Ft. Lauderdale Rules

GENERAL RULES

1. Early Registration: $350 – Teams may pre-register for the tournament online, by phone or mail. Payment may be made by cash, check or credit card (MasterCard, Visa & American Express accepted.) 4% service charge will be added to ALL credit card transactions. Please make check payable to MEAT Mayhem Inc. Payments by phone please call 954.605.8284. After April 19th registration fee is $450. *All Tournament entry fees and Calcutta fees are non-refundable!*

2. Late Registration: Late registration may be paid until the night of the kick off party! Entry fees are not refundable for any reason.

3. Entry Forms: All entry forms must be completely filled out by all participants in the Ft. Lauderdale Meat Mayhem. Tournament officials reserve the right to refuse application or entry into the tournament at their discretion with or without cause.

4. Anglers: Each boat may register as many anglers as they choose. All anglers should be listed on the form. Please notify the committee of any angler changes prior to the start of fishing. ALL ANGLERS MUST HAVE A VALID FLORIDA FISHING LICENSE!

5. Eligible Species: Dolphin, Kingfish, Wahoo, Blackfin Tuna & Cobia.

6. Fish Limit: A maximum of 10 fish may be weighed in per boat. Each boat may weigh in a total of 4 fish per species. Each fish must weigh a minimum of 10 lbs. Fish that do not meet these requirements will not count. All boats must adhere to state of Florida recreational bag limits as they pertain to all eligible species.

7. Tackle: All fish must be caught on rod and reel. Wire lines are permitted. No electric reels (except kite rods & downriggers.) Treble hooks are permitted.

8. Hook & Catch: All male, female and junior anglers must hook, fight, and catch their own fish. Once a fish is hooked, that angler must fight the fish until it is properly released, boated or lost. Anglers may not pass rods to fellow anglers once a fish has been hooked. A fish is considered to be hooked once a strike occurs and the drag is engaged or the bail is closed. The use of a rod holder to hook a fish is allowable provided the individual that engages the drag the same person that fights the fish until release, catch or loss.

9.  Bait & Bait Fishing: Fishing with live bait is permitted in the tournament; however, live chumming is not permitted. Live baits may not be removed from a hook or baitwell, thrown against any object or surface on the boat and then placed in the water. Live baits may not be removed from a hook or baitwell, then cut in half and thrown into the water. If a bait is not attached to a hook connected by line to a fishing rod, it must be completely dead before it is placed in the water. Live bait teasers are not allowed. All teams in the tournaments are prohibited from having any boats outside the tournament to live chum on their behalf. Frozen chum and cut bait are permitted.

10. Tournament Channel: The tournament committee will operate on Channel 80. Channel 72 will be used as an alternate. All discussions among competitors should be conducted on alternate channels.

11. Boundaries: Participating boats are limited to the waters off the east coast of Florida no more than 40 miles offshore. Boats may fish as far north or south as they wish, as long as they return to the Hillsboro Inlet Committee Boat in the inlet no later than 4:00P.M. You must display your boat number to the tournament committee boat in Hillsboro Inlet. No boats can go west of 81°54.745W/24°28.547N.

12. Check-Out: There will be a gentlemen’s lines in @ 7:00AM from whichever inlet you decide to leave from as long as you are visually checked in by displaying your boat # to the tournament committee boat no later than 4:00PM. This includes no bait fishing prior to 7:00 A.M. Teams may also not chum or chunk until 7:00 A.M. ALL WINNERS WILL BE SUBJECT TO POLYGRAPGH. LINES IN EARLY WILL RESULT IN IMMEDIATE DISQUALIFICATION!

13. Check-In: Check-In begins at 3:00 PM. No lines out of the water. All boats with fish to weigh must be visually & verbally checked in by displaying their boat # to the tournament committee boat no later than 4:00PM, regardless of hook-ups. Boats that do not check in by 4:00PM will not be eligible to weigh their fish. Check in boat will be anchored inside Hillsboro Inlet.

14. Landfall: Following check-out, or once fishing hours have begun, no boats will be permitted to touch land until reaching the  weigh-in barge inside Hillsboro Inlet. Special consideration will be given for medical conditions and special circumstances that may arise during the day of fishing. The committee must be notified in advance of any situation that may warrant exception to this rule.

15. Inspection: Tournament officials reserve the right to inspect any boat participating in the tournament prior to the start of fishing on Saturday morning. Any boat that refuses inspection will be automatically disqualified from the tournament. No lines out of the water.

16. Weigh-In: The weigh station is located on the weigh in barge inside Hillsboro Inlet. The scale will open at 3:00PM. All fish must be brought to the weigh station in the boat that they were caught. Transferring of fish to another boat will result in disqualification. All decisions of the weigh master are final.  After your team weighs all Kingfish weighed will become property of Meat Mayhem Tournaments and will be donated. Teams can choose to donate additional fish species if they wish.

17. Weather: In the event that weather conditions arise deemed unsafe for the average registered boat, by the tournament officials, the tournament may be called off for that day. No refunds will be made in the event of cancellation. Any notice of cancellation will be broadcast on channel 80. If Saturday is weathered out, the tournament will be moved to the same hours on Sunday. It is expressly understood that the permitting of fishing by tournament officials does not ensure the safety of registered anglers or any other occupants of their vessels. Captains, anglers and all other members of registered boats must determine in their own judgment whether to fish under the given conditions based on factors including but not limited to the seaworthiness of their boat and their own seamanship.

18. Protests: All protests must be made within 2 hours of the conclusion of weigh-in along with $1000 cash or check to the tournament officials. Protests should be made based on first hand eyewitness information. All decisions of the tournament officials regarding protests are final.

19. Polygraph: By entering the tournament all captains, anglers and occupants of their boats voluntarily consent to submit to a polygraph examination as deemed necessary by tournament officials. All decisions of the polygraph examiner will be final. Any captain, angler or occupant of a registered boat who refuses to take a polygraph or provides untruthful answers as determined by the examiner will be disqualified from the tournament without further notice. Such a disqualification will eliminate payment or provision of any prize money, awards and/or refund of entrance fees or calcuttas.

20. Release: By signing the entry form, all captains, anglers and occupants of their boat hereby 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.

21. Tournament Discretion: The tournament director reserves the right to implement his discretion at any time during the tournament as it may apply to the rules or any other circumstance that should arise during the course of the event.

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GENERAL RULES

1. Early Registration: $350 – Teams may pre-register for the tournament online, by phone or mail. Payment may be made by cash, check or credit card (MasterCard, Visa & American Express accepted.) 4% service charge will be added to ALL credit card transactions. Please make check payable to MEAT Mayhem Inc. Payments by phone please call 954.605.8284. After April 19th registration fee is $450. *All Tournament entry fees and Calcutta fees are non-refundable!*

2. Late Registration: Late registration may be paid until the night of the kick off party! Entry fees are not refundable for any reason.

3. Entry Forms: All entry forms must be completely filled out by all participants in the Ft. Lauderdale Meat Mayhem. Tournament officials reserve the right to refuse application or entry into the tournament at their discretion with or without cause.

4. Anglers: Each boat may register as many anglers as they choose. All anglers should be listed on the form. Please notify the committee of any angler changes prior to the start of fishing. ALL ANGLERS MUST HAVE A VALID FLORIDA FISHING LICENSE!

5. Eligible Species: Dolphin, Kingfish, Wahoo, Blackfin Tuna & Cobia.

6. Fish Limit: A maximum of 10 fish may be weighed in per boat. Each boat may weigh in a total of 4 fish per species. Each fish must weigh a minimum of 10 lbs. Fish that do not meet these requirements will not count. All boats must adhere to state of Florida recreational bag limits as they pertain to all eligible species.

7. Tackle: All fish must be caught on rod and reel. Wire lines are permitted. No electric reels (except kite rods & downriggers.) Treble hooks are permitted.

8. Hook & Catch: All male, female and junior anglers must hook, fight, and catch their own fish. Once a fish is hooked, that angler must fight the fish until it is properly released, boated or lost. Anglers may not pass rods to fellow anglers once a fish has been hooked. A fish is considered to be hooked once a strike occurs and the drag is engaged or the bail is closed. The use of a rod holder to hook a fish is allowable provided the individual that engages the drag the same person that fights the fish until release, catch or loss.

9.  Bait & Bait Fishing: Fishing with live bait is permitted in the tournament; however, live chumming is not permitted. Live baits may not be removed from a hook or baitwell, thrown against any object or surface on the boat and then placed in the water. Live baits may not be removed from a hook or baitwell, then cut in half and thrown into the water. If a bait is not attached to a hook connected by line to a fishing rod, it must be completely dead before it is placed in the water. Live bait teasers are not allowed. All teams in the tournaments are prohibited from having any boats outside the tournament to live chum on their behalf. Frozen chum and cut bait are permitted.

10. Tournament Channel: The tournament committee will operate on Channel 80. Channel 72 will be used as an alternate. All discussions among competitors should be conducted on alternate channels.

11. Boundaries: Participating boats are limited to the waters off the east coast of Florida no more than 40 miles offshore. Boats may fish as far north or south as they wish, as long as they return to the Hillsboro Inlet Committee Boat in the inlet no later than 4:00P.M. You must display your boat number to the tournament committee boat in Hillsboro Inlet. No boats can go west of 81°54.745W/24°28.547N.

12. Check-Out: There will be a gentlemen’s lines in @ 7:00AM from whichever inlet you decide to leave from as long as you are visually checked in by displaying your boat # to the tournament committee boat no later than 4:00PM. This includes no bait fishing prior to 7:00 A.M. Teams may also not chum or chunk until 7:00 A.M. ALL WINNERS WILL BE SUBJECT TO POLYGRAPGH. LINES IN EARLY WILL RESULT IN IMMEDIATE DISQUALIFICATION!

13. Check-In: Check-In begins at 3:00 PM. No lines out of the water. All boats with fish to weigh must be visually & verbally checked in by displaying their boat # to the tournament committee boat no later than 4:00PM, regardless of hook-ups. Boats that do not check in by 4:00PM will not be eligible to weigh their fish. Check in boat will be anchored inside Hillsboro Inlet.

14. Landfall: Following check-out, or once fishing hours have begun, no boats will be permitted to touch land until reaching the  weigh-in barge inside Hillsboro Inlet. Special consideration will be given for medical conditions and special circumstances that may arise during the day of fishing. The committee must be notified in advance of any situation that may warrant exception to this rule.

15. Inspection: Tournament officials reserve the right to inspect any boat participating in the tournament prior to the start of fishing on Saturday morning. Any boat that refuses inspection will be automatically disqualified from the tournament. No lines out of the water.

16. Weigh-In: The weigh station is located on the weigh in barge inside Hillsboro Inlet. The scale will open at 3:00PM. All fish must be brought to the weigh station in the boat that they were caught. Transferring of fish to another boat will result in disqualification. All decisions of the weigh master are final.  After your team weighs all Kingfish weighed will become property of Meat Mayhem Tournaments and will be donated. Teams can choose to donate additional fish species if they wish.

17. Weather: In the event that weather conditions arise deemed unsafe for the average registered boat, by the tournament officials, the tournament may be called off for that day. No refunds will be made in the event of cancellation. Any notice of cancellation will be broadcast on channel 80. If Saturday is weathered out, the tournament will be moved to the same hours on Sunday. It is expressly understood that the permitting of fishing by tournament officials does not ensure the safety of registered anglers or any other occupants of their vessels. Captains, anglers and all other members of registered boats must determine in their own judgment whether to fish under the given conditions based on factors including but not limited to the seaworthiness of their boat and their own seamanship.

18. Protests: All protests must be made within 2 hours of the conclusion of weigh-in along with $1000 cash or check to the tournament officials. Protests should be made based on first hand eyewitness information. All decisions of the tournament officials regarding protests are final.

19. Polygraph: By entering the tournament all captains, anglers and occupants of their boats voluntarily consent to submit to a polygraph examination as deemed necessary by tournament officials. All decisions of the polygraph examiner will be final. Any captain, angler or occupant of a registered boat who refuses to take a polygraph or provides untruthful answers as determined by the examiner will be disqualified from the tournament without further notice. Such a disqualification will eliminate payment or provision of any prize money, awards and/or refund of entrance fees or calcuttas.

20. Release: By signing the entry form, all captains, anglers and occupants of their boat hereby 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.

21. Tournament Discretion: The tournament director reserves the right to implement his discretion at any time during the tournament as it may apply to the rules or any other circumstance that should arise during the course of the event.