2024 Schedule of Events

Tournament Rules

The Captain's Meeting will be held Wednesday, May 15th, 2024 during the kickoff dinner in the Tournament Tent at the Abaco Beach Resort, Marsh Harbour, Bahamas for all the registered teams. A team representative must be in attendance, as rules are subject to change.

All boats must stay at Boat Harbour Marina and enter & depart each day.

Any Fun fish that is harvested, must be brought in on the boat which the fish was caught.

1. PERMITS & LICENSES
   All teams must possess a Bahamas Fishing Permit.
2. FISHING HOURS
   The Tournament will begin with the call of "lines in" at 8:30am and continue until "lines out" at 4:30pm on May 16th, 17th and 18th, 2024. All boats must be inside the marina before 7pm each evening, as the Committee must have your catch affidavits and videos by then. An angler may fight a fish until it is lost, released or boated so long as it was hooked and reported to the Committee Boat prior to lines out of the water. If you are hooked up after the closing of fishing on Day 1 or on Day 2, you may continue fighting the fish until you catch the fish. You will then have 2.5 hours to get to the weigh station. A billfish caught after 12:00 midnight will count as a release or capture of the day it was hooked-up On Day 3 of fishing, you will have until 9pm to get to the dock! No exceptions! Any 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. BOUNDARIES
   There is a 40-mile boundary rule - radius from the marina.
4. ANGLING & EQUIPMENT
   
   • International Billfish Tournament Regulations apply.
   • Four anglers per team per day are permitted, One Professional is allowed to be an angler.
   • Professional anglers are defined as: Captains, crew members, and commercial fisherman (paid within the last three years). The term captain/crew shall be defined as any individual who, within the previous three years of the Custom Shootout tournament, derives any income from the act of sportfishing. This includes full and part time individuals. Any individuals that profit from commercial fishing in any manner is prohibited. If you have any doubt, please see the tournament director.
   • To be eligible to compete as a Junior Angler, the angler must be 16 years old or under at the start of the tournament registration.
   • 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. No live bait allowed.
   • Maximum line 130 pound test.
5. TOURNAMENT SPECIES
   Blue Marlin, White Marlin, Sailfish and Spearfish are eligible for catch and release. Tuna (Yellowfin, Blackfin, and Big Eye 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.
6. REPORTING OF BILLFISH
   A billfish hook-up must be called in to the "Committee Boat" as soon as possible on the 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. If you call in a release, then it will be recorded as a release. The time stamp of the digital image is the official release time and must be within (plus or minus) fifteen (15) minutes of the time reported by radio to the "Committee Boat". If the timestamp of the identification of the fish is over fifteen (15) minutes from the VHF call, then the release time will be over to the time of the identification time.
7. GAMEFISH DIVISION WEIGH-IN
   Teams may weigh-in one of each species per day. Scale hours are 5pm-7pm each fishing day. The minimum weight of each species is 15 pounds. 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. We love videos too! The gamefish division is a tournament-wide winner-take-all and is weight-benchmarked by the last largest fish brought in by the species. Species-benchmarks will be listed on the Tournament Standings board and announced by the "Committee Boat" prior to lines in each day. Each fish must be brought to the dock by the boat it was caught on! You may then "walk or roll" the fish to the weigh station.
8. 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.
9. CATCH & RELEASE POINTS
   
   • Blue Marlin: 600 points
   • White Marlin: 150 points
   • Spearfish: 150 points
   • Sailfish: 100 points
   • Unidentifiable Billfish: 100 points
   • A "Hatchet Marlin" and "Round Scaled Spearfish" will be considered a White Marlin in this tournament and therefore categorized as such.
   • One-day Grand Slam: 300 points (points count towards the daily and overall score. Also these points count towards top angler too)
   • All ties will be broken on time.
   • Maximum 130lb line.
10. CATCH & RELEASE VERIFICATION
    
    • 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.
    • 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 10 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.
    • 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.
    • Submission of Recordings - Verification recordings must be submitted to the Committee between 5pm-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.
    • Disputes & Protests - All disputes will be settled by the Committee. All decisions are final.
11. PAYMENT OF CASH REWARDS
    
    • Participation in optional jackpots is not required to compete for awards.
    • 85% of all optional jackpot fees are distributed in the form of cash prizes/awards except for the Gamefish and Captain/Crew categories (if applicable), where 100% of fees will be distributed.
    • Participants wishing to pay optional jackpot fees, may pay by U.S. currency, check (payable to Custom Shootout, Inc), or wire transfer.
    • Cash awards for Catch & Release divisions are determined by points as stated in these rules.
    • In the event no qualifying fish are weighed, 100% of all fees collected for this/these division(s) will be refunded.
    • Gamefish: If no gamefish are caught in any division then that category will be shared/split into the other divisions. If no gamefish are caught, then all money will be refunded at 100%.
    • Please reference U.S. Company Disclosure in regard to award payouts.
    • Payment of the Jackpot awards is by check. For winners of cash awards a single check will be written to the boat's representative payee foe the combined total of tournament cash awards.
    • Checks will be written ASAP once we receive your W-9.
    • The tournament accepts no responsibility for the division of any cash awards between team members.
12. CHARITY TAX INFO:
    

    Thank you for your 2024 generous contribution of $7000. Seventy percent of your contribution is tax deductible for federal income tax purposes. The remaining thirty percent represents the value of the goods provided to you in return for your donation and is not deductible as a charitable contribution.

Video Evidence: General Instructions & Suggestions

1. Be sure that your camera meets Tournament requirements prior to its start.
2. Test your equipment prior to the Tournament start.
3. Be sure the date and time are accurate and match the Committee's "official time".
4. Be sure the date and time are displayed on the image, if possible. Otherwise, the time and date stamp must be displayed on the actual file.
5. Be sure to possess the appropriate cables, adapters, cards, readers, etc. to allow the Committee to download your evidence, if needed.
6. Designate a qualified team member familiar with your camera operation to bring the evidence (and Release Affidavit) to the Committee.
7. Have two cameras recording during the fight. Back up is never a bad idea.
8. Be sure to have batteries fully charged and extra batteries, SD cards, etc. on hand.
9. Recordings should be cued up for Committee review.
10. Designate someone to record the release evidence, be familiar with the equipment and the Tournament rules.
11. Do not store the equipment in an air-conditioned environment to avoid fogging.
12. Underwater video (i.e. use of a GoPro or other underwater device) is the best way to positively identify your billfish species.
13. Be sure you have captured all the evidence necessary for qualification prior to billfish release and for submission to tournament director. Skip Smith www.skipstournaments.com 954-531-798

Any images or video downloaded by the Committee become the property of the Tournament and its agents and may be used in displays, promotional materials, marketing campaigns or web design.

Tournament Proceeds

The Custom Shootout is a 501(c)3 charitable organization which has contributed over $1,800,000 in the past 21years to the Hurricane Dorian victims, Breast Cancer Research Foundation, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, the Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital, the 9/11 Fallen Heroes, and the Hurricane Katrina Red Cross Relief Fund - as well as many other charities. 2024 tournament proceeds look to benefit the Breast Cancer Research Foundation Bahamian schools, the IGFA, Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital in addition to many other needed charities, which will be announced as tournament time approaches. The Custom Shootout is committed to support organizations in need of immediate recuperative funds and on-going research and rely on the generosity of our team members to aid in that dedication.

Celebrating 21 Years of Custom Shootout History!