Here’s How It Works
The 2010 Miami Open Billfish Series has four qualifying events where teams can earn points to determine the regular-season winners. The top 10 boats at the end of the regular season will be invited to compete in the playoffs and championship that will be held during the Miami Billfish Tournament. Each MOBS boat will post a $4,000 entry fee for entrance into the series; $1,000 is donated to a winner-take-all cash purse that will go to the MOBS boat and team champion. For example, if 20 boats register for the MOBS, the cash award will be $20,000 to the championship-winning boat. A quality trophy and prize package will also be awarded to the championship boat owner and crew. In addition, a one-page commemorative ad will appear in Marlin magazine showcasing the 2010 Miami Open Billfish Series Championship team. MOBS teams will receive products and amenities during the series and visibility within the promotional media in Marlin and the dedicated series website. Optional jackpot divisions will be available for the regular season, playoff and championship, providing an additional cash purse for those teams entering the jackpots.
Rules
All boats competing in the MOBS must be entered in at least three of the four qualifying events and follow the rules governing qualifying and championship events. This is a boat event; therefore, boats do not have to use the same participants/anglers at each event. In the chance of mechanical failure, MOBS teams may change boats as long as it is allowed by the qualifying event. Series boats may also be changed from event to event but will fish under the name of the original qualifying boat entered. Boat changes must be reported and approved by the MOBS committee prior to the start of any qualifying event. The official results of all qualifying events and the playoff/ championship event will determine the points awarded to the MOBS boats.
Angler, Crew and Boat Requirements
Registration and captains meeting will take place during the Sailfish Tournament kickoff party on Jan. 14, 2010, at Monty’s Raw Bar from 4:00 to 8:30 p.m. All teams that are preregistered and teams needing to register must send at least one representative to obtain your tournament series credentials and team captains bag. All anglers and boat captains should attend the scheduled angler/captains meeting at 7:30 p.m. If they do not attend, they accept and agree to be bound by all instructions and/or rule changes made during that meeting. In an effort to maximize participation, MOBS registrations will be accepted until 9:00 p.m. on Jan. 28, 2010. Without exception, each boat must have one designated boat captain, one designated mate and one designated team representative. Captain and crew changes are allowed but must be communicated to the tournament-series committee prior to any qualifying events. All MOBS participants must exercise good and courteous sportsmanship whether at the dock, under way or fishing.
MOBS Base Entry Fee: $4,000 per boat
$1,000 is donated to a winner-take-all cash purse that will go to the champion boatteam representative. All MOBS teams will receive series products, amenities and media exposure. The tournament committee reserves the right to deny tournament entry of any individual, organization or corporation.
Regular Season Optional Jackpot Entry Fees
(100 Percent Payback)
Level I Jackpot: $2,000
Level II Jackpot: $4,000
Note: You must enter the level-one jackpot to be eligible to enter the level-two jackpot. Winners are based on the regular-season qualifying-event overall boat standings.
The top three teams entered the optional jackpots will split the pot accordingly:
First Place: 50 percent
Second Place: 30 percent
Third Place: 20 percent
Note: Only teams entered in the regular-season optional jackpots will be eligible for these cash awards.
Regular Season Qualifying Events
Mercedes Benz of Coral Gables presents The Sailfish Tournament
Jan. 14-17, 2010
Tournament Director: Richard Peeples
Phone: 305-282-1006
E-mail: jdemp12@aol.com
Website: www.thesailfishtournament.com
The Mayor’s Cup
Jan. 28-31, 2010
Tournament Director: Tony Albelo
Phone: 305-206-8252
E-mail: tony@oceanpromotions.com
Website: www.mayorscuptournament.com
The Bob Lewis Billfish Challenge
Feb. 25-28, 2010
Tournament Director: Greg Gawlikowski
Phone: 305-971-1100
E-mail: greg@billfishchallenge.com
Website: www.billfishchallenge.com
The Billfish Masters
March 11-14, 2010
Tournament Director: Dan Kipnis
Phone: 305-672-3807
E-mail: kipnisd@atlanticbb.net
Website: www.floridabillfish.com
Note: If a regular season qualifying event does not take place the MOBS reserves the right to replace that event. The MOBS also reserves the right to change regular season qualifying events. If three regular season qualifying events take place the series will be considered complete and regular season qualifying event purse and prizes will be awarded.
Regular-Season Qualifying-Events Scoring
MOBS boats will earn points based on their placement within the qualifying events. Available points at each qualifying event will be based on the number of MOBS boats competing in the tournament. For example, if 20 MOBS boats are competing, there will be a total of 20 points available for the highest-placing boat within that qualifying event. The second-place MOBS boat would receive 19 points, third place 18 points, fourth place 17 points, etc. A one-point bonus will be given to the highest-placing boat, and a one-point deduction will be applied to any boats that did not catch a fish in the qualifying event. For example, if three MOBS boats in a 20-boat field did not catch a fish, those boats would earn three points for placing 18th less a one-point deduction, resulting in a two-point total score for those boats. This format provides a greater amount of points for the tournaments that have more MOBS boats participating. There are four qualifying tournaments in the series during which MOBS boats can earn points. The total regular-season boat points will be based on the top three qualifying-event scores for each boat. This will allow each MOBS boat to use its best three finishes of the four-event series. At the end of the series, the top 10 high-point boats will be eligible to compete in the playoff/championship event.
Playoff/Championship Event
The Yamaha Contender Miami Billfish Tournament
March 25-28, 2010
Tournament Director: Judy Layne
Phone: 305-598-2525
E-mail: fish@miamibillfish.com
Website: www.miamibillfish.com
Playoff and Championship Optional Jackpots
Playoff Optional Jackpot Entry Fee: $2,000 (100 Percent Payback)
Championship Optional Jackpot Entry Fee: $5,000 (100 Percent Payback)
The top two teams entered in the optional jackpots will split the pot accordingly:
First Place: 70 percent
Second Place: 30 percent
Note: Only teams entered in the playoff and championship optional jackpots will be eligible for these cash awards. If the playoff/championship event does not take place the MOBS reserves the right to replace or reschedule the event.
Playoff/Championship Event Scoring
At the end of the regular season, the top 10 high-point boats will be invited to the playoff/championships held within the Miami Billfish Tournament. Based on their performance during the regular season, the boats will be seeded one to 10, with the top three MOBS seeded boats receiving a bye from the playoff fishing day (day one of the Miami Billfish). Boats seeded four to 10 will compete on the first day of fishing, with the top two boats of that day advancing to the championship round that will take place during day two and three of the Miami Billfish. Day two and three of the Miami Billfish will determine the overall series champion and will be based on the points awarded to the five boats competing in the championship round (fish caught on day one will not count toward the championship-round totals). Boats will receive one point per billfish released and confirmed by the Miami Billfish Tournament. The highest-scoring boat from the two championship fishing days will be the winner of the 2010 Miami Open Billfish Series Championship. In the event of a tie, the boat reaching the highest score first will be the winner.
Protests: All protests must follow the regular season qualifying event and championship event protocol stated in their rules. All decisions made by the official tournament judges are final.
Prize Disbursement: Any team receiving cash awards must fill out a prizedisbursement form prior to receiving any funds or prizes. Each registered team representative is in control of any winnings and must sign this form. All winnings will be sent FedEx to the winners once all entry funds have cleared the bank.
