Rules & RegulationS

Tourney Schedule

• Registration for the Redfish Royale will begin April 15, 2026, and closes October 30, 2026, at midnight. 

• The fishing window is Sunday, November 1, 2026 – Saturday, November 14, 2026.

• The Awards Party will be Sunday, November 15, 2026, at Jax Beach Bait and Tackle located at 224 20th St. N, Jacksonville Beach, FL 32250

• Captains’ meetings will be held from 6pm – 8pm on:

  • Wednesday, October 28, 2026, at Strike-Zone Fly Fishing – 11702 Beach Blvd, Jacksonville, FL 32246

  • Thursday, October 29, 2026, at Old City Fly Shop – 2730 US-1, Suite A, St. Augustine, FL

  • Friday, October 30, 2026, at On The Fly Outfitters – 1501 Newcastle St, Brunswick, GA 31520

Tourney Registration 

• Tournament registration is through the Fish Donkey app.

• Registration is $250 per team.

• Each registration is for one day of fishing within the fishing window.

• Multiple entries are available, allowing teams and individuals to fish for more than one day.  A maximum of five days is allowed per individual or team.

• Anglers are encouraged to support your local guides. A “guided” team consist of an actively working USCG licensed charter captain and a separate awards category is set for “guided” teams. 

Angling Rules and Regulations

• Teams must declare all fishing days before 11:59 PM the day prior. Failure to do so will result in disqualification of all catches and the team must fish another day. 

• Fishing is limited to poling water depths along the Intracoastal Waterway and its tributaries from the southern border of Saint Johns County, FL to the northern border of Glynn County, GA. 

• Fishing is from official sunrise to official sunset. Your fish entries must be registered within this window. 

• Each boat consists of up to three (3) members.

• Only one working rod per boat, however the team members can share “bow time.” 

• All fish are documented and entered via the Fish Donkey app.

• There are two tournament categories: Big Stringer and Big Fish. The Big Stringer category includes a Guided and Weekend Warrior division.

• The 2026 RRFFT Tournament Slot is (17” – 30”). 

• It is a “Winner Take All” tournament. 

  • Big Stringer - Guided 1stplace

  • Big Stringer – Weekend Warrior 1st place

  • Big Fish 1st Place

• There will also be prizes for First Fish, Last Fish, Most Spots and Best Insta Post.

• The Big Stringer category will be determined by the greatest total length of five Tournament Slot redfish recorded by each team on any given day of fishing. Each individual registration, up to five per team or individual, are separate entries and the stringer is not accumulated over more than one day. 

• The Big Fish category will be determined by the largest fish over the Tournament Slot recorded by each team on any given day of fishing. 

• The Big Fish is not included in the Stringer Category. 

• First Fish and Last Fish are based on official entries of qualified catches. 

• Most Spots are determined by the most spots on both sides of a single fish. Photographs of both sides of the fish must be entered to be considered for this category. 

• Best Insta Post is determined by:

  • Follow, post and tag RRFFT official Instagram

  • Some sort of official tournament swag must be included in the post

• In the event of a tie in any category the winner will be determined by a high card draw from the official RRFFT Card Deck at the Awards Party. 

• Only fish released alive and unharmed will qualify as a catch. 

• Fish not intended to be photographed for entry should be left in the water for release when possible. 

• Two pictures of each fish entered is required: (Except the Most Spot category requires a picture of both sides of the fish)

  • One picture of the fish on the RRFFT issued bump board

  • One picture of the fish held by the angler

• Fish measurement is from the most forward point on the head with the mouth closed to the furthest point on the pinched tail. 

• Exiting the boat, or wading, in order to approach fish or to fish areas unapproachable by boat is not allowed.  

• Anglers are encouraged to use a net with rubber netting to land catches. 

• Sinking lines are not allowed.  

• The penalty for any rules violation is tournament disqualification.

Tournament Disclaimers

• Host fly shops are not official representatives of the Redfish Royale or Hadassah’s Hope. Any questions or concerns should be addressed to the Tournament Committee at RedfishRoyale@verityclaim.com.

• Tournament Committee Members

  • Nigel Green – Sea Suite

  • Chad Starkey – Surf Fish Serve

  • Andy Pallito – Old City Fly Shop

  • Andrew Mizzel – Strike Zone Fly Shop

  • Jared DeVincent – On The Fly Outfitters

• Tournament Committee Responsibilities:

  • Address tournament related questions

  • Establish tournament rules.

  • Rules and Regulations review.

• Tournament Director – Brad Taunton

• In the event that any Tournament Committee Member is also a member of a tournament team involved in any RRFFT Rules and Regulations review, the Tournament Director will replace that Tournament Committee Member in any decision making. 

• Participating anglers are not necessarily affiliated with or official representatives of the participating fly shops or Hadassah’s Hope.

• The host shop is not responsible for addressing any tournament related questions or concerns.

All questions or concerns should be directed to the tournament email address at redfishroyale@verityclaim.com.