It is the responsibility for each Captain & team members to understand & abide by the tournament rules listed below:

2017 Angler Armory King Mackerel Tournament Rules

These rules will remain in effect during the 2017 Angler Armory KMT. Interpretation of these rules will be left exclusively to the Tournament Committee. In the event of a rule violation, the Tournament Committee may impose such sanctions as they deem appropriate, including, without limitation, disqualifications, forfeiture of prizes and prohibition from participation in subsequent tournaments. By competing in the Angler Armory KMT all competitors agree that decisions of the Tournament Committee are final in all matters and are not subject to appeal, and are not reviewable by any court of law. The Tournament Committee can make changes to the stated rules at any time. By participating in the Angler Armory KMT you and your team agree to the previous statements, to sign a written legal release form, and to obey the rules stated below, or face expulsion without refund or compensation or any kind.


TEAMS:

  1. The team member that signs the Angler Armory KMT registration form has the ultimate authority over the team including all decisions regarding team composition, boat, sponsors, boat #, etc regardless if they are named team captain or not.
  2. The Captain listed on application is responsible for the safety and conduct of his/her anglers on tournament days.
  3. A Florida saltwater fishing license is required for each team member except from a boat which has a valid recreational vessel saltwater fishing license or any FL Resident 65 years or older, or anyone excluded by FL law. License not required when fishing with a charter captain. Go to myfwc.comto obtain current Florida fishing regulations.


TOURNAMENT COMMUNICATIONS:

  1. Announcements regarding weather & other important tournament information will be communicated to team captains & co-captains via email and/or posting on the Angler Armory KMT Facebook Event Page
  2. Tournament Officials will operate on Channel 68 for check out, check in and any communications that needs to be directed from or to teams while they are participating in each event.


GENERAL RULES:

  1. Entry fees to participate in the 2017 Angler Armory KMT are as follows:
    Single Engine Division- $150+tax
    Small Boat Division- $250+tax
    Open Class Division – $350+tax
  2. Entry fees must be paid in full no later than the Captain’s Party.
  3. All teams must fill out a registration form to fish the Angler Armory KMT
  4. Open Boat Class: This class has no maximum horsepower or length restrictions
  5. Small Boat Class: This class is for boats whose manufacturer lists the Length Overall (LOA) as 28 feet or less.
  6. Single Engine Class: Open only to boats with 1 (one) outboard motor. No inboards or inboard/outboards (I/O’s) will be permitted to participate. Maximum horsepower not to exceed 350hp.
  7. The Captain’s Meeting is mandatory for competing teams. One person from each team must be present.

POINT SYSTEM:

  1. Only one fish per tournament can be weighed in for the main tournament
  2. The heaviest fish weighed in during a tournament per division wins the 1stPlace award for that single tournament.
  3. The only eligible species for this series is kingfish.

CHECKOUTS:

  1. Check out is from John’s Pass only.
  2. Check out will begin at 6:00am and continue until 7:30am
  3. Angler Armory KMT teams must roll by Don’s Dock and show their boat # to a tournament official. Do not proceed past until a tournament official has acknowledged they have seen your boat # and checked you out.
  4. A random boat inspection will take place. If your boat is selected to be inspected you must pull into Don’s Dock at the boat slip indicated by tournament official. Tournament official will board boat for inspection.
  5. Once a boat is checked out by a tournament official, it should then proceed to the John’s Pass light. At safe light, all teams will participate in a shotgun start that will be announced by official tournament checkout boat on channel 68.
  6. If a team arrives after the check out boat has gone under the John’s Pass Bridge, that team must wait inside John’s Pass until the check out boat has returned.
  7. Teams may request a late check out. The team must call the tournament director before 6am on tournament day to request a late check out. Team must show their boat # and be checked out by a tournament official before departing to fish in tournament.
  8. After leaving check out at Don’s Dock, boats cannot take bait from another boat or they will be disqualified
  9. Bait fishing is not allowed after leaving check out at Don’s Dock until after shotgun start.

BOATS:

  1. Tournament competition limited to motorized boats only.
  2. All boats must carry a Coast Guard approved flotation device for each person on their vessel plus an approved EPIRB and/or PLB plus an approved fire extinguisher and all other safety devices required by the Coast Guard. Go to http://myfwc.com/boating/safety-education/equipment/ for current Coast Guard regulations.
  3. If an approved Team Boat experiences mechanical issues on their approved boat they may request to use a back up boat up until the shot gun start. If the team boat breaks down after the shot gun start they will not be allowed to fish that event. If a break down occurs the morning of the tournament but occurs prior to the shot gun start, the team may call the Tournament Director and request a boat change and a late check out.
  4. Fuel may be carried only in factory installed (built in) fuel tanks. All bladder tanks and any other type of auxiliary gas tanks that are not installed by the boat manufacturer are prohibited. No portable fuel tanks may be utilized.

WEATHER:
1. The Tournament Director will announce any alternate fishing dates if weather or another Act of God should affect fishing conditions.
2. If a tournament has to be postponed due to inclement weather, the alternative fish date will be that Sunday following, if approved by the City & weather allows. If that Sunday is not approved by the City, then an alternate date will be selected by the Tournament Committee and forwarded to all teams as soon as possible.
3. Teams will be advised after the 4pm weather advisory on the Friday preceding the tournament if the tournament will be postponed. However, the Tournament Committee reserves the right to cancel a tournament up until check out.
4. It is up to the discretion of the participating Team Captain to determine if their craft is seaworthy for the existing conditions.
5. The Team Captain is solely responsible for the safety and conduct of their crew, both on and off the water.
6.  The captain has the choice whether or not to compete in any of the events.

 

TOURNAMENTS:

  1. Fishing begins at what the tournament director determines is safe light (approximately 7:15am).
  2. Bait fishing is allowed prior to check out inside the call regs. No lines in water after your team is boarded and checked out by a tournament official until after the shotgun start.
  3. Hand held rods & reels only
  4. The tournament encourages release of all fish not intended to be weighed in at tournament.


BOUNDARIES:

  1. North: 29.13.000 line. South: 26.18.000 line. West: 83’50.00 line
    All boundaries include Tampa Bay

CONDUCT:

  1. The Honor System applies throughout the tournament
  2. No passing of anything between boats during the tournaments. This would result in automatic disqualification from that specific tournament event day.
  3. Once a boat is checked out, if they touch land for any reason they will be automatically disqualified from that specific tournament event day.
  4. There will be no feeding and/or stuffing of any kingfish with any bait fish, fish and/or any foreign objects (ie ice, weights, etc). This will result in immediate disqualification from the entire 2017 Series.
  5. Any hooks, wire, rigs (terminal tackle) and/or any other foreign objects must be removed from kingfish eligible for competition.
  6. All fish entered into the tournaments will be inspected for all manners of cheating prior to fish being brought to the scale.
  7. Fish will be sliced open after the fish has been weighed to verify there are no foreign objects or stuffing of fish.
  8. All team members may be subjected to a polygraph test after each tournament. Failure to submit to a polygraph test will result in disqualification of the entire team for the remainder of the tournament series. Refunds of tournament entry fees will not be given for failure of a polygraph test. All decisions of the polygraph examiner will be final.
  9. If a team is found guilty of cheating by the Tournament Director and/or the tournament steering committee, they will automatically be disqualified from the entire tournament without refund of their registration fees.
  10. All decisions made by the weigh master & tournament director are final.
  11. Anglers are expected to be role models, and set a positive example to the recreational angling public.
  12. Any team who displays poor sportsmanship, violates these rules, or any Florida Fish & Wild Life Commission, state or local laws, or brings unfavorable publicity to the sport of king fishing is subject to disqualification at the tournament director’s discretion.
    Alcohol is not allowed on stage during the weigh in. A secure table will be provided for drinks before team gets to the scales.

WEIGH IN:

  1. Fish will be weighed in at the John’s Pass Village Bell Tower (Madeira Beach, FL)
  2. Boats must be through John’s Pass bridge & checked in with a tournament official by VHF Radio Channel 68 no later than 5:30pm.
  3. Teams MUST check in with tournament official (Channel 68) prior to coming into the weigh in dock.
  4. Fish may only be brought to the scales by boat
  5. Boat must be the vessel listed on tournament documents for that specific tournament day.
  6. Tournament officials have the right to inspect any or all boats entered into the series, after check in.
  7. Teams will bump the dock and one or more team members will disembark with their fish. Fish must be in a closed fish bag.
  8. Each team may weigh in one fish per tournament for judging in the main event/aggregate
  9. Teams will weigh in the order that they arrive to the staging area by the bell tower.
  10. Weigh in begins at 4pm.
  11. Fish must be weighed in by a registered team member that fished on the team that day.
  12. No rotten or mutilated fish will be allowed to be weighed in.
  13. In the event of a tie, the team that checked in first with the Tournament Check In official wins. If a team failed to check in with the Tournament Check In official, they automatically lose the tie. If neither team checked in with the tournament official, the first team who was first in line at the bell tower wins
  14. Results are unofficial until determined by tournament director.
  15. All kingfish weighed in at tournament become the property of the Angler Armory KMT

 

DISPUTES:

  1. Protests must be submitted in writing along with a $500 cash deposit to a tournament official within 10 minutes of the last fish weighed in.
  2. The cash deposit will be returned to the contestant submitting the protest if the protest is upheld.
  3. If there is a dispute of any kind, the decision of the Tournament Director is final.

 

TOURNAMENT DISCRETION:

  1. The tournament director reserves the right to implement his discretion at any time during the tournament as it may apply to the rules or any other circumstance that should arise during the course of the tournament series.

 

AWARDS:

  1. Checks for the winning teams will be made out to the person listed on the 2017 Angler Armory KMT registration form
  2. W9’s for all winnings over $599 will also be made out to the person listed on the check that was written for the team’s winnings.
  3. At least one person from each winning team must be present to receive check.If no one from team is at event for Awards Ceremony, they forfeit their winnings.
  4. If a team loses their check, they will be charged a fee of $35 in order for a new check to be written.
  5. The Lady Angler award is given to the highest winning team that has a lady angler on its team. The lady angler does not have to catch the fish but must be a registered angler on the team and must have been on board tournament day when the fish was caught.
  6. Youth Angler award is given to the highest winning team that has a youth angler 15 years old or younger on its team. The youth angler does not have to catch the fish but must be a registered angler on the team and must have been on board tournament day when the fish was caught.