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

Wild West General Rules:
These rules will remain in effect during the 2024 Wild West Tournament Series in Madeira Beach, FL. 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 Wild West 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 Director can make changes to the stated rules at any time. By participating in the Wild West Tournament Series 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.

Angler Armory Fishing Club is a private club that can deny an application without cause. In the event that your application is denied, a full refund will be issued.
Once payment is made and application is approved, your payment becomes non-refundable.

APPLICATION:

  1. Entry for the Wild West is $3300 plus tax. If paying by credit card a 3.5% fee will be added to payment.
  2. All calcuttas are optional and include sales tax
  3. Calcuttas can be paid for online the week of the event or at the captain’s party. If paying at the captain’s party, cash and credit card are the only payment methods accepted.
  4. All applications must be approved by the Tournament Committee in order to fish the Wild West. The tournament committee will review all applications and vote on approval for each team signed up. If a team’s application is denied, they will receive a letter in the mail along with a full refund of payments made.
  5. The entry fee and calcuttas are non-refundable unless your application is denied. If your application is denied then you will receive a full refund.
  6. The team member that signs the Wild West application has the ultimate authority over the team including all decisions regarding team composition, boat, sponsors, etc regardless if they are named team captain or not.
  7. The Captain listed on application is responsible for the safety and conduct of his/her anglers on tournament days.
  8. A Co-Captain must be listed on application.
  9. In the event that the Captain is unable to fish a tournament/s, the Co-Captain is then responsible for the safety and conduct of his/her anglers on tournament day.
  10. Either the Captain or the Co-Captain must be on the boat on tournament day. If both the Captain and Co-Captain are unable to fish, the team will not be allowed to fish & forfeits that tournament.
  11. If there is a change to the original application regarding team members, captain or boat, the tournament must be notified in writing no later than 1 day prior to the tournament. The change/s must be approved by Tournament Committee.
  12. Team Name cannot be changed after March 21, 2024. Name change after application has been submitted must be approved by the Tournament Committee.
  13. At the time of check out, only registered crew and approved auxiliary personnel ie: camera crew, observers, vets etc. are allowed on your boat from check out to check in.
  14. In the event an auxiliary person or persons are needed or desired to be on your boat, you are required to get approval from the tournament director at least 1 day prior to checkout and provide the name/s and purpose of the additional people.
  15. 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 www.myfwc.com to obtain current Florida fishing regulations.
  16. All registered teams and anglers agree to not hold Angler Armory Inc, the Wild West Tournament, the City of Madeira Beach and all sponsors liable for any injury, loss of life or damage to boat and/or equipment while attending the Captain’s Party or fishing the tournament itself.

FISHING DAYS
The scheduled dates of the Wild West for 2023 are as follows
Leg 1 – April 13, 2024
Leg 2 – October 19, 2024
Leg 3 – November 2, 2024

If Saturday is unfishable due to weather conditions, the Wild West will take place that Sunday if fishing conditions are favorable. Teams must plan accordingly. No refunds will be given if tournament has to be switched.

TOURNAMENT COMMUNICATIONS:

  1. Announcements regarding weather & other important tournament information will be communicated to team captains & co-captains via text messages, phone calls, emails and/or posting on the Wild West home page on www.wildwestkingfishtournament.com
  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.

CAPTAIN’S MEETINGS

Captain’s Meetings are mandatory for all teams
Leg 2 – 
Leg 3 – 

Location: John’s Pass Hooters – Madeira Beach, FL

BAIT FISHING

  1. Bait fishing is allowed prior to 7am tournament fishing time inside the call regs
  2. The use of federally managed reef fish as bait is illegal. This includes all rudderfish and snapper species regardless of size. Having a reef fish in your bait well at check out or check in will result in disqualification from tournament.
  3. Due to possible red tide issues, teams may pen their bait up offshore and retrieve their bait after the shot gun start.

CHECK OUT
1. Mandatory check out will take place at Don’s Dock at the east end of John’s Pass Village. Tournament officials will be at the dock from 6am to 7am to check boats out.
2. Boats will roll past dock displaying their boat # to the tournament official
3. Teams must be acknowledged on the radio by a tournament official (Channel 68) in order to be officially checked out
4. A random number of teams will be selected to have their boat inspected. If your team is called into the dock for inspection, you will pull into the dock, tie up and allow a tournament official on board to complete inspection
5. After a team is checked out, they will proceed to the John’s Pass bell buoy outside of the pass to await the shot gun start
6. The shot gun start is mandatory. No team may proceed to their fishing area until after the shot gun start takes place
7. The shot gun start will take place at safe light.

BOUNDARIES:
This is in statue miles
North: 28’38.200
South: 26’54.850
West: 83’46.450

POINT SYSTEM:
1. Only one kingfish can be weighed in for the main tournament.
2. The heaviest kingfish weighed in during the tournament wins the 1st Place award for that tournament
3. Teams may weigh in separate kingfish for the Closest to 22lbs Calcutta  if entered.
4. Hand held rods and reels only

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. A team may request to use a back up boat. The change in boat must be submitted in writing at least 1 day prior to the affected tournament & approved by the committee.
  4. If an approved Team Boat experiences mechanical issues on their approved boat they may request to use a back up boat up until 7am on tournament day. We must receive a phone call prior to 7am in order to approve a back up boat. If you call before 7am you may request a late check out if needed.
  5. If the team boat breaks down after the shot gun start they will not be allowed to fish that event.

WEATHER:

  1. If a tournament has to be postponed due to inclement weather,  the alternative fish date will be that Sunday following. Teams must plan accordingly. If tournament is postponed due to weather no refunds will be given.
  2. If Sunday is unfishable due to weather, then an alternate date will be selected by the Tournament Committee and forwarded to all teams as soon as possible. No refunds will be given if a team is unable to fish the make up date.
  3. Teams will be advised after the 4pm weather advisory on the Thursday preceding the tournament or sooner if the tournament will be postponed. However, the Tournament Committee reserves the right to cancel a tournament up until 7am on tournament day.
  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.

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. After check out at Don’s Dock on tournament day, if a boat touches land for any reason they will be automatically disqualified from that specific tournament event day.
  4. Before the shot gun start a team may receive bait from a bait boat. After the shot gun start a team may not meet up with any other boat, including bait boats, or they will be automatically disqualified.
  5. 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.
  6. Any hooks, wire, rigs (terminal tackle) and/or any other foreign objects must be removed from kingfish eligible for competition.
  7. The tournament committee reserves the right to place a tournament representative on any team’s boat during competition for the purpose of observation.
  8. All fish entered into the tournaments will be inspected for all manners of cheating prior to fish being brought to the scale.
  9. Fish will be sliced open after the fish has been weighed to verify there are no foreign objects or stuffing of fish.
  10. Winning teams may be subjected to a polygraph test after each tournament. Polygraph will take the morning after the tournament. Failure to submit to a polygraph test will result in disqualification of the entire team from the tournament, entry fees will not be returned and team will forfeit their winnings.
  11. Refunds of tournament entry fees will not be given for failure of a polygraph test. All decisions of the polygraph examiner will be final.
  12. If a team is found guilty of cheating by the Tournament Director and/or the tournament steering committee, they will automatically be disqualified from all future Wild West tournaments.
  13. All decisions made by the weigh master & tournament director are final.
  14. All participants in the Wild West must maintain a high level of professionalism at all times.
  15. Anglers are expected to be role models, and set a positive example to the recreational angling public.
  16. 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.
  17. No alcohol will be allowed on stage.
  18. The tournament encourages the release of all fish not intended to be weighed in at tournament.

WILD WEST WEIGH IN:

  1. Fish will be weighed in at the bell tower in John’s Pass Village.
  2. Teams may begin checking in starting at 4pm.
  3. Boats must be through John’s Pass bridge & checked in with a tournament official by VHF Radio Channel 68 no later than 5:30pm
  4. Weigh in will begin once all teams that will be weighing in fish are checked in. (Approximately 6pm)
  5. We ask that teams that decide not to participate in weigh in still check in with the tournament check in official to announce they have made it back in safely.
  6. Fish may only be brought to the scales by boat and must be unloaded at Don’s Dock/Wild Seafood Market located at the east end of John’s Pass Village.
  7. Boat must be the vessel listed on tournament documents for that specific tournament day.
  8. Tournament officials have the right to inspect any or all boats entered into the series, after check in.
  9. Teams cannot touch land until their fish has been off loaded at Don’s Dock/Wild Seafood Market located at the east end of John’s Pass Village
  10. Each team may weigh in one fish for judging in the main event. If entered, teams may weigh in a separate fish for the 22lb Calcutta.
  11. Fish being weighed in the tournament will be inspected for all manners of cheating by a tournament official.
  12. Fish must be weighed in by a registered team member that fished on the team that day.
  13. No rotten or mutilated fish will be allowed to be weighed in.
  14. 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 checked their fish into the Armory wins.
  15. Results are unofficial until determined by tournament director.
  16. All kingfish weighed in at tournament become the property of the Wild West Tournament. Fish are donated to Nachman’s Native Seafood and the proceeds are donated to charity.

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:

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. The 1st Place winning team may be subjected to a lie detector test. One person from the team may be selected to take part in the lie detector test.
  2. Checks for the winning teams will be made out to the person on team that filled out the W9 Form
  3. 1099’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.
  4. At least one registered team member must be onsite to receive their award.
  5. If a team loses their check, they will be charged a fee of $35 in order for a new check to be written.

**PAID CALCUTTAS:**

BIG FISH: 50/30/20 split. Biggest kingfish wins – $100 per leg to enter
HIGH ROLLER: 50/30/20 split. Biggest kingfish wins – $500 per leg to enter
CLOSEST TO 22LBS: Winner takes all. Closest to 22lbs wins. Can be over or under 22lbs. Can weigh in a separate fish for this calcutta. If a team brings two fish to weigh in they must decide during inspection which one they would like to enter into the Closest to 22 calcutta and which fish they want for their overall. The closest to 22lb fish will be tagged with an orange zip tie. That decision made at inspection will be final and a team cannot change which fish they want to use for overall & closest to 22 after their fish is inspected and their fish bag secured. .  – $100 per leg to enter
KING OF KINGS: Winner takes all. Biggest single kingfish of the tournament – $250 per leg to enter
MULLIGAN: $250 to enter (one time payment due by April 10th)
1 fish mulligan
Teams can drop one of their Spring kingfish and weigh in 2 fish in the Fall to count towards their aggregate weight.
**The Mulligan must be paid for no later than the March 20th Captain’s Party.
EXAMPLE: In the Spring you weigh in a 18lb kingfish and a 35lb kingfish for the aggregate. If entered into the Mulligan you may drop the 18lb kingfish and weigh in 2 fish in the Fall to better your points.

**FREE ENTRY CONTESTS **

TEAM UP: The Wild West field will be divided up into an equal number of “TEAM UP” Teams. Each “TEAM UP” teams’ weights will be added together. The “TEAM UP” team with the highest points will win $600.

Example:
TEAM UP TEAM #1
Team A – 32.00 points
Team B – 17.27 points
Team C – 0 points
Team D – 24.75 points
TOTAL: 74.02 points

TEAM UP TEAM #2
Team E – 45.87
Team F – 0 points
TEAM G – 21.00 points
TEAM H – 0 points
TOTAL: 66.87 points

TEAM UP TEAM #1 Wins

SERIES AGGREGATE:
Best 2 fish aggregate of the Series wins
1st Place – $6000
2nd Place – $5000
3rd Place – $4000