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2008 INDEPENDENCE DAY HALIBUT Tournament

Rules

A printable version of this document is available.

• The tournament will be held on Saturday, July 5, 2008.  The Tournament will start at 7:00am and end at 5:00pm.  All vessels must leave from the Homer Harbor.   No fishing can begin before 7:00 am on July 5th.
• The entry fee is $100 per angler.  Entry forms can be picked up at the Homer Chamber of Commerce Visitor Center or designated sponsors.  Advance entry is welcomed and encouraged.  Entries will be accepted the day of the tournament beginning at 6:00am at tournament headquarters on the Homer Spit. ALL ANGLERS MUST PAY AN ENTRY FEE PRIOR TO FISHING.
• Anglers on private boats must all be entered in the tournament if they are fishing that day.  Charter captains must verify the anglers on their boat that are fishing in this tournament.  All time will be on the official tournament clock posted at the tournament headquarters.
• This tournament is open to all anglers, all skippers and deckhands may enter if fishing as a private boat that day.  All anglers must comply with all state and federal fishing regulations. Deck hands and skippers are not required to have a ticket unless they are fishing.  All fish must be caught by rod and reel.  Any angler may also enter the Homer Jackpot Halibut Derby by purchasing a derby ticket for the day and complying with those rules.  Any tournament winning fish are eligible for the Jackpot Derby prizes providing the angler has a valid Jackpot Halibut Derby ticket for that day and complied with those rules.
• All fish will be judged by weight.  They will be weighed only once by officials at the Halibut Derby headquarters on the spit on the official derby scale. A tournament official may gut contender fish after weigh in.
• Fish landed must be phoned in or radioed in and include length, angler name and tournament boat name.  The angler/boat will receive acknowledgement of fish called in.  The tournament will be using channel #65 on the marine radio and  the cell phone # is 399-7740. In the interest of conservation, calling in fish lengths will help to promote the release of big fish which may not be contenders. To help reduce weigh in time and determining the prize winners, please radio in on channel #65 the length of your fish to see if you have a contender.  All anglers with fish clearly out of the running are asked not to weigh in at the Derby headquarters, although no angler will be denied an official weigh in for their fish. All Jackpot Halibut Derby fish must be weighed in.
• All fish must be in the weigh-in zone as designated by boundary markers around Halibut Derby weigh-in cabin by 5:00pm to qualify.  Any fish not in the weigh-in zone by 5:00pm are disqualified from winning a prize.  NOTE:  5:00pm per the Derby Headquarters clock. There are no geographic boundaries to the Tournament.  The only restrictions on the fishing area is the angler’s ability to return to the weigh-in zone with entered fish by 5:00pm.

PRIZES

70% of the entry fees will make up the prize pot:
 

	1st place (largest fish)	40% of the pot
	2nd place (2nd largest fish)	20% of the pot
	3rd place (3rd largest)	10% of the pot

The remaining 30% will go to cover tournament costs and fund the Silver Salmon Enhancement program for the Fishing Hole Lagoon.

BAD WEATHER POLICY

A weather committee will meet at 6:00 am on July 5th to make a determination of fishing safety.  The weather assessment may be delayed briefly if the weather is questionable, which may delay the tournament start or alter the tournament boundaries.  If the committee rules it is not safe to fish without boundaries, safe boundaries will be established for the day or the Tournament will be postponed until Sunday, July 6. If the tournament is postponed, full entry fee will be refunded, applied to the postponed date or can be donated to the Silver Salmon Enhancement program.  All anglers registered in the tournament at time of cancellation must notify tournament officials by the start of the postponed day’s tournament if they plan to withdraw.  All entry fees will be applied to the postponed day’s tournament unless the angler withdraws prior to the start of the postponed tournament.  If the tournament is postponed/canceled after fishing has begun, all fish caught will be officially entered as tournament fish for the postponed day’s tournament.  All entry fees will be applied to the postponed day’s tournament unless the angler withdraws his/her entry from tournament officials prior to start of fishing.  No refunds will be issued to anglers catching fish.  Refunds will be given to those not wanting to participate on the postponed day only if the request is received prior to start of fishing.  All refunds will be mailed to entrants within 10 days of cancellation date. 

CANCELLATION POLICY

No refunds will be given for tournament entry after the start of fishing unless the tournament is canceled or postponed.