July, 25th, 2026
Youth Day:
10:00am – 2:00pm
Captains Meeting:
4:00pm -6:00pm
July, 26th, 2026
Fishing Begins:
12:01 a.m.
Scale Schedule:
8:00 a.m. – 11:59 a.m.
5:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.
July, 27th, 2026
Fishing Continues
Scale Schedule:
8:00 a.m. – 11:59 a.m.
5:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.
July, 28th, 2026
No Fishing
Restricted
Fishing Day
July, 29th, 2026
Fishing Continues
Scale Schedule:
8:00 a.m. – 11:59 a.m.
5:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m
July, 30th, 2026
Fishing Continues
Scale Schedule:
8:00 a.m. – 11:59 a.m.
5:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m
July, 31st, 2026
Location:
Spring Point Marina
Banquet, Auction & Awards:
4:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
2026 Rules and Regulations will be strictly enforced.
Tournament registration begins at 12:01 a.m. on January 1, 2026 and continues until all available (80) slots have been filled. No registration will be deemed complete until it has been paid in full.
All participating vessels must be registered and paid in full to the Casco Bay Bluefin Bonanza Tournament and have signed a Waiver of Damages by 7:00 pm on the evening of the Tournament. A representative (captain or crew member) from each registered vessel must be present and signed in prior to the Captain's Meeting held on Saturday, July 25. The vessel representative must be at least 18 years old.
Any vessel that is not registered and has not completed a Waiver of Damages prior to 7:00 p.m. at the Tournament Tent on that date will not be eligible to fish for the tournament year.
Tournament participants are responsible for obtaining and becoming familiar with tournament rules and all applicable State and Federal laws, rules and regulations. Tournament rules can be found on the tournament website at www.bluefinbonanza.org
All Tournament participants must be in full legal compliance with Maine Department of Marine Resources and NOAA/ National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) regulations and must possess any and all state and federal licenses and permits required by these agencies to fish for and land Atlantic bluefin tuna.
All entrants must be properly licensed to fish in the Atlantic Tunas General Category or HMS Charter/Headboat Category with commercial endorsement under NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) regulations and must meet all U.S. Coast Guard requirements regarding equipment and inspection.
All vessels must also possess a Maine Landing Permit. Non Residents may purchase a Non-Resident Commercial Fishing Special Tuna Permit (Tournaments Only). https://www.maine.gov/dmr/commercial-fishing/index.html
The Board of Directors of the Casco Bay Bluefin Bonanza reserves the right to remove or disqualify any person from the tournament or tournament facilities with no monetary return for behavior or actions considered inappropriate, reckless, dangerous or a threat to public safety.
There are no limitations on fishing area, except that all fish entered in the tournament must be landed at Spring Point Marina during open scale hours during a fishing day. Casco Bay Bluefin Bonanza scales are not open on restricted fishing days
There is no weather committee. The decision to fish is that of the captains and participants, and is strictly at their own risk. Upon signing the Waiver of Damages, the Casco Bay Bluefin Bonanza Tournament cannot be held liable.
Fishing may commence (lines in) Sunday, July 26 at 12:01 a.m. and will be suspended Monday, July 27 at 11:00 p.m. Fishing resumes on Wednesday, July 29 at 12:01 a.m. and will conclude (lines out) Thursday, July 30 at 11:00 p.m. (see note below).
All hookups should be reported or relayed to (207) 239-9096, or to other boats in the area via Tournament channel – 8 as soon as possible when the fish is hooked.
Once a fish is landed (subdued, tail-roped and is hanging from or lying on the deck), vessels MUST relay notification by radio or phone to the Tournament Weighmaster, or to other boats in the area that the fish is in contention. Tournament channel - 8 - (207) 239-9096. Participants are also encouraged to take a digital photo of the fish with date and time stamp.
All participants are expected to operate in the spirit of cooperation and fair play. At the request of a boat fighting a fish, all others must stay clear.
NOAA HMS General Category Rules apply with the following exceptions: a) no electric harpoons, b) no aerial reconnaissance allowed and c) all tuna are to be hooked, fought and brought to boat side only by manually operated rod and reel (hand line or conventional harpoon prohibited except that a cockpit harpoon may be used to land the fish). Power driven reels or devices of any kind are prohibited, except when used as kite rods or as required by disabled anglers, with prior approval from the Tournament Rules Committee. This includes, but is not limited to motor, hydraulic or electrically driven devices. Fish may be fought from the rod holder or freestanding. Fish may be fought by multiple anglers.
All tuna must measure 73 inches curved fork length (CFL) or greater to be eligible for entry in this category. Please check updated regulations on the NMFS website: https://hmspermits.noaa.gov
Regardless of the duration of a fishing trip (e.g., whether a vessel takes a two-day trip or makes two trips in one day), no more than a single day's daily retention limit may be possessed, retained or landed.
Tournament Weighmasters are available only during open scale hours. Weighmasters will NOT be available outside of these hours.
Tournament scales will be open from 8:00 a.m. - Noon and 5:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m. on each fishing day. All vessels with fish to be weighed should be tied to the scales dock, but must be inside the NO WAKE buoy at Spring Point Marina (rafting is acceptable) by 11 p.m.
Any vessel with a fish to be weighed that is not inside the NO WAKE buoy at Spring Point Marina or tied or rafted to the scales dock by 11:00 p.m. will not be accepted. In the event a vessel is inside the NO WAKE buoy but unable to reach the weigh-in dock due to low tide issues, scales will remain open until the vessel can safely reach the dock, and the fish will qualify for entry in the tournament.
Per NOAA/NMFS regulations, all fish must be tagged by an HMS dealer prior to 12:00 a.m. of a Restricted Fishing Day. No vessel permitted for commercial sale may be in possession of a fish 73" or greater on an RFD.
All eligible fish must be weighed at Spring Point Marina and must be delivered on the tournament registered vessel upon which it was boated; they may not be landed and delivered by vehicle. Per NOAA/NMFS regulations, transfer of fish between vessels is prohibited.
CONDITION: In order to be eligible, heads and tails must be left on prior to weighing. Otherwise, all bluefin tuna must be dressed for commercial sale prior to the weighmaster lifting the fish off the vessel. A "dressed" fish means at least one gill plate and all associated internal organs (e.g., stomach, intestine, liver) are removed and stored in a separate container PRIOR to the fish being lifted for a tournament weight. At the scales, the weight of the dressed fish and the weight of the internal organs and gill plate will be combined and a final weight will be assigned to the fish and certified by the Weighmaster. Weighmasters reserve the right to inspect and if necessary, prepare fish to meet this condition. Fish will be weighed by the tail using a tail rope provided by the Tournament.
Please cooperate with the Weighmaster in filling out and returning your weigh-in slips. Please do not leave the weigh stand until your slip is filled in and signed.
By signing the weight slip, you acknowledge that you have accepted the weight of your fish as final and correct. In the event of a tie in weight, any prize due will be awarded to the first fish weighed by the official Tournament scales.
All tuna are subject to examination by the Tournament Rules Committee.
Any fish found to have bullet wounds or any unnatural damage will be disqualified (This does not include gaff and/or harpoon marks).
Disposal of fish and/or fish parts is the sole responsibility of the angler after the Weighmaster releases the fish. DO NOT dump fish entrails and/or heads at the marina. In most cases innards and head will be retained by weighmaster and given to researchers for research purposes and then become their responsibility for disposal.
Once released by the weighmaster, participants are solely responsible for the disposition of their fish. They may sell their catch dockside to the local buyer of their choice, if present.
Vessels participating in the tournament that elect to land their fish at another location and not enter it in the Tournament are still required by NOAA Fisheries regulations to report their landing to the tournament weighmaster.
Note: When traveling in Portland Harbor, the Tournament committee requests that all vessels observe State of Maine rules and regulations. Please obey 'No Wake Zones' and be mindful of lobster traps when traveling the inner and outer harbor waters. All vessels are required to contact the weighmasters via phone or radio prior to entering scales.
All fish weighed in for prize eligibility must be caught from a boat registered in this tournament by 7:00 p.m. on the eve of the tournament. In the event of mechanical failure, PRIOR to that time and date, Captain and Crew may submit a request to fish from an alternative boat. Any such changes MUST be approved by the Tournament Rules Committee. Once such a change is approved it is final for the duration of the Tournament.
A person or vessel is ineligible to obtain or possess any type of award or certification associated with this tournament unless the fish submitted for consideration is caught legally and under compliance of tournament rules and State and Federal laws.
In the event that one or more rule provisions appear to be in conflict, the most restrictive rule applies and is to be determined by the Tournament Rules Committee.
All landed fish are subject to examination by the Tournament Rules Committee and/or Weighmaster.
The Tournament Rules Committee has final and sole authority to resolve questions and/or issues that arise. All committee decisions are final. Protests must be in writing and submitted by the close of scales on Thursday, July 31, 2025.
If a registered vessel/captain wishes to withdraw from the tournament they may do so up to 7 days before the Captain's Meeting. They will have the option of forwarding their registration fee for one year or requesting a partial refund. Any withdrawals after that date will forfeit their registration fee.
If, at any time during the Tournament, NOAA/NMFS declares that the quota is filled and fishing must cease, or applies additional restricted fishing days, the tournament will be concluded and awards presented. In the event of an early conclusion, please direct all questions/concerns to the Rules Committee.
In the event that market conditions discourage dealers from purchasing fish but the fishery remains open, the tournament will continue and participants may fish at their discretion.
Protests/Grievances - Protests shall be called to the attention of the Rules Committee via radio, by contacting the telephone numbers provided, or in person upon arrival at the dock. Protests must be written in detail and turned into the Rules Committee by 8:30 p.m. the day of the incident. All decisions made by the Rules Committee are final.
Prize distribution will be awarded for tournament year 2026 as follows:
In the event that all 80 entry slots are not filled, prize money will be reduced proportionately.
In the event of NO FISH, all prize money will be added to the 2027 Tournament.
If only one (1) fish is landed, $25,000 and trophy for (1) year will be awarded.
If less than five (5) fish are caught, all prize winnings will be awarded proportionately.