Tournament Rules

2024 TACKLE TIME RULES, 

RELEASE AND INDEMNITY AGREEMENT

PARTICIPATION: 1. Only registered participants of the Texas City-La Marque Jaycees Tackle Time Fishing Tournament are eligible to participate. 2. Participants and fish must comply with State of Texas Rules and Regulations and agree to be bound by the terms of these Tackle Time Tournament Rules, Release and Indemnity Agreement. 3. Any person who has failed to pass the required polygraph examination or any person who has at any time committed an offense defined in Chapter 66, Section 66.023, Parks and Wildlife Code entitled, “Fraud in Fishing Tournaments” is BANNED from participating in the remainder of the tournament and any future Tackle Time tournaments.

DATES/TIME: 5. The Tournament will begin at 12:01 am (beginning of the day) Friday, June 28, 2024 and end at 12:00 p.m. (noon) on Sunday, July 7, 2024. Only fish caught during this period will be eligible. The weigh station will be open between 7:30 am and 9:00 pm on the dates between June 28, 2024 and July 7, 2024. On July 4, 2024, the weigh station will be open between the hours of 7:30 am and 5:00 pm. On July 7, 2023, the weigh station will be open between the hours of 7:30 am and 12:00 pm (noon). 

FISHING METHOD: 6. All fish entered into competition for prizes must have been hooked and caught by the contestant on rod, hook, and line. Casting the bait and netting the fish by another person is permitted. Sharks and Stingrays may be shot before boating and transporting to shore. Contestants are encouraged to keep stingrays alive and release after weigh-in. 

ENTERING FISH: 7. Fish eligible to be entered into the Tournament in the Offshore Division are Open Shark (Tiger, Bull, or Hammerhead), Ling (Cobia), Open Offshore (Dorado, Tripletail, Wahoo, and Barracuda), King Fish (King Mackerel) and Red Snapper. The Inshore Division will consist of Speckled Trout, Flounder, Stingray, Gar, Sheepshead, Jack Crevalle, Gafftop, and Redfish (within the slot). Minimum weights: Sharks must be a minimum of two hundred (200) pounds and Stingrays must be a minimum of one hundred (100) pounds. Speckled Trout Limit (3) fish per day, size (15 - 20) inches and (1) fish over (30) inches. Red Snapper must be a minimum of sixteen (16) inches in length. Dorado must be a minimum weight of five (5) pounds to weigh in. All Stingrays must have the barb removed before weigh in. All winning fish shall be determined by weight. In the event of a tie, the fish that was weighed in first shall be declared the winner. If weigh-in times are identical, the person who registered for the Tournament first shall be declared the winner. 8. All fish entered into competition must have been caught by the Participant and must be weighed, presented at a designated Official Tackle Time Weigh-in Station. No fish will be weighed without signing the official weigh-in registration form. 9. No transfer of fish among Tournament participants shall be allowed. 10. Fish must be weighed in within 24 hours of being caught. No fish may be weighed in after 12:00 p.m. (noon) on July 9, 2023.  11. No frozen, spoiled, gutted, altered, or mutilated fish will be eligible for entry.  Tournament officials may, at their discretion, gut any fish entered. Tournament officials may retain any fish, after it is weighed, if there is any question of improper identification, freshness, or legality of the fish. The fish shall and will ONLY be weighed one time and the decision of the weigh master will be final. Removal and disposal of all fish caught are the responsibility of the angler and all State laws and regulations must be prescribed to for disposal, it is unlawful and unacceptable for any fish to be discarded and disposed of in inshore waters. All sharks will be photographed after weigh in by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department for identification. Any fish that is disposed of illegally and identified by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department as an illegally discarded fish, the contestant will be banned from the Tackle Time Tournament for a period of five (5) consecutive years.

INSHORE YOUTH DIVISION: 12. All RULES, RELEASE AND INDEMNITY agreements of the Tackle Time Tournament apply to this division. 13. To be eligible to fish in this division, kids must be at most fifteen (15) years old on the day before their catch. 14. Fish eligible to be entered into this division are Sand Trout, Croaker, Blue Crab, and Hardhead. A first, second, and third place prize and trophies will be awarded to the child with the largest fish in any of these four (4) species of fish. 

OTHER RULES: 15. Any person, including minors and their parent/sponsor, entering a prize-winning fish, must agree to the taking of a polygraph test, if required, and each person entering the Tournament agrees to submit to a polygraph. Polygraph tests are to be taken at the time requested by the Tackle Time Tournament Committee. Failure to take and/or to pass the polygraph SHALL result in disqualification. All travel expenses are to be paid by entrant. 

16. No protests will be allowed during and/or after the Tackle Time Tournament  17. The decision of the Texas City-La Marque Jaycees, in their sole discretion, shall be final on any matter. 18. In the Open Shark Category, boat captains are asked to follow Federal National Marine Fisheries Service (N.M.F.S.) regulations. Limit one shark per vessel per trip. Boats are required by Highly Migratory Species (H.M.S.) to have shark permits.

PRIZES: 19. A first, second, and third place will be awarded in each division. Monetary prizes will be awarded to each classification in each place, excluding the Inshore Youth Division. First, second, and third place in the Open Shark and Open Offshore Divisions will be determined by the largest percentage of the state record for that species. The Inshore Youth Division will consist of prizes and trophies in each corresponding category and place.

DISCLAIMER: The entire responsibility for valid member status and correctness of any official entry form rests solely on the entrant.

RELEASE, HOLD HARMLESS AND INDEMNITY: 20. IN CONSIDERATION OF BEING ALLOWED TO ENTER THE TACKLE TIME TOURNAMENT, EACH PERSON AGREES AND CONTRACTS TO RELEASE, INDEMNIFY AND HOLD HARMLESS THE TEXAS CITY-LA MARQUE JAYCEES, ITS OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, REPRESENTATIVES, THE TOURNAMENT DIRECTOR AND ALL COMMITTEE PERSONS, THE TOURNAMENT SPONSORS AND THEIR RESPECTIVE OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES AND REPRESENTATIVES FROM ANY AND ALL LIABILITY, CLAIMS OR DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF OR IN ANY MANNER WHATSOEVER CONNECTED WITH THE TOURNAMENT INCLUDING ITS PLANNING, OPERATION OR CONDUCT AND INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO CLAIMS FOR PERSONAL INJURY, WRONGFUL DEATH, SURVIVAL DAMAGES, ECONOMIC LOSS, PROPERTY DAMAGES OR CLAIMS RELATING IN ANY WAY TO THE AWARDING OF PRIZES IN THE TOURNAMENT. IT IS THE EXPRESS INTENTION OF THIS AGREEMENT THAT EACH ENTRANT IS INDEMNIFYING EACH OF THE FOREGOING RELEASED AND INDEMNIFIED PARTIES FROM THE CONSEQUENCES OF THEIR OWN NEGLIGENT CONDUCT, WHETHER SOLE NEGLIGENCE OR CONTRIBUTING NEGLIGENCE, GROSS NEGLIGENCE, OUTRAGEOUS MISCONDUCT, STRICT LIABILITY, COMMISSION OF TORT, BREACH OF CONTRACT, AND BREACH OF WARRANTY. THE PARENT OR GUARDIAN OF ANY MINOR ENTERING IN, REGISTERING FOR OR FISHING IN THE TOURNAMENT DOES FURTHER CONTRACT AND AGREE THAT THIS RELEASE AND HOLD HARMLESS AGREEMENT SHALL BE BINDING UPON ANY MINOR ENTERING THE TOURNAMENT. WINNER WILL BE REQUIRED TO EXECUTE AN ADDITIONAL RELEASE, INDEMNITY AND HOLD HARMLESS UPON RECEIPT OF PRIZE.  21. SHOULD LITIGATION OR ARBITRATION RESULT BETWEEN A PARTICIPANT AND TEXAS CITY-LA MARQUE JAYCEES IT IS AGREED THAT THE PREVAILING PARTY IN SUCH LITIGATION OR ARBITRATION SHALL BE ENTITLED TO RECOVER REASONABLE ATTORNEY FEES AND COSTS.

Revised: 06.06.2024