Rules and Regulations

Entry will be closed at 7 pm on March 24th the night before the tournament. A completed online entry and entry fee will need to be completed before captains meeting.  During captains meeting you may ask any questions you have and the day one code will be given then.   A new code for day two will be posted on the Eastern Current Facebook page and will be emailed to tournament contestants after lines out on day one for day two fishing.  Lines in at 7 am on the morning of March 25th and must be removed at 6pm. Day two of tournament will begin at 7am on March 26th and conclude with lines out at 4pm.
The same format and rules will be used for the following two tournaments with a captains meeting on April 28th at 7pm and May 26th at 7 pm. The tournament series awards will be held on Tuesday May 30th at 7pm with a live stream through the Eastern Current’s Facebook Live Stream. 
This is a fly and light tackle, cast and retrieve tournament where you may use any type of artificial lures. NO LIVE or DEAD BAIT ALLOWED. All fish must be caught on rod and reel.  All fish must be hooked, fought and landed by a single angler.  No dead sticking or trolling is allowed. If your lure is in the water the rod must be in your hands. You may only fish with one rod at a time.  You cannot hook a fish and set the rod down to try and catch another at the same time.   You may fish on a boat with another angler in the tournament but must only submit fish caught and landed on your own. No guided trips will be allowed for the tournament.  You may fish from boats, kayaks, shoreline, docks, seawalls, bridges, etc.
This is a Catch and Release Photo Tournament. Day one photos must be submitted before 9pm on day one.  Participants must use their own Smart Phone or digital camera for recording and scoring fish. All photos shall be uploaded into the iAngler Tournament program or application on the same day they are caught and no later than 6 hours from time of capture. Day two photos must be submitted by 4pm of day two. No photos accepted after the end of the tournament.  The identifier paper must contain the contestants name and tournament code for the day the fish is being entered. An image of the unique identifier on a smart phone or other electronic devices is not acceptable.
Photos must include the entire length of the fish on a measuring stick with the fish’s head at the zero line, and a piece of paper with the code clearly written placed on the side of the fish. Photo must be clear enough to read identifier, including required ID codes and marks, and judge the length accurately.  After carefully examining photo details and cross-referencing other photos submitted for scoring by the same angler in the same event, if the event judge is NOT able to verify with 100% confidence that the Identifier Form and ID Codes or Marks in the photo are valid for both the competitive event and the competitor, then the photo will be denied. The identifier must be displayed where it does not cover the fish eye or prevent measurement verification. 

Fish must be facing left on a measuring device, left side of the fish visible, dorsal fin toward the top of the photo. The nose must be touching the “fence.” Position camera lens directly over the center of the fish’s body to aid judges in determining that fish’s nose is in contact with the fence. Securing the fish with any portion of a hand under the fish’s gill flap is prohibited. Fish’s tail must be squeezed down with the top and bottom on the measuring board.  Fish length is determined by its tail touching or crossing a quarter-inch line on the measuring device. If it falls short of a line, the length is rounded down to the nearest 1/4-inch mark that the fish’ tail actually touches or crosses. Angling the fish to achieve additional length will not result in a higher score and picture may be rejected if it doesn’t meet tournament guidelines. If a fish is submitted and rejected, it cannot be resubmitted. The judge’s decision is final and not subject to debate. To confirm that the fish is alive, the fish’s eye must be uncovered in the photo. Photos of fish that appear to be dead, mutilated, frozen or similarly damaged will be disqualified without scoring. 
Polygraph

Each competitor who fishes the ECOATS Tournament agrees to submit to a polygraph examination at a time and location as determined by the Tournament Director following the end of the competition in each tournament and abide by its conclusion. Failure to pass the polygraph will result in disqualification.
Protest & Reporting Procedure

All protests must be submitted in writing in person or electronically along with a $200 cash deposit within 30 minutes of the tournament closure to the designated tournament official. The protester also agrees that if there is a question of verifying the charge of a protest that he or she also may be subject to take a polygraph and agree to testify in a court of law if necessary. If the Tournament Director or polygraph upholds the protest, the cash deposit shall be returned to the contestant submitting the protest. Each competitor agrees to report any rule violation to the tournament director immediately upon discovery of the violation.
Scoring Guidelines

Scoreable fish will be any redfish under 32”.  If the tail exceeds the 32” mark on the measuring board it will not be scored. Anglers largest three fish under 32” will be scored per each day and be added together for a total of six fish to make anglers final score for the tournament.  A point will be given for each inch of measurement down to the ¼”. For a fish that measures 25 3/8” it will be scored as a 25 ¼” and will be given 25.25 points for scoring. 
Acceptable measuring boards include the “Hawg Trough” manufactured by Hagen’s, and the Ketch Co Measuring Board that extends to 32”. Measuring Board may not be broken, snapped, or cut apart and then reassembled at any point between the two ends. A crack that does not separate the measuring board into pieces and does not affect the measuring board’s accuracy may be repaired and reinforced for use. Measuring device’s markings must be clear and visible (darken in lines if necessary).
In the event of an exact tie in aggregate score, ties will be broken according to the time that the competitors’ last fish photo was submitted to the tournament. Should the last fish photo submission times be identical, and then both Competitors’ highest single-fish score will be compared and the higher score will be determining the outcome. If both Competitors’ highest single-fish score, too, is identical, then the second highest single-fish score of both Competitors will be compared, and then the third highest single-fish score of both Competitors will be compared, and so on until the tie is broken by the highest single-fish score. 
At the end of the three-part series all anglers that have competed in all three tournaments their scores will be added together for anglers’ series score.  The angler with the highest series score will win and receive a series trophy.