Read the Rumble in the Jungle King Mackerel Tournament 2023 rules.
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Last updated September 20, 2023 at 7:30 am.
Only one primary prize will be awarded per boat.
In case of a tie in weight, prize money will be awarded to the first fish weighed in at that weight.
Tournament registration and fee per boat is $300.00 paid online OR paid in cash/check/credit card in person at the Captains' Meeting before 9:00 pm September 28, 2023.
Tournament Purse: All monies collected in entry fees, less an amount retained for operating expenses, will be awarded in the form of prize monies. 1st Place in the general tournament, as well as 1st place Small Boat, are guaranteed payouts. Small Boat guaranteed category is defined in Rules #28 and #29. For 2023, there is NO Single Engine guaranteed prize. The general tournament will award through 15th place. Amounts of awards for 2nd place and lower will be adjusted per the final number of paid entries.
Payment of the entry fee constitutes a representation by each entrant that he or she has read and fully understands the Tournament Rules, and that he or she will abide by such rules and the decisions of the Tournament's Committee and personnel.
The Tournament Committee must approve any entry submitted to the tournament and reserves the right to deny any entry from any team with a prior history of a Rumble In The Jungle rule infraction, unpaid debt, or similar conflict. If not approved, 100% of the entry fee will be refunded.
Final registration will be on Thursday, September 28, 2023, from 1:00 pm until 9:00 pm at Captain Archie's. Online registrations will be accepted until 9:00 pm on September 28, 2023. There will be a Captains Meeting on Thursday, September 28, 2023, at 6:30 pm. Although attendance at the Captain's Meeting is not required, all participating captains are responsible for being informed of and understanding all rules, including any changes announced at the Captain's Meeting.
Fishing competition hours will be Friday, September 29th from 7:00 am to 5:00 pm and Saturday, September 30th from 7:00 am to 5:00 pm.
TWO DAY COMPETITION: A boat may participate in the event two days. However, they are not required to fish both days. In the event of "extreme" weather the Tournament Committee has the right to adjust the schedule. If doing so only allows for one fishing day, then one fishing day will constitute a tournament. In the event the Tournament Committee cancels the Tournament, 85% of the entry fee will be refunded, and 90% of TWT money will be refunded.
All weather safety decisions will be communicated officially on the tournament website and Facebook.
There will be NO checkout. NO CHECK-OUT! Honor system - lines in the water at 7:00 am. No fishing with rod & reel before 7:00 am, this includes bait jigging. Fish must be hooked and caught during tournament hours.
Boundaries are north of 33 10 00 and south of 34 10 00 (See Map below). Boats may travel out of bounds. Boats may throw castnets out of bounds. Boats may not have lines in out of bounds.
Boats may leave from any inlet within the tournament boundaries.
Boat substitution requests must be made to the Rumble in the Jungle tournament committee no later than 9:00 pm Thursday, September 28, 2023. There will be no refunds except as stated in the Official Rules.
Each participating boat must meet all Federal, State, and Local safety regulations for its size. All boats must be equipped with an operating Marine VHF-FM with channels 72 and 16. The Tournament Committee will monitor channel 72.
Only six (6) lines per boat. Fishing must be done by hook and line, and the competition is limited to boats only.
Boats may not congregate within reach except for safety reasons.
Eligible Fish: King Mackerel (Scomberomorus cavalla) only.
Each team may only weigh TWO fish per day, which must be a minimum of 30 inches fork length.
The weigh-in each day will be at Captain Archie's. No fish will be weighed before 2:00 pm on Friday and 2:00 pm on Saturday. All boats must pass the check-in point and be in line by 5:00 pm on Friday, September 29th and 5:00 pm on Saturday, September 30th.
All fish must be brought to the weigh-in station by the boat on which they were caught. The boat must be in the water and fully operational under its own power. No fish can be transported over land. However, in the interest of safety and convenience, there is no landfall prohibition rule. It is permissible to make landfall for fuel, food, repair, crew transport, trailer pickup … etc.
Mutilation: No cut or mutilated fish will be accepted. Gaff marks are excluded. The use of nets is not permitted, except for gathering bait. No frozen fish are allowed. All fish must be in fresh, edible condition and caught on the tournament day. All fish may be cut open, inspected and tested by a marine biologist and / or Torrymeter. The Weigh Master will make all decisions regarding mutilation and fish condition. Any boat not adhering to the above will be disqualified. All fish weighed in become property of the Rumble In The Jungle King Mackerel Fishing Tournament.
A crew member must sign all weigh-in tickets.
All participants agree to submit to a polygraph at the request of the Tournament Committee and consent to the admissibility of polygraph results in any dispute or proceeding arising out of the tournament. The Tournament Committee has sole authority to disqualify any team based on the results of the polygraph. Any participant's refusal to take a polygraph test or failure to answer test questions in a manner satisfactory to the Tournament Committee may result in disqualification. The decision of the Tournament Committee is final and binding regarding any protest.
Protest: All protests shall be accompanied by a $500.00 cash deposit and shall be registered with the Tournament Committee no later than one hour after the last fish is weighed. If the protest is upheld, the $500.00 deposit will be returned. If not upheld, the deposit will become the property of the tournament.
A Sponsor, Tournament Official, or Committee Member is eligible to fish and win any prize.
All decisions made by the Tournament Committee are final.
All team members must comply with South Carolina laws regarding saltwater fishing licenses. The State of South Carolina requires a current valid South Carolina saltwater fishing license for all persons onboard the boat competing in the tournament in South Carolina waters. All team members must have a current valid South Carolina saltwater fishing license at the weigh-in.
All Entrants, Captains, Crew, Anglers, Passengers and Boat Owners that participate in the Rumble In The Jungle shall indemnify, protect, defend and hold harmless The Rumble In The Jungle, Sportsman's Choice Marine, its members, officers, directors, sponsors, and volunteers from and against any and all losses, liabilities, claims, demands, suits, causes of action, judgments, awards, damages (including, without limitation, consequential, punitive or exemplary damages), costs and expenses (including all attorneys' fees and other costs and expenses incurred in defending any such claims or other matters or in asserting or enforcing this indemnity obligation) arising out of or in connection with participation in The Rumble In The Jungle or any of its events.
Checks for the winning teams will be made out to the person on the team that filled out the W9 Form (over $599). W9 Forms must be completed in their entirety and submitted before checks will be mailed.
If a Guaranteed Small Boat winner qualifies for more than a $10,000 prize in the general tournament, that team will be ranked in the general tournament and the Small Boat team with the next largest fish will take the $10,000 Small Boat Guaranteed Prize.
"Small Boat" for BOTH the Guaranteed Small Boat Prize AND Small Boat TWT is defined as any size boat with any number of engines totaling 300 HP or less.
"Single Engine" for TWT is defined as any boat with a single engine regardless of length or total HP.
A Daily prize will be awarded to the team with the heaviest two-fish aggregate weight each fishing day. Teams must weigh TWO FISH to be eligible for that Fishing Day's Daily Aggregate prize.
All awards will be based on ONE heaviest fish weighed except for "Aggregate" prize categories.
Teams must weigh at least ONE FISH BOTH FISHING DAYS to be eligible for Aggregate TWT.
TWTs pay out for the first three places at 50%/30%/20% except for the Single Engine WTA which pays first place only at 100%. Tournament retains a portion of TWT fees.
Should weather permit only one Fishing Day, Aggregate prizes will be based on that day's two weighed fish.
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