White Marlin Roundup 2016 PROGRAM

Leg 1

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Letter from Tournament Director Skip Smith Dear White Marlin Participants and Sponsors: What does it take to have a successful tournament?

Over the years, I found that you need to be a very good listener. A few of you asked me to put on a white marlin tournament in April when the Bahamas white marling fishing is good. After asking some other captains and owners, the response was overwhelming in favor and many of you have committed to fishing this new tournament.

Now, with another tournament in place, Jen and I thought we should combine this with the other tournaments to create a series for the teams who choose to fish all three. With the support of Diamond Fishing Products, the Abaco Diamond Series - White Marlin Roundup, The Shootout: Production vs. Custom, and the Abaco Beach Blue Marlin Tournament – was born and the championship rings were ordered. We are very excited about this series and would like to honor the winner with some exceptional awards.

Remember, we create these tournaments for you, and they are yours. You share your ideas with us regarding rules, jackpots, food and venue, and we adapt to make Skip’s Tournaments enjoyable for everyone.

Your help in sharing our event information with your friends and colleagues would be a great help to us. We could advertise in every magazine, but that does not reach everyone. Kindly forward our email blasts to others in the business so they may have an opportunity to compete in and sponsor these elite events. With your help, we can directly reach the owners and crews that would (and should!) participate.

There is nothing better than to be able to compete against the best, and then to beat the best! We appreciate all your support and are very much looking forward to this 2016 tournament season.

Yours truly,

Skip Smith & Jen Copeland

ules!!

d the r a e r e s a e l P P.S.

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presented by

Skip’s Tournaments has expanded their platform to provide competitors an opportunity to show proficiency in three different billfish tournament formats. With this three leg series, the Committee awards the team whose prowess proves good enough to wear the series championship ring.

INCLUDED IN THE ABACO DIAMOND SERIES: White Marlin Roundup, April 27-30, 2016 The Shootout: Production vs. Custom, May 25-28, 2016 Abaco Beach Blue Marlin Tournament, June 8-11, 2016.

RULES 1.

2.

3.

4.

Participating teams must fish all three designated series tournaments to qualify.

The series championship shall be awarded to the team who obtains the highest combined score over the three tournament series (named above).

Participating teams must adhere to the Rules of each tournament leg. Failure to do so will be grounds for disqualification.

Participating teams assume all responsibility and fish at their own risk.

PRIZES 1. The first place team will be awarded a check (amount tbd*) 2. The first place team will also have their name engraved on the Abaco Diamond Series trophy.

3. Each first place team member (4 total rings) will receive a custom-designed championship ring designed by Mark Lloyd of the renowned Vanmark Jewelry Designers of Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

4. Top Captain and Crew will also receive a trophy and gifts. *Please note: the total cash prize purse will vary depending upon the number of entries received during the tournament series

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2016 SchedulE of Events Wednesday, April 27th 3:00pm to 5:00pm Registration 7:00pm

Kickoff - Cocktail Party & Captain's Meeting

8:00pm Dinner

Thursday, April 28th 6:00am

Breakfast delivered

8:30am to 4:30pm DAY 1 FISHING 4:30pm

Rum punch dock greeting

7:00pm

Grill night!

Bring your meat, fish, chicken, etc. and our

Chef will grill it for you! We will have all the side

dishes - burgers and hotdogs available, too!

Friday, April 29th 6:00am

Breakfast delivered

8:30am to 4:30pm DAY 2 FISHING 4:30pm

Rum punch dock greeting

7:00pm

Dinner... to be announced

Saturday, April 30th 6:00am

Breakfast delivered

8:30am to 4:30pm DAY 3 FISHING 7:00pm

Awards Dinner at the Tournament Tent

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tournament rules The Captain's Meeting will be held Wednesday, April 27, 2016 at 7pm in the Tournament Tent at the Abaco Beach Resort, Marsh Harbour, Bahamas for all registered teams.

A team representative must be in attendance, as rules are subject to change.

1. PERMITS & LICENSES: All teams must possess a Bahamas

Fishing Permit and a Tournament Sticker. The Tournament Sticker will be located in your team package which you receive at registration. The Tournament Sticker is required to be adhered to your Bahamian fishing license.

2. FISHING HOURS: The Tournament will begin with the call of "lines in" at 8:30am and continue until 4:30pm on April 28th, 29th and 30th, 2016. Fighting a hooked fish after the call of "lines out" is permitted, however all boats must be inside the marina before 7pm each evening - the Committee must have your catch affidavits and video by then. Any white marlin or gamefish requiring a weigh-in must be at the scales prior to closing at 7pm. There are no lay days or weather days, unless determined by the Committee. Fish at your own risk.

3. FISHING HOURS: There is a 70-mile boundary rule - radius

from the marina.

4. ANGLING & EQUIPMENT:

a. International Billfish Tournament Regulations apply. b. Six anglers per team per day are permitted, with no restrictions. If an angler is not registered at the team registration, he/she may not be added after the start of the tournament. No hook and hand is permitted. c. A maximum of six lines (with hooks) are permitted at any one time. An unlimited amount of hookless baits or teasers are allowed. "J" hooks may be used on lures only.

Natural baits must be deployed with non-offset circle hooks.

5. AMATEUR TEAM STATUS:

a. To qualify for Amateur Status, no professional anglers are allowed. b. Teams requesting Amateur Status must be approved by the Committee prior to the start of the tournament. c. All other Tournament Rules apply.

6. TOURNAMENT SPECIES: White Marlin, Blue Marlin, Sailfish

and Spearfish are eligible for catch and release. White Marlin may be eligible for weigh-in, with a 65 lb. minimum weight requirement, however only one per angler/two per boat may be harvested each fishing day.

Tuna (Yellowfin and Blackfin only), Wahoo, and Dolphin

(Mahi-Mahi) are eligible for weigh-in, with a 15 lb. minimum weight requirement, and are categorized as "Gamefish" in this tournament.

7. REPORTING OF BILLFISH: A billfish hook-up must be called

in to the "Committee Boat" within the first minute on VHF channel 71. The "Committee Boat" will validate your hook-up by announcement. A billfish release must be called in to the "Committee Boat" with the following information: species released, boat name, angler name, and type of tag, if applicable. The "Committee Boat" will then verify your information by announcement and give you a release time, which must be recorded on your daily catch affidavit and turned in at the end of the fishing day, with your video evidence. It is unnecessary to call in any other species besides billfish. If you lose your fish prior to release (i.e. jump-off, pulled hook, etc.) please inform the "Committee Boat" as soon as possible.

8. REPORTING A KILL FISH: If you call in a release, then you

may not harvest your fish. Be sure of your intent before calling the catch in to the "Committee Boat". Once you call in a "release" it is recorded as a release and cannot be changed. "Deck-checking" is not permitted. Once you have decided you have a kill fish on the leader, please inform the "Committee Boat" of your intent, and again when it is landed. It is highly recommended you continue to capture your kill on video, although not required.

9. WHITE MARLIN WEIGH-IN: Each team may kill only two

fish per day. To qualify for weigh-in, the fish must weigh a minimum of 65 lbs. If the fish does not meet the minimum weight requirement, then the undersized fish is disqualified and no points will be awarded. Fish meeting the minimum weight requirement will be awarded 5 points per pound. Short billed, Long billed and Mediterranean Spearfish are not allowed to be boated.

A "Hatchet Marlin" will be considered a White Marlin for this tournament and may be boated.

10. GAMEFISH DIVISION WEIGH-IN: Teams may weigh in one of each species per day. Scale hours are 4:30pm - 7pm each fishing day. Any fish eligible for weigh-in must be brought to the scales by a team representative, preferably the actual angler. In the event of a tie, we request you record your landed gamefish on the day's catch affidavit, with the angler's name and time boated.

(Rules continue on page 10)

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(Rules continued from page 8) The gamefish division is a tournament-wide winnertake-all and is weight-benchmarked by the last largest fish brought in by species (i.e., day one's 30 lb. Wahoo is knocked out by day three's 35 lb. Wahoo, etc.).

Species benchmarks will be listed on the Tournament Standings board and announced by the "Committee Boat" prior to lines in each day.

11. CATCH & RELEASE RULES: All billfish must be released to qualify. A billfish is considered released when: a) the swivel between the mainline or double line and leader hits the rod tip b) the mate grabs the leader or c) the wind-on leader comes through the rod tip. Please release the fish in good condition by either removing the hook-set or cutting the leader as close to the hook-set as possible. "Popping" the leader is not a good method of healthy release, and we ask that you refrain from doing so.

12. CATCH & RELEASE POINTS: a. White Marlin: 325 points b. Blue Marlin: 150 points c. Spearfish: 150 points d. Sailfish: 25 points e. Unidentifiable Billfish: 25 points f. A "Hatchet Marlin" will be considered a White Marlin in this tournament and therefore is categorized as such. g. All ties will be broken on time.

13. CATCH & RELEASE VERIFICATION: a. Identification Markers -each team will obtain a marker prior to the day's fishing. This marker must be displayed during the fight and recorded. Failure to show the marker in your video proof will disqualify your catch, even if it is time-stamped. b. Release Verification Recordings - each team is required to show video evidence of billfish catch and release. This recording shall be time and date stamped in accordance with the "official time" as stated by the "Committee Boat" prior to each day's fishing. Your video proof shall include: 1) registered angler fighting the fish 2) proper identification marker 3) sufficient footage of the fish in order to accurately determine the species 4) proper release evidence - see Rule 11 above. All recordings submitted must be easily viewed by the Committee.

It is the team's responsibility to have these items and the video cued up for immediate viewing. Failure to do so will delay the verification process. We highly recommend you have at least two recordings on different cameras, and underwater shots are the best way to accurately identify the species.

c. Billfish Release Affidavit - each billfish release is required to be noted on the day's Affidavit and submitted with your video to the Committee each fishing day. Failure to turn in your Affidavit will disqualify that day's catch(es). Affidavits are supplied with your registration package. If you do not have one for each day, please see the Committee for a replacement. d. Submission of Recordings - Verification recordings must be submitted to the Committee between 4:30pm and 7pm each day of fishing. All recordings, images, sounds, etc. may become property of the Tournament and may be used at any time. Recordings and/or images will be downloaded from the team's device(s), if needed. Please see INSTRUCTIONS & SUGGESTIONS re: video attached. e. Dispute & Polygraph - In the unlikely event a dispute or protest is filed with the Committee, it is possible a polygraph test may be required should the dispute not resolve. Members must be available within 24 hours of the dispute and must not consume alcohol or any controlled substance eight hours prior to testing. Failure to report for a polygraph test or refusal to answer any questions satisfactory to the Committee may result in disqualification. All disputes or protests must be submitted to the Committee in writing prior to 5 pm on the last day of the tournament.

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Jackpots 2016 Jackpot Schedule - $12,000

PROFESSIONAL DIVISION: No Angler/Crew Restrictions

HEAVIEST WHITE MARLIN $2,000 pays 1st and 2nd only (60/40)

MOST BILLFISH RELEASES $2,000 pays 1st, 2nd, 3rd (50/30/20)

GAMEFISH DIVISION (winner-take-all) $500 Mahi $500 Tuna $500 Wahoo

TOP CAPTAIN & CREW All billfish points combined $500 pays 1st & 2nd (70/30)

DAILY BETS $6,000 ($2,000 per day) pays 1st and 2nd only (60/40) All billfish points combined

AMATEUR DIVISION: No more than one professional Captain or Mate per team Professional crew members do not qualify as anglers Status must meet Committee's approval

MOST BILLFISH RELEASES $500 winner-take-all

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