RULES & REGULATIONS

All boats must be registered with the Tournament Committee and entry fees paid to qualify for prizes.

There is no limit to anglers per team, but all must be registered before fishing starts. 

This is a non-sonar fishing tournament and all use of omnidirectional sonar is prohibited.

At least one person from each boat should attend the Captains Meeting. All participants are responsible for knowing and abiding by tournament rules.

The tournament fishing day is August 16. Lines-in at 8:30 a.m. and lines-out at 3 p.m. Neither lines nor teasers are allowed in the water prior to or after official fishing hours.

All boats must fish within 85 nautical miles of the Rudee Inlet Sea Bouy. Fish must be hooked within these boundaries but may be fought outside of the boundaries once hooked.

This is a release-only tournament. In order to qualify as a release, the billfish must remain in the water per Federal Law. A billfish is considered released when the leader connection is wound to the tip of the rod or a mate touches the leader.

A cash prize will be awarded to the boat that scores the most total release points. In the event of a tie, the winner will be decided by the first boat to achieve the winning total. Blue marlin will receive 400 points, white marlin, sailfish, hatchet marlin and spearfish will be awarded 150 points for each release. Indisputable video or photo evidence of all blue marlin WILL BE REQUIRED and indisputable video or photo evidence of all other billfish MAY BE REQUESTED to be provided by the winning boat for final verification. A date and timestamp is required.

All billfish releases must be communicated to a Committee Boat on tournament VHF Channel 79 for official time verification. In the event of radio communication failure, a time confirmation must be obtained from another participating tournament vessel and written on the Release Form.

All billfish release forms must be fully filled out and signed by the captain before turned into Weighmaster. Billfish scorecards are compared to the Committee Boat radio log for verification and official time of release.

Winning gamefish will be determined by weight. In the event of a tie, the winner will be determined by the first fish weighed in. All gamefish eligible for prizes must be offloaded and weighed in at Fisherman's Wharf via boat or vehicle.

This is a rod-and-reel hook-and-line tournament. Double line and leader combined may not exceed 40 feet; neither may exceed 30 feet. The fish must be fought by rod and reel from the boat. Fish may be fought from a fighting chair or using a cush-it, fighting belt, stand-up harness or similar. Fish may not be fought from gunnel.

Non-offset "Circle" hooks are MANDATORY when deploying natural bait or natural bait combined with artificial lures. "J" hooks are ONLY allowed on entirely artificial lures. This is a trolling tournament, unconventional non-trolling techniques are strictly prohibited. All I.G.F.A. rules apply, with any exceptions outlined in the RILO Rules & Regulations. 

The following practices are illegal in this tournament: shooting, harpooning or lancing; use of handline or rope attached to the line or leader; throwing a rod overboard with a floatation device; transfer of any participant from one boat to another.

Both males and females are allowed to hook fish. After hookup, the rod must be passed to a female angler and only a female angler may fight the fish. Mate (male or female) is allowed to adjust drag after the rod is passed to the female. angler A female angler may pass the rod to another female angler.

By signing the entry form and/or paying the entry fee, all anglers acknowledge that they have read and understand the Rules of the Tournament and agree to be bound by the terms and conditions contained therein. Furthermore, entrants do hereby RELEASE and HOLD HARMLESS Rudee Inlet Ladies Open from any claim for damages to person or property incurred by participation in the tournament.

A boat and/or team will be disqualified from the tournament if the boat, captain or crew violate any rules of the tournament.

Weather-related decisions are at the sole discretion of the Captain. A “weather day” may be called by the Tournament Committee. Any substitute boats must be registered with the Tournament Committee.

All boats and participants must comply with Virginia and Federal Fisheries laws and regulations regarding fishing licenses, vessel permits, fishing gear, size and bag limits.

Any protest by any participant against the catch of another participant must be submitted in writing to the Tournament Committee. No protests are allowed against the Tournament.

Polygraph tests may be administered to captain, mates, and others as deemed necessary by official tournament officials. Participants must make themselves available for polygraph testing when requested and whomever is selected must be sober. A participant's refusal to take a polygraph test or failure to answer test questions in a manner satisfactory to tournament officials, in their sole discretion, may result in disqualification. Disqualified Participants/Teams or Participants/Teams that fail a polygraph examination forfeit all entry money, prizes or prize money, and may be refused entry to future RILO tournaments. By entering the tournament, participants consent to the admissibility of polygraph results in any dispute or proceeding arising out of the tournament. The decision of the tournament officials is final.