2021 tournament information
This tournament is for adults and children and is a family-friendly fishing tournament encouraging parent/child fishing interactions. Anglers can fish from land or sea, so there is something for everyone. The tournament will benefit the AustinBlu Foundation and will raise awareness about the importance of boater safety on the water.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
Open Online Registration: May 1, 2021
Captain’s Meeting: Friday, June 25th – VIRTUAL EVENT. The River Center will host a virtual event with a video and question/answer session. Anglers may pick up shirts and bracelets (required for the release competition) in a drive-thru that evening from 5-7 p.m. at the River Center.
Tournament Day Fishing: Saturday, June 26th, lines in the water no earlier than 7 a.m. and lines out of the water no later than 3 p.m.
Tournament Award Celebration: Saturday, June 26th, 5 p.m. – 7 p.m. at the River Center
River Center Address: Burt Reynolds Park East, 805 N US Highway 1, Jupiter, FL 33477
Weigh-In Location: The River Center
Tournament Overview
The tournament will include two competitions running side by side to better accommodate all anglers. In the Release Competition, anglers will receive points for the number/species of fish caught, photographed, and released. To receive points, anglers must submit acceptable photographs of their catches with an identifying tournament logo (shirt, bracelet or lanyard). Tournament logo gear will be handed out at the River Center on June 25th. Release Competition prizes will be awarded to anglers based on age categories. In the Harvest Competition, anglers will bring their harvested catch to the River Center for measurement of the fish. Harvest Competition prizes will be awarded for the heaviest fish in each category regardless of the angler’s age.
REGULATIONS
Fishing lines in the water no earlier than 7:00 a.m. June 26th, 2021. Fishing lines out of the water no later than 3:00 p.m. June 26th, 2021.
All fish must be caught by hook and line by the registered angler.
All fish must be caught within inshore waters of Palm Beach or Martin County, i.e., anglers must fish west of the eastern-most end of inlet jetties.
All participants must abide by State of Florida Fishing Laws and Regulations. Only legal sized fish may be entered in the Harvest Competition. Note: children under 16 may be exempt from the fishing license requirement. Go to www.myfwc.com for more details. We recommend anglers download the Fish Rules App (www.fishrulesapp.com), which provides recreational saltwater fishing regulations in an easy to use interface.
It is the responsibility of every participating angler and their guardian to know, understand and abide by the tournament rules during this competition. Any participant who deliberately violates these rules will immediately be disqualified. Only registered anglers are eligible for points and any potential qualifying prizes.
Anglers and their guardians are solely responsible for their safety during the tournament and this should be the first consideration in all aspects of this competition.
Any intentional cheating, harassing of other anglers, or any other conduct determined by the tournament staff to be outside the spirit of good sportsmanship will not be tolerated and are grounds for disqualification and ejection from the tournament.
All photo submissions for the release competition must be made through the “Fish On” Tournament app (web or mobile). www.reeltimeapps.com.
Anglers are encouraged to attend the Award Ceremony, but due to COVID may opt out of the event and have their award mailed or picked up at a later time.
Individuals can only win in one competition and may only win one prize. In the event that an individual qualifies for more than one prize, the largest prize will be awarded.
HARVEST competition
All adult anglers will compete together with 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place being given for the heaviest fish of any of the below species. All junior anglers (under the age of 18) will compete equally. 1st, 2nd and 3rd place prizes will be given to the heaviest of each of the following species:
Sheepshead
Crevalle Jack
Snapper (any species)
Checkered Puffer
An overall grand prize will be given for the heaviest fish overall to a junior angler (i.e., among weighed fish) for the Harvest Competition. Adults are excluded from the Grand Prize. This tournament aims to encourage children to spend time outside and enjoy fishing as recreation.
Weigh station for the Harvest Competition will open at 2:00 p.m. and close at 4:00 p.m. Any angler(s) in line to weigh their fish at 4:00 pm will have their fish weighed and be eligible for awards.
Each angler can weigh only one fish per category (e.g., 1 sheepshead, 1 crevalle jack, 1 snapper, and 1 checkered puffer).
RELEASE COMPETITION
Anglers in the Release Competition will receive points for catching any of the species listed on the following page. Species not listed in the Release Competition Species List will not be counted for points.
Each angler will receive 3 points for each species caught. Each angler also will receive 1 point for each individual fish caught. Only individual fish of the species in the Release Competition Species List will be counted. An individual angler may receive credit for a maximum of 25 individuals per included species.
Example: Angler catches 2 mangrove snappers, 1 checkered puffer, 1 lookdown, and 1 sheepshead.
1 point for each fish caught = 5
3 points for each species (4 different species) = 12
Total points = 17
There will be a 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winner for each age category. Winners will be determined by the greatest number of points per angler per age category.
Age Categories
6 years and under
7-12 years
13-17 years
Adult (18+)
Angler must submit an acceptable photograph of each individual fish entered in the Release Competition.
An acceptable photograph includes: the face of the angler, the fish with identifying parts showing (dorsal fin, tail fin, eye, base of tail, stripes or other markings) and the tournament logo (t-shirt, bracelet or lanyard). Please take photo as close to the subjects (angler & fish) as possible for proper identification. Anglers should submit their photos regularly throughout the day using the Fish On app.
All catches will be reviewed, verified, and tallied in a timely manner. Photo submission will close at 4 p.m. Any photos and/or catches submitted after 4:00 pm will not be used to determine Release Competition points.
Photos will be reviewed by fish experts and all decisions by Tournament personnel are final.
Release Competition species list
Only the following species will count in the release competition:
Additional “Fun” Prizes will be awarded for:
The Largest Released Snook – for your snook to be considered for this prize, you must submit a photograph that includes a measuring tool to determine length.
Inshore Grand Slam – To qualify for this prize, during the tournament you need to catch and submit photos of a snook, redfish, and spotted seatrout.
“Best Dressed” – given to a child in the 6 and under category for the best costume or outfit. Please provide a photo and/or video of the child fishing in their spectacular attire!
Most Garbage Collected – In an effort to encourage environmental stewardship, please take time to clean your fishing site before you leave. Snap a picture and email it rivercenter@lrecd.org with caption and angler name. Take the Pledge! “I pledge to always properly recycle or dispose of my monofilament line, hooks and other tackle and to leave my fishing spot better than I found it.”
Smallest fish – for Harvest or Release Tournament
Most Unique Catch – for Harvest or Release Tournament
AWARD celebration
Anglers and their families are invited to attend the award ceremony at the River Center following the tournament. Please see below for a schedule of the event. Participants may purchase food at the food trucks. Arts & Crafts, Bounce House and Fishing Skills are additional activities for children to enjoy (free) during the event. Parents or guardians are responsible for the safety of their children.
AWARDS SCHEDULE
Catch Photo Submission – anglers must submit their release catches using the Fish On app. Release submissions will close promptly at 4:00 pm. Please submit your catches as you catch them.
Weigh Station – the weigh station will be open for harvested fish from 2:00 to 4:00 pm.
Catch Verification – tournament staff will verify all catch and weight statistics by 5:30 pm
Awards Dinner – 5-6:00 p.m.
Enjoy music and scrumptious food available for purchase at food trucks provided by Food Shack
Raffle Drawing – 6:00 – 6:30 p.m.
Award Ceremony – 6:30 – 7 p.m. Find out if you are taking home the Grand Prize!
COVID ADJUSTMENTS TO THE EVENT
Due to the continued COVID pandemic, the tournament events will be different from years past. The Captain’s Meeting will be held virtually, and anglers will be able to pick up their event gear at the River Center on Friday, June 25th (see below for details).
The awards event will have limited attendance and anglers and their families must RSVP ahead of time if they plan to attend. There are only 120 spots available for this event. Everyone is encouraged to bring their own seating (camp chairs, picnic blankets) and spread out on the lawn to maintain social distancing. Food trucks will be available at the event. There will be no bounce house this year, but there will be other activities for families to do. The event has also been shortened by one hour to further limit possible exposure. Award recipients are not required to attend the event and may opt to have their award mailed or pick up at the River Center at a later time.
If anyone registered for the event, or anyone in their family, has COVID symptoms or has been exposed to anyone with COVID, we ask that they do not attend the event. Please call the River Center (561-7437123) to inform staff so that we may give those spots to another family.
In addition, we reserve the right to change the event to be a “Release” tournament only for all registered anglers (no “Harvest”) or cancel the awards event altogether due to COVID concerns. No refunds will be issued, and all anglers would be encouraged to participate in the release tournament. If the awards event is canceled, then awards will be mailed out to recipients.
