Hempstead Harbor Anglers Club

Fishing Rules and Regulations

1.       Unless otherwise stated all tournaments start at 6:00 AM and end at 4:30 PM on the day designated in the Tournament Schedule.

2.       If a regular tournament ends with no winner, the contest will automatically be extended for two more weeks. This provision only applies to regular tournaments. The Sea Robin rodeo is excluded. If at the end of the two week extension there is still no winner, the contest will be over. The only exception to this rule is when a two week extension overlaps a closed season for that species.

3.       Duffy’s Bait and Tackle located at 58 Shore Rd. in Glenwood Landing is the only official weigh station for all HHAC regular tournaments. The HHAC will only recognize fish weighed in, documented and verified in the HHAC official log book at Duffy’s. The only exceptions to this rule are the (WICC, Billy Blind, and Oyster Bay) Bluefish Tournaments. It is the MEMBERS responsibility to make sure that the catch is entered in the log.

4.       In the event Duffy’s is closed during the remainder of the set time limits of tournament and a fish cannot be weighed in, the member should make every effort to contact the Tournament Committee or a Club Officer immediately and before the end of the tournament. The fish should be preserved in a manner that is keeping with the rules (i.e. iced down and not frozen) and eventually weighed in at Duffy’s. In the event that this is not possible, the Tournament Committee in conjunction with the Board of Directors approval may make provisions for temporary alternate weigh station. All Tournament Committee decisions regarding fish eligibility are final.

5.       Fish determined by the Weigh Master or Tournament Committee to be altered in any way (cut, frozen, salted, weighted etc.) will be automatically disqualified.

6.       Unless otherwise stated, The Western fishing boundary is the Throgg’s Neck Bridge and the Eastern fishing boundary is a line running from Cranes Neck on Long Island to Sheffield Island off Connecticut.

7.       All fish must be caught on rod and reel.

8.       If tournament participant breaks any rules or laws, the Tournament Committee will review alleged offences and make recommendations to Board of Directors to take appropriate action.

9.       Fish of the Year will be determined by the heaviest fish weighed in within the DEC official fishing season and the last date of the last tournament, for that year for each species recognized by the HHAC.

10.   The heaviest fish officially weighed in will determine the winner of that tournament (see rules 3 & 4). If 2 fish are equal weight there will be a tie for that place. The only exception to this rule is the Sea Robin Rodeo. In this tournament the wingspan of the Sea Robin will determine the winner.

11.   While there is no limit to the number of fish an angler may enter for a given tournament, only the largest fish entered by the angler is eligible for each tournament. This means an angler can only have one placing (1^st, 2^nd, or 3^rd) at any given time in a tournament.

Unless otherwise specified the HHAC will only recognize fish with the following minimum sizes:

·         Striped Bass - 36”

·         Bluefish – 10 lbs.

·         Weakfish – 16”

·         Fluke – 3 lbs.

·         Flounder – 1 lb. 6 oz

·         Blackfish – 4 lbs.

·         Sea Bass and Porgy to coincide with state minimum requirements.

12.   Any fish entered in a tournament must be taken in accordance with all NYS DEC regulations.

13.   The Tournament Committee reserves the right to be the judge on all matters relating to HHAC Tournaments. Any situation that cannot be resolved at this level will be referred to the Board of Directors for final resolution.

14.   The junior divisions (up to age- 16) may enter any legal sized fish as determined by the DEC into a HHAC Tournament.

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