This event will have you hooked!
Spend this year’s Dominion Energy Riverrock weekend casting and catching with the Department of Wildlife Resources at the Monsters of the James Fishing Tournament! Teams of one or two anglers can paddle up and down the Mighty James in this catch and release tournament. Get ready to school the competition!
Competition Format
Competition will begin at approximately 7 a.m., following a release notification (“blast-off”) from the tournament director. All kayaks must be in the proximity of the release location at this time. All competitors must be back at the launch area by 1 p.m.
This is a catch and release event and to be eligible for scoring, all fish must be released alive.
Rules
- All kayaks used for this portion of the event must be in seaworthy condition and contain all safety equipment required by law.
- If a team enters the tournament, 2 kayaks are allowed to be used. Teammates must be within a safe distance of one another at all times.
- Life jackets must be worn at all times.
- Trolling motors are allowed to be used during the tournament, but they are not required.
- All fishing must be done from in the kayak during the competition. You are allowed to exit your vessel to photograph a fish, but you cannot paddle out to a rock or the shoreline to fish.
- All competitors will be given an index card at check-in that will contain a unique identifier linking them to the event. This card must be in all photographs of submitted fish.
- Rods and Reels are the only type of gear allowed for the capture of catfish. There are no restrictions on the number of rods employed.
- There are no restrictions on the type of baits allowed as long as all bait used complies with applicable law.
- Measuring board: Some alternate types of measuring boards can be seen here and here. These are suggestions and we will accept similar styles of boards as long as they are rigid enough to accurately measure fish length and the markings on the board are legible.
- Tournament director reserves the right to move tournament location due to changes in weather or river levels at any point before the tournament begins. If this occurs, you will be notified by the tournament director as soon as possible.
Scoring
Anglers should photograph any fish that they wish to enter on a measuring board (Hawg Trough or similar). The measuring board should be rigid and contain legible length markings. Measuring boards not meeting this criteria will not be allowed. The tournament director may inspect measuring equipment and allow or disallow based on their discretion.
All competitors will be given an index card at check-in that will contain a unique identifier linking them to the event. This card must be in all photographs of submitted fish.
At final check-in, anglers will need to provide photos to the tournament director, who will score each fish and calculate the total score at the weigh station. The total score will consist of the cumulative length of the team’s three largest catfish. Species allowed are blue, flathead, channel, and white catfish, as well as yellow, brown, or black bullhead. Lengths will be rounded up to the nearest whole inch. A lunker will be designated for each team’s catch based on their largest fish. Ties will be broken in the following order:
- Longest fish
- Most fish
- Coin flip.
In the event of a tie for lunker, the tie will be broken based on a coin flip.
Late competitors will be penalized 4” from their score for every minute they arrive late. In the event a competitor wishes to enter their fish prior to the end of the event at the weigh station, they may, however, the weigh station will not be open until 12 p.m. All competitors must check out at the weigh station prior to leaving, even if they do not enter any fish. This is to allow the organizers to verify that everyone has returned safe and sound.
Help Us Maintain Our World Class Trail System
The James River Park System and the Richmond Riverfront is an extremely important asset to Richmond, and Dominion Energy Riverrock provides the opportunity to celebrate the Park System and Riverfront and all of the outdoor recreation opportunities RVA has to offer. Please consider donating to Friends of James River Park System to help fund recreational access improvements to James River Park System. Your donation helps park staff manage the impact of events in the park system. This nationally acclaimed trail system would not be what it is today without the hard work of countless volunteers throughout the year and it is donations like yours that make this work possible. In the past Dominion Energy Riverrock donations were able to support not only general trail maintenance through RVA More’s tireless efforts but also very specific infrastructure and equipment improvements like a donation to the universal access ramp at Huguenot Flatwater, two new trail ramps, and the replacement of all bike pumps at the bike repair stations around the James River Park System. The James River Park System and riverfront continues to see heavy use so donations to maintain and make improvements are important to the overall sustainability of this RVA asset.
Our Story
We live and work by Richmond’s picturesque riverfront. With a network of trails and amazing views just steps away from a vibrant downtown, we knew we had to let everyone in on the secret that was Richmond, VA. And what better way to celebrate than with the nation’s premier outdoor sports and music festival?!
Sports Backers and Venture Richmond both work to make RVA a vibrant place to live. Bringing our two nonprofit organizations together to create one of the nation’s most beloved outdoor festivals was a no-brainer! Venture Richmond provides the entertainment, and Sports Backers brings the athletes. It all adds up to a great showcase of Richmond’s riverfront and all it has to offer!
Sports Backers is a nationally recognized nonprofit whose mission is to inspire people from all corners of our community to live actively. Since 1991, Sports Backers has fostered a culture of active living in Central Virginia through its participatory sporting events and community-based programs that have inspired hundreds of thousands of people in the region to set fitness goals and pursue an active lifestyle. In everything that we do, we strive to promote health equity and create accessible opportunities for active living throughout our region. We fulfill our mission by: (1) advocating for bike and pedestrian infrastructure; (2) energizing the community through events; and (3) building a network of community-led group fitness programs in schools and neighborhoods.
Venture Richmond is a nonprofit organization formed to engage business and community leaders in partnering with the City to enhance the vitality of the community, particularly Downtown, through economic development, marketing, promotion, advocacy and events, to include: Friday Cheers, the 2nd Street Festival, the Richmond Folk Festival, and more.
Cancellation Policy
Entries are non-refundable, non-transferable, and non-deferrable, even in the case of a event cancellation, postponement, event format changes, and/or if you are unable to participate.
Questions? Feedback?
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