Boating A Catch

1. State and Federal law and tournament rules allow anglers to boat no more than one shark per boat per day and only threshers, makos and blue sharks may be boated during the month of June.
2. All other shark species, except dogfish and atlantic sharpnose will qualify for release division points if they are caught and released.
3. Once a team boats one shark in one day, they may continue to fish, but all sharks taken from then on must be released.
4. After boating a shark, your team must immediately inform a committee boat as to your boat number, boat name, estimated size, species and anglers name. PLEASE correctly report this information!
5. Once a fish is reported to a committee boat this information may not be changed.
6. Any fish weighed that had not been previously reported to a committee boat or weighs grossly higher or lower than that what was reported, will be considered “suspicious” and may be disqualified from the tournament.
7. Any shark that is boated must be photographed in the water as soon as it is secured to the boat. The photo should show the shark, with gaff or tail-rope secured.
8. The tournament’s minimum size limit for all sharks boated is six feet total-length EXCEPT common thresher sharks which must be at least the legal minimum size of 4 ½ feet (54″) fork-length.

Weighing A Catch

1. The weigh scales will open at 3:30 PM and close at 7:00 PM.
2. No fish will be weighed before 3:30 PM.
3. If by 7:00 PM there is still a line of boats waiting to get to the tournament scales, those boats will be allowed to weigh their catch after the 7:00 PM deadline providing that by 7:00 PM they’ve crossed the “line of demarcation” and entered Ocean City’s inlet.
4. No more than one shark per boat per day will be weighed
5. As specified above, each team may weigh-in no more than one thresher shark during their two days of tournament fishing.
6. Each team may weigh-in no more than one blue shark during their two days of tournament fishing.
7. Each team may weigh-in no more than one blue shark during their two days of tournament fishing.
8. Each team may weigh in no more than three bluefish or one tuna per day. If they have more of either aboard, teams must decide for themselves which fish they want to have weighed before taking them off the boat.
9. Please decide ahead of time if you would like to have your sharks cleaned by the fish cleaners at the marina, if you will be taking them away yourself, or be donating the fish to Diakonia or the Maryland Food Bank (for a ½ price cleaning donation).
10. The weigh station is equipped to lift large fish directly out of most boats. We will have our own tail ropes for this purpose. Before you approach the scales, please prepare the fish to be taken off the boat by removing any of your own ropes or leaders.
11. Please rinse, or splash down your catch to wash off excess blood or slime before it’s taken out of the boat.
12. All teams should be prepared to have press photographs taken of them with their catch.