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Friedman AdventuresBeach BreakBig Fish Derby

Official Rules · v0.1 — Draft

Tournament Rules

The full, versioned rules that govern the tournament. Read them before you register. They will be re-briefed in person on the morning of the event.

Version
v0.1 — Draft
Last updated
Organizer confirmation pending
Timezone
America/Los_Angeles
Hard deadline
Sun 12:00p

Submission cutoff

All catch submissions must be received by this time via Website angler portal. Late submissions do not count — plan for upload and connectivity time.

  1. 01

    Event Purpose

    1. 1.1Promote responsible surf fishing, community participation, fair competition, and sponsor-supported local involvement.
  2. 02

    Tournament Format

    1. 2.1Shore-based fishing unless another division is explicitly offered.
    2. 2.2Individual and approved team entries may be allowed.
    3. 2.3Only catches made within official boundaries and tournament hours are eligible.
  3. 03

    Compliance With Law

    1. 3.1Participants are responsible for following all current California laws, license requirements, validations, protected-area restrictions, size limits, bag limits, and seasonal rules.
    2. 3.2Tournament rules never override the law.
  4. 04

    Eligible Species

    1. 4.1Only species published in the final tournament species guide count.
    2. 4.2The tournament director may clarify the list before fishing begins.
  5. 05

    Divisions

    1. 5.1Active divisions for this event: Open Shore, Bait Division, Artificial Lure Division, Junior Division, Family Team Division, Women's Division, Big Fish Side Pot.
    2. 5.2Whether an angler may enter more than one primary division: Organizer confirmation pending.
  6. 06

    Equipment

    1. 6.1Rod-and-reel surf tackle only unless a special division says otherwise.
    2. 6.2One active rod per angler at a time unless the organizer approves another rule.
    3. 6.3Use only legal tackle and legal bait.
    4. 6.4No boat, kayak, SUP, drone, flotation-assisted fishing, or outside assistance unless explicitly permitted.
  7. 07

    Catch and Release

    1. 7.1Catch and release is strongly encouraged.
    2. 7.2Fish must be handled carefully, measured quickly, photographed clearly, and released promptly whenever possible.
    3. 7.3Any retained fish must comply with current law.
  8. 08

    Measurement and Photo Standards

    1. 8.1Use an approved measuring device.
    2. 8.2Measure from the tip of the snout to the tip of the tail.
    3. 8.3Show the entire fish, measurement markings, and required event identifier.
    4. 8.4Blurry, cropped, altered, or unreadable submissions may be rejected.
  9. 09

    Scoring

    1. 9.1Default format: Best five verified fish by total length.
    2. 9.2Measurement handling: Rounded down to the nearest quarter-inch.
    3. 9.3Only fish caught during tournament hours, inside the tournament boundaries, and submitted before the cutoff can score. Only approved species count.
    4. 9.4The same published method is applied consistently across the applicable divisions.
  10. 10

    Submission Deadline

    1. 10.1The official submission cutoff is Sun 12:00p. Late submissions do not count.
    2. 10.2Late submissions do not count.
    3. 10.3Participants are responsible for upload time and connectivity.
  11. 11

    Tie-Breakers

    1. 11.11. Earlier submission that established the tied score
    2. 11.22. Longest single verified fish
    3. 11.33. Greatest number of eligible species represented
    4. 11.44. Tournament director decision when necessary
    5. 11.5Director review is final when a tie cannot otherwise be resolved.
  12. 12

    Protests and Disputes

    1. 12.1Protests must be submitted within the announced protest window before awards. Window length: Organizer confirmation pending.
    2. 12.2Protests require clear supporting information.
    3. 12.3Judges and directors make the final decision.
  13. 13

    Sportsmanship

    1. 13.1No pooling or sharing fish.
    2. 13.2No false submissions.
    3. 13.3No interference with another angler's line, location, gear, or catch.
    4. 13.4No littering, harassment, abusive behavior, or interference with volunteers or beach users.
    5. 13.5Violations may result in disqualification.
  14. 14

    Safety

    1. 14.1Participants fish at their own risk.
    2. 14.2Use caution around surf, rip currents, shore break, tides, sandbars, wildlife, changing weather, and low-light conditions.
  15. 15

    Weather and Cancellation

    1. 15.1The tournament director may delay, alter, relocate, or cancel the event for safety or operational reasons.
    2. 15.2Weather policy: Organizer confirmation pending.
    3. 15.3Cancellation policy: Organizer confirmation pending.
    4. 15.4Refund policy: Organizer confirmation pending.
  16. 16

    Awards

    1. 16.1Active award categories (overall, division, species, junior, family, sponsor, raffle, participation): Organizer confirmation pending.
    2. 16.2Whether winners must be present to claim: Organizer confirmation pending.
  17. 17

    Media and Publicity

    1. 17.1Participants may be asked to sign the organizer-approved media release at check-in.
    2. 17.2Marketing consent is kept separate from mandatory legal acknowledgements where appropriate.
    3. 17.3Final media release language: Organizer confirmation pending.
  18. 18

    Director Authority

    1. 18.1The tournament director and designated judges have final authority over eligibility, scoring, interpretation, and enforcement.

California references

Verify current rules yourself — they change and this page will not always be first to update.

Final authority

The tournament director and designated judges have final authority over eligibility, scoring, interpretation, and enforcement. All California fishing regulations apply. Tournament directors' decisions are final.

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