Englewood Fishing Club (EFC) Tournament Rules
Rev. 0, 11/14/2020
Englewood Fishing Club tournament rules provide the requirements to enter individual angler catches into competition with other angler’s catches from local waters. These rules are intended to provide a level field of competition for monthly tournaments. Tournaments are scheduled and administered by the EFC Executive Board. Participants must be members of EFC in good standing. We expect member honesty, integrity, and cooperation.
Participating anglers shall comply with all fishing laws and regulations including Florida State and Federal requirements.
Fishing Divisions
Angler catches may be entered into one of three divisions:
onshore
* inshore
*offshore
*Only fish caught from a private boat can be used. No charters or guides are allowed in any of these divisions including the onshore division.
Onshore anglers shall only enter fish caught while fishing from land, bridge, pier, dock or other non-boating platform. No boat may be used in any way. An example would be fishing from the shore of an island that is only accessible by boat such as Don Pedro or Cayo Costa and this example is not in the onshore division, but is in the inshore division.
Inshore anglers shall only enter fish caught from a boat or other watercraft at the shoreline out to the line of demarcation that separates a pass from the Gulf of Mexico. Any angler that uses a boat to access any shoreline and catches a fish while standing on or near the shore must enter that catch into the inshore category. Any inshore angler fishing a pass and crosses the line of demarcation into the Gulf of Mexico is not fishing the inshore division with one exception. Any inshore angler that hooks a fish on the inshore side of the demarcation line and crosses into offshore water while fighting the fish shall still be fishing inshore. When an inshore angler fishing a pass crosses the demarcation line into the Gulf of Mexico, the angler is now fishing the offshore division.
Offshore anglers shall only enter fish caught while fishing the Gulf of Mexico side of the demarcation line with one exception. Any angler that hooks a fish in the Gulf of Mexico and crosses into inshore water while fighting the fish shall be fishing offshore.
Entering and Scoring Tournament Fish
In order to be scored, fish must be on the Englewood Fishing Club Eligible Species List. The list can be found at the end of these rules. Regardless of size, any fish on the eligible species list may be entered for scoring. For each individual angler, only the largest scored fish per species will count for points. EFC encourages catch and release fishing. Fish that are not legal to keep and legal fish that the angler does not plan to keep may be measured and photographed but shall be released immediately.
Eligible fish shall be entered into the division where they were caught; onshore, inshore or offshore. Anglers may not enter and score fish in more than one division for each tournament.
Unless otherwise specified by the executive board, all fish shall be measured in inches, (1/4” increments rounded down, e.g. 12 7/8” becomes reported as 12 ¾”), and photographed with a measuring device that shows the actual length of the fish. As specified by State/Federal regulations, fish are measured from the head to the tail or fork. If not specified by regulations such as Jack Crevalle, fish with a fork shall be measured to the fork. Large fish that cannot be removed from the water legally or safely can be photographed and the length measured or approximated by placing markers on the side of the boat at the head and tail of the fish and the markers measured after release. In the case of a large or dangerous fish two photographs may be taken; one of the fish and one of the measurement device and the markers. Fish that are not legal to keep and fish that the angler does not plan to keep may be measured and photographed but must be released immediately. After catching, measuring and photographing, fish photos must be submitted to an official scorer.
Send your electronic fish photo with the measuring device in place to: retiredsteve@gmail.com or text Steve at 863-272-8148. In the title of your email or text specify the length of the fish in inches and the division where it was caught (onshore, inshore or offshore). Please send only one fish photo at a time. Wait for a return response that your fish was scored. For each angler, only the largest scored fish per species will count for points.
Points System
Winners of the tournament will be determined by a points system. Points are awarded to each division separately. Points cannot be earned in more than one division in a particular tournament. The EFC executive board will specify the timing and the type of tournament prior to the tournament. The executive board may award prizes to anglers that place in the tournament. Results of the tournament should be announced as soon as possible after the tournament has concluded, usually in the next newsletter.
For a “standard species” tournament, the angler in each division with the longest fish of each eligible species (snapper, grouper etc.) receives four points, the angler in each division with the second longest fish receives three points and the angler in each division with the third longest fish receives two points. All other anglers with shorter fish receive one point. In the case of a tie in the length of a species, both anglers receive the same points for their fish. Lower places do not move down in the standings. The winners of the tournament are the anglers with the most points in the onshore, inshore and offshore divisions.
For a “featured species” (snook, trout, etc.) tournament, the angler in each division with the longest “featured” fish receives six points, five points for the second longest “featured” fish, four points for the third longest “featured” fish and two points for all other shorter featured fish. In the case of a tie in the length of a “featured” species, both anglers receive the same points for their fish. Lower places do not move down in the standings. In addition to the points earned by the featured species fish, total points earned shall also include all points earned for the standard species fish entered during this tournament. Total points for a “featured species” tournament includes points earned for the featured fish species plus the points earned for the standard fish species. The winners of the tournament are the anglers with the most points in the onshore, inshore and offshore divisions. Lower placed anglers still retain their points toward the annual total.
Largest Fish Award
The female and male angler entering the largest fish from any division is given the title “Top Female Angler” and “Top Male Angler” for that tournament. No extra points are given for this award.
Angler of the Year
There is only one “Angler of the Year”. At the end of the year, the angler with the highest total points accumulated during the various tournaments is given the title “Angler of the Year”. Accumulated points standings should be published as soon as possible after each tournament has concluded, usually in the next newsletter.
Englewood Fishing Club Tournament species.
Amberjack: Greater and Lesser
Barracuda
Black Drum
Bonefish
Bluefish
Black Fin Tuna and Little Tunny
Cobia
Dolphin (Mahi Mahi)
Flounder
Grouper: Black, Gag, Red and Scamp
Grunt: Bluestriped, Margate, Tomtate and White
Hogfish
Jack Crevalle and Jack-Blue Runner
Mackerel: Cero, Spanish
King Mackerel
Permit
Pompano
Porgy: Littlehead, Jolthead and Whitebone
Redfish (Red Drum)
Sea Bass
Sheepshead
Snapper: Gray (Mangrove), Lane, Mutton, Red, Schoolmaster, Vermillion and Yellowtail
Snook
Tripletail
Triggerfish
Trout: Sand and Spotted Sea
Wahoo
Whiting
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