RULES & FORMS

All boats fishing in the Tournament must fish within SC waters. Fish must be captured in SC waters – South - The Little River and North - the Savannah River. You must leave and return from South Carolina waters without entering another state. 

Eligible species (Blue Marlin 600 pts, White Marlin 300 pts, Sailfish 200 pts) will be scored on the points system. No more than a 30’ leader is permitted. When a blue marlin is caught and points are to be awarded, it must be positively identified through digital videography. The video must show all of the following : positive ID of the species, the leader being grasped by the crew or the leader being wound to the rod tip. Time and date stamp must correspond to the time and date relayed to the tournament committee boat. A time stamp mobile app is recommended. (All boats must keep their video footage for up to 10 days after the tournament.) Videos must be submitted through the Redd Reef Offshore Open App or by email to fishreddroof@gmail.com by 7 p.m. of their fish day. Circle hooks for dead bait and J hooks for artificial, for natural/artificial combo, you must use a non offset circle hook as per HMS guidelines regardless of any species in this tournament. 

At least one representative from each vessel MUST attend the mandatory Captain’s Meeting on Wed., June 25, 2025. All participants are responsible for understanding and following the tournament rules, including any changes announced during the meeting.

Boat will be disqualified from the tournament if: 1 . The boat, captain and/or crew violates any rules of the tournament unless otherwise specified in these rules. 2. If recaptured by any method other than as outlined in the angling rules. No free gaffing allowed. 

For a list of divisions and payout information, visit our Divisions & Payout page.

All vessels and participants shall comply with South Carolina and Federal Fisheries laws and regulations regarding fishing licenses, vessel permits, fishing gear, season size limits and bag limits. Participants shall also adhere to all Redd Reef Offshore Open rules as contained herein. 

Redd Roof Inn Tournament (DBA Redd Reef Offshore Open) 501c3 W9 Form

Winners determined by weight; ties go to the first fish weighed. Fish must be fresh and suitable for human consumption.

It is the vessel’s owners’ responsibility to have in place or obtain adequate liability insurance to cover each crew member, participant, and guest, as well as others if an incident occurs involving others not on the vessel.

The tournament committee will allow a fish to be passed to another boat in the event of a mechanical failure or injury for the weigh-in ONLY if your catch is reported and approved by a committee boat or tournament official. Committee boats will be assigned at the captain’s meeting. 

Polygraph tests will be administered at the sole discretion of the tournament committee. Captains and any occupant of the winning boats must be available for a polygraph test upon summons. Refusal by any participant or occupant of a registered boat will result in disqualification. All decisions of the polygraph examiner are final. 

Prize money checks will be made payable to the person or entity so indicated on the registration form of the winning boat. Social Security number or Taxpayer I.D. number of the recipient must be provided on the entry form. All undisputed funds will be distributed 3 days after the tournament. View our Divisions & Payout page for details.

Any protest by any participant against the catch of another participant must be submitted in writing to the Tournament Rules Committee. No protests are allowed against the tournament. Any protest must be received by 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 28. There will be a $1000 protest fee. Any member of the Rules Committee or the Weighmaster (in their sole discretion), retains the right to hold and keep any fish deemed questionable by him with respect to being qualified for any prize or cash award. If retention of the fish is refused, the fish is automatically disqualified. 

All boats must be registered with the Tournament Committee and entry fee paid to qualify for prizes and trophies. Boat substitutions are allowed but must be registered before fishing.
Deadline: Registration closes at 8 p.m. on Wed. June 25, 2025. No exceptions. Registration is managed through Reel Time Apps.

All vessels and participants must comply with South Carolina and federal laws regarding licenses, gear, size limits and bag limits. Vessels must be HMS compliant. For more information, visit NOAA’s website.

This is a rod and reel, hook and line tournament. The following practices are illegal in this tournament: a.) use of handline or rope attached to the line or leader b.) shoot- ing, harpooning, or lancing; and c) the transfer of any participant from one boat to another to aid in the landing of the fish. Drones are not allowed in this tournament. All State, Federal, HMS regulations apply.

Any boat violating any of these Tournament Rules or any boat containing a participant violating any of these Tournament Rules is subject to disqualification from the Tournament (unless another sanction for a particular violation is expressly set forth herein). By participating in the Tournament, all participants acknowledge that all Tournament Rules are material and that disqualification is a permitted and appropriate sanction for any violation of any Tournament Rules. Decisions regarding the interpretation of Rules, violation of Rules, penalties, and the suspension of any Rules or penalties will be made by the Rules Committee and/or Board of Directors in their sole and absolute discretion. All decisions by the Rules Committee and/or Board of Directors are final and are not subject to further challenge by participants. 

See guidelines at:

SC DNR

IGFA Rules

Winning gamefish permitted are tuna, wahoo, dolphin that will be determined by weight. In the event of a tie, the winner will be determined by the first fish weighed-in. Fish must be in fresh edible condition and fit for human consumption. All game fish must be weighed-in the day they are caught within weigh-in hours of their declared day. Only one (1) fish per species per category per boat can be weighed. Creel limits for dolphin are 10 per angler per day with a limit of 54 per boat per day, with a minimum legal-size limit of 20 inches fork length . Creel limit for wahoo is 2 per person per day. Circle hooks for dead bait and J hooks for artificial, for natural/artificial combo, you must use a non offset circle hook as per HMS guidelines regardless of any species in this tournament. Mutilated fish will not be permitted. 

Must be caught on a rod and reel or hand line per HMS guidelines. Swordfish are scored by weight not points. Overnight swordfishing trips are permitted. Line’s in/out DO NOT apply in the swordfish TWT. If weighing in a swordfish, the vessel must report to their chosen marina before scale close at 7 p.m. Saturday, June 28. When a swordfish is caught it must be positively identified through digital videography. The video must show all of the following : positive ID of the species. Time and date stamp must correspond to the time and date relayed to the tournament committee boat. A time stamp mobile app is recommended. (All boats must keep their video footage for up to 10 days after the tournament.) Videos must be submitted through the Redd Reef Offshore Open App or by email to fishreddroof@gmail.com by 7 p.m. of their fish day. Circle hooks for dead bait and J hooks for artificial, for natural/artificial combo, you must use a non offset circle hook. as per HMS guidelines regardless of any species in this tournament. 

Small Craft Advisory call made at 5 a.m. each fish day.

Declare fish day via “Fish On by Reel Time Apps” by 9 p.m. the night before.

You may undeclare by 6:59 a.m. via email to fishreddroof@gmail.com as long as no lines are in.

If all three days are called off due to weather, the tournament is canceled.

All gamefish eligible for prizes must be uploaded and weighed at 1 of the 4 official Tournament weigh stations from the angler that landed the fish. The fish must be entered on the official entry form by the Tournament Weigh Master. The scales will be open between 4- 7 p.m. You must be “checked-in” in PERSON with the weigh master at your chosen station by 7 p.m. to weigh your fish. The weigh stations are Toler’s Cove Marina, Edisto Marina, Ripley Light Yacht Club, & Bohicket Marina SC. The Weighmaster has the right to refuse any fish at his sole discretion. 

Attempted weight alteration of any gamefish will be subject to disqualification and automatically disqualify the boat from the tournament. No mutilated fish will be allowed. The Rules Committee reserves the right to cut open any fish for inspection of suspected weight altering. Efforts such as inserting weights, water, ice, etc. IGFA rules apply for mutilated fish.

If registered boats do not fish, the entry is non-refundable and 90% of TWT money refunded. To receive a refund, you must email FishReddRoof@gmail.com before 7 a.m. on June 26, 2025