The rules of the Suncoast Tarpon Roundup, Inc. have been established in the interest of friendly competition, fairness, sportsmanship, and conservation. Unsportsmanlike conduct will not be condoned and will be grounds for disqualification of any entrant by final decision of the Board of Directors. Each angler, upon signing the registration form, agrees to abide by the tournament rules and those imposed by the State of Florida, and absolves the Suncoast Tarpon Roundup, Inc. for any injuries or accidents while participating in the tournament. In case of disputes, the decision of the STR Board of Directors will be final. The Board of Directors of the Suncoast Tarpon Roundup, Inc. strongly urge all participants to release any tarpon as quickly as possible so as not to endanger them.  All FWC Regulations apply while participating in the STR.

BOUNDARIES

Tarpon entered in the Suncoast Tarpon Roundup (STR) must be caught in the Gulf of Mexico and inland waters adjacent to Pasco, Pinellas, Hillsborough, Manatee and Sarasota Counties.

• Northern Boundary: Marker number 4, located approximately 2 miles north of Anclote Key.

• Southern Boundaries: Markers C3 and C5 on the North side of New Pass at the south end of Longboat Key.

GENERAL RULES

The Suncoast Tarpon Roundup tournament will host two tournaments for the 2025 Tarpon Season. There will be an individual 6-day, Individual Angler tournament and a 1-day team tournament.  Both tournaments will be judged by photo releases submitted via email to the Suncoast Tarpon Roundup. Prizes will be awarded based on the number of Tarpon released. Anglers registering in multiple tournaments must attend each Tournament’s Captain’s meeting.

DATES & REGISTRATION 

• 6-Day Tournament: July 11-16, 2025
  • Cost: $100/Angler, Junior (under 13) fish free
  • Captain’s Meeting: Thursday, July 10 at 6pm at the Salt Rock Grill
  • Lines In: 6am Friday, July 11
  • Lines Out: 3pm on Wednesday, July 16 
• 1-Day Tournament: July 18, 2025
  • Cost: $600/Team of 4 teammates, $100 per additional teammate (max of 6 anglers to a team)
  • Captain’s Meeting: Thursday, July 17 at 6pm at the Salt Rock Grill
  • Lines In: 6am Friday, July 18
  • Lines Out: 3pm on Friday, July 18

6-DAY TOURNAMENT RULES

This is an individual event. Anglers will fish for 6 days, Friday July 11 through Wednesday July 16. Juniors fish free, but must register and attend the Captain’s Meeting. Juniors must be under 13 years of age prior to July 11 to qualify. 

• Captain’s Meeting: Thursday, July 10 at 6pm at the Salt Rock Grill. All participating anglers are required to attend, unless special arrangements have been made to review all rules with a board member prior to the meeting. Anglers must sign the attendance sheet upon arrival.
• Prizes: 3 places will be awarded to adult anglers and 3 places will be awarded to the Junior Anglers who release the most fish during the tournament. All prizes and awards will be made available and presented at the end of the tournament, during the Suncoast Tarpon Roundup Awards Banquet

1-DAY TOURNAMENT RULES 

This is a team event, anglers will fish for 1 day, Friday July 18. Registration will be capped at 50 teams. Juniors (under 13) are not eligible for the team tournament.

• Teams: The $600 tournament entry fee will allow 4 teammates on the boat, inclusive of a captain. Two additional teammates may be added for $100 each, maxing the team out at 6 teammates total. Teams may only fish up to 8 tarpon rods. All team members must fish from the same boat. Team members cannot join more than 1 team. Land based fishing is not permitted. 

• Captain’s Meeting: Thursday, July 17 at 6pm at the Salt Rock Grill. A member of each participating team is required to attend, unless special arrangements have been made to review all rules with a board member prior to the meeting. Anglers must sign the attendance sheet upon arrival. 

• Prizes: Five places will be awarded to the Teams that release the most fish during the tournament. The Team with the most releases throughout the Tournament will be named the Round Up Champion. All prizes and awards will be made available and presented at the end of the tournament, during the Suncoast Tarpon Roundup Awards Banquet

GENERAL RULES FOR BOTH TOURNAMENTS:

The Catch: Tarpon must be caught on manually operated tackle. Leaders will be no longer than ten feet long.  Modification or replacement of tackle (rod, reel, splicing of line) during the playing of the tarpon will automatically disqualify the fish. If a rod holder is used and a fish strikes, the angler must remove the rod from the holder as quickly as possible. A harness may be attached to the reel or rod and the harness may be replaced or adjusted by a person other than the angler. Use of a rod belt or waist gimbal is permitted.

The Release: A fish shall be considered “released” when the fish is under control boatside and the angler or his/her designee has the leader in hand. Fish under 48 inches estimated length from the lip to the fork of the tail are not considered eligible. The STR is providing measuring devices that must appear in your submitted release photo. All tarpon must be released successfully and swim away; no dead tarpon will be entered in the tournament. Tarpon must remain completely in water at all times; lifting the head or any other body part out of the water will disqualify the fish. The angler and/or their team must photograph the release with the tarpon and leader-in-hand pictured. 

The time released is the time at which the photo received by the Suncoast Tarpon Roundup’s email address, str.releases@gmail.com.

• Team Events: For team events, the rod may be passed between registered team members at any moment during the fight. Up to 6 anglers can register releases for the team. Team members may fight multiple fish at the same time. Anyone other than the registered team members touching any part of the rod, reel, or line, either bodily or with any device during the playing of the tarpon or in giving aid, other than taking the leader for release purposes, will disqualify the fish.

• Individual Events: For Individual events, only the registered angler may handle the rod, bringing the fish boatside. Juniors may receive assistance from adults while fighting the fish. 

• Junior Anglers: The Captain and supporting anglers on the boat, using prudent judgment, may assist the junior if necessary, keeping in mind that the junior is the one “catching” the fish. The type of assistance that may be given would be removing the rod from the rod holder, adjusting the drag, maneuvering the fish around the motor, anchor rope, and stepping in for an exhausted junior.

Submitting to the Suncoast Tarpon Roundup: All releases must be submitted via email to str.releases@gmail.com within 1 hour of release. 

• Subject Line should include the Angler and/or Team Name and Release
• Body of the email should include the Angler’s name, time of release and photo attachment.

Qualifying photographs must include: 

• Tarpon
• Leader in hand
• Wristband provided at the Captain’s Meeting
• Full Measuring Device provided at the Captain’s Meeting

In the event that either object (tarpon or leader in hand) is missing from the photo, it will be rejected. The angler may have the opportunity to provide additional photos or video evidence to the board of directors for further evaluation.

Ties: In the event of a tie, the last fish released first will be adjudged the winner. The time released is the time at which the photo received by the Suncoast Tarpon Roundup’s email address, str.releases@gmail.com. 

Polygraph: All prize recipients may be subject to a polygraph. Should a registered angler refuse or fail a polygraph he/she will be disqualified and forfeit his/her rights to all winnings and or awards from the tournament. Scheduled dates and place(s) for polygraph are TBD.

Protests: Any angler wishing to report an infraction of the rules or any act of dishonesty or discourtesy, must do so in writing (email or snail mail) to the Suncoast Tarpon Roundup, Inc. within seven (7) days of the act. Additionally, a $300 deposit must also be submitted with the protest for it to be acted upon. In the event the protest is upheld, the deposit will be returned. If not upheld the deposit will be forfeited. Decision(s) of the Board of Directors as to the interpretation of the rules is final. 

Specialty Prizes:

These are the specialty awards:

• First Tarpon Released “Mark Trapper Travis” Award (Individual + Team Tournaments)
• First Tarpon Released on a Lure “Herald Le Master” Award 
• First Tarpon Released on a Fly “Randy Wayne White” Award
• Lady Angler With Most Releases “Olga Bergman and Mary Louise Bayless” Award (Team Tournament)
• Veteran With Most Releases “Scott Sterling” Award (Team Tournament)
• Finale Day Winner “Capt. Sonny Aylesworth” Award
• Team With Most Releases “Andrew Peduzzi” Award