2023 Beach Haven Tuna Open
Tournament June 3rd -10th, 2023
$5,000 Heaviest Tuna $3,0002nd Heaviest $2,0003rd Heaviest
Eligible species: Bigeye, Bluefin, Longfin, Yellowfin
Beach Haven Marlin & Tuna Club (BHMTC) 420 N Pennsylvania Avenue
Beach Haven, NJ 08008 www.TunaOpen.com
Registration:
$500 per boat by May 21st, 2023. $600 per boat thereafter. Boats may register online via credit card, or at the in-person registration on Saturday, June 3rd from 3pm – 8pm at the Beach Haven Marlin & Tuna Club (prior to Captains meeting).
Captains Meeting:
Saturday, June 3rd 2023, 8:00pm - Beach Haven Marlin & Tuna Club
Awards Party:
Saturday June 10th, 2023, 5pm. Awards at approximately 10pm – Beach Haven Marlin & Tuna Club
Fishing Days and Times:
Boats will elect to fish any TWO of SIX available fishing days (available fishing days are Monday, June 5th (Sunday, June 4th is not a tournament day (no tournament events and no tournament fishing).
- Saturday June 10th.)
The two elected fishing days may be back-to-back, and boats do not have to return to port if they are fishing back-to-back days. Fish any time, no lines in/lines out times.
The fish must make it back to the scales by 9 pm the day of fishing with two exceptions:
1) A boat electing to fish back-to-back days with overnight fishing is only required to return to the scales at the end of their 2nd day of fishing; and
2) On Saturday June 10th, scales will close at 8 pm.
Weigh Ins:
5-9 pm at the Beach Haven Marlin & Tuna Club. Fish may be brought to the scales by any boat or by motor vehicle.
Saturday weigh ins are 5-8 pm.
Boundaries:
Boats may depart any inlet in New Jersey. Boundaries are 110 nautical miles from LE Bell Buoy.
Tackle:
All Tackle Tournament. All fish must be caught on hand cranked rod and reel either by trolling, chunking, jigging, live-lining, or plugging. See rules for more details.
Optional Calcuttas**:
$2,000 Pool A Heaviest Tuna
$1,500 Pool B Heaviest Tuna
$1,000 Pool C Heaviest Tuna
$500 Pool D Heaviest Tuna
$500 Stringer – Heaviest 2 Tuna any species
$1000 True Daily Heaviest Tuna
$250 Bluefin
$250 Bigeye $250 Yellowfin $250 Longfin
$500 True Daily Heaviest Tuna.
**All Calcutta Payouts are 50% first place, 30% second place, 20% third place after 10% tournament fee
Rules:
1. Registration is to be made by vessel, not by angler. All vessels must fish under the “HMS Angling Permit” rules for this tournament regardless of permit held by vessel. One registration per vessel is permitted.
2. There are 6 available fishing days for the tournament as follows: Monday, June 5
Tuesday, June 6 Wednesday, June 7 Thursday, June 8 Friday, June 9 Saturday, June 10
3. Boats may depart any inlet in NJ any time after 12:01am the day of fishing. 4. Boundaries are 110 nautical miles from LE Bell Buoy.
5. Fishing hours are not enforced, no lines/lines out times.
6. Each boat must submit FISHING DAY CONFIRMATION via email to TunaOpen@bhmtc.com with a copy to angling@bhmtc.com.
Emails are required to be electronically time-stamped and delivered prior to 1:00 AM on the fishing day (or the prior day) by any of 3 designated contact emails from each vessel as identified on the registration form.
If a boat elects to fish back-to-back days with an overnight, they must report that decision prior to 1:00 AM on their first day of fishing (or the prior day). It is highly advised that if a boat elects to overnight they inform Angling of that decision on their first email.
The Email must include the Boat Name, Tournament Boat Number, and state: “The [Boat Name] elects [date(s)] as a fishing day/days.” Any boat not submitting the email by 1:00 am on their fishing day (or the prior day) is assumed to NOT be fishing that day. Should a boat not submit a Fish Day card and still fish, that day of fishing is unofficial and cannot be counted or considered for anything in the tournament. NO EXCEPTIONS.
7. This is an All-Tackle tournament. All fish must be caught on hand-cranked rod and reel either by trolling, chunking, live-lining, jigging, or plugging. IGFA rules should be followed with the following exceptions:
- Handing the rod while fighting the fish from one angler to another is permitted. - There is no limit for line class or leader length.
- Spreader bars, flippy floppies, splash bars, and birds are permitted.
8. It is not necessary to report fish to another boat or committee boat. There will be no committee boats.
9. Boats may depart from any inlet in New Jersey but must return in time to weigh in the fish at the Beach Haven Marlin & Tuna Club
between 5-9 pm the day of fishing. (Saturday June 10th scales will close at 8 pm.)
10. All fish may be brought to the scales by any means necessary to make the weigh in deadline. Any boat or any motor vehicle may be
used to transport the fish to the scales.
11. All fish eligible for prizes must be brought to the official scale at the Beach Haven Marlin & Tuna Club on the same day as caught by 9 pm, except Saturday June 10th scales will close at 8 pm. A completed catch report must be delivered to the Weigh Master at the time of weigh-in.
12. Weigh-in times are between 5:00 p.m. and 9:00 pm, Monday June 5th -Friday, June 9th, with the exception of Saturday June 10th when the scales are open between 5:00pm – 8:00pm.
13. Any protest as to the weight of the fish, the manner in which it is being weighed or the condition of the fish must be made to the weigh master or tournament director while the fish is on the scale to the Weigh Master. Once the fish has been removed from the scale, the weight is considered official and shall stand. Any fish under protest will be kept at the scale location until the Tournament Officials release an official decision.
14. A protest may only be filed by a registered angler, registered crew member, BHMTC Weigh Master, Tuna Open Weigh Master or Tournament Director.
15. All protests (except protest by TUNA OPEN Weigh Master or Tournament Director) must be made in writing and include the registered angler(s) name(s), a cell phone number and $1000 in cash or check (“Protest Fee”) made payable to Beach Haven Marlin & Tuna Club. If the Tournament Officials rule in favor of the person(s) that filed a protest, the $1000 Protest Fee will be refunded. The written protest must contain a detailed description of the protested matter and include any supporting evidence available. The written protest must be signed, dated and include time of written protest and must be delivered by a registered angler or crew member to the Tournament Director, at the Beach Haven Marlin & Tuna Club.
16. Any other protest must be presented to the Tournament Director, by 9:00 p.m. on the day of the alleged infraction, except Saturday June 10th in which case a protest needs to be presented to the Tournament Director prior to 8pm. The Tournament Officials shall serve as judges, and may consult with additional parties as needed, and their decision is final.
17. The Weigh Master has the right to protest any fish.
18. Only one day need be fished by at least one boat to make an official tournament and for the prizes to be awarded.
19. Any fish brought to the scale must meet the NOAA regulations in place on your elected fishing day for bag limits and sizes.
20. Boats may fish other Tournaments during this time frame, but must adhere to rules, departure, fishing, and weigh times set forth on this tournament for the 6-day fishing window.
21. The Tournament Committee reserves the right to cancel the tournament or modify any aspect of it at any time, for any reason.
22. Any amendments to the Rules will be announced at the Captain’s Meeting on Saturday, June 3rd at 8:00pm at the Beach Haven Marlin & Tuna Club, 420 N Pennsylvania Avenue, Beach Haven, NJ 08008,
Each boat entry is strongly encouraged to have a representatives attend the captain’s meeting; however, it is not mandatory. There is no guaranty that rule changes made at the Captain’s meeting will be posted to www.tunaOpen.com or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/tunaOpen prior to or during the tournament.
23. The captain and crew of a boat with mechanical problems may be allowed to switch boats. In this event, they will fish under the same name and same Tournament Boat Number. The Tournament Committee must approve such transfers.
24. All fish brought to the scales may be subject to examination by Tournament judges and/or fish ID experts and/or consulting biologists should there be any question about the freshness of the catch. It is the responsibility of the participant to keep all eligible catches in suitable and proper condition until weigh-in.
25. Any fish mutilated prior to boating or landing the fish by Shark, Propeller, etc. will be disqualified.
26. Polygraph examinations will be required at the discretion of the Tournament Committee. The Committee shall have the right, at its discretion, to require a single person or multiple persons (including the entire crew) on a registered vessel to take a polygraph examination. All persons selected by the Committee must take, and pass at the determination of the test administrator, the polygraph examination prior to the distribution of any prize or award money to them (or their vessel) by the Committee. The polygraph testing will occur at The Beach Haven Marlin & Tuna Club. The Committee reserves the rights, in its sole discretion, to reschedule any polygraph examination, or require additional polygraph examinations.
27. If an angler wishes to dispute an unfavorable polygraph result, the angler may have a second polygraph conducted within 10 days by a certified polygraphist by the American Polygraph Association at the angler’s expense. This polygraph must be administered to ASTM standards. The decision as to which of the two-polygraph tests will be used to determine prize money eligibility is that of the TUNA OPEN Committee in consultation with the polygraph examiner(s). The decision of the TUNA OPEN Committee is FINAL.
28. The Total Prize money will be based on a minimum of 50 boats. Prizes will be adjusted proportionately should the 50 boats minimum not be met.
29. In the event of a tie in any category, the prize money will be split equally.
30. Prize money will not be awarded to anyone who does not provide a social security number OR a Federal ID Number.
31. Prize money will not be awarded to anyone (individually or to a boat) selected by the Committee to take a polygraph test should that individual or members of the selected boat crew refuse to take a polygraph examination.
32. By participation in this tournament on any registered vessel, an individual is consenting to hold harmless The Beach Haven Tuna Open Tournament (hereinafter, the Tournament) and Tournament Officials of the Tuna Open Tournament, The Beach Haven Marlin & Tuna Club (hereinafter, the Club or BHMTC) and its Officers, Directors and members from any and all liability;
33. Members of the Tournament Committee (hereinafter, the Committee) are Tournament Officials. The Weigh Master for TUNA OPEN is also a Tournament Official.
34. An angler or boat will be disqualified for such cause, as misconduct, unsportsmanlike behavior, or any other incident deemed inappropriate by the Tournament Committee.
35. Participants are assumed to have all necessary permits, licenses and/or registrations required by law. However, it is not the responsibility of the tournament officials or directors to verify that all required permits, licenses and/or registrations are acquired
by anglers or vessels participating in the tournament. We will accept any legal sized fish that was caught according to the rules set forth herein.