2012 Tampa Bay Inshore Tournament Series

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2012 Tampa Bay Inshore Tournament Series

Redfish - Catch & Release Only
Picture & Score Card Format
Combined Total Inches of Days Catch
Entry fees: $150 per boat / $75 Kayak
*$20,000 Guaranteed per event *Based on 50 boats per division
The more entries, the higher the payouts!!!
Each division pays one place for every 10 boats, 10 places max.

Any Bait & Artificial ONLY Divisions
Semi-Pro (3 Anglers Max - Any Bait)
Pro (2 Angler Teams - Artificial ONLY)
One Man & Kayak (Single Angler - No Team Member - Artificial ONLY)

Optional TWT’s (Tournament Within a Tournament). $50 each per boat
#1 Most redfish caught. Pays most redfish in each respective division.
#2 Longest & shortest redfish. Pays longest redfish & pays shortest redfish.

The tournament sites will rotate around the Tampa Bay area.
Check outs will be from a marina or boat ramp.
Check ins will be at a marina, resort, lodge or restaurant near the check out point.
Boats may leave from the check out point via land or water. You are free to trailer your boat wherever you like. Check out is still safe light, same as boats in the water.

*10% from each division at each tournament goes towards the 2 Day Tournament of Champions pot for each respective division.

2 Day T.O.C. (Tournament of Champions) Invitational - ANY boat that places in one of the 7 regular season tournaments AND fishes in at least 4 tournaments gets invited… boats that fail to place or boats that place and fail to fish in at least 4 tournaments will not be invited. Boats that place may buy into tournaments without being required to actually fish to satisfy the 4 tournament minimum requirement.
*T.OC. entry fees = $300 boats / $150 Kayaks for the invited boats.
T.O.C. pays 3 places. 1st 50%... 2nd 30%... 3rd 20% for each division.
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If all goes as planned and of course it all depends on the turn out by the anglers… we should give away over $150,000 during the 2012 Tampa Bay Inshore Tournament Series.

Saturdays are fish days… Sundays are make up days…
May 19 - June 23 - July 14 - Aug 11 - Sept 29 - Oct 27 - Nov 24
*2 Day T.O.C. - Dec 15 & 16


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• Team make up by division: Pro = 2 Angler Teams… One Man & Kayak = Single Angler, No Team Member… Semi-Pro = 3 Anglers Max.
• All fish must be caught by conventional rod and reel style application.
• Only one (1) rod per angler may be used at a time. You must have your line fully retrieved and in the boat before casting another rod.
• Pro, One Man & Kayak are Artificial Bait ONLY.
• Semi-Pro is ANY Bait. *Live, Dead and Artificial.
• Receiving bait from an outside source during tournament hours is prohibited except an established retail bait facility- Bait & Tackle Shop.
• No transferring of bait or anything else between boats during tournament hours.
• Winners are determined by total compiled inches of redfish caught no matter the size. Each landed and recorded fish goes towards the total.
• Anglers will take a photo of the fish laying on the measuring device including the days specific poker card AND record each fish on their score card.
• Anglers may keep their catch if they desire. Know the local laws!!!
• All power boats must have proof of liability insurance.
• NO electronic communication during tournament hours unless there is an emergency. If you break down, and will be getting a tow, you must call the tournament director first and let them know your situation.
• If it is an emergency that requires you to call 911, then call 911 first!!!
• If an angler is anchored with trolling motor in the stowed position, you must stay 100 yards away. Two (2) or more boats fishing within the 100 yard distance voids this and one boat cannot drop anchor and force the other boat(s) to back off. If you are anchored and let one boat in, then all boats are invited in.
• Boats may leave from the host marina via land or water. You are free to trailer your boat wherever you like. Check out is still safe light, same as boats in water.
• If you are running late and will not be there for take off you must call the tournament director to let them know you are on the way.
• If your boat is not checked out in the morning before casting a line, you will not be allowed to weigh in. All moneys will stay in the pot.
• Buy in – if you cannot fish and you want to keep your qualifying chance for the Tournament of Champions you can pay your entry fee and not fish. You will be given credit as if you had a no fish catch day.
• If you start the series late in the season and want to qualify for the Tournament of Champions you can pay for the required number of past tournaments and that money will be placed into the T.O.C. fund.
• No points system: Each boat that places in any single tournament and fishes in a minimum of four (4) tournaments will be invited to the T.O.C.
• Wading: Wading is allowed in all divisions. Tournaments allow anglers to wade fish, when an angler is out of the boat wading, the boats outboard combustible engine must be off.
• Transporting or consuming of any alcoholic beverages or illegal drugs during tournament hours is strictly prohibited.
• Tournament Hours: From safe light to all lines in / stop fishing at 12 pm (June thru Sept) and 2pm (Oct thru May). Scorecards and photos reviewed for 2 hours after all lines in. Any angler that comes 2+ hours after all lines in will not be allowed to turn in their score card for review. Please allow for no wake zones, busy boat ramps and traffic congestion.
• Should a Team split up: All tournament credits carry to the Team Captain. If the team captain quits, then the boater may take the credits, but Captain must sign to give up credits. You may have as many alternates as needed. To fish the T.O.C. both anglers must have fished together at least one time in a regular event.
• Membership: Each angler must join Benefit Tournaments and is permitted to fish any of our tournaments, fresh or saltwater for the entire year. Cost is $25.00 per angler and this is to help cover costs associated to running all of our series. Membership is valid until the end of the year (12-31-2012).
• Captains meeting: A voluntary captains meeting will be held one (1) to two (2) nights prior to each tournament. It is strongly recommended that you attend this. If you are not able to be at this meeting we will do a recap on tournament morning.
• The entry fee for each tournament is $150 per boat + sales tax ($10.50) for a total of $160.50. *Kayak is $75 per person and includes sales tax!
• TWT’s are $50 each plus sales tax ($3.50) for a total of $53.50 each.
• All registered anglers will receive an email and text message notifying them of the specific poker card to in be in EVERY photo for their specific tournament.
• Payments accepted via PayPal (3 % fee added) up until two days of the actual tournament (please call 863-944-2051 for all PayPal transactions) or by check mailed to Benefit Tournaments 1035 Ashton Woods Lane / Lakeland, FL 33813 up until one week of the actual tournament.
• Late registration via PayPal and CASH ONLY. A late fee of $25 will be assessed to any payment received within one (1) day of the Tournament.
• CASH ONLY payments at the Captain’s meeting and in the morning at the dock
• Any tournament may be rescheduled due to extreme weather.
• NO Refunds of Entry Fees!
• All contestants are required to follow all applicable federal, state, and local statutes, rules, and regulations (laws), any violations of such laws may result in disqualification from that particular event or expulsion from the tournament series. This includes slow or idle zones and manatee areas.
• Anglers may fish anywhere except areas designated as off limits or no fishing by local, state and/or federal officials, or within 100 yards of a competitors boat “actively engaged in fishing”.
• The definition of “actively engaged in fishing” is a boat with the trolling motor in operation with anglers fishing, a boat held in place by anchor, push pole, or Power Pole, or one or more anglers wading.
• All competing boats must have all required US Coast Guard safety equipment. For the safety of all competitors, All teams are required to use kill or ignition cutoff switches and life vests during operation of the combustion engine. Fuel may be carried only in factory installed fuel tanks. Additional fuel may be purchased from a retail facility.
• No changing of boats without tournament officials permission, emergency phone # is 863-944-2051
• No tournament boats may come together for any reason or pass anything between boats during tournament hours. Exceptions are for emergency purposes.
• The use of cell phones, radios, or other electronic devices will be prohibited during tournament hours for the purpose of discussing fishing with anyone.
• There will be a “pro style” numbered start. Teams will be released in order of receipt on their entry fees for each tournament. All boats must idle by the fishing pier or dock past the official starter with life vests on and kill switches attached.
• Kayak anglers will check out via their vehicles and may commute to their fishing destinations. Remember, fishing stops at 12pm June-Sept and 2pm Oct-May!
• Boats late for the numbered start must remain at dock until checked.
• No angler may fish in the confines of any commercial marina. A commercial marina is defined as any marina with a guide dock, boat ramp, bait dispensing facility, and/or fuel dock.
• The tie-breaker in all Benefit Tournaments is first fish or score card presented.
• Sportsman Rule - All participants will conduct themselves in a sportsman-like manner during all activities. This includes prior to and following all events including Capt. Meetings, Weigh-Ins, and all other related events
• Unacceptable behavior will result in expulsion from all future events. Derogatory comments and or unacceptable use of social media is also grounds for expulsion from future events.
• Disqualification or misconduct in any other fishing tournament prior to the tournament date is grounds for an application not being accepted or returned.
• Benefit Tournaments may refuse any tournament application, or deny a previous application by returning the entry fee to the Captain.
• Polygraph tests will be given at random. Each contestant agrees to submit, by their signature on the official entry form, to the polygraph test to determine the results of the tournament and shall not contest the results. Failure to be available for the test is grounds for disqualification. If weigh master or polygraph examiner determines that an angler is unable to take a test, all prizes will be forfeited.
• Polygraph tests may be required up to one week after the event.
• Protests are allowed up to 30 minutes after the last boat or angler weighs in or presents a score card. All protests must be in writing and accompanied by a $300 fee. If protest is upheld the fee will be returned, if denied, tournament will retain the protest fee. A polygraph test will be given to determine protest.
• Tournament Director reserves the right to retain any fish, score card and/or photos for further inspection.
• Benefit Tournaments retains the right to amend, add or delete to these published rules at any time during the tournament season in order to maintain the quality and competitiveness of the series.

BenefitTournaments.com

[BenefitTournaments]

We recommend the Plano 1936 Bump Board for all of our photo only - catch & release tournaments.

http://www.planomolding.com/fishing/fishing-products/

*We welcome your own device... it just needs to be checked and you will be good to go...

For more information... please go to BenefitTournaments.com

[BenefitTournaments]

[BenefitTournaments]

I want to clarify that there are 4 separate divisions and all entry fees stay within each respective division… and payouts will be based upon the number of entries within each respective division… Div. 1-3 is $150 per boat… Div. 4 is $75 per kayak/canoe

Div.1 = Semi-Pro… up to 3 anglers and ANY bait… live, dead or artificial

Div. 2 = Pro… 2 angler teams and ARTIFICIAL ONLY

Div. 3 = One-Man… single angler and ARTIFICIAL ONLY

Div. 4 = Kayak/Canoe… single angler and ARTIFICIAL ONLY

*Also, during our discovery and development of this new series we never once had anyone point out the fragile nature of trout although trout was the most recommended species. Murphy’s Law! So, we have eliminated the pressure this tournament format would have put on the trout species by handling them for photos especially since we were looking for overall total inches and had no size limits in place as every fish counted towards your inches for the day.

This has now become a redfish only tournament as we DO NOT want to add any unnecessary stress to any species! As responsible conservationist we request that you please leave all trout in the water as the species has a protective slime coat that is crucial to their survival. We apologize for any inconvenience this change may cause. *Please leave snook in the water too as this species continues to recover from the fish kill of the severe 2010 freeze.

We will still have 2 different $50 TWT’s (Tournament Within a Tournament)…
#1 = Most Redfish… winner take all pot from each respective division…
#2 = Longest & Shortest Redfish… pays for longest redfish & shortest redfish…
*Most Redfish is separated into each respective division…
**Longest & Shortest Redfish is tournament wide… no separation… one big pot…

*Based on just 50 boats per division, 1st place for each boat division will pay $2000, while 1st place for kayaks/canoes will pay $1000...

**Also, based on just 50 boats, each boat division will have $750 put into the T.O.C. (Tournament of Champions) pot, while $350 will go into the T.O.C. pot for the kayaks/canoes…