Rules

The rules laid down by the I.G.F.A. will be followed in this tournament and whilst there are no judges on each boat, a very high standard of sportsmanship is expected. In the case of any disputes, the decision of the tournament protest committee is FINAL.

All boats taking part in this tournament must have a working VHF radio on board. All strikes, hookups, and landings must be reported to the Tournament Control as they occur. Channel 68 (International) will be the Tournament Control working station. Tournament Control will operate from 6 am to 6 pm each day.

The following species will be accepted for points:

Blue Marlin	* 890 lbs.	Sean Mendonca
White Marlin	* 58 lbs.	D. Holder
Sailfish	* 91.6 lbs.	Gerard Lai Quong
Yellowfin Tuna	* 142 lbs.	C.O. Williams
Dolphin	* 63.12 lbs.	Rolph Agard
Wahoo	* 103 lbs.	Carl Leung

* Trinidad & Tobago All Tackle Tournament Records

NOTE: Minimum weight accepted will be 20lbs, with the exception of all Billfish.

Point System

Penalties will be assessed for:

Blue Marlin – under 400 lbs. (-200 pts.)
White Marlin – under 50 lbs. (-100 pts.)
Sailfish or Spearfish – under 50 lbs. (-100 pts.)

Tag and Release points awarded as follows:

Blue Marlin (400 pts.)
White Marlin (250 pts.)
Sailfish or Spearfish (200 pts.)

A bonus of two(2) points per pound for every pound above minimum weight required will be added to the score for all Billfish brought to scale. for example a 450lb Blue Marlin will earn 450 points plus an additional 2 points per pound for the 50lbs above minimum which equates to 100 bonus points for a total of 550 points earned.

An incremental 50 point bonus will be added to the Release points earned by a team for each subsequent successful Release after their first. In other words, a team’s first Billfish Release is worth the normal amount of points as listed above, their second would be worth normal points plus 50 bonus points, their third will be worth normal points plus 100 bonus points. That is, for three (3) Billfish Releases, a total of 150 bonus points will be earned, for four (4) Billfish Releases a total of 300 bonus points will be earned. For six (6) Billfish Releases a total of 750 bonus points will be earned, and so on.

Also this year, the prize for breaking the Trinidad & Tobago All Tackle Tournament record for Blue Marlin (currently 890lbs.) is a brand-new Mercedes Benz B-Class, sponsored by Sterling Service Limited!!

Please note that in order to obtain release points, teams must submit clear digital photos or video evidence to the weigh station in addition to sequence breaks as directed by Control. All teams are responsible for providing their own cameras (still or video) and these cameras must be brought to registration at which time all data will be cleared and stored to be returned at the end of the tournament. Each days catch will also be stored and removed from the cameras with the data returned at the end of the tournament. The Tournament committee claims joint rights to use all data collected for web site and other promotional material with the team taking the pictures. Each team will be allowed to register a maximum of 2 cameras at registration and camera changes can be made at the weigh station at the end of each days fishing. Should the event arise that a camera change be needed during fishing hours the new camera will have to be brought in to Control for clearing.

IGFA rules regarding “Weights Needed To Defeat Or Tie Existing Records”; will apply to any fish brought to scale as a possible record breaker. The rules are as follows:

- To replace a record fish weighing 25 pounds (11.33 kg) or more, the replacement must weigh at least one half of 1 percent more than the existing record. Ex: At 100 pounds (45.35 kg) the additional weight required would be 8 ounces (226.7 gm); at 200 pounds (90.71 kg) the additional weight required would be 1 pound (.453 kg).
- Should more than one fish in any species break the existing record, the largest fish at the end of the tournament will be declared the winner. Should there be a “tie” the record prize would go to the angler on a “first-to-boat-the-fish” basis at the time reported to Tournament Control.
- Estimated weights will not be accepted. (See Weighing Requirements.) Fractions of ounces or their metric equivalents will not be considered.

All billfish boated must be brought to the scale, failure to do so will incur penalty points as stated above.

General Information

The following line tests are allowed: 30, 50, 80, 130lbs.

Any Fish caught on Line testing over 130lbs will not be eligible for Record Claims.

Fishing times will be from 7:00 am (Bimini Start) to 4:30 pm on Thursday, March 11th, 6:00 am to 4:00 pm on Friday, March 12th, and 6:00 am to 3:00 pm on Sunday, March 14th.
The official weighing station, equipped with an IGFA-certified Scalemaster II digital scale, will be at Charlotteville. The scale will be available from 2:00 pm on Thursday, March 11th and Friday, March 12th, and on Sunday, March 14th from 1:00 pm until the cut off time promptly at 4:00 pm. Fish hooked before closing time on each day will be accepted at the weighing station, with the exception that on the third day (Sunday, March 14th) all fish, cameras & tag reports must be brought to the weighing station by 4:00 pm.
Registration will take place at the TGFT base located in Charlotteville on Wednesday, March 10th from 2 pm to 5:30 pm. Pre-registration is available. Please contact Daniella Rodriguez (daniella2345 @ yahoo.com) for assistance. Pre-registration ends on Friday, March 5th at 5:30 pm.
Entrance fees are $1200TT ($200USD) per angler. Minimum of (4) four anglers per team.

Registration forms can be downloaded in PDF format and faxed to Daniella Rodriguez at 868.635.0658.

All persons on board a TIGFT registered vessel during fishing hours must be registered or the team will be subject to disqualification. Only Official Observers appointed by the TIGFT Committee is exempt from this rule.

Note: those who wish to compete in the Junior Angler category must be born on or after 1st January 1994 to qualify. All Junior Anglers will receive a $300 voucher courtesy of D. Mankee & Co., Ltd.

No credit card facilities available.

Boat Pool entry fee is $200USD per team.

Live bait may be used if caught trolling on a registered boat during this tournament. Only trolling is allowed in this tournament.

The Captain’s Briefing will be held at Sharon & Phebs Restaurant on Wednesday, March 10th at 6:30pm.

A Bimini Start will be held on Thursday, March 11th, 2010 (Day 1) at 7:00am. All participating boats will receive 400 points. Communicate with Tournament Control to inform of participation.

NOTE: No boat is allowed to leave the bay before 5:30am on any fishing day.

All participating boats must have a Digital Camera with Memory Card onboard to be used for Tag & Release photos. TIGFT will not provide cameras. It is recommended that you have more than one camera onboard and back-up batteries or chargers. The camera should have a minimum resolution of 3.2 mega pixels. All Digital Cameras and Memory Cards are to be brought to Registration for recording of serial numbers and clearing of Memory Cards. Only registered Cameras and Cards will be excepted at the scale.

You are required to bring your Camera and Memory Card to the scale for processing.

The Tobago International Game Fishing Tournament supports the use of Circle Hooks in the sport. This year, 25 additional points will be awarded to anglers and teams catching billfish using circle hooks. The Release photo must clearly show the use of a circle hook.

In the event that any records are broken, the angler with the heaviest fish at the end of the tournament will be awarded the prize.

Fuel will be available at Charlotteville. Captains are advised to contact the committee regarding fueling arrangements.

Bait can be obtained subject to availability at Charlotteville.

Ice can be purchased at Charlotteville.

Water will be provided at the Bay View Supermarket located at the base of the Charlotteville jetty.

Customs and Immigration will be available at Charlotteville for all foreign boats participating.

Breakfast will be provided for all registered anglers on every fishing day from 4:30 am. A meal will also be provided on the first day of fishing. On Saturday, March 13th, LayDay, there will be a “cook-up” lime for anglers at 1:00 pm. Identification for registered anglers will be issued at registration.

An Angler’s Party will be held at Charlotteville on Friday, March 12th at 7:00 pm. Food will be provided. Bring your cooler.

Prize giving will be held on Sunday, March 14th, with the location to be announced. Dinner tickets are provided to registered anglers. Additional tickets for this event can be purchased.

Visit the Prizes page for information about what you can win!!

NOTE: All fish brought to the scale become the property of the Tournament Committee.

Sportsmanship/Conduct

All contestants are required to follow high standards of sportsmanship, courtesy and conservation and to conduct themselves in a manner that will be a credit to themselves. Examples of conduct not complying with those standards include, but are not limited to, the following:

Violation of, or failure to comply with, any official rules of the TIGFT Tournament.
Any words, conduct or actions reflecting unfavourably upon efforts to promote safety, sportsmanship, fair competition and compliance with the tournament rules.

In case of any conduct not complying with the standards, the TIGFT shall have the right to refuse any application, or deny a confirmed application, by returning the entry fee of a previously accepted application, or to disqualify a contestant.

It is expressly understood that all those participating in the Tournament do so at their own risk. By registering as an angler in the Tournament, the angler holds harmless the tournament committee, tournament judges, organizers, sponsors, donors and all persons connected directly or indirectly with the operation of the tournament from any liability for libel, slander, loss, damage, negligence, harm, injury or death suffered by any participant, entrant, sports fisherman, their companions, boat, captains, crew members, family, vessels and equipment which occur during or in conjunction with the Tournament.