Each boat will be provided a copy of the rules at registration. You can also download a PDF version of the rules here.
1. Tournament Headquarters is at the Ottis Landing, 707 Sheppard St, Morehead City NC, in Morehead, NC for Registration (Check-in), Weigh-in and Awards. Registration/check-in to pick up assigned number is Friday, December 3, 2021, from 4:00 P.M. until 9:00 P.M.
2. Captains’ meeting is Friday December 3rdth at 7 P.M. Attendance at the captains’ meeting, although not required, is highly recommended. Any rule changes, interpretations, modifications and/or clarifications will be announced at the Captain’s Meeting and will become official. It is the captain’s responsibility to know and understand any rule changes or interpretations at the Captain’s Meeting. All decisions made by the Tournament Director are final.
3. The official entry fee shall be $450.
4. A Sponsor, Tournament Official or Committee Member if properly registered is eligible to fish and win any prize. The Committee reserves the right to refuse entry to anyone.
5. Competition hours are December 4th and 5th, 2021, from 6:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. daily unless terminated by the Rules Committee.
6. A boat may not be replaced after 9:00 P.M., December 3, 2021.
7. All times mentioned in the Tournament rules are Eastern U.S / New York time zone based on GPS time.
8. Weigh-in is from 1:00 P.M. to 4:00 P.M. Saturday, December 4th and from 1:00 P.M – 4:00 P.M on Sunday, December 5th.
9. Weigh-in Tournament Headquarters at the Ottis Landing, 707 Sheppard St, Morehead City, NC. Entrants weighing fish:
i. must pass a tournament official stationed at the State Port side of the channel entrance to Morehead City waterfront by 4:00 P.M. on both Saturday Nov 6th and Sunday, Nov 7th &
ii. each boat must have its boat number prominently displayed upon approaching the channel entrance.
10. There will be no bad weather days. Fishing will be captain’s choice unless the Rules Committee with the guidance of the Federal Safety Authorities decides that the weather might jeopardize the safety of the participants. If the Rules Committee decides that the weather might jeopardize the safety of the participants and the tournament is cancelled, all boats will receive a refund check of 75% of entry fee.
11. Eligible species are King Mackerel (Scomberomorus cavalle), except for species specific TWTs. Only two fish per boat per species shall be weighed. No king mackerel with a fork length (measured from the tip of the nose to the fork of the tail) of less than 32 inches will be accepted.
i. Eligible species for Species Specific TWTs
a. Wahoo TWT – Wahoo (Acanthocybium solandri)
12. All teams must, at minimum, adhere with all fishing regulation issued by state and (or) federal regulators on the date of the tournament. Any violation of these regulations will result in the entire team’s disqualification from the tournament.
13. Only 6 lines may be fished at a time. All fish must be caught on hook and line.
14. For purposes of safety, all boats must adhere to USCG regulations for their size and must have VHF radio on board. Tournament Committee members will monitor VHF Channel 72.
15. There is no checkout, however no lines in the water before 6:00 A.M. Saturday or Sunday. You must exit and enter from a North Carolina Inlet. Observation boats will be present during fishing hours. The Tournament Committee reserves the right to inspect all boats entered in competition at any time. Once you enter into competition you may not return to any dock, marina, or make any stops until you reach check-in area. As safety is of prime importance, the Tournament Committee or Tournament Headquarters may grant permission for exceptions. All anglers that are on board when competition begins must be on board when returning to Tournament Headquarters to weigh a fish.
16. In the event severe weather conditions or medical conditions forces participants to make landfall, they must return to Tournament Headquarters and check out prior to returning to competition.
17. Two or more boats seen congregating during competition hours may be subject to disqualification from the tournament. Licensed bait barges are exempt.
18. Fish must be weighed in from the boat from which caught. The boat must be unassisted and operational under its own power when presenting a fish for weigh in. No trucking or overland transportation to weigh-in station is allowed.
19. Boat entry numbers should be displayed at check-in for identification purposes. Each boat should have its number acknowledged by the official if weigh-in time is approaching.
20. Fish must be handled and presented for weigh-in by an angler from the boat. All fish presented to Weighmaster shall become the property of RSWSC. Fish submitted for weigh-in must be fresh and in edible condition.
21. All fish entered are subjected to the scrutiny and inspection of the Rules Committee, the Weigh Master and a fisheries biologist and must not be mutilated in any way, except for hook and gaff punctures.
i. Mutilation is defined as any damage that impairs the fish’s fighting ability. Decisions on mutilation and fish condition shall be made by the Weighmaster and will be final. The Weighmaster has the right to refuse any fish.
ii. Any fish, upon inspection, that has been found to have its weight artificially increased will be disqualified from competition.
22. Upon weighing your fish, you will be presented with a weight receipt with printed information. Once reviewed and signed, this receipt will stand as accepted.
23. By signing the entry form the Captain and crew, etc. consent that the RSWSC King Mackerel Tournament may use without payment or restriction any photographs in which he or she appears for any purpose whatsoever, including but not limited to resale, advertising, commercial or promotional material.
24. Participants that are under the influence of alcohol or drugs and/or who display disorderly conduct damaging or potentially damaging to person or property will have their boat disqualified from the tournament.
25. Award Ceremony: Ottis Landing, 707 Sheppard St, Morehead City NC, Morehead City, NC, Sunday, December 5, 2021, at 5:00 PM.
26. TWTs (Tournaments within a Tournament)
i. Unless otherwise specified, all TWT’s are based on official weight, ranked in descending order, the heaviest being first and the lightest being last. In the event of a tie in weight:
a. For 2 fish aggregate TWT’s the combined curved fork length of the 2 fish measured at weigh in will be ranked from longest to shortest.
b. For single fish TWT’s the curved fork length of the fish as measured at weigh in will be ranked from longest to shortest.
ii. The TWT’s are either Overall or Daily. Overall TWTs are based on the fish caught ever the entire tournament and the Daily TWT’s are based on the fish caught on the specified fishing day (Day 1, Day 2, etc.)
iii. Specific TWTs included in this the 36th Annual RSWSC King Mackerel Tournament
a. Largest King Mackerel
1. Overall TWT Entry Fee – $150
2. Daily TWT Entry Fee – $75 per day
3. Overall Format – Heaviest Total King Mackerel – 2 fish aggregate
4. Daily Format – Heaviest Single King Mackerel
b. Small Boat
1. Overall Entry Fee – $150
2. Daily TWT Entry Fee – $75 per day
3. Overall Format – Heaviest Total King Mackerel – 2 fish aggregate
4. Daily Format – Heaviest Single King Mackerel
c. High Roller
1. Overall Entry Fee – $300
2. Daily Entry Fee – $150 per day
3. Overall Format – Heaviest Total King Mackerel – 2 fish aggregate
4. Daily Format – Heaviest Single King Mackerel
d. Wahoo
1. Overall Entry Fee – $150
2. Daily Entry Fee – $75 per day
3. Overall Format – Heaviest Total Wahoo – 2 fish aggregate
4. Daily Format – Heaviest Single King Mackerel
e. High Stakes Winner Takes All
1. Entry Fee – $1250
2. Format – Largest King Mackerel (by weight)
27. Tournament purse:
i. All monies collected in entry fees, less an amount retained for operating expenses, will be awarded in cash prizes and split according to the payout schedule published on the Official Tournament Website (RaleighKMT.org).
ii. All TWT’s will have a 10% retainer. The remaining 90% will be split according to the payout schedule published on the Official Tournament Website.
iii. In the event that no fish is weighed in for a particular TWT, a single winner will be randomly drawn for a pool consisting of all entrants of that TWT during the awards ceremony.
28. Primary Prizes are limited to one per boat with the exception of Special Prizes. Special Prizes include TWTs and Junior Angler prizes.
29. The primary tournament standings will be based on the total official two fish aggregate weight, ranked in descending order, the heaviest total being first and the lightest being last. In the event of a tie in aggregate weight, the combined curved fork length as measured at weigh in will be ranked from longest to shortest.
30. Any fish weighed for a particular boat will be eligible for the Junior Angler prizes provided the Junior Angler is registered as a participant with the tournament prior to tournament day and do actively participate in the tournament.
i. Junior Angler Prizes are based on the official weight of a single fish for the overall tournament. Curved fork length taken at weigh-in will be used to determine the ranking in descending order; longest fish being first and shortest fist being last.
ii. A Junior Angler does not have to accompany the fish to the weigh station; however, the Junior Angler must be registered on the Entry Form and the angler must be declared to the weighmaster and the appropriate box checked on the weigh ticket to receive prizes.
iii. Junior Angler’s sixteenth (16th) birthday must not fall prior to January 1 of this calendar year in order to be eligible for competition in the Junior Angler division.
iv. Only one fish fill be considered per each Junior Angler. If a Junior Angler weighs more than one fish, the heaviest fish will be the fish considered for the prize.
31. All protests will be accompanied by a $200 deposit and submitted in writing to the Tournament Director no later than one hour after weigh-in of the final fish. If the protest is not upheld, the deposit becomes the property of the RSWSC. All tournament winners are subject to take and pass a polygraph test.
