The Onslow Bay Open Details

1. The Onslow Bay Open is a charity-driven event operated and funded solely by its sponsors and volunteers.

2. Entry fees are $325 per boat if entered on or before May 16th, 2024. After May 16th the fee will be $400 per boat. The deadline for entries will be 11 p.m. on Friday, May 31st, 2024.

3. Teams can register online at www.sharenc.org with entry fees being collected by PayPal (using PayPal a 3% donation will be added to the total), or by mailing their completed registration forms along with a check for their entry fees made payable to: S.H.A.R.E. • 400 Betty Taylor Wood Drive • Holly Ridge, NC 28445

4. Scheduled registration time will be 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Thursday, May 30th at JM’s On The Water in Surf City, NC. The captain’s meeting will be held on Thursday, May 30th at 7:45 p.m. One member of each team should attend the captain’s meeting.

5. The tournament has the right to refuse entry from any applicant. In the event that such occurs, 100% of the applicant’s entry fees will be refunded.

6. This is a pick-your-day CAPTAIN’S CHOICE tournament. Teams will declare their fishing day as either Saturday, June 1st, or Sunday, June 2nd on their registration form or via the online Fishing Request form by 11 p.m. on Friday, May 31st, 2024. If the team does not declare their fishing day, the team will automatically be registered for Saturday, June 1st. Each team will be allowed to weigh three king mackerel per day (one for the overall prize and two for the special weight). The team’s biggest fish will be used to calculate their overall weight.

7. An individual boat may only register ONCE for this event. A participant can only be registered as the captain ONCE within the competition.

8. The 1st place overall prize of $40,000 is guaranteed based on one (1) paid entry. All TWT monies collected will be redistributed in the following manner:

• 15% of all TWT monies collected will be donated to S.H.A.R.E. The remaining balance will be paid 50% 1st, 30% 2nd, 20% 3rd to the winning TWT participants.
• If the event draws fewer than 100 paid entries all primary prizes, excluding 1st place overall, and all secondary prizes, excluding TWT’s, will be prorated based on the advertised pay scale.

9. All primary and secondary prizes (excluding Daily Big Fish, Dolphin, Wahoo, and Amberjack TWT’s) will be based on the largest weight consisting of no more than one king mackerel per prize. Big fish TWT will be based on a team’s single largest king mackerel. Dolphin, wahoo, and amberjack TWT’s will be based on the single largest fish for each species weighed.

10. Prizes are awarded on a by-weight basis only. For single big fish categories, in the event of two identical weights the first fish weighed shall be declared the winner.

11. A boat is eligible to win only one primary prize but is eligible to win more than one secondary prize. Secondary prizes are defined as all TWT’s, as well as lady, senior and junior angler prizes. 1st thru 15th overall and the small boat class are classified as primary prizes.

12. To be eligible for lady and junior angler prizes, the lady and/or junior angler must be on board and participate in the catching of the fish. This includes, but is not limited to any one of the following: fighting the fish, gaffing, driving the boat, clearing lines, helping in any way, etc. Junior anglers must be 16 years of age or younger on tournament day. Lady anglers must be 17 years of age or older on tournament day. Senior anglers must be 65 years of age or older on tournament day. You must list the lady, junior, and senior on your registration form to be eligible for prizes.

13. To be eligible for the small boat class prize, the boat’s length shall be no more than 27’11” LOA. In the event of a protest, we will use the manufacturer’s LOA.

14. The Team TWT is a winner take all category. This category will consist of no more AND no less than three (3) individual boats per team. You MUST have three boats to enter this TWT. The weight of the single largest fish caught over the course of the event from EACH boat within your team will be counted and combined to form a three (3) fish aggregate weight. The single largest three fish aggregate per team of three boats will win 85% of the total prize pool minus 15% to be donated to S.H.A.R.E. In the event of a tie in this category, the single largest fish per aggregate will be used to break the tie, if a tie still exists then the first to be weighed of the single largest fish will be used as the tiebreaker.

15. King mackerel (Scomberomorus cavalla) are the only eligible species for primary prizes. All fish must be caught on rod and reel during tournament hours and must not be mutilated. Mutilation is defined as any injury which inhibits the fish’s ability to fight. Only hook and gaff holes are acceptable.

16. Winning anglers, if directed by the tournament committee, must submit to a polygraph test within 72 hours after the last fish has been weighed. This decision is at the sole discretion of the tournament committee. Should the test be failed or not taken in a timely manner, the tournament committee reserves the right to forfeit all winnings awarded to the winner in question. Don’t cheat…cheaters never win.

17. A sponsor, committee member, or tournament official is eligible to fish and win any prize.

18. This is a NO CHECKOUT event. No lines in before 7:00 a.m. GPS time. This includes jigging bait but does not include cast netting bait. There will be an official check-in. A check-in boat will be located approximately ¼ of a mile north of the Surf City High Rise Bridge with an Onslow Bay flag. Boats that do not have a fish to weigh are not required to check in.

19. BOUNDARIES: Teams must be West of GPS line 76 30 00 and East of GPS line 78 33 00. (Cape Lookout to Little River)

20. The tournament will monitor VHF channel 72.

21. All boats must meet USCG and NC safety requirements to be eligible for this event. An EPIRB or PLB is recommended but NOT REQUIRED to fish this event.

22. Teams may fish no more than SIX (6) lines at any given time during tournament hours. Every fish weighed must adhere to all state and federal regulations to be eligible for winnings in this tournament. This includes possession of a valid NC saltwater fishing license.

23. Two or more boats seen congregating during competition hours will be disqualified from the competition. Participants may not pass anything between boats for any reason. However, in the interest of safety, one boat may give aid to another but must notify the tournament committee and receive prior approval from the tournament committee.

24. A boat may not make landfall during tournament competition hours. If a team wishes to drop off a crew member on land before weighing in, they may do so providing crew members exit only and do not remove or add any items from the vessel and the vessel does not make landfall (in the event of bad weather and safety is a concern please check tournament page for any and all updates).

25. No replacement boats may be entered without clearance from the Tournament Committee. A replacement boat will NOT be authorized after tournament fishing hours have begun on EACH eligible fishing day. All requests must be done via email to briana@onslowbayboats.com and/or call 910-431-6418.

26. Scales open at 3 p.m. each day at JM’s in Surf City. No weigh-ins will be allowed before this time. Boats must check in by displaying their boat number to the check-in boat no later than 5 p.m. on each day of the competition. There are no exceptions to this rule, if the check-in boat does not see your number before the check-in time, you are not eligible for prizes.

27. Boats are to proceed in an orderly fashion to weigh station. One member of the crew must remain with the fish to verify weigh-ins and to sign their weigh-in receipts. Boats will not be tied up in the designated off-loading areas and crew must depart immediately after offloading fish.

28. All fish to be weighed must be offloaded from the boat on which they were caught. The boat must be unassisted and operational on its own power. A representative from the team must accompany the fish to the scales.

29. A total of three (3) king mackerel may be weighed and only the top king mackerel will be counted towards all primary and secondary prizes (excluding dolphin, wahoo, and amberjack TWTs if applicable), the other two fish will be counted towards special weight prizes.

30. Any fish weighed in found to contain lead or any other foreign objects will be subject to disqualification as per the decision of the tournament committee.

31. All fish weighed will become the property of The Onslow Bay Open. 100% of the proceeds from the sale of all fish collected during this event will be donated to S.H.A.R.E.

32. No overland transport of fish to the weigh station will be allowed.

33. In the event the tournament is postponed due to circumstances beyond our control, all entry fees and TWT’s are non-refundable. In the event the tournament is canceled, 100% of the tournament entry fees and 100% of the TWT’s will be refunded.

34. All protests made to the tournament committee must be submitted in writing and must be accompanied by $500 cash. All protests shall be made no later than one hour after the last fish has been weighed on each weigh-in day. The $500 cash deposit will be returned if the protest is upheld by the tournament committee. The $500 cash deposit will become property of the tournament committee if the protest is not upheld. All decisions of the protest committee will become final.

35. By signing the entry form, the captain, crew, etc. consent that the S.H.A.R.E. KMT may use without payment or restrictions any photographs in which he or she appears for any purpose whatsoever, including but not limited to resale, advertising, commercial, or promotional material.

36. Violation of any of the tournament rules shall constitute grounds for automatic disqualification from the tournament. The tournament committee shall be the sole judge of any violations of the rules, and their decisions shall be final.

37. Payment of the entry fee constitutes a representation by each entrant that he or she has read and fully understands the Tournament Rules, and that he or she will abide by such rules and the decisions of the tournament committee and personnel.

38. Any questions not covered in the rules are to be directed to the tournament committee. All decisions made by the tournament committee are final.

39. Be safe. This event is a fun, charity event. Be nice to those who volunteer or please choose another fishing tournament.