2022 Carolina Kingfish Classic
August 11 - August 13, 2022
Tournament Rules
2022 Tournament Rules
- Eligible species for competition purposes is
king mackerel (Scomberomorus Cavalla).
- This is a big fish tournament with the
heaviest qualifying king mackerel winning.
- Any rule changes or additions at the
captain’s meeting will take precedence over these printed rules.
- This is a captain’s choice tournament. It is up to the captain of each boat to
determine if he/she and crew will compete on the designated tournament days.
- Tournament officials will monitor VHF 72
during competition hours. VHF 16 is an international distress frequency
and should be used for emergency calls and Coast Guard assistance.
- A captain may enter one boat in the Carolina
Kingfish Classic and it must be the sole boat fished for the duration of
the tournament. Replacement boats may not be entered for any reason after
8:00 pm on Thursday, August 11th.
- Sponsors, tournament director, and employees
of Charleston Harbor Resort and Marina are eligible to win primary and
bonus prizes just like any other entrant.
- Carolina Kingfish Classic is limited to
motor boats only.
- By signing the entry form, all captains,
anglers and occupants of their boat hereby agree to all rules and
regulations and consent that tournament officials may use without payment
or restriction, any photographs, video or interviews in which he or she
may appear for any purpose whatsoever, including but not limited to
resale, advertising and promotional material.
- The tournament committee reserves the right
to refuse an entry into the tournament.
- The tournament director and tournament
committee, at their discretion, can enforce the rules or make decisions on
any other circumstances that may arise during the course of the event. The
tournament director and/or the tournament committee’s decisions are final.
- Violation of the tournament rules will
subject the boat and angler to disqualification from the entire tournament
without refund.
Tournament Days & Times
- Tournament fishing days are Friday and
Saturday. If Friday and Saturday are deemed unfishable, then Sunday will
be a designated tournament day.
- Competition hours start at 6:30 a.m. on
designated fishing days. King Mackerel fishing lines may not be in the
water before 6:30 a.m. Boats must be checked-in Friday by 5:00 p.m. and
Saturday by 4:00 p.m. If Sunday is a designated tournament day, then
Saturday’s competition hours will be followed.
- If Small Craft Advisories are posted on
local NOAA Weather Radio by 6:00 a.m., then that day will not be a
tournament fishing day. The safety of the participating vessel is
ultimately the responsibility of the captain.
- One day of fishing constitutes a tournament.
- If the tournament committee cancels the tournament,
then 90% of entry fees and 100% of Calcutta / Tournament within Tournament
fees will be returned to the boat captain.
Fishing
- All anglers must have a valid South Carolina
saltwater fishing license and comply with South Carolina and Federal Laws.
- King Mackerel are not allowed to be on-board
at the start of a tournament fishing day. Tournament officials may inspect
any boat participating in the Carolina Kingfish Classic prior to the start
of each fishing day.
- Boats entering the ocean on tournament days
must do so from South Carolina navigable waters.
- No more than six king mackerel fishing lines
can be fished from the boat at any one time. All fish must be caught on a
rod and reel. Wire lines are prohibited. Downriggers, outriggers and kites
will be allowed as fishing line carriers only. No electric reels except
for kite rods & downriggers.
- Junior and/or Lady Anglers must be the
primary angler and accompany their fish to the scales to qualify for
Junior and/or Lady Angler bonuses. Primary angler constitutes fighting the
fish 50% or more of the time. The
rod may be passed to another angler anytime while fighting their fish or
as needed for assistance.
- A junior angler is 15 years or younger and a
lady angler is 16 years or older on the date of the captains meeting.
- Two or more boats congregating during
competition hours will be disqualified from the tournament. Congregation
is defined as two or more boats touching and/or passing objects to another
boat. Approval is not required for life threatening emergencies.
Check-In & Weigh-In
- Weigh station will open at 1:00 p.m. on
Friday and Saturday.
- A boat entry can weigh 1 fish per day and
only win one primary prize. The entrant does remain eligible to win bonus
prizes with the same fish. Bonus prizes consist of single engine outboard
bonus, lady angler bonus, youth angler bonus, and special weight bonus
prizes.
- Entrants weighing a fish after 3:00 p.m. on
a competition day must visually and verbally check-in on VHF Channel 72
with the tournament committee member located on the corner of A Dock and A
Extension, which is the south west corner of Charleston Harbor Marina.
Boats should be off plane and not wake the marina by the time they pass
Red Buoy #34 which is located 250 yards south of Charleston Harbor Marina.
Boats that do not check in by 5:00 p.m. Friday and 4:00 p.m. Saturday will
not be eligible to weigh their fish. GPS time will be the official
time.
- The crew is responsible for unloading and
presenting their fish for weighing. Crews should have their fish ready for
unloading as there is a 1 minute unload time limit. The crew members are
responsible for taking their fish to the weigh station. Registered Junior
and/or Lady Anglers must accompany fish to scales to be eligible for bonus
prizes.
- Fish must be fresh, not frozen, fit for
human consumption, not mutilated, nor its weight altered in any manner.
Hook and gaff marks are acceptable. It is the sole responsibility of the
crew to remove all hooks, lures, and leaders prior to presenting the fish
for weigh-in.
- If a fish is determined ineligible after
being weighed, then any fish weighed by that entrant during the entire
tournament will be disqualified.
- In the event of a tie, the winner will be
determined by the earliest weigh-in date and time.
- The winning fish weighed becomes the
property of the tournament.
- All fish must be brought to Charleston
Harbor Marina, by the registered boat, under its own power. Fish cannot be
transported over land or by another boat.
- Polygraph tests will be administered at the
sole discretion of the tournament committee. Refusal by any participant or
occupant of a registered boat will result in disqualification. All
decisions of the polygraph examiner are final.
- Only a registered boat’s captain may protest any
fish weighed in the tournament. All protests must be delivered in writing to
the tournament director on the day of the protested catch no later than thirty
minutes (30) after the last fish weighed. All decisions of the tournament
officials regarding protests are final. There is a $750.00 cash charge for
registering a protest. If the protest is validated, the $750.00 will be
returned. The captain who submitted any protest must provide indisputable
evidence to prove the infraction.