Game 2015 – Rules & Forms

EFSA MIAMI 2 (definitivo)-01L
OFFICIAL RULES
Team Requirements

A team shall consist of 2 (two) up to 5 (five) anglers. Each registered angler will receive a Personal Angler’s Number. If the boat cannot accommodate all anglers, they will be rotated in each day.
Individual anglers are allowed fishing only in a team. Individual anglers could, if so wishes, indicate the preferred anglers with whom he likes to fish with. Should the anglers not give any indication, if possible to arrange it, he will be assigned in a team in a random,.
Only 2 (two) National Teams could be registered for the National Section Awards by each Section.
All teams members can be replaced provided prior communication is given to the EFSA EGCC.
Registered tournament charter boat’s captains or mates cannot be registered as tournament anglers.
All teams must participate in the boat draw. Teams will fish on a different charter boat each day.

Game Championship Headquarter

The Headquarter of the EFSA Game Championship will be located at :
Courtyard Marriott Coconut Grove
3649 S. Bayshore Drive Miami , FL 33133
Phone: 001 305 858 2500 Fax 001 305 866 8282
www.coutyardmiamicoconut-grove.com
All information and advices about the EFSA Game Championship 2015 will be displayed at the Hotel Headquarter .

EFSA Game Championship Committee

The EFSA Game Championship Committee, head lined by the EFSA Game Championship Officer will be composed by an EFSA HQ’s supervisor, EFSA Hosting Section Officer, and two members drawn from the list of anglers indicated by each Section (each Section must indicate an angler who fully understand the EFSA and IGFA rules) until november 30th , 2014.
The EFSA GCC, has right to investigate about any question regarding the Championship and will decide about any protest, penalties, disqualification, rules breaking, security problems, weather condition and any further arising problems during the EFSA Game Championship.

Horst Schneider EFSA Executive Officer
Massimo Brogna EFSA Game Championship Officer
Giacomo Forti EFSA Hosting Section Officer
Shaun Balban Angler
Martin du Plessis Angler

EFSA Organization Committee

Massimo Brogna EFSA Game Championship Officer
Charmain Rosher Tournament’s Coordinator
Giacomo Forti EFSA Hosting Section Officer

Teams Registration and Camera Check-in

All registered participants must check-in at the Registration Check in Desk to receive their credential, angler’s bag and register their video cameras.
The Registration Check-in Desk, will be located at Monty’s Restaurant from 04.00 p.m. until 06.00 pm on Monday, May 4th , 2015.
Any team failing to check-in at that time, must inform the EFSA GCC prior to the registration date.

Briefing & Boat Draw

There will be a boat draw to determine the boat line for the three days will be held at .
The Championship’s briefing and boat draw will be held from 03.00 to 07.00 on Monday May 4th, 2015 at Monty’s Restaurant , Bayshore Landing Marina.
All teams must participate in the boat draw. It is mandatory that one member of the fishing team and any individual angler must be present at the briefing and the boat draw. If they do not attend, they accept and agree to be bound by all instructions and/or rule changes made orally or in writing during that meeting.

Fishing Area’s boundaries

The boundaries of the Championship’s fishing area will be:
North (N. 26.05.000), South (S. 25.28.000), East 25 NM from the cost.
EFSA GCC will indicate the selected area at the briefing and reserve the right to change or reduce the Tournament’s Area.

Embarkation Dock

All teams will be embarked and disembarked at the Bayshore Landing Marina – 2560 Bayshore Drive, Coconut Grove-Miami, FL 33133 GPS: N 25° 43’386” W 80° 13’164”
www.bayshorelanding.com DMO@BayshoreLanding.com Phone: +1 305 854 7997

Fishing Days/Times

All boats fishing in the EFSA Game Championship 2015, must depart from the designated starting point in front of Bayshore Landing Marina Harbor.
The start and stop signal will be announced on the radio. At the Start signal each day until 8.30 a.m, teams will be allowed to fish only for live bait. Only on the first day of fishing, at 8.15 a.m. all boats must be stop to fish for baits and proceed right out of Miami harbor entrance where will be announced the Start signal for Lines In. Do not start fishing until Championship’s officials declare “lines in” on the radio.
All fish hooked up must be reported to the Radio Control Operator prior to the time of the stop-fishing signal each day. If, in the event a fish is still hooked up at the call of stop fishing, the angler may keep fighting the fish for another 30 minutes.
Radio Control Operator must be notified when a team is hooked up or the fish will be disqualified. No exception.

E.F.S.A. Game Championship 2015:

Fishing days: Tuesday May 5th , Wednesday, May 6th, Thursday May 7th.
Fishing hours: 7 a.m. Start fishing for Baits - 8,30 a.m. Lines In - 3 p.m. Lines Out
E.F.S.A. Tarpon Festival: Fishing Day: Sunday May 3rd from 06.00 p.m. to 09.00 p.m.

Fishing Rules

EFSA and IGFA Rules (copy will be attached to the Championship rules) will apply unless otherwise stated (See catch & release rules for scoring points), with one exception.
It is responsibility of each team and each individual angler to know, understand and abide to EFSA Game Championship Rules and IGFA Rules.
Only fish caught on rod and reel will earn points.
Boats will be required to have six (six) rods and reels on board equipped with the official line of the EFSA Game Championship 2015.
It is responsibility of each teams and each individual angler to check the boat’s equipments, tackle, leaders, hook arrangements and line prior to the start of fishing to be sure is working well and respect EFSA Game Championship Rules and the IGFA Rules.
Fishing for bait is permitted only during tournament fishing hours.
No lines are permitted in the water prior to the start of fishing.
Captains and Mates are not allowed to fish for live baits.
In the event a boat is disabled, a replacement boat will be rotated in for that day, when possible, but will not be possible to make up for lost time.
In case of a boat failure, the EFSA GCC will try to replace it as soon as possible, when possible, but the time lost will not be regained and no extra time will be assigned.
Team must complete each day the Catch Report Form, which is supplied in the tournament bags at registration. The Catch Report Form must be signed by all anglers fishing in the boat that day and the Boat’s Captain, whether or not a fish was caught.
No form, no points!
The angler must handover the hook/lure, leader, line and double line for each caught fish in order to allow verification by EFSA GCC.
At the end of any fishing day, video camera, camera connections used to plug into a computer, Catch Report Form, terminal tackle and all video footage taken must be brought to the EFSA GCC for verification of official score points.
Failure to do so will result in disqualification of that day’s catch.
The EFSA GCC has the right to investigate and act upon any incident occurring during the tournament.
It shall have the right to disqualify any capture following examination and measurement of tackle and equipment used on the boat.
The EFSA GCC holds the right to examine any tackle, hooks, line and/or leaders anytime during the event.
Any team or angler, who deliberately breaks the above mentioned rules or refuse to allow the EFSA GCC to examine any tackle, line and/or leaders, will immediately be disqualified and expelled from the tournaments without any refund, including the Registration fees.
All teams must turn in their Catch Report Form, video and weighed fish no later than 07:00 p.m. or catches of the day will be disqualified.
The only exception is if the boat has mechanical difficulties.
In this case all fish to be weighed and release videos must be at the weigh station by 11:59 p.m. of that days fishing.
If any portion of the Championship is fished and a team or teams land or release fish that match the tournament’s eligible species and minimum weight or size limits, then prizes will be awarded.

Communications

All hook up, releases, lost fishes and boated fishes intended to be weighed are to be reported to the Radio Control Operator along with the assigned team number, angler’s number and name, Boat’s position GPS and fish species. All reported hook up will receive the time of hook up from Radio Control Operator.
All reported release/boated fish will receive time of catch and catch number from Radio Control Operator.
If a tournament boat is not able for any reason to communicate to the Radio Control Operator, any of the above events must be relayed via radio or cell phone in any manner to another boat. Catch number and time will be assigned at the same time the event is reported to the Radio Control Operator, even for earlier catch. No exception. Refusal intentionally to communicate any fishing event to the Radio Control Operator will result in disqualification for the day. Radio Control’s time will act as the official time for the start, catch, release or boated fish, end of fishing each day without exception.
The official tournament VHS Channel is CHANNEL 82 .
To contact EFSA GCC please call EFSA Game Officer at the following phone number. Phone: 001

Catch & Release Rules and Video:

All teams must provide their own video camera(s) along with cable and download’s items to verify their catches and releases. All video recording equipment must be synchronized to the official tournament time. Teams must video their boat an team number each day before departing to go fishing. To score an official release or a measured fish, the video footage must include the charter boat and sufficient continuous footage to (1) clearly identify the species; (2) show clearly a team member or crew touching the leader while the fish is still hooked; (3) identify the time and date of the catch; and (4) show the exact length of the fish on the IGFA Measuring Device ( 5) show the catch or the full release of the fish. The video must be continuous, with no breaks in recording, and identify all of these elements. Do not delete any video taken during the tournament’s fishing hours, even if it does not include the above elements and will not be used to prove a catch. After any catch, catch number, official time of catch and time of release, species and angler name must be reported on the Catch Report Form.
If for any reason is not possible to clearly identify the fish or the length of the fish, points will not be awarded. If is not possible to identify a billfish, team will be awarded with the minimum score for a released billfish.
The EFSA GCC reserves the privilege of changing the program, rules, starting and finishing times or cancel the tournament for any reason it deems necessary.
After that, the fish must be safely released. No photo or video, no points.

EFSA Tarpon Festival Rules

This is a single angler Tournament All release. Anglers will fish three in a boat in a random. IGFA Rules will be apply to all catch. Lines up to 130 pounds. Anglers will draw a start position and will change their position every hour. The angler with most fish will be the winner.
At the and of the tournament , Catch report form must be signed by all anglers and Captain.
All hook up, releases and lost fishes must be reported to the Radio Control Operator along with the angler’s number and name. All reported hook up will receive the time of hook up from Radio Control Operator. All reported release/boated fish will receive time of catch and catch number from Radio Control Operator. If a tournament boat is not able for any reason to communicate to the Radio Control Operator, any of the above events must be relayed via radio or cell phone in any manner to another boat. Catch number and time will be assigned at the same time the event is reported to the Radio Control Operator, even for earlier catch. No exception. Refusal intentionally to communicate any fishing event to the Radio Control Operator will result in disqualification for the day.
Radio Control’s time will act as the official time . The official tournament VHS Channel is CHANNEL 82 .

In case of tie, angler who released the last fish first, will be declared the winner.

Observers/Photographers/Guests

The EFSA GCC, at its sole discretion, may assign an observer or photographer/cameraman or guests to any boat on any fishing day. Observers do not determine official catch or release.

Fishing Line

All catches must be made on ANDE Tournament 20# line class, yellow fluorescent hi-vis only, the Official line of the EFSA European Game Championship 2015. All reels must have at least 150 yards of Official Line. The are no restrictions about backing line even if attached or not to the official Line.

Leaders

According with EFSA & IGFA Rules.

Rods

Unlimited in use or numbers.

Teasers & Dredges

Unlimited in use or numbers.

Hooks

All tournament participants must use non-offset circle hooks for all species whenever live or un-skirted natural bait is used. Lures may be rigged with conventional hooks. EFSA kindly thanks Teams for not use inox hooks.

Baits & Lures

Live and dead baits, lures and any combination thereof are permitted in this tournament. Each boat ( if available) will be equipped with 12 Live baits each day. Dead bait cannot be purchased.
Each Team will be allowed to fish live baits only during the fishing hours of each day of fishing. Live or dead bait may not be passed between boats. Live baits of the day cannot be used in the following fishing day. Captains and mate are not allowed to fish for baits.

Weather

The EFSA EGCC, at his own discretion, has the right to suspend or cancel the Championship at any moment for bad weather condition .

Photos and Videos

By signing their entry form, all anglers gives to EFSA the right to use all video footage and photos received from participating anglers for internal use, promotional and press issues.

Protests

All protests must be stated in writing using the Protest Form and accompanied by $ 200,00 protest fee .
All protests will be settled on the day of the incident. All protests must be in the hands of the EFSA GCC by 08:00 p.m. on the day of the alleged incident, unless there is a protest regarding a fish that comes to the scales late. The protesting party, as well as the accused team members, captain and crew, must be present in any official protest hearing. If the accused or protesting teams fail to show up for the protest hearing, they forfeit their right to be heard and agree to abide by the decision made by the EFSA GCC. If protest up hold, teams will receive back the $ 200,00 protest fee. All decisions are final and non appellable.

Scoring Points

Billfish: This is a total billfish release tournament.
Any blue marlin, black marlin, striped marlin, sailfish, spearfish or swordfish must be released in accordance with the tournament rules and shall be awarded the following points:

Blue and Black Marlin or Swordfish earn 750 points per release
Striped Marlin earn 300 points per release
Sailfish and Spearfish earn 250 points per release

If a billfish is dead or nearly dead when landed and there is no chance for survival, the fish can be boated and the team receives points as a released fish.
If an angler catches a potential billfish world-record, that fish may be boated and weighed at the Official IGFA Weigh Station. If it is heavy enough to be considered for a world record or if, however, the fish is not heavy enough to be considered for a world record with a tolerance of a 10% of the existing record’s weight, the same points will be awarded as for released fish. If the fish weighs less than 10% of the existing record weight, the fish will be disqualified and same foreseen negative points will be assigned to the team.

Weighed Game Fish:

in agreement with all State and Federal laws, points for the following 3 (three) species will be awarded on the basis set below.

Section 1: TUNAS : Bluefin Tuna, Yellowfin Tuna, Bigeye Tua, Skipjack Tuna, Albacore, Dogtooth tuna, Longtail Tuna, Little Tunny, Blackfin Tuna
Section 2: WAHOO & MACKEREL KING/ NARROWBARRED
Section 3 : DOLPHIN & COBIA

All fishes, will be measured on the IGFA Official Measurement Device.
Team must measure and take a video of the fish in a correct position as required by the All Tackle Length IGFA Rules until the fish has been released or boated or catch will be disqualified.
Be sure the fork of the tail has the superior and inferior part on the same line. The shorter one will count.

Awarding Points:

Fish measuring up to 75 centimeters: 30 points
Fish measuring from 75 to 99 centimeters: 50 points
Fish measuring from 100 to 149 pounds: 100 points
Fish measuring 150 centimeters or more: 150 points
After measurement, fish must be safety released. Two fish per species may be kept daily by the team.

In case of tie, team or angler who released or boated the last fish first, will be declared the winner.

Tipping

Tipping of Captains and Mates is expected and the responsibility of the team. Suggested tip for boat per day is $ 200,00 and should be handed directly only to the boat captain.

Dress Code

At the Registration day, award dinner and prize giving, official EFSA Section shirt or polo is mandatory .

Award List & Ceremony

The complete list of the award will be presented at the briefing, right before the Championship.
In case there are no valid catches or any part of the tournament is cancelled, the awards will not be assigned.
The Award Ceremony will take place at Monty’s Restaurant at 19.00 on Friday, May 8th , 2015.
Anglers not attending the Award ceremony , except for a justified reasons, will not receive awarded.

Disclaimer

All registered anglers enter and participate in this EFSA Game Championship voluntarily and at their own risk. In consideration for the EFSA Game Championship Committee acceptance of his or her entry, each registered angler, for his or her, executors, and administrators, agrees to release, hold harmless and indemnify the European Federation of Sea Anglers, the EFSA Game Championship Committee, the EFSA Organizing Committee, the officers, managers, directors, agents sponsors, donors and all other persons connected directly or indirectly with the operation of the Championship, from and against any and all liabilities, claims, actions, damages, costs, fees or expenses which he or she may have against any above-described party arising out of or in any way connected with his or her participation in this EFSA Game Championship, including any injury or death suffered by any registered angler.
Each registered angler and participant understands and assumes full responsibility agreeing and releasing, and waiving any claims for liability, slander and negligence.

ENTRY FORM DOWNLOAD

Download your Florida SW Rules here

Download your IGFA rules here

Download your Entry form here

Download your Team Registration Form here

Download your Tarpon Festival Entry form here