The Fifth Annual Progressive Fishing Tournament starts with the first official Club paddle following the Christmas party and continues through the year until the "Last Ditch Fish Twitch", usually the second weekend in December (the last weekend before the Christmas Party), which this year will be Dec. 15 & 16. Norman Chun is the new keeper of the records, to addressed as "The Fishmaster", and will keep track of who catches what, where, when and how many. A Perpetual Fishmaster's Trophy and a Grand Prize will be awarded to the person who accumulates the most "fish points" (see below) by the end of the year, and will be presented at the annual Christmas Party. There will also be prizes for other categories, such as Biggest Fish and Most Unusual Catch, which Norm will make up as he goes along.

Entry fees:
Until the last day of January, there is an entry fee of $5.00 for members and $25.00 for non-members (i.e., pay this fee and you get a FREE one-year membership in the Club!) which is due after registration of your first catch (See rule # 7). From February 1st on, the fee will be $10.00 and $30.00, respectively. Hurry.

The basic rules are:

1. Most fish must be over 7 inches, from nose to fork of tail, to qualify. Please throw the little ones back. For a comprehensive list of what sizes qualify, read the Hawaii State Fishing Regulations, reprinted on this site in PDF format.
2. Fish must be caught on Club-sanctioned events, which include organized and scheduled neighbor-island trips, but not Special Events. The only exception will be the Fish Twitches - see below.
3. Fish must be caught using a line such as a hand line or rod line. Use of nets, spears, explosives or chemicals will be frowned upon.
4. Fish must be caught from a kayak. If you fall out of your boat AFTER it is hooked, and still manage to land it, even if standing on shore, it will count. Any fish which jumps into your boat by itself will count, if it's big enough (It has happened!)
5. Only exception to above rule: fish caught while standing on Kapapa Island during the "Night Fishing & Campout" event will count.
6. You must have a witness to your catch. A photograph will count.
7. You may return your catch to the water after it has been witnessed.
8. All qualifying catch must be reported to Norm by phone or email within 24 hours (except for off-island trips), or it will not count. The entry fee must be paid to Norm by the end of the next Club General meeting after reporting, or the catch will be disallowed.
9. In spite of your being fishermen, the Honor System in reporting is expected.

Scoring: Each type of fish will be awarded points based (approximately) on the relative difficulty of catching it, thereby ensuring that the winner is really trying. Norm will total the points at the end of the year. If you catch something that isn't on the list, call Norm and he'll make up a new category.

The Fish Twitches: On three weekends each year, plus the last one before the Awards Ceremony, contestants will be allowed to fish anywhere in the Hawaiian Islands they chose, for two days, and as long as it complies with all the other criteria above, any catch will count, and, again, the honor system applies. Fishmaster Norm will more or less arbitrarily select the days for twitchin' so keep an eye on the web calender. As there will be no official scale available, a Biggest Fish claim for a Twitch catch will not be accepted, unless it's an indisputable monster, in which case a photograph will be required for the record.

Email Norm Chun (bluec239 (at) msn.com) or call him at 728-0610 for further info, or to register or to report. You can often find him at the Club paddles and meetings to pay him.

In addition to information about what fish and how big, Norm would also appreciate such additional data as you can provide: what type of lure or bait was used, water clarity, ocean and weather conditions, and type of bottom (sand, coral, deep water, etc), stuff like that.

Good Luck!

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