UNOFFICIAL TOURNAMENT RULES (Descarga el PDF)

Los Cabos Billfish Tournament Rules 2011

The Tournament
The Los Cabos Billfish Tournament is a three-day team event with top team honors going to the team that tallies the most billfish points per pound. The tournament pays down to third place (first, second and third). The tournament will also award cash and prizes to the team(s) that catch the largest fish (by weight) in three eligible billfish species. Release trophies and cash prizes will also be awarded to the top three teams scoring the most billfish release points. Optional marlin, tuna, wahoo and dorado jackpots will also award cash and prizes.

Participation and Entry Fees
The Los Cabos Billfish Tournament offers three different options to participate. You may enter in one or all three.

[1] Los Cabos Billfish Tournament Base Entry - The base entry fee is $5,000 per team (up to six registered anglers). This base entry fee covers the participation of one to six registered anglers and allows your team to enter any of the optional tournament jackpot categories. The tournament provides a welcome captain's bag, tournament T-shirt, tournament hat, door prizes and attendance at all planned entertainment and social activities for up to six participants. Guests of anglers are welcome but are required to purchase $100 participation tickets for entry to all planned entertainment and social functions. Awards dinner only tickets can be purchased for $50. The tournament committee reserves the right to deny tournament entry of any individual, organization or corporation.

[2] Tuna/Wahoo/Dorado Daily Jackpot Entry - The tournament allows teams to enter the Tuna/Wahoo/Dorado Daily Jackpot only for $1,275. In addition to the TWD team entry fee each registered angler (up to six maximum) must pay a $200 fee. Teams registered in the TWD only will receive a gift captain's bag, entry to all planned entertainment and social activities, tournament T-shirt and tournament hat and be eligible to win door prizes during the kickoff party and awards dinner banquet. Guests of anglers are welcome but are required to purchase $100 participation tickets for entry to all planned entertainment and social functions. Awards-dinner-only tickets can be purchased for $50. The tournament committee reserves the right to deny tournament entry of any individual, organization or corporation.

[3] Daily Billfish Release Jackpot Entry - The tournament allows teams to enter the Daily Billfish Release Jackpot only for $750. In addition to the DBRJ team entry fee, each registered angler (up to six maximum) must pay a $200 fee. Teams registered in the DBRJ only will receive a gift captain's bag, entry to all planned entertainment and social activities, tournament T-shirt and tournament hat and be eligible to win door prizes during the kickoff party and awards dinner banquet. Guests of anglers are welcome but are required to purchase $100 participation tickets for entry to all planned entertainment and social functions. Awards dinner only tickets can be purchased for $50. The tournament committee reserves the right to deny tournament entry of any individual, organization or corporation.
Note: The $200 angler fee is included in the $5,000 base entry fee. Teams not in the base entry and registering for the TWD and/or DBRJ are subject to a one-time-only $200 angler fee whether they are registered for one or both divisions. Guests of these divisions are also subject to only one guest fee of $100 for all functions and $50 for awards dinner night only.
    A final registration, captains meeting and kickoff party will take place from 5 to 8:30 p.m. on Oct. 11 at the Playa Grande Resort.
    All teams that are preregistered and teams needing to register must send at least one representative to obtain tournament credentials and the team captain's bag. All anglers and boat captains must attend the scheduled angler/captains meeting at 7 p.m. on Oct. 11 at the Playa Grande Resort Beachside Terrace. If they do not attend, they accept and agree to be bound by all instructions and/or rule changes made during that meeting. In an effort to maximize participation, registrations will be accepted until 7:29 a.m. on Oct. 12.

Angler, Crew and
Boat Requirements
Without exception, each boat must have on board one designated boat captain and at least one designated mate. There is a limit of six registered anglers per boat in this tournament; however, if a team has an angler drop out, an additional angler can be signed on if he/she registers and pays the tournament committee $100 BEFORE the start of that day's fishing. Designated captains and mates can also be registered anglers. Guests are allowed on the boats. Boats may receive aid from other boats due to mechanical failure. Teams and boats are NOT allowed to receive assistance in landing or releasing fish. Teams are allowed to change boats but must inform the tournament director and check out prior to going fishing. All fish to be weighed must be brought to the designated weigh-in dock and removed from the registered boat. All participants must exercise good and courteous sportsmanship whether at the dock, under way or fishing.

Rules
IGFA rules apply in this tournament unless otherwise stated. (See release rules for scoring billfish release points.) (If necessary, registered anglers are allowed to pass the rod when fighting fish. When registered anglers are fighting a fish, they must comply with IGFA angling rules and regulations.) It is the responsibility of each team and crew member to know, understand and abide by IGFA and tournament rules during this competition. Any angler, captain or mate who deliberately breaks these rules will be immediately expelled and disqualified from this and future tournaments WITHOUT a refund of any jackpot or registration fees. All winners may be asked to take and pass a polygraph test. For a complete list of the IGFA rules, visit www.igfa.org.

• Designated mates CANNOT hook the fish or touch the rod, reel or line at ANY TIME for ANY REASON after the fish is hooked unless they are also registered anglers. (If necessary, registered anglers are allowed to pass the rod when fighting fish. When registered anglers are fighting a fish, they must comply with IGFA angling rules and regulations.)
• The bait-and-switch method of angling is permitted; however, fish must be hooked at least 10 seconds before the mate may touch the leader.
• Wind-on leaders are permitted but may not exceed 30 feet as per IGFA rules.
• A 45-nautical-mile fishing boundary is in effect for this competition. Any tournament boat witnessed venturing outside of these boundaries by at least two other participating tournament vessels will be disqualified from further competition. However, in an effort to avoid false claims against tournament leaders, any fish taken by the offending vessel on days prior to the alleged infringement will still be eligible for prize money. Any boats found making false claims of boundary infringement will be disqualified WITHOUT a refund of any jackpot or registration fees and banned from further competition. Decisions of the tournament organizers are final, nonappealable and nonjusticiable.

Eligible Species
Blue marlin, black marlin, striped marlin, sailfish, spearfish, yellowfin or bigeye tuna, wahoo and dorado.

Billfish Scoring
Weighed Billfish: One point per pound for every blue marlin officially weighed and verified in excess of 300 pounds. One point per pound for every black marlin officially weighed and verified that exceeds 300 pounds. One point per pound for every striped marlin officially weighed and verified at more than 175 pounds. In the event that a billfish is brought to the scales and fails to make the minimum weight limits for the species, the team catching the fish will be penalized 300 points, PLUS two points per pound that the fish is under the minimum weight. They will receive no other points for the fish. Any billfish boated for ANY reason MUST be weighed. Failure to weigh a boated fish will result in immediate disqualification for the remainder of the tournament and forfeiture of all points previously earned. Once a billfish is boated, the team must leave the hooks in the fish for inspection at the weigh-in dock, or teams may take pictures or video of the fish while removing the hook, showing hook placement and type.

• Only one marlin may be taken per day, per boat.

Release Rules
All teams must provide their own video camera(s) to verify releases. All video recording equipment must be synchronized to the official tournament time. To verify a catch, you must call tournament control and ask for the catch control code. To score an official release, the video footage must include sufficient continuous footage to (1) clearly identify the species; (2) show a team member or crew touching the leader while the fish is still hooked; (3) display the correct catch control card provided by tournament control; (4) identify the time and date of the catch; and (5) show the catch and full release of the fish. The video must be continuous, with no breaks in recording, and identify all of these elements. Do not delete any video taken during fishing hours, even if it does not include the above elements and will not be used to prove a catch.
    After the release video is taken, the official time, species, catch control code and angler name must be written on the catch-report affidavit. Each registered angler and boat captain must then sign the catch-report affidavit. At the end of the day's fishing, the camera, camera connections, catch-report affidavit and all video footage taken must be brought to the weigh station for verification of official release points. Catch reports should be turned in by 7 p.m. unless a team is fighting a fish after lines out at 4:30 p.m. Failure to turn in the catch reports will result in disqualification of that day's catch.

Catch-Report Affidavit
All catches must be recorded on the catch-report-affidavit sheets provided. The official time, species, control-number code and angler name must be written on the catch-report affidavit. Each registered angler and boat captain must sign the catch-report affidavit. The catch-report-affidavit sheets should be turned in at the weigh station each day by 7 p.m. unless a team is fighting a fish after lines out at 4:30 p.m.

• In the event of a tie in the Billfish Release Divison, the team reaching the highest score first wins.
• All winners may be asked to take and pass a polygraph examination.

TWD Daily Jackpot -
99% Payback (25-pound minimum weight)
The Tuna/Wahoo/Dorado Daily Jackpot will go to the team(s) that catch the largest yellowfin or bigeye tuna, wahoo and dorado during each day's fishing. The daily pot will be divided three ways among the boat or boats that catch the largest yellowfin or bigeye tuna, wahoo and dorado on Day One, Day Two and Day Three. If no tuna, wahoo or dorado are caught that reach the minimum weights on an individual day, the jackpot will roll over to the next day's fishing. If on the final day of fishing, no fish that exceed the minimum weight limits are caught, then the final day's jackpot money will go to the previous day's winner(s). In the event that no teams in the Tuna/Wahoo/Dorado Daily Jackpot catch a qualifying tuna wahoo or dorado, the prize money will roll over to the other species. For example, if no wahoo exceeding 25 pounds is caught, the wahoo pot will roll over and be split evenly between the Tuna and Dorado jackpot winners. Only teams registered in the Tuna/Wahoo/Dorado Daily Jackpot are eligible for cash prizes. All teams intending to weigh tuna, wahoo or dorado must notify tournament control at the time of the catch. In the event of a tie, the teams will split the daily jackpot evenly.

Daily Billfish Release Jackpot
The Daily Billfish Release Jackpot will go to the team that scores the most billfish release points during each day of fishing. Eligible species are sailfish, spearfish, blue, black and striped marlin. The pot will be divided three ways among the boats that score the most billfish release points on Day One, Day Two and Day Three. Ties between boats scoring the same number of release points will go to the boat that scores the most number of release points first. For example: If two boats score 500 points on Day One, the boat that achieved the points first will win the Daily Billfish Release Jackpot. If on the final day of fishing, no fish are released, then the final day's jackpot money will go to the previous day's winner(s). If no Billfish Release Jackpot teams release a fish, the release-jackpot entry will be returned less an additional 1 percent fee. Only teams registered in the Daily Billfish Release Jackpot are eligible for cash and prizes.

Optional Marlin Jackpots
Teams must be registered in the $5,000 base entry to be eligible to register for the optional Marlin Jackpots. Optional Marlin Jackpots are offered for the largest marlin per day and largest marlin of the tournament. Only teams registered in the Marlin Jackpots are eligible for cash and prizes.

Tackle
n Line: 130-pound-test maximum; tournament or non-tournament lines are eligible. If the stated line test is 130-pound or less on the label, it is allowed in the tournament.
n Leaders: The length of the leader is the overall length, INCLUDING any swivel, lure or hook arrangement.
    In all line classes exceeding 20-pound (10 kg), the leader shall be limited to 30 feet (9.14 meters). The combined length of the double line and leader shall not exceed 40 feet (12.19 meters) total.

• Rods: Unlimited in use or numbers.
• Teasers: Unlimited in use or numbers.
• Hooks: All tournament participants must use non-offset circle hooks for all species whenever live bait is used.
• Baits: Live bait, dead bait, lures and any combination thereof are permitted in this tournament. Live bait cannot be purchased or received from another boat during tournament fishing hours.

Fighting Times
In the event of late hookups, etc., all fish or release video must be back to the weigh station and in the slip by 11:59 p.m. on the day of the catch. There will be no exceptions to this rule.

Daily Fishing Hours
Fishing will commence at 7:30 a.m. and end at 4:30 p.m. each day.

• All fishing for live baits must be completed 15 minutes prior to lines in. Any tournament boat fishing for live bait between 7:15 a.m. and 7:30 a.m. may be disqualified from that day's fishing. Any boat may resume fishing for live bait AFTER the 7:30 a.m. start.
• The tournament committee reserves the right to change starting and finishing times for any reason it deems necessary. We will have a visual checkout each morning from 6:15 to 7:15 a.m. (The Bimini start is at 7:30 a.m.) Boats will proceed past the committee boat in an orderly fashion and display their boat number to the tournament-committee member; he will record your departure and inform you by radio that you have checked out. (Boats running late due to mechanical problems, etc. that can't make the Bimini start can check out over the radio at any time during the day. But they must inform tournament control of their problem and estimated time of departure BEFORE 7:30 a.m.) The tournament control's time will act as the official time for the start, catch-and-release, and end of fishing each day without exception.

Bimini Start
All boats must be behind the official starting line prior to the daily 7:30 a.m. Bimini start. ANY boat that is beyond the official starting line when the flare goes off may be disqualified from the day's fishing.

Communications
All billfish hookups, releases and lost fish are to be reported to the tournament control along with the boat name, boat number, angler name and fish species. The tournament control's time will act as the official time for the start, catch-and-release, billfish scoring and end of fishing each day without exception. The official tournament channel will be Channel 28. In the event that Channel 28 is not available, a backup channel will be announced at the captains meeting. A Los Cabos cell-phone number on which teams can also communicate will be given at the captains meeting. During the last hour of fishing each day, all hookups must be reported.

Captains Meeting
All anglers and boat captains must attend the scheduled anglers/captains meeting at 7 p.m. on Oct. 11 at the Playa Grande Resort. If they do not attend, they accept and agree to be bound by all instructions and/or rule changes made orally or in writing during that meeting.

Weather
There is no weather committee. The tournament is conducted on a "fish-at-your-own-risk" basis. If any portion of the tournament is fished and a team or teams land or release fish that match the tournament's eligible species and minimum weight limits, then prizes will be awarded.

Base Entry Fee
$5,000 per team up to six anglers. This base entry fee covers the participation of one to six registered anglers. It also covers attendance at all planned entertainment and social activities for up to six persons. Guests of anglers are welcome but are required to purchase participation tickets for entry to all planned entertainment and social functions.

• $100 for each non-angler participation-ticket package.
• $50 dinner only.

Optional Jackpot Fee
There are optional jackpots available to all teams registered in the base tournament entry. Each fee represents a team entry into a specific jackpot division. For more information, see the "Prizes and Awards" section.

Protests
Participants may lodge protests against any catch which they believe was not made in accordance with these rules. All protests must be stated in writing and accompanied by $500. The tournament judges may call a protest hearing in their discretion; a protest hearing is not guaranteed. All protests will be settled on the day of the incident. All protests on October 12, 13 and 14 must be in the hands of the tournament's designated rules official by 7 p.m. on the day of the alleged incident unless there is a protest regarding a fish that comes to the scales late. The protesting party, as well as the accused team members, captain and crew, must be present at any official protest hearing. The tournament committee may refuse to consider any protest evidence not submitted at the protest hearing in the presence of the protested team. If the protesting or protested team fails to show up for the protest hearing, that team forfeits its right to submit evidence. Decisions of the tournament organizers with regard to protests are final, nonappealable and nonjusticiable.

Sportsmanlike Conduct
All participants are expected to maintain a reasonable and sportsmanlike demeanor at all times throughout the tournament. Unsportsmanlike or threatening conduct toward 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.