THUMB AREA OFFSHORE CHALLENGE TOURNAMENT RULES JUNE 21/JUNE 22 2008 Participants and Eligibility: A completed entry form along with the full entry fee (check or money order) made out to Port Austin Chamber of Commerce. If registering the day of the tournament cash or money order will only be accepted. Once a team is entered, no refunds will be given except for extreme circumstances and must be approved by the tournament committee. A parent or guardian must accompany any team member under 18 years of age. All members of the team must possess the required licenses for the waters and species they are fishing. All entered boats must be compliant with United States Coast Guard requirements and all applicable laws for the waters they are in. All boats entered must be at least 18 feet in length. Your team may have as many members that your boat can safely hold without surpassing the load restrictions and limits suggested by the manufacturer. A legal boat limit will be used for catch limits. A 4 man format will apply to number of rods that may be used. Consult the Michigan Dept. of Resources Fishing Guide for current rules and regulations. Tournament Format: The tournament will be two (2) days Saturday June 23, 2007 and Sunday June 24, 2007 unless delayed or shortened due to weather or unforeseen circumstances. A total of three (3) consecutive hours will constitute a completed tournament. Official start time will be once your boat has completed and passed inspection. Fishing in Canadian waters is prohibited for this tournament. A captains meeting will be held at 7:00 PM on Friday June 22, 2007 at the Port Austin Gymnasium located in downtown Port Austin behind the IGA At least one team member must be present at this meeting. A full refund of all entry fees will be given if the tournament is cancelled due to weather or unforeseen circumstances. The remainder of any monies raised from this event other than entry fees will be donated to Ducks Unlimited to be used for wetland and waterfowl conservation. You may have different team members on Day 1 and Day 2 with the exception of the captain listed on the entry form. Only in an emergency situation approved by Tournament Control may a captain be replaced by another crew member. If fishing with different team members Day 1 and Day 2 you must provide a list of the members to tournament control prior to leaving the harbor along with their signatures on the entry form. Observers: Teams may randomly be required to have an observer on their boat. If an observer is required one will be provided by the tournament committee. Radio Use and Restrictions: Each boat must be equipped with a functional “fixed” VHF marine radio. At the captains meeting, Tournament Control will designate a channel for participants to monitor during fishing hours. The designated channel is to be used for tournament control communication with the entrants and tournament workers only. Any other radio communication between boats must be done on a separate channel. Please monitor the designated tournament control channel throughout the tournament hours. Boat Inspection: Boat inspections will begin at 5:00 AM conducted by tournament officials and/or their representatives. If your boat is not ready for inspection the inspectors will continue on to other boats and return when finished. Possession of any fish other than fish used for bait rigs (cut bait, herring, etc.) during initial inspections will result in disqualification and forfeiture of entry fees. All boats are subject to inspection by Tournament Control and/or their representatives at any time before or during the tournament. Once your boat has been inspected you may leave the harbor and start fishing. Upon returning to the launch site or marina, notify Tournament Control. All boats must be inside the harbor by 1:00 PM. At this time separate the six (6) fish your team selected to enter for the weigh-in and place them in a cooler. A tournament representative will seal your cooler with the six fish and have them transported to the official weigh-in site.  A team member and assigned observer if applicable must accompany your catch at the weigh-in line. The weigh-in line will open at 11:00 AM and close promptly at 2:00 PM. Any teams not in line by 2:00 PM will not be allowed to weigh fish. This rule will be strictly enforced, NO EXCEPTIONS. Boat inspection cards are required at the weigh-in. Scoring: Six (6) fish each day may be weighed and can be any legal combination of lake trout, salmon, brown trout, or steelhead. Absolutely no culling of fish once they are placed in storage (cooler, live well, etc.). Culling of stored fish will result in disqualification. The total two (2) day weight of the teams weighed fish (6 maximum each day) will determine the winner. In the event of a tie the teams in question will split the prize money for those places (e.g. a tie for 3rd place would result in the tied teams splitting the prize money for 3rd and 4th place etc.)  If there is a tie for the last pay-out position the tied teams will split the money. Tournament Control may inspect any fish being weighed. Any visible baitfish will be removed before weighing. If any fish has been altered to enhance its weight, the team will be disqualified from the tournament. The inspection may involve but is not limited to dissection. Fish entered for big fish prizes must be entered as part of your teams six (6) weighed fish. Rules and Interpretation: All protests must be made in writing, signed by all team members, and submitted to Tournament Control with a $100.00 fee before the completion of the weigh-in questioned. Following interviews with concerned parties, a ruling will be made. The protest fee will be forfeited if the protest is not granted. Tournament Control will interpret the rules according to the spirit and intent of the rule and/or tournament. All decisions of Tournament Control are final. If a team is found to be in violation of tournament rules, cash, prizes, and awards may be forfeited. Prizes: Prize money will be awarded to the team captain in the form of a check. Identification will be required. The boat captain will be responsible for applicable taxes. If weather cancels a tournament all entrants will receive a full refund of their entry fee. The remainder of any monies will go to Ducks Unlimited for wetland and waterfowl conservation. Disclaimer: Each contestant and/or team, upon registering to compete in any Thumb Area Offshore Challenge tournament agrees to hold the sponsors, organizers, Tournament Control,  their agents and employees harmless from any and all liability of any nature and kind for any injuries and/or damages suffered prior to, during, or after the period of the contest. All photos and video taken during tournaments become property of the Thumb Area Offshore Challenge.