fuel tanks. If not equipped with a built-in fuel tank, angler may use two standard US Coast Guard approved portable tanks mounted at the stern by the motor. Any other type of tank will be prohibited.

Insurance - It will be the responsibility of each team captain to have insurance on his/her boat entered in any Saltwater Fishing Association tournament. Proof of insurance must be provided during boat inspections.

Fishing:
Fish - All Speckled Trout must be live and a minimum of 14 inches in length. Teams are not allowed to have more than their limit of 5 Speckled Trout in the boat at anytime. Teams must make every effort to keep Speckled Trout alive. Speckled Trout shall be the only type of fish kept. Teams culling dead Speckled Trout or keeping any other types of fish during tournament hours will be disqualified from that tournament.

Tackle - Artificial lures only. Only conventional and fly tackle will be allowed. No chumming will be allowed.

Equipment - Only one rod and reel or fly rod may be used per angler at a time. A cast must be fully retrieved before another rod can be picked up.

Method - No trolling with the outboard engine at any time. Trolling motors may be used. All fish must be caught alive in a conventional sporting manner. No foul hooked fish shall be weighed during competition. A foul hooked fish is defined as a fish that does not have at least one hook in its mouth, and it must be released immediately.

Location - Anglers may fish anywhere on tournament waters accessible to the public by boat, except areas designated as "off limits" or "no fishing" by local, state and federal officials or privately owned waters. Teams may not fish within 50 yards of another team's anchored boat. Any boat, with the trolling motor in the up position, in a stable position held by an anchor, power pole, etc is considered anchored. Teams may not fish within 100 yards of a boat that is chumming. Fishing will not be allowed within 250 yards of the weigh-in site.

Scoring:
Weights - Standings for tournaments shall be determined by the total weight to be measured in pounds & ounces of each teams daily catch. Only 5 Speckled Trout may be weighed in. Any Speckled Trout that has been mutilated in any way will not be weighed and the team may be disqualified from that tournament.

Dead Fish - Teams will be penalized ½-pound per dead fish.

Ties - In the event of a tie, the biggest (heaviest) single Speckled Trout weighed in that day will break the tie.

Late Penalties - Any team not checked in on time, will be penalized 1 pound per minute up to 15 minutes. 15 minutes or later, team will be disqualified.