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Top anglers and tournament directors discuss the shift from IGFA regulations to hook-and-hand rules, exploring how changes impact competition, team dynamics, and the future of sport fishing tournaments.
Bert Merritt, Tournament Director, Pensacola, Florida
I once worked for tournament promoter and Marlin magazine cofounder Bill McLellan. Around 1980, Bill and Gordon Linkenhoker started the Oyster Bar Blue Marlin Classic on Perdido Key. We allowed hook-and-hand because much of the field was charter boats, many of the anglers were new to the sport and wouldn’t have the angling skills required, and the prize money wasn’t as large as it is today. Bill wanted his events to be fun and not so technical. When he started the MGCBC with Bobby Carter in 1997, we continued the concept. I do not know of a tournament here on the northern Gulf that does not allow the handoff.
Capt. Mark Pagano, Big Booty, Jupiter, Florida
There’s a lot of gray area to this question. What type of tournament? How much money’s involved? Is it a sailfish or white-marlin tournament with multiple bites expected, or are you pulling lures? Most bosses like to fish against their friends and other owners. Some pay for a highly effective crew to hook and hand, while others don’t have that ability. Is it an advantage to have a professional hooking fish for anglers? Absolutely. But on boats like Big Dog, Eight/Eights, Goose and Big Booty, the crew teaches the boss and their friends how to hook their own fish, which brings us more pride as a team.
Nicole Scotti, Tournament Angler, Max Bet and Gina Lisa, Jupiter, Florida
Hook-and-hand and IGFA-only both have their place, depending on the type of tournament. It makes sense in a kill tournament to pass a 130-lure setup as it’s brought to the chair for the angler. However, tournaments like the Los Sueños Triple Crown create great competition through their IGFA, non-pro rules, allowing only one paid angler per team and no hook-and-hand. These tournaments would lack the camaraderie and sportsmanship they’re known for if they were hook-and-hand. I have found that the format where anyone can hook fish but only non-pros can fight them creates an odd team dynamic and lessens the angler’s achievements.
Capt. Skip Smith, Tournament Director, Lighthouse Point, Florida
I’m often asked, “If a mate is letting the line out and a billfish grabs the bait and the rod is handed off without engaging the reel, does this break an IGFA rule?” There are often no videos of that part of the catch and others where rule infractions could occur. For tournaments with reduced participation, you must ask how to get more people to fish. Let people hook and hand! Get the kids and wives involved. By allowing this, more boats will fish, knowing they can compete while also having more fun. When fishing under strict IGFA rules with no pro anglers, it’s hard to find good anglers that qualify.
