Northampton County Chamber of Commerce

Ist Annual Speck-Tacular Tournament Rules

DEFINITIONS

The official tournament sponsors ("sponsors") are the Northampton County Chamber of Commerce ("NCCC") and Chris' Bait & Tackle ("Chris'"). The tournament committee ("committee") shall consist of the Executive Director of the NCCC, one person designated by Chris', and a Board Member of the NCCC, appointed by the Executive Director of the NCCC. The "weigh-master" shall be any employee of Chris' who is qualified to weigh in fish for eligibility for awards in the Va. Saltwater Fishing Tournament.

ELIGIBILITY & ENTRY FEE
This tournament is open to all anglers who have paid the appropriate entry fee and are fishing legally from boat or shore. Entry fees are listed on the official tournament entry form. The entry fee paid determines the number of fish that may be entered in the tournament competition.

REGISTRATION
Only officially pre- registered anglers can compete in the tournament. Registration and payment of all entry fees must occur before fishing commences. The tournament may be entered by mailing a completed entry form with a check or money order to Northampton County Chamber of Commerce, PO Box 475, Eastville, Va 23347 (postmark will determine date of receipt), by hand-delivery to the Chamber office at 16429A Courthouse Rd., Eastville, or to Chris' Bait & Tackle on Rte 13 in Townsend. Entry forms may be picked-up at the Chamber office during regular business hours (Monday through Friday, 9 am to 5 pm), at Chris' Bait & Tackle or downloaded from the official tournament website at www.northamptoncountychamber.com. All checks or money orders must be made payable to the Northampton County Chamber of Commerce. Entry fees are nonrefundable.

FISHING RULES for the TOURNAMENT

Artificial lures, live bait, dead bait or any combination thereof is permitted in the tournament. All fish must be caught in a sporting manner, by rod and reel during the course of the tournament and must not be cut, speared, shot, or otherwise mutilated in any way except by hook or gaff marks. Snagging with multiple hooks, gigging and / or using multiple hooks (double or treble Hooks) with any natural bait is prohibited. Double and treble hooks are permitted to be used only if permanently attached to artificial lures. The committee reserves the right to determine if a fish warrants classification as being mutilated.

All anglers must fully comply with the laws and regulations of Virginia pertaining to fishing in Eastern Shore waters. Any violation of these laws and regulations will result in disqualification for that angler and / or the vessel the angler is fishing from. It will be the responsibility of the angler to review all applicable laws and regulations. All vessels shall be equipped with the minimum Coast Guard safety requirements for that vessel.

All anglers fishing aboard a boat must be paid/registered tournament participants. Any USCG licensed captain can enter a chartered boat, regardless of where based, by registering and paying the entry fee for each angler aboard said boat.

BOUNDARIES
Registered anglers may depart from any port located within Northampton or Accomack counties and may fish solely within the Chesapeake Bay and/or any of its tributaries within the boundaries of the Commonwealth of Virginia, and/or the Virginia coastal waters of the Atlantic Ocean, NORTH of the southernmost tip of FIshermans Island.

FISHING HOURS
The Tournament will start on Saturday, October 10, 2009, at 6:00 a.m. No anglers will be allowed to weigh-in fish caught prior to the start time. Anglers are allowed to catch bait with cast nets prior to the start, but are not allowed to use hook and line to catch bait prior to the start. Anglers must present/ their catch in person to the weigh-master at the official weigh station, Chris' Bait & Tackle, during their regular business hours. Chris' will have no responsibility or liability for weighing fish outside of their normal hours of operation. All anglers must be in the parking lot of Chris' B&T to weigh eligible fish no later than 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 24, 2009.

REQUIREMENT FOR ELIGIBLE FISH
Eligible fish must be caught within the stated boundaries during the stated days of the tournament. The weigh-master reserves the right to hold and examine internally and externally any fish weighed in as a tournament catch to determine if the fish is eligible for an award. Any fish that has an unnatural material in or on it will be disqualified. Fish must be presented in fresh, unpreserved condition, with no signs of having been frozen. Tournament entrants may be subject to polygraph examination. All cash awards will be made only to pre-registered tournament entrants.

AWARDS
Cash prizes will be based on weight of the fish presented for entry, with the largest fish registered earning $500. Second place will earn $250, and third place will earn $125. Prize levels are based on at least 50 anglers participating, and may be adjusted downward on a pro rata basis if fewer anglers participate. If, after the final weigh-in, a tie exists, the earliest fish registered shall be declared the winner. Participants will be eligible to receive only one cash award.

Winners will be notified as soon as practical after the final weigh-in. Participants agree to allow NCCC and Chris' to use photographs and likenesses of participant in promotional materials. Cash awards must be picked up in person at the NCCC office, with time to be arranged in advance so as to allow appropriate publicity of the presentation.

RULE VIOLATIONS

Protests must be filed before the tournament’s official conclusion and be personally delivered to a member of the committee. The committee will review any and all protests in a fair and equitable manner, and its decision will be final. The committee also reserves the right to investigate any questionable practices or activities during the tournament without an official protest being filed and may request an affidavit from a participant at any time for any reason. Refusal to provide said affidavit will result in automatic disqualification. Any contestant found guilty of cheating, attempting to cheat, or otherwise deviating from the rules and regulations of this tournament shall be disqualified and considered ineligible for future tournament participation. Questions not covered by these rules will be answered after being reviewed by the committee, with any decision rendered being binding on all participants.

LIABILITY

Any boat used in this tournament must comply with all applicable U.S. Coast Guard, Virginia Marine Resource Commission, and Virginia Department of Game and Inland fisheries requirements and regulations. Neither the tournament sponsors, committee, or volunteers will be responsible for a vessel owner/captain failing to comply with tournament rules or for accident, injury, or damage that may occur during the tournament. All entrants will participate in the tournament at their own risk and will accept full responsibility for their boats, crew, and gear.

AMENDMENTS
The statement and rules contained herein may be amended by additional verbal instruction, electronic message and/or printed material distributed by tournament management. All tournament decisions are final.