GCTA is proud to announce the launch of 2019 Redfish Rivalry Series..
We would like to introduce the 2019 Redfish Rivalry Series.
The Redfish Rivalry Series will exist alongside GCTA's Kayak Attack in 2019. This is a low entry series that will have great payouts. Participants will be fishing for two (2) legal slot redfish to weigh in.
This is a six (4) stop series along the Texas Gulf Coast. At the end of the series, the top anglers from the North and the South will come together in the middle to determine who is the Champion of the 2019 Redfish Rivalry Series!
So bring your family and get involved with
For questions regarding the event, please contact us at info@gctatx.com or visit our Facebook Page for frequent tournament updates.
Tournament Information:
Tournament Dates:
March 16th - Matagorda Harbor / Captains Meeting: Poco Playa Restaurant
April 13th - Sabine Pass / SALT Club, 900 T.B. Ellison Parkway, Port Arthur, TX
June 22nd - Galveston Yacht Basin
July 27th - Aransas Bay Boat House
Launch: Safelight | Weigh In: 2pm - 4pm
Entry Fees:
Team Registration: $500
Registration Fee: $35 Online / $45 At Captains Meeting
Big Fish Side Pot: $100
Angler Advantage: $100
2019 Redfish Rivalry Series Rules
All rules stated below will remain in effect for the 2019 Redfish Rivalry Series (“REDFISH SERIES”). All decisions made by the tournament directorand/or tournament officials will be final in all matters. The tournament director and/or the tournament officials can make a change when the safety of a contestant is in question or by a unanimous decision by the tournament committee. Any changes to the rules will be posted on the website www.refishseries.com and communicated to the tournament members in the pre-tournament meeting before the tournaments. Warnings, penalties
RULES
Each participant (“contestant”) must read and acknowledge the following rules and indicate so by signing an entry form. A “team” shall consist of two contestants.
1) Applicable Laws: Federal, State
2) Tournament Eligibility: Contestants under 18 years old must fish with their legal guardian as their
3) Alcoholic Beverages and Illegal Drugs: Consumption of any alcoholic beverages or illegal drugs during tournament hours is prohibited and will result in disqualification. Alcoholic beverages and illegal drugs may not be in the possession of any team member or on board a participating boat during the hours of tournament competition.
4) Sportsmanship: REDFISH RIVALRY SERIES participants are expected to follow the highest standards of sportsmanship, courtesy
5) Permitted Tournament Fishing Waters: Contestants may fish in any inshore public water accessible by boat. “Inshore” for this series is defined as the navigable, tide consumable coastal waters, bays, rivers, and wetlands, extending to the inside of the passes to The Gulf of Mexico. Contestants may not fish beyond the furthest point of a pass extending into the Gulf of Mexico.
- • No fishing is allowed within 300 yards of
tournament site. - • No fishing is allowed within 500 yards of any ferry landing.
- • Contestants shall not fish in
any area which has been “closed” by a governmental agency. - • Wade fishing is allowed, but both contestants must remain within 400 yards of the boat.
- • Participants are not allowed to fish within 150 feet (50 yards) of another anchored boat or wade fisherman unless they are invited in by that team. An anchored boat is a boat held in a stable position by an anchor, a weight, push pole, PowerPole, or other “anchoring” mechanism with the trolling motor in the up position. If a team invites another team into the inviting team’s
50 yard area, any tournament participant is also allowed within thewaived area. - • The boat anchored in an area first has the right to 150 feet radius of the area.
- • If the boat does not have a trolling motor the definition of anchored still applies.
6) Permitted Fishing Methods: All tournament fish shall be taken by rod, reel, and artificial tackle, only. Contestants shall not “harass” fish, to include such antics as “burning” or corralling of schools with a boat. Prior to and during the tournament, contestants shall not “cork” or otherwise mark fish or schools of fish for identification for the purposes of locating fish during tournament hours. Wade-fishing is allowed. Teams who wade-fish must remain within a 300 yard radius of the team’s boat. However, contestants may not leave the boat to net a fish hooked while the contestant or his partner is in the boat. A wade-fisherman must net his own fish. Teams shall not have one participant fishing from the boat with the other teammate wade-fishing; both teammates must be fishing in the same manner. Both team members must be in the boat before the combustion engine is started.
7) Checkpoints and Inspection: Each tournament will have designated checkpoints. Each boat must go through a checkpoint in the morning in a preselected order. The checkout point and times will be communicated to the teams at the pre-tournament (“captain’s”) meeting. All tournament boats must be inspected by a tournament official at the official tournament site before they are released to fish. Flight numbers will be drawn by each team at the mandatory registration the day before each tournament begins. Once a flight number is drawn, it may not be changed, traded or sold to another team. It is the contestant’s responsibility to know his flight number, official tournament time and check-in time. Failure to go through the checkpoint will result in disqualification. Every boat must go through the checkpoint at the conclusion of the day’s fishing regardless of if the team has fish to weigh in. Once a boat has checked in, that team will not be allowed to return to fish during the day’s competition and that team’s day of fishing shall cease. Check-in times will be between 2:00 PM and 4:00 PM. Contestants who are not at the official checkpoint area at the appointed time will be penalized at the rate of one-half (1/2) pound, per minute, which will be deducted from the team’s total day’s weight. Any contestant more than fifteen (15) minutes late will be disqualified from that day’s weight entry. Teams who are not able to check in due to equipment failure or other unforeseen circumstances are responsible for contacting the tournament director before the official check-in is over in order to determine an acceptable solution.
8) Polygraphs: By signature on the official tournament entry form, each contestant agrees to submit to a polygraph test and be bound by its interpreted results and conclusions. The first place team in each event shall be subject to a polygraph examination and will not receive any award until the test has been administered and determined to be non-deceptive. Polygraph tests may be issued at the discretion of the tournament director/committee for any reason, and each contestant hereby acknowledges and consents to the examination. The results and interpretations of the polygraph are final and each contestant hereby knowingly, intelligently and voluntarily waives any review of said test result, including any judicial process seeking to overturn, amend or otherwise negate the finding of the test administrator.
9) Insurance and Liability: Each boat entered into any REDFISH Rivalry shall have a minimum liability insurance coverage to be maintained throughout the entirety of the series or for every event fished. It is the responsibility of the boat owner to carry liability insurance covering the vessel. The GCTA will not issue liability coverage for its events. A current copy of the team’s insurance policy and each member’s signed DECLARATION, WAIVER, RELEASE, AND HOLD HARMLESS AGREEMENT shall be given to REDFISH RIVALRY SERIES before a team may compete in any REDFISH RIVALRY SERIES event. All tournament participants are required to sign a waiver absolving all tournament officials, officers, participants, sponsors and co-sponsors from any responsibility for damage or personal injury sustained as a result of the contestant’s participation in the tournament or its related activities, and the contestant’s signature on this form shall constitute in an alternate release in the instance the member fails to sign the official DECLARATION, WAIVER, RELEASE, AND HOLD HARMLESS AGREEMENT.
10) Pre-Tournament “Captain’s” Meeting: Tournament Registration for the REDFISH RIVALRY SERIES will be the Friday evening before the tournament date between 5:30 PM and 7:00 PM. A pre-tournament meeting will be held following registration at 7:00 PM. At least one member of each team shall attend the Pre-Tournament meeting. Participants may be excused from the Friday night meeting if arrangements are made with the GCTA office. Participants must have written documentation from the GCTA office and present it upon registration if the participant is excused from the Friday meeting. If a contestant fails to attend the registration and pre-tournament meeting without permission from the REDFISH SERIES office, a one (1) pound, per fish, per day penalty, will be assessed against the team’s fish at weigh-in.
11) Communication: No communication via multi-media methods, social networking, cell phone, e-tablet, laptop, radio, pager or any other device will be allowed from outside sources or tournament participants during tournament hours that will give a team or contestant any advantage from data or information regarding fishing the event. Purchasing of information and/or hiring of services from local experts or guides will not be permitted within 7 days prior to the competition. Face-to-face information shared between teams during tournament hours may not be used to give either team an advantage over other teams. If a team has an emergency, a mechanical problem, or needs immediate assistance, teams may contact local authorities, emergency services, the Coast Guard or the tournament director. Teams must notify the tournament director immediately if these circumstances exist.
12) Entry Fees, Tournament Registration and Identification: All contestants shall be a member of the REDFISH Rivalry The entry fee for each event is $500.00 per, two-person team. A $250.00, non-refundable, deposit is required to secure a team’s spot in the tournament. The deposit is nontransferrable and may not be applied to another tournament. Teams must have 100% of the tournament’s entry fee paid in full 14 days prior to the event date. A late fee of $50.00 will be assessed to teams who pay after the deadline. All entry fees and deposits are non-refundable, and are in consideration for holding a team’s spot and calculation of projected winnings for tournament officials.
13) Boat, Motor and Horsepower Regulations: All boats shall be a minimum of 15 feet in length and be equipped with a minimum of 25 hp motor. Each boat must have all required U.S. Coast Guard safety equipment. In addition, each boat must have a properly aerated live well, which is one that is reasonably likely to sustain the life of three REDFISH under the circumstances. The Tournament Director shall have the sole responsibility for determining whether aeration and capacity is adequate. Live wells will be inspected upon checkout on the morning of the tournament. ALL BOATS MUST BE EQUIPPED WITH AN OPERABLE IGNITION KILL SWITCH. The kill switch device must be attached to the driver's body anytime the combustion engine is operating. Anytime the combustion engine is operating and in gear, there must be a driver in the driver's seat in full control of the boat. Any fuel tanks that are not installed by the boat manufacturer are prohibited. Fuel may be carried only in factory installed (built-in) fuel tanks. Any additional fuel used during the tournament day must be purchased from a retail facility open to the public.
14) Safety: Safe boating will be observed at all times. Each contestant is required to properly wear a U.S. Coast Guard approved, personal floatation device anytime the combustion engine is engaged. Tournament days may be shortened or canceled due to unsafe weather or water conditions. The decision to shorten or to cancel will be left totally to the discretion of the tournament director/committee. A 4-hour period shall constitute a day of fishing. It is the competitor’s responsibility to communicate with the Tournament Director if cancellation of the event is suspected. Cancellations will be communicated via VHF radios on a channel decided at the Pre-Tournament Meeting. If conditions are not safe on the tournament day, the REDFISH RIVALRY reserves the right to reschedule the tournament on the following day (Sunday). If conditions are not favorable the following day (Sunday), an alternate date will be published on the REDFISH SERIES website, www.redfishseries.com.
15) Tackle and Equipment: Only artificial lures may be used. No live bait, dead bait or prepared bait will be permitted. Only one rod and reel may be used at any one time per angler.
16) Fish: A team’s tournament weight will consist of TWO red drum ("redfish"), measuring no less than 20 inches and no more than 28 inches, in length, each. Each angler may possess up to three (3) redfish while wading; 3 during culling on
17) Scoring: Tournament standings, auxiliary awards and final winners shall be determined by the total weight of each team’s catch during the tournament consisting of two (2) redfish, measured in pounds and 100 ths of a pound. Only redfish at least 20 inches in length, but less than or equal to 28 inches in length may be weighed-in. All redfish must be brought to the weigh station in a live weigh-in tournament bag provided by the REDFISH RIVALRY SERIES. Fish may not be brought to weigh-in on a stringer or in a basket. Redfish shall be weighed with the equipment provided by the REDFISH RIVALRY SERIES.
18) Ties: If two or more teams have identical weight in the tournament, it will be considered a tie. In the event of a tie, the prize money from the consecutive places will be combined and split between the teams. For example, if two teams tie for fourth place, the amounts designated to fourth place AND fifth place will be combined, divided by two, then distributed to the teams, equally.
19) Points: All teams fishing the REDFISH RIVALRY SERIES will receive points (with the exception of disqualified teams). The first place team will receive 100 points, per event; the second place team will receive 99 points, per event, etc. Teams weighing in no fish will receive 20 points less than the last team to weigh-in fish. Team points will remain with the team captain in the event of a team "break-up". The Team of the Year race is determined by total team points at the end of the season. Therefore, each team must designate a team captain at the beginning of the series.
20) Tour Rewards Program: To qualify for Tour Rewards, teams must sign-up, and pay the deposits for all of the 2019 tournaments before the first tournament. Teams who are entered will receive an additional bonus added to their winnings.
21) Protest Procedure: All protests must be submitted in writing, along with a $300 cash deposit. Protests must be submitted to the tournament director no later than 15 minutes following the weigh-in of the last fish. All decisions will be made by the tournament director and committee, and are final. If the protest is upheld, the cash deposit will be returned to the person submitting the protest. The protester agrees that by filing a protest, he may be subject to a polygraph test.
22) Permission to be filmed for Television: All participants agree to be filmed, photographed, taped, interviewed, quoted or otherwise revealed, without compensation, by the REDFISH Rivalry SERIES or its assigns. This includes but is not limited to the official photographers, writers, hosts, or sponsors of this event under the conditions authorized by the REDFISH RIVALRY SERIES organizers. Each contestant, by his signature affixed below, hereby gives the REDFISH RIVALRY SERIES, and its assigns, the right to use (without compensation) the contestant’s name, picture, likeness, quotes, and biographical information, whether audio or visual, before, during and after the period of an individual or team participation in an event.
