Thank you to everyone who participated in this year's Cape & Islands Mitsubishi Anglers' Cup! The tournament officially closed on October 10th and today I wanted to share the winners, which you can view by scrolling below.

Each Junior Division winner went home with a brand new rod and reel setup perfect for chasing albies, bluefish, bonito and stripers. Special thanks to longtime MFCC member Jonathan Gitlin (@gitlin) for donating these rods and reels!

Adult Division winners each went home with $500 courtesy of Cape & Islands Mitsubishi! Special thanks to Cape & Islands Mitsubishi president and owner Bruno Demir (@Bdemir79) for making this possible. Second place adult division winners each went home with a $150 gift certificate to TheMightyFish.com.

Junior Division

False Albacore
1st - Micah Gonyer @gonyerchris (26.25 inches)

Bluefish
1st - Trevor Biggar @Mbiggy (27 inches)

Bonito
1st - Trevor Biggar @Mbiggy (12 inches)

**Adult Division**

False Albacore
1st - David Slick @Dslick (28.25 inches)

2nd - Mike Peck @mightyp (27.25 inches)

Bluefish
1st - Mike Peck @mightyp (33 inches)

2nd - Mark Lewis @mlewis (30.5 inches)

Bonito
1st - Colin Ward @colin_ward (20.75 inches)

2nd - Aiden Menard (10.50 inches)

Once again thank you to everyone who participated in the Cape & Islands Mitsubishi Anglers' Cup.

And Bruno and Jonathan we could not of made this happen without you guys! It's great having you both as part of the MFCC family.

Tight lines!

The Cape & Islands Mitsubishi Anglers' Cup

It was early in the evening when my phone rang with a call from My Fishing Cape Cod member Bruno Demir. I picked up and could immediately feel the excitement in Bruno's voice. I wasn't sure what Bruno was about to tell me, but I darn sure knew he was thrilled about something.

Bruno launched into an electrified monologue about starting an anglers' cup for people who love fishing on Cape Cod. The tournament would be a fun way for anglers to compete against one another, while fishing for albies, bonito and bluefish.

With so much talk about striped bass being overfished, the idea of a tournament that does not target striped bass intrigued me. In addition, Bruno introduced me to the Fish Donkey App which provides a streamlined solution for running fishing tournaments. 

Bruno won me over with his electrified pitch and today I'm delighted to introduce you to the 1st Annual Cape & Islands Mitsubishi Anglers' Cup. 

All fans and members of My Fishing Cape Cod are encouraged to enter the tournament! So far we have $1,500 of prize money that will be awarded to the winners. You can learn more about who the tournament works by reading below.

How to Join the Tournament

1) Download the FishDonkey App

2) Tap: Fish in a Tournament

3) Join: The Cape & Islands Mitsubishi Anglers' Cup. The entrance fee is $19 for adult and $7 for juniors age 14 and younger. The entrance fee goes towards covering the prizes. Anything above and beyond the amount we need to cover the prizes will be donated to a charity that is TBD.

4) Purchase a bump board for measuring fish (you can purchase this one from FishDonkey but they are also available at Dick's Sporting Goods and elsewhere around the internet)

5) Watch a 1 minute tutorial on How to Enter a Fish

6) Watch a 1 minute video on How to Measure a Fish

Optional: download the FishDonkey tip sheet to your phone for quick access to frequently asked questions

Registering Your Son or Daughter in the Junior Division

If you as an adult have already registered for the tournament, and you would now like to register your son or daughter age 14 or younger in the Junior Division, then here is how you can do it.

Your son or daughter will need their own username and password for the Fish Donkey app. If they have their own phone, then they can simply use their own phone to register for the Junior Division on Fish Donkey. 

However, if your son or daughter doesn't have their own phone, and you plan on sharing a phone, then please LOG OUT of the Fish Donkey app by tapping on the profile icon in the top right corner. You can then  REGISTER your son or daughter.

If you plan on sharing a phone, then you must have a good connection during the tournament in order to do this because you will need to LOG OUT of your Fish Donkey account in order to sign in as your son or daughter to record a fish in their name. 

Tournament Overview

All fish entered in the tournament will be photographed, measured, and  recorded through the FishDonkey app. Leaderboards will update throughout the contest so check the app to follow the tournament progress.

Awards are presented on the basis of length as determined through the mobile app and verified by tournament judges.  The categories are:

More prizes will be added throughout the tournament.

Rules

All registration and payment must be completed using the app.  The FishDonkey App will be used to photo document fish and will generate live leaderboards. The leaderboards will update throughout the event as fish are submitted.  All entries will be considered unofficial until verified.

Measuring & Photo Documenting

• All photos must be taken through the FishDonkey app and measurements must be on a valid measuring board.
• Fish should be recorded immediately and measurements noted by length.
• All submissions must include at least two photographs:  1) A pic of you holding the fish 2) A pic of the fish on the measuring board.
• Close the fish's mouth. The nose should touch the bump of the measuring board (the belly is facing you). This photo needs to include the entire fish on the board.  
• If the fish tail is touching the graduation line on the board then that is the exact measurement.  If the tail crosses a graduation line, round up ¼”.
• All participants must have their fish submitted before the end of the tournament.
• Entries with an open mouth will receive a deduction penalty of 1", as an open mouth can extend the length of the fish.  
• Extra large fish are difficult to measure with a bump board and photographs.  For example, a huge bluefish can be measured more accurately by using video. Bump the nose of the fish against a vertical surface and use a commercial measuring tape to measure the fish.  Video from nose to tail, covering the complete length of the fish.

Practice the FishDonkey App ahead of time

Watch a 1 minute tutorial on How to Enter a Fish

Test the app before you get out on the water.  

1.  Download the app

2. Join "Practice Entering a Fish"

Here's a video on How to Measure a Fish

FishDonkey in poor reception areas

The app will work without the internet.  Open the app before heading out to poorly covered areas.  Tap on the name of the tourney.  Once you see the button ‘Enter a Fish’, head out and fish away.  Fish should be entered as normal in bad reception areas.  Your Digital Livewell® (fish icon) will show you if there are fish waiting for an internet connection to get pushed into the leaderboard.  When you get back to a well connected area, open your Digital Livewell®  and leave that screen open/active until all fish are “Received”. If your pictures are missing from the leaderboard, this is what you need to do.  Until your pictures are received, do not delete or alter the photos on your phone, as the software will not accept your photos as originals.

Missing pictures on the leaderboard?

Open your Digital Livewell (fish icon) when you get back to an area with good reception.  Leave that screen open until all fish are “Received”.  Never delete anything from your Digital Livewell.

Measuring Boards

All measuring devices must be commercially made.  You are required to have a board with a 90 degree bend which marks 0, and at least ¼” lines.  No handmade measuring boards, stickers, or tape measures allowed.  No sliding, retractable, or foldable measuring devices are allowed unless approved by the tournament director.  If your measurement is not clearly readable in your submission photo, it may not be accepted, or could be penalized. 

Extra large fish are difficult to measure with a bump board and photographs.  For example, a huge bluefish can be measured more accurately by using video.  Bump the nose of the fish against a vertical surface and use a commercial measuring tape to measure the fish.  Video from nose to tail, covering the complete length of the fish.

Tournament Director

Your Tournament Director is Ryan Collins of My Fishing Cape Cod.  If you need to reach your director, their contact info is in the “ i “ Info icon within your tournament in the app.  

The interpretation and enforcement of the rules is at the sole discretion of the director.  The tournament director may change rules or impose sanctions as they deem appropriate, including but not limited to: disqualifications, forfeiture of prizes, and prohibition from competing in future tournaments.  All decisions made by the tournament director are final.

Sportsmanship

All participants are expected to follow high standards of sportsmanship, courtesy, safety and conservation. Any participant who displays poor sportsmanship, violates these rules or brings unfavorable publicity to the sport of fishing could be disqualified. Encroachment is considered a sportsmanship rule.

Body of Water

Participants must fish in the area specified for the event (Cape Cod & the Islands).  Fishing has to be legal and in public waters only:  no private ponds, streams, lakes or rivers.   Participants may fish in any water that is open to public fishing.

Tiebreakers

The tournament director will consider options for determining a tie, which could be 1) time of entry  2) the exact measurement instead of the ¼” measurement 3) the next largest fish submitted by each angler.  A tie could also result in shared prizes.

Claiming Prizes

Ensure that your correct address, email, and mobile number appear in your app profile for prize announcements and delivery.  Prizes are the responsibility of the winners.  Transportation, taxes, and incidentals are the responsibility of the winner.

It is the responsibility of the tournament director to disburse all prizes.  

From our terms and conditions, you have agreed to the following.  

”FishDonkey makes no representations or warranties regarding the Service or the quality, features, conditions, rules, prizes, results, or other aspects of any tournament ORGANIZED THROUGH, OR hosted on, the Site. AS BETWEEN FISHDONKEY AND THE TOURNAMENT ORGANIZER, THE TOURNAMENT ORGANIZER IS SOLELY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE RESULTS AND CONSEQUENCES OF THE TOURNAMENTS THEY ORGANIZE AND HOST USING THE SITE AND SERVICES.”   

As stated above, FishDonkey is not in any way responsible, but if you believe there is a problem with your tournament director or if something seems suspicious such as not paying out the funds or prizes, please contact FishDonkey and let us know ASAP. 

Laws and Regulations

All federal, state, and local laws and all fishing and boating rules must be abided by.

Failure to comply with any tournament rules subjects participants to disqualification and removal from the competition, as determined by the tournament officials. The right to refuse sale and/or revoke a competition ticket to anyone is hereby reserved.

Cheating

• All protests must be brought to the director’s attention before the end of the event.
• Anyone caught breaking the law or disobeying the rules will be disqualified.
• Fish must be hooked and caught live in a conventional manner.  Fish cannot be snagged, netted, speared, etc.
• Participants may be required to take polygraph exams as part of the tournament requirements. If deception is detected or the participant refuses to take the exam, the prize will be forfeited and the participant will be disqualified. Anglers taking a polygraph examination may be responsible for any and all costs incurred.

Safety

Participants are responsible for their own safety, actions, and property at all times.

Questions?

If there are any questions about the rules, please ask them by posting a comment below.