Dime Bank Thames River Striped Bass Tournament

1. REGISTRATION.  Registration numbers will be assigned on a first come, first served basis. Tournament entry is by invitation only and the Tournament Director reserves the right to refuse entry in the tournament to any person at any time.  All participants must be registered with tournament headquarters before the start of the Captain’s meeting.  Registrations will be taken at Event Headquarters at Thayers Marine before the Captain’s meeting but payment must be cash only.  Registration includes payment of the entry fee and completion of the tournament waiver form.  The registration deadline is Wednesday, May 13, 2009
   

2. HOURS.  Tournament hours are from Friday, May15, 2009 immediately following the 5:00 pm Captain’s meeting until Saturday, May 16, 2009 at 2:00 pm.  Any fish caught before or after these times will not be eligible.

3. WRIST BRACELETS:  All anglers will be issued a wrist bracelet to identify them as participants in the event.  This bracelet must be worn at all times. 

4. BOAT CHECK IN:  All boats with livewells must have the livewells on their boats checked by an official of the tournament before the start of the tournament.  Officials will be available at the Captain’s Meeting and at the weigh-in station immediately following the Captain’s Meeting. 

5. CONSERVATION.  Conservation is paramount and catch and release is highly encouraged.

6. PENALTIES.  No frozen or decaying fish will be considered.  Any fish appearing to have been mishandled or altered in any way will result in disqualification. 

7. SCORING.  Fish will be weighed, measured for length.  The time each fish was weighed in will also be documented.  Striped bass must be at least 28” in length.  You will be allowed to weigh in a maximum of two striped bass per day.  To be precise, you can weigh in a maximum of two striped bass on Friday from start time until 12:00 am/midnight and then two additional fish between 12:01 am and 2:00 pm on Saturday.  Any angler weighing in an ineligible fish will be disqualified from the tournament.  Prizes will be awarded based on the weight of the fish.

8. CREEL LIMIT AND CULLING:  Each angler is only allowed two striped bass in their possession at any one time.  Dead fish cannot be returned to the waters.  Live and undamaged fish can be culled.  This means that if you have one fish in your boat, cooler or livewell you can continue to fish for another.  If you catch a second fish that is larger than the first, and the first is still alive and healthy, you can return the first fish to the water and keep the second.  If your first fish is dead then you cannot return it to the water and you must decide immediately whether or not to keep your second fish.  If you also keep the second fish then you are finished fishing for that day.  In other words, if you have two fish in your boat you cannot continue to fish.  You cannot fish for a third striped bass and then cull out one of the other two.  If you catch fish on Friday, you must remove them from your possession by midnight or you will exceed the creel limit of two fish per day per angler on Saturday.  This applies to anglers in boats and on shore.  Anglers caught violating Creel Limit regulations will be disqualified from the tournament. 

9. OFF LIMITS:  All waters of the Thames River north of the first bridge, the Gold Star I-95 Bridge, the Shetucket River south of the Greenville Dam to the Norwich Harbor, and the Yantic River south of the Sherman Dam to the Norwich Harbor can be fished and only fish caught in these waters are eligible to be weighed in and considered for prizes.  If you are docked past the I-95 Bridge and you are entering the tournament at any time, you must stop of the Groton weigh-in station to have your boat checked before you begin fishing in the tournament.

10. LICENSES.  All anglers must have a valid CT fishing license and must be prepared to present their license to the tournament committee at registration at the Captain’s meeting. 

11. SAFETY.  Life vests must be worn for all boaters whenever gas motor is on.  Appropriate lighting must be used on boats after sunset and before sunrise.  Boats without appropriate lighting as outlined in state regulations cannot participate during the overnight hours of the tournament.  All participants must comply with all CT state fishing and boating laws and regulations.  Failure to due so may result in disqualification from the tournament.

12. BAIT & TACKLE.  The use of Alewives and blueback herring as bait is prohibited.  The use of treble hooks when fishing live bait is highly discouraged.  All fish must be caught by angling by rod and reel only. 

13. WEIGH-IN.  All participants must present their tournament ID wristband to a tournament official at an official weigh-in station when weighing in a qualifying fish.  Official ID such as a driver’s license may be requested by tournament officials to verify your identity.  All participants must weigh in their own fish.  Fish will be weighed on official tournament scales and will be measured with a closed mouth and open tail from tip of snout to end of tail.  Scales close at 2:00 pm on Saturday which means that no fish will be weighed in after this time. You will be given an official “Weigh-in Receipt” which you are required to verify and sign that documents the statistics of your fish.  All Weigh-in Receipts must also be signed by a tournament official at the weigh in station.  Your weight will be recorded by tournament officials.  Your receipt is your proof of your weight in case of error.  All participants should be available at the end of the tournament.

14. SPORTSMANSHIP.  Unsportsmanlike behavior will not be tolerated.  Be courteous to other anglers and spectators.  Respect private and public property.  Obey all rules of the tournament and all State and Federal fishing and boating laws and regulations.  Always represent the sport of fishing in a positive manner.  Failure to behave in a sportsmanlike manner may result in disqualification.

15. PRIZES:  Winning fish will be determined by weight and then by length and then by time caught.  Prizes will consist of 80% of the registration money collected and will be determined by the number of participants in the tournament.  Payouts will be awarded to 5% of the field of anglers registered.  Each angler is only eligible for one prize which will be awarded for the largest fish weighed in by that angler, regardless of how many fish they actually weighed in throughout the duration of the tournament.

16. TIES.  Ties will be broken first by length of fish and then by the time that the fish was weighed-in at an official weigh-in station.

17. PROTESTS.  If you feel a participant has violated any rules of the tournament you may make an official protest to the Tournament Director.  Violations cannot be investigated until a protest has been made.  After the scales close at 2:00 pm on Saturday, no protests will be accepted by the Tournament Director.  Decisions of the Tournament Director are final.

18. MEDIA.  All participants and spectators agree to allow their names and/or photos to be published in any and all media coverage of this event including but not limited to television, radio, newspaper and magazine coverage.  Names and photos will be used for promotional purposes without any compensation.

19. DIVISIONS.  There will be two divisions in which you can register to participate, Adult and Youth.  “Youth” anglers will be children fifteen (15) years old or younger.  Youth must be accompanied by an adult.  Youth anglers must catch the striped bass with minimal assistance of an adult.  Prizes will be awarded in both Divisions based on the number of participants in each Division.  Youth may choose to register in the adult division if they wish but this must be clarified at the time of the registration check-in on Friday.
    

   20.FISHING CATEGORIES:  Anglers fishing in the following manners will be recognized for their efforts:  (1) fly fishing and(2) angling from a kayak.

21. AWARD VALIDATION.  The Tournament Director and/or their designees reserve the right to inspect all boats, tackle, bait, and equipment at any time during the tournament.  All participants may undergo a polygraph test by a licensed polygraphist before any prizes will be awarded.