Gold Cup Invitational Tarpon Fly Tournament
Gold Cup Invitational Tarpon Fly Tournament
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OFFICIAL RULES:
The following official rules and regulations ("GCTT Rules") shall govern the Gold Cup Tarpon Tournament. I. GENERAL 1.01 The Gold Cup Tarpon Tournament (the "Tournament") is the longest continuously running tarpon fly tournament, and the purpose of these rules is to promote and foster the Tournament's legacy of sportsmanship and fair competition among friends in pursuit of landing large tarpon on fly tackle. 1.02 The Tournament shall take place each year in Islamorada, Florida, beginning on the third Monday in June, and shall continue for five full fishing days through Friday. There will be a kick-off and registration banquet the Sunday evening before the first day of fishing and an awards and closing banquet the evening of the last day of fishing. 1.03 The Tournament shall be governed by the fly fishing rules of the International Game Fish Association ("IGFA Rules") and these GCTT Rules, as amended from time to time. In the rare instances when the GCTT Rules may conflict with the IGFA Rules, the GCTT Rules shall supercede the IGFA Rules. It is the responsibility of each Angler and Guide to know the IGFA Rules and the GCTT Rules. 1.04 The Tournament shall be conducted by various committees as set forth below and by the annual chairperson who shall be the prior year's Grand Champion. In the event the prior year's Grand Champion cannot serve, the chairperson shall be the prior year's First Runner-Up. II. ANGLERS AND GUIDES 2.01 The Tournament is open to Anglers by invitation only. Each year, Anglers desiring an invitation may submit an application to the Tournament. The Tournament is limited to 25 Anglers. Anglers receiving an invitation must confirm participation by paying a deposit prior to December 15 preceding the Tournament. 2.02 A waiting list will be maintained in the event the Tournament is full and priority is given in the following order: 1) those Anglers who participated in the prior year's Tournament, 2) past Grand Champions, 3) past participants based on years fished, and 4) new anglers based on waiting time. 2.03 Each Angler must fish with a Guide licensed by the United States Coast Guard. Guides cannot fish. Only the Angler and Guide are permitted aboard the skiff during the fishing day. 2.04 Guides may not guide for a member of their immediate family, defined as spouse, sibling, child, or parent. 2.05 An active Florida skiff Guide, defined as an individual having provided guiding services for hire within the prior six months, shall not be eligible to participate as an Angler. 2.06 The Tournament shall set an entry fee which the Angler shall pay at least 90 days prior to the first fishing day of the Tournament. Failure to pay the entry fee shall result in forfeiture of a place in the Tournament. The entry fee shall include all banquets and other daily and evening activities for the Angler and Guide. Guests may be added to these activities for an additional fee set by the Tournament. 2.07 In the event of emergency or illness, an Angler or Guide may have a substitute. 2.08 The Angler is responsible for daily Guide fees. 2.09 The Anglers and Guides shall be randomly placed on five teams of equal size for purposes of starting times and team awards. 2.10 Either the Angler or his Guide must attend the pre-tournament kick-off banquet to confirm registration, receive Tournament information, and pick up measuring packets. III. TACKLE 3.01 Only fly casting will be permitted, and only artificial lures may be used. Only one-handed rods and single action reels are eligible to be used. The rod may not be altered after a fish is hooked. 3.02 Tippet will be 16 lb. manufacturer's stated test and will be furnished at no charge by the Tournament. 3.03 Leaders may not exceed 15 feet in length and must contain not less than 15 inches of Tournament approved tippet material between the knots. A shock tippet may be of nonmetallic or metallic material, may not exceed 12 inches including the knots, and must be tied directly to the Tournament approved tippet. 3.04 A broken rod, above the reel seat, will not disqualify a caught or released fish. 3.05 A release gaff may be used and must be no more than two feet long with ropes or straps not to exceed 12 inches. Fish may be lip gaffed only. IV. FISHING TIMES, TERRITORY, AND RULES 4.01 Each day the fishing shall begin at a Fishing Headquarters selected by the Tournament, and all Anglers must sign-in and pick up their tournament issued camera prior to departing to fish. 4.02 All boats must depart from and return to Fishing Headquarters by water. Anglers and Guides may fish any areas accessible by boat from Fishing Headquarters. 4.03 Under the direction of an official starter, skiffs will leave in a "staggered start" fashion by teams. The first team shall leave at 5:45am, the second at 6:00am, and the remaining teams in two minute intervals thereafter. Starting times shall be rotated among the teams each day to assure that each team receives a different starting time each day, and that each team receives each starting time once during the Tournament. 4.04 Fishing may begin as soon as a skiff arrives at a fishing spot. Fishing may continue until 3:00pm at which time lines must be out of the water. A fish hooked prior to 3:00pm may be fought, caught, and released after 3:00pm. However, all boats must return to Fishing Headquarters by 5:00pm. Boats returning to Fishing Headquarters after 5:00pm may incur a penalty as set forth in Section VI. 4.05 The start on any day may be delayed by the Tournament in the event of imminent inclement or dangerous weather. In the event of severe weather (i.e. tropical storm), the Tournament committee may shorten the number of Tournament fishing days. 4.06 The policy of the Tournament is that the first skiff to reach a spot is entitled to fish there. The Guides Committee strongly recommends strict observation of all recognized courtesies and sporting practices between skiffs. This includes giving way and sufficient room to other boats in an area that typically accommodates more than one skiff under normal fishing conditions. Understanding that the Florida Keys waters are fished by many skiffs each day, it is considered unsportsmanlike and a rules violation to have a spot "saved" by another boat. 4.07 Chumming or fishing in or near chummed areas is not allowed. In addition, there will be no fishing within 150 yards of known "pet fish" areas, such as Robbie's Marina. 4.08 There will be no fishing or staking above the "pocket" of Buchanan Bank. 4.09 No assistance may be given to any Angler other than by his Guide who handles the boat, gaffs or grabs fish, and measures or releases fish. V. SKIFFS AND BOATING 5.01 The skiff shall not be more than 20 feet in length or at the discretion of the Rules Committee. 5.02 Each skiff shall be properly equipped with Coast Guard safety equipment. Guides are expected to operate skiffs in keeping with applicable boating laws and traditional fishing and boating norms for the areas fished. 5.03 All skiffs shall have running lights; any skiff without operative running lights shall not be allowed to leave Fishing Headquarters prior to 6:15am. Running lights must be kept on until 6:15am whether running or stationary. 5.04 No ladder or heightening device platform shall extend more than four feet above the gunwale of the skiff. 5.05 Electric motors will not be allowed in Sandy Key basin unless the Angler is chasing a hooked fish or the Guide is maneuvering the skiff to a fishing spot. VI. MEASURING AND SCORING 6.01 The Tournament Grand Champion shall be the Angler who accumulates the most points during the five days of fishing. In addition, the Tournament may also recognize point totals or fish caught by other finishers in individual or team awards. 6.02 For purposes of measuring and scoring, the Tournament shall issue to each Angler and Guide a measuring packet including: a four foot stick, a measuring tape, five tie-wrap "straps", a roll of sticky tape, a camera, and five Catch and Release forms. No other measuring devices, scales, or calculators are allowed in the boat. 6.03 Fish may be submitted for points as either a released fish (a "Release") or as a weight fish (a "Weight Fish"). Anglers may submit no more than five Weight Fish for scoring during the Tournament. 6.04 There is no limit to the number of Releases allowed; however, an Angler's total release points allowed may not exceed that Angler's total Weight Fish points. For team scoring, a team may count release points of an Angler without weight points, provided that the team's aggregate release points do not exceed the team's aggregate weight points. 6.05 A Release is any fish that is hooked and brought to the skiff near enough for the Guide or Angler to touch the leader (which shall not exceed 15 feet); however, only fish judged to be four feet or longer, measured along the side (lateral line) from the tip of the nose to the tip of the tail, shall be counted as a Release. The four foot stick may be used to determine Release length. A Release is worth 200 points. 6.06 A Weight Fish is any fish brought to the skiff for measurement purposes
and judged by the Angler and Guide to be at least 70 pounds. A fish shall
become a Weight Fish, thus no longer being a Release, when the Guide or
Angler touches the fish in any way by hand or with a gaff. However, the
Guide or Angler may grab or touch a small fish (approximately four feet)
to use the stick to determine if the fish is four feet long for release
points. When using the stick, the Guide and Angler clearly demonstrate
their judgment that the fish is a Release candidate only, and this is
the only instance where a fish may be touched and not become a Weight
Fish. Once a fish becomes a Weight Fish, release points are forfeited
in lieu of weight fish points. 6.08 At the conclusion of each fishing day, the Angler and Guide must submit a signed Catch and Release form to the Tournament judges whether or not any fish have been caught or released. In addition, all Anglers must turn in their camera each day, and any Angler who has caught Weight Fish must turn in the sized and taped strap from that Weight Fish. These items must be turned in to the judges by 5:00pm, or the Angler will be not be allowed any points from fish that day, or in the case of a form without points, a late Angler will be assessed a 100 point penalty. The Tournament judges may waive the 5:00pm rule for boat breakdowns or unusual circumstances. 6.09 The official weight of a Weight Fish shall be calculated by the tournament judges. The strap shall be cut and the length measured in inches. The weight shall be determined to the nearest tenth of a pound using the following formula: (L" x G" x G")/800 or the length in inches multiplied by girth in inches squared, and then this product divided by 800. An Angler's points for that Weight Fish shall be the calculated weight times 10. 6.10 Under no circumstances are fish to be killed and brought to the dock unless the Angler and Guide believe the fish to be a prospective world record. Any fish bought to the dock for record purposes shall, for tournament purposes, be scored as a Weight Fish using the Tournament measurements and calculation, not the actual weight. 6.11 Any potential Weight Fish measured and scored less than 70 pounds shall not be awarded any points, and that fish shall be counted towards the Angler's five Weight Fish limit. 6.12 A scoring example: an Angler catches two releases on the first day. He has no points, but two releases (400 points) for his team (assuming a team member caught a Weight Fish). On the second day, he catches two more Releases and a Weight Fish with these measurements: length - 62 inches, girth - 30.5 inches; therefore, his calculated Weight Fish weight is (62 x 30.5 x 30.5)/800 = 72.1 lbs., and his Weight Fish points are 721. He now has 1,442 points; his four releases total 800 points, but he only receives release points equal to 721 - his weight points. His team however receives his full 1,521 points (assuming the team has sufficient weight points). On the third day, he catches and measures one Weight Fish, estimated by the Angler and Guide to be over 70 pounds, but which scores 69 pounds; he receives no points for this fish and loses the strap. Having scored two Weight Fish, he now may score only three more Weight Fish. VII. GOVERNANCE AND DISPUTES 7.01 The Tournament shall be conducted by a volunteer committee of Anglers and various sub-committees as set from time to time. 7.02 The standing committees shall be: the Rules Committee, composed of active Anglers, the Guides Committee, composed of active Guides, and the Arbitration Committee, composed of distinguished former Anglers and Guides who no longer participate in the Tournament. 7.03 The Tournament may hire professional administrators to assist with operations, bookkeeping, marketing and public relations, logistics, and other duties. In addition, the Tournament shall secure judges to oversee daily sign-in, start and return times, Weight Fish scoring, total point calculations, and scorekeeping. 7.04 There shall be an annual Anglers' meeting after fishing on the Wednesday of the Tournament week to conduct any business of the Tournament. All Anglers are invited to attend and are entitled to vote on matters that come before the group. The Anglers will appoint a Rules Committee to review the rules for the next year's tournament. Any proposed changes to the GCTT Rules must be submitted in writing to the Rules Committee six months prior to the next year's Tournament. Suggestions and comments on Tournament operations or the rules are encouraged. 7.05 The Guides Committee is responsible for organizing meetings of the Guides to clarify rules interpretations, discuss starting and boating procedures, emphasize sporting practices, and other matters as are required. 7.06 All grievances concerning the rules shall be in writing, signed, and submitted to the judges by 5:00pm on the day of the alleged infraction; oral or anonymous grievances or those filed after 5:00pm will not be considered. The matter in dispute shall be referred to the Rules Committee who shall determine the proper treatment of the issue. If the decision of the Rules Committee is not accepted by either party to a dispute, the matter will be referred to the Arbitration Committee whose judgment shall be final and binding on all parties. 7.07 Any infraction of the rules will result in the Angler losing all points for that day of fishing. VIII. OTHER 8.01 The Tournament operates on the honor system, and as such, relies on the integrity of its participants to guard its reputation as the premier fly fishing tournament in salt water. Any Angler or Guide found to have knowingly or willfully violated this or another tournament's rules may not be issued an invitation based on the severity of the infraction. 8.02 The intent of these GCTT Rules is to create an understandable and fair environment where the Angler and Guide's expertise in locating, hooking, and landing large tarpon on fly is rewarded, and to preserve those angling skills and Weight Fish judgment as similarly as possible, and in keeping with, the tournament's tradition.
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Copyright © 2006 Gold Cup Tarpon Tournament
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