All tournament participants must meet the current Bahamas Covid requirements according to www.travel.gov.bs.
The Captains Meeting will be at 7:00 P.M on May 18th, 2022 in the Dinner Tent. A representative from each team should attend the Captains Meeting as each team is responsible for knowing the rules including any clarifications made during the Captain’s Meeting.
1. All teams must possess a Bahamas Fishing Permit.
2. The Tournament will begin with the call of "lines in" at 8:00am and continue until 4:00pm on May 19th, 20th and 21st. No baits or teasers in the water before starting time. Any fish hooked before 4:00pm and reported to the Committee Boat may be fought until caught, lost or released; any fish hooked after 4:00pm is ineligible. All boats must be inside the marina before 6:00pm each evening. In the event that a fish is caught after lines out you will have 2 hours after the release, boating or loss of fish to be inside of the marina. Any gamefish requiring a weigh-in must be available at the scales prior to 6:30pm. There are no lay days or weather days, unless determined by the Committee. Fish at your own risk.
3. An unlimited number of teasers and lines are allowed. “J-hooks” are allowed with lures only. Natural baits must be deployed with non-offset circle hooks.
4. There is a 50-mile boundary rule - radius from the marina.
5. Blue Marlin, White Marlin, and Sailfish are eligible for catch and release. Blue Marlin, Tuna (Bigeye, Yellowfin or Blackfin only), Wahoo, and Dolphin (Mahi-Mahi) are eligible for weigh-in, with a 10 lb. minimum weight requirement.
6. Minimum length to harvest a blue marlin is 107’ Lower Jaw Fork Length (LJFL) Fish meeting the minimum length will weighed and awarded 1 point per pound and will count towards your daily and over all points. In the event that the fish does not meet minimum length it will NOT be weighed, and the fish will be disqualified, and no points shall be awarded. Only one blue marlin may be taken per day, per boat. All white marlin, sailfish and spearfish must be released.
7. A billfish hook-up must be called in to the "Committee Boat" within the first minute on VHF channel 71. The "Committee Boat" will validate your hook-up by announcement. A billfish release must be called in to the "Committee Boat" with the following information: species released and boat name. The "Committee Boat" will then verify your information by announcement and give you a release time, which must be recorded on your daily.
8. Teams may weigh in one of each species per day. Scale hours are 4:00p.m. – 6:30p.m. each fishing day. The minimum weight of each species is 10 pounds. Any fish eligible for weigh-in must be brought to the scales by a team representative, preferably the actual angler.
9. A billfish is considered released when an angler brings the leader close enough to the boat for the mate or captain to grasp the leader or leader passes through tip.
Billfish trophies will be awarded for first, second and third place based on the total points achieved per the scoring below.
Boated Blue Marlin over 107” will earn 1 point per pound
Blue Marlin 600 points
White Marlin 100 points
Sailfish 50 points (including unidentified billfish and Spearfish*)
10. In the event of a tie in total points between two or more boats for the same award, the winner shall be the first boat to reach the score.
11. Any angler who has worked as a professional crew member, Captain, mate or commercial fisherman in the previous 3 years will not be allowed to participate as an angler. Hook and hand is permitted with one pass as soon as possible, then IGFA rules apply.
12. Participants of this tournament enter at their own risk. Officials, committee members, sponsors and ALL persons connected directly or indirectly with the operations of the Walker’s Cay shall be exempt from any liability for loss, damage or negligence, harm or injury suffered by any participant, entrant, sportfishing vessel, captain, crew members, vessels and equipment which may occur during this tournament.
13. By signing the entry you adhere to all tournament rules.
14. Walker’s Cay has right to move tournament dates in case of severe weather and can refuse entry/participation to anyone for any reason at any time.
15. Any protest must be filed in writing (email/text) by captain by 6:00 PM the same day as the infraction. This must be accompanied by a $1000 deposit fee, returnable only if the Rules Committee finds the protest to be valid. The decision of the Fishing Committee regarding the protest and the interpretation of the rules shall be final.
Each team will obtain 10 colored silicon bands prior to the day’s fishing. This marker must be displayed during the fight and recorded. Failure to show the marker in your video proof will disqualify your catch, even if it is time-stamped.
Each team is required to show video evidence of billfish catch and release. This recording shall be time and date stamped in accordance with the “official time” as stated by the “Committee Boat” prior to each day’s fishing. Your video proof shall include: 1) registered angler fighting the fish, 2) proper identification marker, 3) sufficient footage of the fish in order to accurately determine the species, and 4) proper release evidence. All recordings submitted must be easily viewed by the committee. It is the team’s responsibility to have these items and the video cued up for immediate viewing. Failure to do so will delay the verification process. We highly recommend you have at least two recordings on different cameras, and underwater shots are the best way to accurately identify the species.
Each billfish release is required to be noted on the day’s affidavit and submitted with your video to the committee each fishing day. Failure to turn in your affidavit will disqualify that day’s catch(es). Affidavits are supplied with your registration package. If you do not have one for each day, please the committee for a replacement.
Verification recordings must be submitted to the Committee by 6:30 p.m. each day of fishing. All recordings, images, sounds, etc. may become property of Walker’s Cay, Allen X Exploration and/or Fly Zone Fishing and may be used at any time. Recordings and/or images will be downloaded from the team’s device(s), if needed.
All participants are expected to maintain a reasonable and sportsmanlike demeanor at all times throughout the tournament. Unsportsmanlike or threatening conduct towards tournament organizers or other participants, or any other behavior which the tournament organizers deem inappropriate, in their sole discretion, will result in immediate disqualification of the entire team with no refund of entry fees.
