This weekend’s 36hr Grind Surfcasting Tournament starts todat (Friday) at 6pm and I could not be more excited! In this post I wanted to share the rules one more time and answer a few frequently asked questions.
I will of course be in touch with the teams each day throughout this weekend with more info, as well as more updates about some exciting new prizes! Please review the rules when you can and let me know if anything is unclear.
- Fishing may begin at 6pm today, Friday September 27th and continue until 6am on Sunday September 29th.
- This is a team event and each team will have 2 anglers. Teammates must fish together and stay together.
- This year to increase participation, anglers may fish from shore anywhere on Cape Cod & the Islands. To further increase participation from our South Shore members, fishing from shore in the towns of Kingston, Duxbury, Plymouth and Wareham is also allowed. However, the Cape Cod Canal itself will remain off limits.
- Fishing from boats and kayaks is not allowed, and all fish must be caught with two feet firmly planted on land. However, this year you may use a boat or kayak to access offshore rocks, islands or sandbars. You may also swim out to rocks or other spots.
- The official measuring tape is this one from Cuda. Anglers may use a different measuring tape or measuring board, but preference will be given to teams using the official Cuda measuring tape. In other words, if two teams have the same total inches, with one team using the Cuda tape and the other team using a different tape, then the team using the official Cuda tape will be declared the winner.
- A qualifying striped bass must be at least 22 inches long and clearly photographed on a measuring tape. Measure to the nearest 1/4 inch. One angler should hold the striper on the measuring tape while the other angler takes the photo. Stretch out the measuring tape so it’s as flat as possible. Standing with one foot on the end of the tape, or putting a rock on the end of the tape, can be helpful to keep the tape stretched out and in place. If possible, it’s helpful to have this all setup ahead of time so you’re ready to go when you catch a fish.
- Measure the fish from the bottom jaw to the end of the tail. Pinching the tail to gain an extra inch is not allowed. Measure quickly and keep the fish wet so the bass is in good shape for a healthy release.
Below are some photos of how I measured and photographed bass during the Cheeky Fly Fishing Tournament. Try your best to measure fish in this fashion.
In the above photo you’ll notice I used the markup tools on my iPhone to write the length of the fish onto the photo itself which made it really easy for my teammate and I to quickly locate the photos of our longest fish when it came time to submit our online scorecards.
- A team’s total score will be the combined length of your three longest fish.
- This year you’ll submit your scores using an online form which I will email to you over the weekend. I will send you more information about the submission process soon. The cutoff for submitting scores will be 6am on Sunday. Make sure you get your scores and photos submitted on time! Any scorecard submitted after 6am will be disqualified.
- The awards meetup will be held at 8am Sunday at Sandy Neck Beach in Barnstable. Even if you don’t catch a single fish during the tournament, you are encouraged to attend! We’ll have free coffee from Snowy Owl Coffee Roasters, plus some awesome raffles and prizes just for showing up. Plus with an incoming tide and an onshore wind, the fishing right where we’ll be setting up could be good.
If after reviewing these rules anything is still unclear, then please let me know. As mentioned above I will get back in touch with the teams soon with more information and updates about some epic new prizes.
Tight lines and talk soon! 
Ryan