Rules and Regulations

You may download a copy of the 2012 White Marlin Open rules in Adobe Acrobat PDF format.

2012 Rules and Regulations

I. General Tournament Rules

  1. Boat Entry Guidelines
    1. The Basic Entry Fee is $1,000 per boat before June 1st and $1,200 after June 1st.
    2. There is no minimum or maximum boat size.
    3. An unlimited number of anglers are allowed per boat.
    4. Any person listed on the Official White Marlin Open entry form will be considered an angler (i.e. Captain, Mate, Boat Owner). Anglers may also be registered online at www.whitemarlinopen.com, or by calling 410-520-2065. All anglers must be registered prior to fishing.
    5. In the event of a boat disability, contestants may transfer to a second boat and assume the original boat’s number without paying an additional entry fee.
    6. Only 1 day need to be fished by at least 1 boat to make the tournament official and for prizes to be awarded.
    7. The White Marlin Open reserves the right to cancel the tournament at any time.
  2. Federal Legislation and IGFA Rules Apply
    1. All-tackle I.G.F.A. rules apply unless otherwise noted.
    2. Federal law mandates that all anglers participating in a tournament which bestows points, prizes, or awards for Atlantic billfish (blue & white marlin, sailfish or spearfish) must deploy only non-offset circle hooks when using natural bait and/or natural/artificial lure combinations. Anglers in these tournaments may use J-hooks only in artificial lures.
    3. Participants are assumed to have all necessary permits, licenses and/or registrations required by law. However, it is not the responsibility of the tournament officials or directors to verify that all required permits, licenses and/or registrations are acquired by anglers participating in the tournament. Failure of a winning angler to have obtained any or all required permits, licenses and or registrations shall not be the basis for a protest to be filed under the General Tournament Rules, or for a fish to be disqualified.
    4. In the event that the National Marine Fisheries Service increases the minimum length for landing white and/or blue marlin over and above the current White Marlin Open minimums, then the new NMFS minimum length shall become the new White Marlin Open minimum length.
    5. Any last minute changes will be announced at the Captain’s meeting on Sunday, August 5th at 7:00 p.m.
  3. Fishing Days, Fishing Times, and Distance Parameters
    1. Each boat and/or angler is allowed to fish a maximum of 3 days.
    2. Boats must declare their non-fishing day before 8:30 a.m. each day the boat is not fishing, except for Friday. No non-fishing day reporting is required on Friday.
    3. To report a non-fishing day, a representative from the boat must notify the White Marlin Open by calling 410-520-2065 or submitting the non-fishing day online at www.whitemarlinopen.com before 8:30 a.m.
    4. Those boats not reporting by 8:30 a.m. will be declared “fishing” that day.
    5. In the event that a boat does not notify the White Marlin Open by 8:30 a.m. on the non-fishing day, Tournament Directors reserve the right to declare that boat not-fishing.
    6. Fishing hours are 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. each day. No boat may place lines or teasers in the water prior to 8:30 a.m. All lines and teasers must be removed from the water by 3:30 p.m.
    7. Any fish hooked prior to 3:30 p.m. may be played until boated or released, but it must be reported to a Committee Boat or other participating boat, prior to the 3:30 p.m. deadline and must be made available for weigh-ins by 9:15 p.m. that day (see exception under rule C8).
    8. Any boat still fighting a blue marlin after the 3:30 p.m. deadline, and reporting that information to a Committee Boat or another registered tournament boat:
      1. will be permitted to fight that fish until boated, released or lost – except that in order to be eligible for prize money, the blue marlin must be made available for weighing no later than 12:15 a.m. on Saturday, August 11th, regardless of which fishing day the hookup occurred.
      2. must report the status of the fight to the Tournament Directors.
      3. If that boat has any other fish on board intended for weighing, it must report to a Committee Boat or another registered tournament boat by 3:30 p.m. the species of boated fish, the exact length and girth, estimated weight, when the fish was boated, the name of the Committee Boat or other registered tournament boat the initial catch report was made to. Only fish that match the reported length and girth will be weighed.
      4. If that boat does not return inside the sea buoy by 4:00 a.m. on the day after the hookup, that boat cannot return outside the sea buoy and fish that day.
    9. Boats may leave from any inlet between Barnegat Inlet in New Jersey and Rudee Inlet in Virginia.
    10. No boat may pass the sea buoy of any inlet prior to 4:00 a.m. on any fishing day. Any boat leaving early will be disqualified for that fishing day.
    11. There is a fishing distance limit of 100 nautical miles from the Ocean City Inlet sea buoy. Boats must fish within this limit regardless of the inlet of departure.
  4. Reporting and Weigh-In Procedures
    1. All fish must be made available for weighing between the hours of 4:00 p.m. and 9:15 p.m. on the day the boat left the inlet to go fishing. Any fish not available for weighing by 9:15 p.m. for any reason (such as boat breakdown, etc.) will not be counted (see exception under General Rule C8).
    2. All fish to be eligible for prizes must be weighed in on the official scale at Harbour Island Marina.
    3. In the event of a malfunction in the primary weighing system, the Tournament shall switch to a calibrated backup system.
    4. All weights registered on either system will be considered official.
    5. All fish must be accompanied by a signed catch report.
    6. All fish boated with the intention of being weighed for prize money must be reported to a Committee Boat, or other participating boat, with the species and estimated weight.
    7. If any boat still fighting a blue marlin after the 3:30 p.m. deadline has any other fish on board intended for weighing, it must report to a Committee Boat or another registered tournament boat by 3:30 p.m. the species of boated fish, the exact length and girth, estimated weight, when the fish was boated, and the name of the Committee Boat or other registered tournament boat the initial catch report was made to. Only fish that match the reported length and girth will be weighed. (see General Rule C8)
    8. Once a fish is completely in the boat, an angler may use any means to make his boated fish available for weighing. This includes switching his boated fish to another boat to get it to the scales, being towed by another boat, or trucking the fish to the scale.
    9. In order to ensure that the tournament rules are preserved, tournament directors reserve the right to not weigh any fish that will clearly not place first, second, or third based on the following formula: Length(in.) x Girth2(in.) / 800. (see General Rule E7)
  5. Fishing Guidelines
    1. For the purpose of identification and prize money eligibility during the White Marlin Open, a hatchet marlin/round scale spearfish will be considered a white marlin.
    2. In the event of a tie in the weight of a white marlin, the fish that is not gaffed will be considered the winner of the two.
    3. A fish may be hooked by anyone other than the angler (Captain, Mate or other registered angler) however the fishing rod must be transferred immediately to the angler after hookup. The angler, from that time on, shall fight the fish alone until boated or released.
    4. No help, in either manpower or equipment, can be given by another boat nor can anglers from another boat help in any aspect of fighting, boating or releasing the fish.
    5. In the event of a boat disability while fighting a fish, the angler may not switch to another boat nor can anglers from another boat help with either manpower or equipment in any aspect of fighting, boating, or releasing the fish.
    6. The following minimum weights/lenghts must be met for a fish to qualify for prize money and/or billfish points: White Marlin 70 lbs and 67″; Blue Marlin 500 lbs and 105″; Tuna 50 lbs; Dolphin 20 lbs; Wahoo 40 lbs; Shark 100 lbs.
  6. Protest
    1. A protest may only be filed by a registered angler, registered crew member, or Tournament Director.
    2. The White Marlin Open must be notified immediately (by calling 410-289-9229 or speaking directly with a Tournament Director) that a protest is being filed.
    3. All protests must be put in writing and include the registered angler(s) names(s), a local contact phone number and $300 in cash or check made payable to the White Marlin Open. It must contain a detailed description of the protested matter and include any supporting evidence available. It must be signed by the protesting angler(s) or crew member(s) and be delivered to the Tournament Directors as soon as possible from the time the protested action occurs. If no Tournament official is available at Harbour Island, turn in the written report to the guardhouse at the 14th Street entrance to Harbour Island and call 410-289-9229 to report the written protest has been delivered there.
    4. All protests in compliance will be given to the judges. That decision is final.
    5. No protest will be accepted after 3:15 a.m. Saturday August 11th.
    6. Protests should be carefully considered by contestants as they delay or interfere with the awarding of prizes to the tournament winners. Unjustified protests in recent tournaments have caused expense, turmoil, and unfavorable and unacceptable conditions with respect to the bona fide winners of prizes receiving their awards. Therefore, the White Marlin Open shall be entitled to reimbursement for 5 times its costs and fees, including attorneys fees, which result from the determination and resolution of the validity of unjustified protests. Such attorneys fees include, but are not limited to, providing legal advice, and investigation of legal matters in conjunction with any protest as well as legal fees for any litigation which results. Such amount shall be considered as liquidated damages for the matters described herein.
    7. As a condition for entry into the White Marlin Open, all registrants hereby agree to be bound by all matters in Section F6, and Section H of such tournament rules.
  7. Prize Money Payout Procedures
    1. If no minimum, second or third place fish is weighed, that guaranteed prize money will be divided equally among all category winners.
    2. If a category is not won at all, the guaranteed prize money will be equally divided among the other winning categories.
    3. In the event that a winning white marlin is not caught, the Captain’s and Mate’s guaranteed prize money will go to the Mate and Captain of the heaviest blue marlin.
    4. In the event that neither a white or blue marlin is eligible for prize money, the guaranteed prize money will be distributed to winners in the following order: tuna, wahoo, dolphin and shark.
    5. Prize money will be awarded to the registered angler catching the winning fish unless a different disbursement is requested in writing (on the Prize Money Distribution Form) by the winning angler.
    6. Each winning angler (or boat in Level R and Daily Points) must complete a Prize Money Distribution Form before any award checks will be presented.
    7. All anglers winning $50,000 or more and all anglers winning any amount in Level R may be required, at the discretion of the White Marlin Open, to take and pass, at the determination of the test administrator, a polygraph test prior to the distribution of any awards.
      1. The White Marlin Open may, at its discretion, also request that a polygraph test be taken by any other angler or crew member registered to that boat.
      2. The time and place for the polygraph testing will be announced at the Captain’s meeting and listed on the Tournament Information Sheet which is distributed with the boat packets.
      3. In the event that a test cannot be taken at a scheduled time, tournament officials reserve the right to reschedule the test with in 30 days of the date on which the fish was caught. The rescheduled test must be administered by a White Marlin Open approved examiner administered to ASTM standards and will be at the angler’s expense.
      4. If an angler wishes to dispute an unfavorable polygraph result, the angler may have a second polygraph conducted with in 10 days by a qualified polygraph examiner at the angler’s expense. This polygraph must be administered to ASTM standards. The decision as to which of the two polygraph tests will be used to determine prize money eligibility is that of the tournament directors in cooperation with the polygraph examiner(s).
  8. The White Marlin Open Rules have been established for the best interest of all concerned. In the event of necessity any rule may be altered at the discretion of the tournament directors. In any event all interpretation of rules and final decisions will rest with the tournament directors.

II. Billfish Points

Non cash prizes will be awarded to the top 10 anglers and top 10 boats for accumulation of billfish points during the tournament.

  1. Points will be awarded for catches and releases for billfish as follows:
    1. White Marlin
      Release = 70 points
      Boated = 1 point per pound
      (must meet 70 lb. and 67″ minimum)
    2. Blue Marlin
      Release = 175 points
      Boated = 1/3 point per pound
      (must meet 500 lb. and 105″ minimum)
    3. Sailfish
      Release = 70 points
      Boated = 2 points per pound
      (must meet 30 lb. and 63″ minimum)
    4. Swordfish
      Release = 70 points
      Boated = 1 point per pound
      (must meet 80 lb. and 47″ minimum)
    5. Spearfish
      Release = 70 points
      Short Bill, Long Bill and Mediterranean Spearfish are not allowed to be boated. However, for the purpose of identification and prize money eligibility during the White Marlin Open, a hatchet marlin/round scale spearfish will be considered a white marlin, and are allowed to be boated.
  2. A billfish will be considered released when the swivel touches the rod tip, when the mate grabs the leader material, or when the leader goes through the rod tip.
  3. A Committee Boat must be notified by radio when a billfish is boated or released. Report must include boat #, angler’s name, species, boated or release and the time. If a Committee Boat cannot be reached, the report must be given to another registered tournament boat for verification.
  4. In case of a tie (i.e 2 anglers with 2 white marlin released, each have 140 points) the anglers scoring the tying points earliest in the respective 1st, 2nd, or 3rd day of fishing is the winner, regardless of what day in the week the points were scored.
  5. Signed catch and release reports must be turned in to the scorer’s table, a designated drop of area or submitted online by 9:15 p.m. that day to be counted. Any catch report received after the 9:15 p.m. deadline will loose 1/2 of its total value.
  6. All general tournament rules apply.

III. Added Entry Levels

Registration for the added entry levels will be held Saturday, August 4th and Sunday, August 5th from 12-5 p.m. at Harbour Island Marina. Each boat may be entered into as many skill levels as the anglers feel their capabilities allow.

Each skill level will be independent from the others.

Levels A, B, C & D:

30% Heaviest White Marlin 30% Heaviest Blue Marlin
12% 2nd White Marlin 12% 2nd Blue Marlin
8% 3rd White Marlin 8% 3rd Blue Marlin

Level E

Heaviest White Marlin Winner Take All

Level F

Heaviest Blue Marlin Winner Take All

Levels T1 & T2

65% Heaviest Tuna
25% 2nd Tuna
10% 3rd Tuna

Level T3

Heaviest Tuna – Winner Take All

Level R

Most Release Points by a Boat awarded as follows (no observer required):

55% First Place
30% Second Place
15% Third Place

Level M

Daily Meat Fish:

50% Heaviest Dolphin Daily
50% Heaviest Wahoo Daily

In order to enter Level M the boat must be entered in the Non-Billfish Doubler.

Level SBM

Small Boat Heaviest White Marlin Winner Take All – Boats 36′ and under

Level SBT

Small Boat Heaviest Tuna Winner Take All – Boats 36′ and under

Captain

Captain of boat that catches heaviest white marlin – winner take all.

Mate

Mate of boat that catches heaviest white marlin – winner take all.

Non-Billfish Doubler

The tournament will double the listed guaranteed prize money for all non-billfish categories. For example, the angler landing the 1st place Tuna would receive $2000 for the guaranteed prize money plus a $2000 bonus. Each winning fish will count for only one doubling bonus. If an angler lands the 1st and 2nd place Tuna and there is no 3rd place qualifying Tuna, that angler would receive $2000, $1500, and $1000 from the guaranteed prize money plus a $2000 and $1500 bonus. There is no limit to the number of bonus categories an angler may win.

Tuna Bonus

If the boat that catches the 1st place Tuna is entered into the Tuna Bonus category, a $10,000 bonus will be awarded.

In order to enter the Tuna Bonus the boat must be entered in the Non-Billfish Doubler.

Daily Billfish Points

There will be a daily cash award for the most billfish points accumulated by a boat each day. In the event that there is no daily billfish points winner on a given day, that day’s prize money will be divided equally among the other daily winners.

To be eligible for prize money all fish must meet the minimum weights set by the tournament.

A, B, C, D Levels – If no third place qualifying white marlin is caught, that money will be split equally between the first and second place white marlin. If no second place qualifying white marlin is caught, that money will go to the first place white marlin. If no third place qualifying blue marlin is caught, that money will be split equally between the first and second place blue marlin. If no second place qualifying blue marlin is caught, that money will go to the first place blue marlin. If no minimum weight white marlin is caught, that money will go to the blue marlin winners. If no minimum weight blue marlin is caught, that money will go to the white marlin winners. In the event that there is no qualifying white or blue marlin caught the prize money would go to the top three tuna at 50%, 30%, 20%.

E & SBW Levels – If no minimum weight white marlin is caught, the prize money will go to the heaviest qualifying blue marlin. In the event that a qualifying white or blue marlin is not caught, the prize money will go to the first place qualifying fish in the following order: tuna, wahoo, dolphin, shark.

F Level – If no minimum weight blue marlin is caught, the prize money will go to the heaviest qualifying tuna. In the event that a qualifying tuna is not caught, the prize money will go to the first place qualifying fish in the following order: wahoo, dolphin, shark.

T1 & T2 Levels – If no minimum weight tuna is caught, the prize money will go to the heaviest qualifying fish in the following order: wahoo, dolphin, shark.

T3 & SBT Levels – If no minimum weight tuna is caught, the prize money will go to the heaviest qualifying fish in the following order: wahoo, dolphin, shark.

M Level – In the event that there is no daily Meat Fish winner on a given day, that day’s prize will be divided equally among the other daily winners for that particular species.

*94% of all calcutta entries will be paid out unless otherwise specified.

No added entry level fees will be accepted after August 5th, 2012.