July, 26th, 2025
Youth Day:
10:00am – 2:00pm
Captains Meeting:
4:00pm -6:00pm
July, 27th, 2025
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, 28th, 2025
Fishing Continues
Scale Schedule:
8:00 a.m. – 11:59 a.m.
5:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.
July, 29th, 2025
No Fishing
Restricted
Fishing Day
July, 30th, 2025
Fishing Continues
Scale Schedule:
8:00 a.m. – 11:59 a.m.
5:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m
July, 31th, 2025
Fishing Continues
Scale Schedule:
8:00 a.m. – 11:59 a.m.
5:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m
August, 1st, 2025
Location:
Spring Point Marina
Banquet, Auction & Awards:
4:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
2025 Rules and Regulations will be strictly enforced.
Registration for returning vessels from the previous year will begin at 12:01 a.m. on January 1, 2025 and close January 15 at 11:59 p.m. Open registration will begin January 16 at 6:00 a.m. and continue until all available (80) slots have been filled. No registration will be deemed complete until it has been paid in full.
All participating captains' 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 p.m. 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 26. 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.
All entrants must be properly licensed to fish in the Atlantic Tunas General Category or HMS Charter/Headboat Category with commercial endorsement under NOAA NMFS regulations and must meet all U.S. Coast Guard requirements.
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.
Fishing may commence (lines in) Sunday, July 27 at 12:01 a.m. and will be suspended Monday, July 28 at 11:00 p.m. Fishing resumes on Wednesday, July 30th at 12:01 a.m. and will conclude (lines out) Thursday, July 31st at 11:00 p.m. (see note below).
All hookups should be reported or relayed to the Tournament Weighmaster, Shawn Tibbetts at (207) 239‑9096, tournament app, or to other boats in the area as soon as possible when the fish is hooked. Tournament channel: VHF 8.
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: VHF 8 – Contact Shawn Tibbetts at (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.
General Category Rules apply with the following exceptions:
Hand lines or conventional harpoons are 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 when 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, and 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 verify current regulations on the NMFS website.
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.
Note: During tournament week (July 29 – August 5), no vessel registered for and participating in the tournament may have tuna lines in the water outside of designated fishing hours. This includes vessels with a Charter/Headboat permit with commercial endorsement.
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 must be inside the NO WAKE buoy at Spring Point Marina or tied/rafted to the scales dock by 11:00 p.m. (rafting is acceptable).
Any vessel with a fish to be weighed that is not inside the NO WAKE buoy or tied/rafted to the scales dock by 11:00 p.m. will not be accepted (subject to Committee discretion).
All eligible fish must be weighed at Spring Point Marina and must be delivered on the tournament-registered vessel upon which it was boated. Fish may not be landed and delivered by vehicle. Transfer of fish between vessels is prohibited per NOAA/NMFS regulations.
To be eligible, heads and tails must remain intact prior to weighing.
Fish will be weighed by the tail using a tail rope provided by the Tournament. Participants are advised to bring innards and gill plates, which will be weighed separately and included in the final weight if detached.
Please cooperate with the Weighmaster in completing and signing your weigh-in slips. Do not leave the weigh station until the slip is fully filled in and signed.
By signing the weight slip, participants acknowledge that they accept the weight as final and correct. In the event of a tie, the prize will be awarded to the first fish weighed by the official Tournament scale.
All tuna are subject to examination by the Tournament Rules Committee. Any fish found to have bullet wounds or unnatural damage will be disqualified. (Note: gaff or harpoon marks are acceptable.)
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 or heads at the marina. In most cases, innards and heads will be retained for scientific research and responsibly disposed of by the researchers.
Once released by the Weighmaster, participants are solely responsible for the disposition of their fish. They may sell their catch dockside to a local buyer of their choice, if present.
Vessels participating in the tournament that elect to land their fish at another location are still required to report their landing to the tournament Weighmaster, in accordance with NOAA Fisheries regulations.
Note: When traveling in Portland Harbor, the Tournament Committee requests that all vessels observe State of Maine boating rules and regulations. Please obey all ‘No Wake Zones’ and be mindful of lobster traps when navigating both inner and outer harbor waters. All vessels are required to contact the Weighmasters via phone or radio before entering the scales area.
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, a Captain and Crew may request to fish on an alternative vessel. Any such changes MUST be approved by the Tournament Rules Committee.
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 in full compliance with tournament rules and all applicable State and Federal laws.
In the event that one or more rule provisions appear to be in conflict, the most restrictive rule applies. Interpretation and enforcement will be determined solely 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 any questions or issues that arise. All committee decisions are final. Protests must be submitted in writing by the close of scales onUpdate to July 31, 2025.
If a registered vessel or 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 made after that date will result in forfeiture of the registration fee.
If market conditions discourage dealers from purchasing fish but the fishery remains open, the tournament will continue, and participants may fish at their discretion.
Protests must be brought to the attention of the Rules Committee via VHF radio, by contacting the phone numbers provided, or in person upon arrival at the dock. All protests must be written in detail and submitted to the Rules Committee by 8:30 p.m. on the day of the incident.
All decisions made by the Tournament Rules Committee are final.
Prize distribution for the 2025 tournament year will be awarded as follows:
In the event that all 80 entry slots are not filled, prize money will be reduced proportionately.
In the event that no fish are landed, all prize money will be added to the 2026 Tournament.
If only one (1) fish is landed, $25,000 and the trophy will be awarded to that catch.
If fewer than five (5) fish are caught, all prize winnings will be distributed proportionately among eligible catches.
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