ABOUT THE REDSNOOK: History / Rules / Schedule / Committee        

1. Measuring and photographing the fish on the tournament measuring board with the Angler number, and releasing a live fish constitutes a catch. The fish must face left on the measuring board. However, if the guide determines that the boating of a tarpon would be detrimental to the safety of the angler or the fish, boat side photos and measuring will be permitted. Any deviation from the above photographing techniques will result in no points for that catch.

2. IGFA Rules and tackle specifications apply. The guide is not allowed to cast for their angler or cast an attracter to assist an angler. Circle hooks must be used for live bait. Fishing is intended to be inshore at a depth not to exceed that of a push pole.

3. No heavier than 20 pound test line (Manufacturer Stated Test) may be used in all divisions.

4. Only 1 working rod per Angler is allowed in the water at any time.

5. There must be two Anglers on every participating boat. In the absence of a Teammate, the Tournament Committee will appoint a Substitute Angler. Professional guides cannot register as an angler.

6. Boats must depart from and return to Tournament Launch Sites by water. Slow zones and other boating regulations must be observed. Anglers must sign out before departure each day and sign in upon returning, regardless of catch. No trailering during tournament hours.

7. Teams may wade fish or fish from shore; however, the boat must be at anchor the entire time any angler is fishing outside the boat.

8. The tournament is a team format with each team allowed to enter a maximum of three redfish and three snook per day. Each team may photograph as many fish as necessary but only the three largest of each species will be counted. An individual angler on each team may only enter a maximum of two snook and two redfish per day.

9. There will be three divisions. The divisions are General Bait, Spin/Plug, and Fly. The General Bait and Spin/Plug divisions will have a guided and unguided teams and the Fly division will be treated as one division whether or not the teams are guided. All guides fees will be paid by the anglers using a guide. There will be a guided and unguided team champion in the General Bait and Spin/Plug divisions. There will be a Fly division champion. The divisions are General Bait, Spin/Plug and Fly. There will be no overall Team Grand Champions. Each team is required to choose the division they will be competing in prior to the tournament. Changing divisions will not be accepted after leaving the dock on Saturday morning. If there are less than six (6) teams registered in a division two weeks prior to the start of the tournament, that division will be cancelled and those anglers will be required to transfer to another division.

10. The Spin/Plug and Fly divisions are artificial lure categories. No tipping is permitted. Bait or tipping is permitted only in the General Bait Division. No chumming is allowed.

11. The tournament will be scored using length of fish with ten (10) points per inch of fish the first day and fifteen (15) points per inch the second day. All lengths will be rounded up to the nearest inch (i.e. a 24 3/8" fish will be rounded up to 25" and will be scored accordingly). Pinching the tail is required for snook. Team Champions will be the anglers with the most total points for the two days within each division.

12. There are no minimum size restrictions for either species and it is not necessary to have caught a redfish and snook to be eligible for awards except to be eligible for the Redsnook Slam award. See rule 13 below.

13. All registered teams are eligible for the Slam Award. To qualify, the team must catch a tarpon, snook, and redfish on the same day with each individual angler on the team catching at least one of the three fish entered. The tarpon must be 36 inches or more measured from the snout to the fork of the tail. If a tarpon is larger than 50 inches, 50 inches is the maximum allowed for scoring. The snook and redfish must be at least a "slot" size or greater. The total combined inches of the entered tarpon, snook, and redfish will determine the winner. The tarpon can be taken using any of the three methods (bait, fly or spin/plug) regardless of the division the team is fishing within. If a team elects to enter the Slam, the snook and redfish entered for the slam will be removed from the points calculation for their division.

14. Ties for each of the tournament categories will be awarded to the Team that caught their last fish entered within the division for that award, earliest in the Tournament. In the event of a tie for the Slam Award, the award will go to the team that completes the Slam the earliest in the day, regardless of what day.

15. There will be an award for the top Female and top junior angler. These awards will be given to the individual anglers with the most total individual points for the two days. A junior angler must be under 16 years of age (at the starting date of the tournament) and fishing with an adult.

16. Good sportsmanship is expected, however, the penalty for any violation of the rules is NO POINTS for the day's catch. All protests must be signed and in writing and given to the Site Director by 5:30 pm the day of the violation. The Site Director will contact the Tournament Rules Committee for a decision. All decisions by the Rules Committee are final.

17. If within 48 hours of the start of the tournament, the National Hurricane Center issues a Tropical Storm Warning that affects any of the launch areas, the tournament will be postponed. The Tournament Committee also reserves the right to postpone the tournament for any reason if they feel the conditions are unsafe. If the first day of the tournament is completed prior to the postponement, the tournament will be considered complete. If the tournament is postponed, a rescheduled date will be announced within 96 hours. If an angler cannot fish the rescheduled date, the registration fee will either be returned or applied to the next year's event. All other weather decisions will be made by the Tournament Committee and communicated to the guides by phone. It is the responsibility of the guide to notify his or her anglers.