Tournament Rules

  1. Tournament Entry Fee of $1,500 MUST be paid in full and cleared prior to first fishing day, or team will not be allowed to participate, no exceptions.
  2. Fishing hours will be set at tournament registration to keep in line with local conditions. Neither lines nor teasers may be put in the water prior to the official starting time. Lines must be removed immediately upon notification of the official end of fishing.
  3. IGFA Rules are in place. Only the angler may touch the rod. Under no circumstances shall the mates hand off a rod AFTER A BITE has occurred.  So if a fish knocks a long bait out of the clip, and the mate hands the rods to the angler, this IS NOT a legal catch. All fish must be released alive in order to score. A legal catch is when the swivel, leader knot or trace connecting the leader to the double line comes in contact with the rod tip (not the knot that forms the double line), AND is verified by the Captain. IGFA rules are available to all anglers upon request.
  4. 30lb. test ONLY for sailfish caught with conventional or spinning tackle and standard 15’ leader. 50lb test and 30’ of leader may be used for any marlin. When fishing the fly, it must be 20lb. tippet tied to IGFA specs.  Live baiting for billfish is not allowed.
  5. Scorecards will be handed out at the Captain’s Meeting. These cards must be filled out, signed by the Captain, signed by the Team Captain, and turned into the Tournament Director before 6pm each afternoon at the dock. Remember to keep a record of Sancochos (missed bites) as each one costs the team $20, with all of this money being donated to a local school in Puerto San Jose.
  6. A team may consist of three or four anglers. Three anglers shall have no more than (3) lines in the water at one time, one line per angler. Four (4) anglers will have no more than (4) lines in the water at one time, one line per angler. You do not have to fish all baits in the water, as you can have a couple of pitch baits. A flat line bait may be fished wherever you choose (doesn’t have to be behind a teaser). No limit to the amount of teasers. If you are fly fishing, it is legal to fish a rigged ballyhoo out of the rigger, or pitch a rigged bait to fish.
  7. Substitutions: There shall be three or four anglers fishing at all times on each boat (three/four baited lines in the water) depending on entry selection. If an angler is unable to fish he/she must notify the Tournament Committee immediately so an alternate angler may be found.
  8. All billfish RELEASES must be reported immediately to Tournament Control on the assigned VHF radio channel. All hook-ups must be reported the last ten minutes of fishing. A billfish hook up must be reported prior to the start of Radio Control’s announcement signaling the end of fishing for the day. In the event of no communication with Radio Control, the Captain needs to verify the release time using the boat’s GPS time. Releases must continue to be called in on the tournament VHF channel even if there is no reply from Tournament Control.
  9. First whale sighting must be radioed into Casa Vieja Lodge. A whale sighting can be at any time during the day, it does not have to be during fishing hours. For this tournament a whale shark qualifies for a whale.
  10. Largest dorado needs to be measured from the fork in the tail to the nose of the fish. Use a piece of monofilament for measuring purposes and turn into the Tournament Director at the end of the day. A picture helps, but without the measurements, the fish will not qualify.
  11. Day one is BAITS ONLY. Day two is BAITS ONLY until 12pm Noon at which time the fly is optional. Day three is optional all day.
  12. Angler rotation is not required.
  13. Points system is as follows:
    1. 10 points for a sailfish on the 30lb
    2. 25 points for sailfish on the fly
    3. 30 points for a marlin on the 50lb
    4. 50 points for a marlin on the 30lb
    5. 100 points for a marlin on the fly
  14. NO LIVE ANIMALS MAY BE PUT ON OPPOSING TEAM’S BOAT.
  15. The Tournament reserves the right to deny tournament entry to any person, persons or teams at their sole discretion for any reason and at any time and all entry fees are non-refundable. The tournament focuses on camaraderie and strongly encourages participation in the evening events.
  16. If there is a tie for Top Sancochero, the tie breaker shall be whoever had the most Sancocho’s in a single tournament day.

Download Tournament Rules