16^th ANNUAL BOATYARD BAR & GRILL OPENING DAY ROCKFISH CATCH & RELEASE TOURNAMENT

April 15, 2017

To benefit the Chesapeake Bay Foundation®, Coastal Conservation Association Maryland and the Annapolis Police Dept. Youth Fishing Camp

IMPORTANT:  The Rules & Regulations have changed - full details below.

CAPTAIN’S MEETING:

Friday, April 14, 2017
5:00 – 7:00 pm

Boatyard Bar & Grill
400 Fourth Street
Annapolis, MD  21403

Pick up your Skipper’s Bag (event tickets, Tshirts), official current year measuring stick and tickets for Saturday’s party

Enjoy delicious Boatyard fare and listen to the fish-on sounds of Cuzzin' Mark & Sean!

 

CATCH & RELEASE TOURNAMENT AND MEASURE-IN:

 Saturday, April 15, 2017

Catch & Release Tournament:  Fishing begins at 5:00am - DNR rules apply

Measure-In:  Sign in at the Judging Station prior to the 4:30 pm cut-off for an interview with the judges and to receive a certified measurement card to become eligible to win.  You must be in line by the 4:30 pm deadline.  Please review Rules below.

 AWARDS AFTER PARTY:

Saturday, April 15, 2017

4:00 – 8:00 pm Party
5:00 – 8:00 pm Live Music – Jess McQuay Band
5:00 pm Awards

Fish Photo Email Address:  BYTourney@gmail.com
Social Media: #BYTourney and @BYTourney

The Event

• Entry Fee:  $240.00 per boat for four anglers
                        $45.00 per additional angler
  
   Payment Options:
  
  • Online registration (highly recommended) - Go to www.boatyardbarandgrill.com under “Events” under “Fishing Tournament” and click on the REGISTER button.  The history of, past results & more details about the tournament can be found there as well.  Payment with credit card or PayPal only available online.
  • Mail or bring registration form and payment (cash or check) payable to Boatyard Bar & Grill at 400 Fourth Street, Annapolis, MD 21403.

• Date of Catch & Release Tournament:  Saturday, April 15, 2017

• Captains Meeting (with cookout and band):  At the Boatyard Bar & Grill on Friday, April 14, 2017 from 5:00-7:00 p.m. The Boatyard Bar & Grill is located at 400 Fourth Street (corner of Fourth Street and Severn Ave. Eastport, Annapolis. Phone 410-216-6206).  Directions are on www.boatyardbarandgrill.com “Home” page.  At the Captains’ meeting you will pick up your Skipper’s Bag with tee shirts and other goodies, the official current year measuring stick and your tickets for Saturday’s party.
  

• Location and Time of Measure-In, Awards Ceremony and Gala:  Saturday, April 15 at the Boatyard Bar & Grill located at 400 Fourth Street (Severn and Fourth) in Eastport, Annapolis 21403; 410-216-6206.  Food and beverages for all participants from 4:00-7:30 p.m., cash bar and food for guests. Band plays until 8:00pm.

• Gift Certificate prizes from sponsors will be awarded as follows:
  *1^st Prize for Longest fish.  Plus, 1st place angler's name painted on an outline of winining fish and hung from ceiling beam at Boatyard Bar & Grill.
  *2^nd and 3^rd Prize for 2^nd and 3^rd  Longest fish.
  *Woman's Prize for the Longest fish caught by a woman angler.
  *Youth Prize for the Longest fish caught by an angler under the age of 16.

• CCA MD Division prize:  $30.00 to enter-to-win when registering for this tournament, an Engel 50-quart cooler for the longest fish in the CCA Division.  Includes a one-year CCA membership.

The RULES - please review as they have changed!

1.  Fishing Area According to Maryland Regulations:  Chesapeake Bay from the Brewerton Channel to the MD-VA Line, excluding all bays, sounds, tributaries, creeks and rivers, except Tangier Sound and Pocomoke Sound.

2.  Eligible Fish:  Striped Bass.

3.  Due to DNR regulations for tournaments on Opening Day, and in the interest of fostering the catch and release ethic, THIS IS A CATCH AND RELEASE ONLY TOURNAMENT. 

Fish that are not released alive are ineligible for consideration and will not be measured.

All fish must be caught on hook and line.  IGFA all-tackle rules apply.

4.  Measurement: In order to have your fish judged, you must submit by email or in person a clear, readable digital photo of your fish measured resting on top of the official 2017 measuring stick before the 4:30 p.m. cut-off.

Email your images to BYTourney@gmail.com.

Potential winners must sign in at the Judging Station prior to the 4:30 p.m. cut-off for an interview with the judges and to receive a certified measurement card to become eligible to win, regardless of how the fish photo is submitted. 

You must also attest in person and on your honor that the fish to be measured was released alive into the water from which it came.

The judges reserve the right to interview any potential witnesses regarding the live release and method of the catch of any fish presented for tournament consideration.

The judges also reserve the right to examine the embedded metadata of any photo image to confirm the validity of a claim.  Photos with edited or missing metadata may be disallowed at the judges' discretion. 

The judges can accommodate most compact flash photo cards and images on iPhones or Android phones.  We have had difficulty loading the Olympus Picture Card in the past.  The best submission method is via email.

Largest fish will be determined by length measured from the tip of the nose to the tip of the tail.  In case of a tie, the fish measured first will be the winner.

Put the 2017 measuring stick on the deck of your boat. Lay the fish on top of the measuring stick with the snout of the fish on the zero mark (the end of the measuring stick) and the tip of the tail on the higher number.

You are responsible for getting the snout of the fish exactly on the zero end of the measuring stick.  The judges cannot allow any adjustment for a snout that appears to be past the end of the stick.  It helps to jam the measuring stick against a vertical surface such as a bulkhead or the side of the cockpit to ensure that the zero mark (end of the stick) and the snout of the fish are even.  (A photo clearly illustrating this technique is included in your registration packet).

If your fish is longer than the 48-inch measuring stick, place it beside the measuring stick instead of on top so the judges can confirm the date on the stick.

The first angler who presents a photo via email or in person of a fish longer than 48 inches will be declared the winner. The next fish over 48 inches will be declared second and so on.  All ties will be determined by check-in time stamp with the earlier check-in winning.

It is helpful in the judging process to have several photos of your fish on the measuring stick, clearly showing the length.

Again, if the fish is longer than the stick, lay the fish closely beside the stick.

PLEASE KEEP IN MIND THIS IS A CHARITY CATCH & RELEASE TOURNAMENT GOVERNED BY THE HONOR SYSTEM!!!!

5.  Calcuttas:   As a courtesy, the Boatyard Tournament judges will provide certified measurements of fish entered in private Calcuttas.  You will need to visit the judging station in order to obtain your certified measurement card.  Calcutta managers must provide a complete list of participants to the judges via email (BYTourney@gmail.com) prior to 7:00 a.m. on Saturday, April 15.

6.  Fishing Hours:  Legal fishing begins at 5:00 a.m. on Saturday, April 15.  You must deliver your photo via email or in person at the Catch & Release Tournament Judging Station next to the Boatyard Bar and Grill by 4:30 p.m. to have your fish entered for judging.

7.  Bait:  Chumming or the use of live bait, and/or the use of eels is not permitted.

8.   Safety:  All participants and guests of participants are responsible for their own personal safety and the security of their personal property and expressly assume any and all risks to their personal safety and well-being as a result of their participation in the catch & release tournament.  It is a pre-condition of participation in the Boatyard Bar & Grill Fishing Catch & Release Tournament that all participants shall release and hold harmless the Boatyard Bar & Grill, Chesapeake Bay Foundation®, Coastal Conservation Association Maryland or the Annapolis Police Department Youth Fishing Camp and any sponsors from any and all claims, losses, costs and expenses, personal injuries, wrongful deaths and property damage, whatsoever, arising from or during participation in the Catch & Release Fishing Tournament.  By electing to participate in the Boatyard Bar & Grill Catch & Release Fishing Tournament, all participants agree to, and grant this release of liability and shall not be permitted to withdraw or disavow that release of liability.

 
 Fish Photo Email Address:  BYTourney@gmail.com

Leader Board Facebook Updates at Boatyard Bar & Grill

Social Media Tracking:  #BYTourney and @BYTourney