GENERAL INFORMATION

1. Captain’s Meeting: January 22, 2020 Rybovich Marine Center (Tiki North), 2010 Avenue B, Riveria Beach, FL 33404 (Registration/Calcutta Entry 5 to 9 PM)
2. Awards Dinner: January 25, 2020 The Sailfish Club, 1338N. Lake Way, Palm Beach, FL 33480 (Water Taxi available from Sailfish Marina)
3. Fishing Days - January 23, 24 & 25, 2020.  Teams choose 2 out of the 3 days to fish.  Fishing days must be announced prior to lines in or the day will be considered a lay day.  Teams must fish a total of 2 days to qualify, lines in to lines out.
4. Fishing Hours - Lines in 8:00 AM. Lines out 3:30 PM
5. Boundaries: From 27.30.00 latitude (Ft. Pierce Inlet area) to 26.02.00 latitude (Ft. Lauderdale Inlet area) and no further offshore than 072.50 longitude.
6. Boats must leave and return through Lake Worth or Jupiter Inlets. Vessels may depart through these inlets no earlier than 6:30 AM. All teams are required to notify the Radio Committee that they intend to fish on a given fishing day and which type of bait they intend to use prior to setting lines.
7. Teams must drop off catch logs and video catch verification to tournament staff at Castaway Marina or a location to be determined near Palm Beach Inlet no later than 5:00 PM for each fishing day. Rules Committee has discretion to adjust times / locations provided that notification is given to all tournament participants prior to lines in (8:00 AM).
8. Boats must fish 2 full days for tournament to be official.
9. Teams fish at their own discretion and assume all liability.  In the event of a weather emergency, the committee reserves the right to make changes to the schedule for the safety of the teams competing.
10. Entry fees are not refundable.
 

FISHING REGULATIONS

11. I.G.F.A. Rules apply except as follows.
12. Only non-offset circle hooks and maximum manufacturer stated 20-lb. test line may be used.
13. The length of the leader may not exceed 15 feet.  The combined length of the double line and the leader may not exceed 20 feet.
14. Live or dead baits may be used, but only one type of bait is permitted in the water at any one time. Teams are required to declare which type of bait they will use on each fishing day.  If a team decides to change from live to dead baits or dead to live baits while fishing, the team must notify the Radio Committee.  All lines must be out of the water prior to a bait change.  A bait change cannot take place during a hook-up.  Following a team giving notification to the Radio Committee of a bait type change, no fish may be recorded for a period of 5 minutes for that team.  
15. Chumming of any kind, including with live bait, is prohibited.
16. No more than six rods are permitted in the water at any time. This includes rods being used to catch bait.
17. Live Bait: No more than two kites maybe used and artificial or dead bait dredges or teasers are permitted.
Dead Bait: No more than two dredges maybe used and artificial or dead bait surface teasers and daisy chains are permitted. Live bait teasers are prohibited.
18. Passing the rod after hookup (hook and hand) is permitted by a non-registered angler to a registered angler only once per fish. The pass must occur as close to immediately after hookup as possible and as soon as the line is tight.
  CATCH VALIDATION
19. The Buccaneer Cup will utilize video catch verification on all participating boats. Each team will be prompted to show a phone or GPS with date and time as well as repeating the verification “word of the day” which will be announced each morning prior to lines in. The word is not required to be said with each release.
20. Every boat must supply GoPro or other camera and/or SD cards at the end of each fishing day upon check in. Release videos may also be uploaded to a service or site as directed by the Tournament Director. NO VIDEO = NO FISH. The video must match the date / time stamp on the correlating catch sheet for that day.
21. Video must clearly capture the species of fish during the fight and the release of each fish. Angler fighting the fish must also be identified on video. Failure to qualify species and release of fish will result in disqualification of fish.
22. Any question or concern regarding fish verification will be determined by the Video/Rules Committee alone. Polygraph will be administered to the winning team in the event there is a discrepancy with protest. To qualify for points each release must be called in to the Tournament Committee including the boat name/number, type of bait and angler's full name immediately by VHF radio or cell phone and it is acknowledged with an assigned catch number and official time of release. The time, catch number and angler’s full name must be entered for each release on the boat’s catch log. Hookups 15 minutes prior to the end of fishing must be called in for a release after lines out to qualify.
23. A release is official when the leader is touched by the mate, the leader is wound inside the rod tip or the cork on a live bait rod touches the rod tip.
24. Your entry into the Buccaneer Cup implies expressed approval that you and all anglers and crew members will submit to a polygraph test if requested by the rules committee. Failure to do will result in disqualification. A certified polygraph examiner will be on site should such services be required.
 

POINT STRUCTURE & SCORING

25. Release points will be awarded as follows:
    200 points for sailfish on live bait.
    300 point for sailfish on dead bait.
    400 points for marlin on either bait.
    In case of a tie the winner will be determined by which boat/angler reaches the number of points that resulted in the tie first by time.
26. NEW – Tagging award, the team with the most successfully deployed billfish tags via TBF will be awarded a Buccaneer Cup. Teams must follow guidelines outlined by TBF while tagging and must mark the “Tagged” box on each release catch sheet to qualify. Tags will be verified via video validation outlined above.
27. Protests must be submitted to the Rules Committee in writing accompanied by a nonrefundable $500 filing fee no later than 5:00 PM on the fishing day in question. In all cases the decision of the Rules Committee is final.
 

GENERAL REQUIREMENTS

28. Boats and anglers must comply with all state and federal fishing regulations and licensing requirements. Failure to do so may result in disqualification. All boats must carry appropriate liability insurance.
29. All boats must be a minimum of 27 feet LOA. The final determination of a boat’s eligibility will be at the discretion of the Rules Committee.
 

CASH PRIZES

$10,000 for most points live bait.
$10,000 for most points dead bait.
 
30. ADDED ENTRY LEVELS
    Overall Categories
    __ $5,000 Most Points Overall (Winner Take All)
    __ $3,000 Most Points Overall (50/30/20 split)
    __ $3,000 Most Points Daily (60/40 split)
    __ $1,500 Most Billfish Released (60/40 split)
    Live Bait Categories
    __ $3,000 Most Points Live Bait Daily (60/40 split)
    __ $2,000 Most Points Live Bait Overall (Winner Take All)
    Dead Bait Categories
    __ $3,000 Most Points Dead Bait Daily (60/40 split)
    __ $2,000 Most Points Dead Bait Overall (Winner Take All)
    General Categories
    __ $250 Top Angler (Most Points, Winner Take All)
    __ $500 Biggest Meat Fish (Heaviest Weight, Winner Take All)**
    __ $500 Charity Category (Free Entry for 2021)
    Trophies awarded for Top Junior Angler, Top Female Angler and Most Tagged via TBF tags
    **Kingfish, dolphin, wahoo, tuna & cobia qualify
    ***90% payout - 10% donated to charities  
31. All participants, captains and crews in the Buccaneer Cup Sailfish Release Tournament enter at their own risk. Committee members and all other persons connected directly or indirectly with the operation of the tournament shall be exempt from any liability for loss, damage, negligence, harm or injury to any participant, boat captain, crew member, vessel and/or equipment, which may occur during the tournament.