Rules

The rules laid down by the I.G.F.A. will be followed in this tournament.

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

Points will be awarded as follows:

Fish caught on 30 lb. test – weight of fish x 1.50
Fish caught on 50 lb. test – weight of fish x 1.25
Fish caught on 80 lb. test – weight of fish x 1.00
Fish caught on 130 lb. test – weight of fish x .75

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 (350 pts.)
White Marlin (200 pts.)
Sailfish or Spearfish (150 pts.)

An incremental 50 point bonus will be added to the Tag and Release points earned by a team for each subsequent successful Tag and Release after their first. In other words, a team’s first T&R billfish will be worth the normal amount of points as listed above, their second would be worth normal points +50, their third worth normal points +100, etc.

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: In order to obtain Release points, teams must submit a clear photo that properly identifies the fish about to be released. You are required to bring your digital camera and memory card to the scale for processing. In the event that a photo does not clearly identify a particular fish, or for some reason the fish does not appear to be a completed release, the tournament protest committee will be called upon to decide whether or not points will be awarded for that fish. The decision of the protest committee will be final.

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

Fishing times will be from 7:00 am (Bimini Start) to 4:30 pm on Thursday, March 19th, 6:00 am to 4:00 pm on Friday, March 20th, and 6:00 am to 3:00 pm on Sunday, March 22nd.
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 19th and Friday, March 20th, and on Sunday, March 22nd 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 22nd) 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 18th from 2 pm to 5:30 pm. Pre-registration is available. Please contact Ramona Pazos (monz@tstt.net.tt) for assistance. Pre-registration ends on Friday, March 13th at 5:30 pm.
Entrance fees are $1200TT ($200USD) per angler. Minimum of 4 anglers per team. Note: those who wish to compete in the Junior Angler category must be born on or after 1st January 1993 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 Friday, March 13th at 6:30pm.

Bimini Start on Thursday, March 19th at 7:00am. All participating boats will receive 200 points. Communicate with Tournament Control to inform of paticipation.

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 21st, 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 20th at 7:00 pm. Food will be provided. Bring your cooler.

All boats registered 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.

Prize giving will be held on Sunday, March 22nd, 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.