Tournament Day: July 12, 2026
Participation in this tournament constitutes acceptance of all rules, safety policies, and liability waivers listed on this page.
Attendees must obey all State of California fishing regulations of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW).
Participants must obtain a valid California fishing license. Participants age 15 years old and below are not required to have a fishing license under current California regulations.
Participants must present a valid ID and valid fishing license at the time of check-in or credential pick-up.
Participants under 18 years of age must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.
For all competitors under 18 years of age, the waiver must be signed in person by the parent, legal guardian, or the responsible adult who will accompany the minor throughout the entire tournament. For verification and safety purposes, emailed or electronically signed waivers for minors will not be accepted.
Waiver forms and/or parental consent must be signed and submitted prior to the tournament.
Participants may fish anywhere within the designated tournament boundaries and in accordance with current California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) regulations.
Participants may fish any beach located outside of the Golden Gate Bridge. This means that Participants may fish along ocean-facing beaches located outside the Golden Gate Bridge and within areas where surf fishing is legally permitted under California Department of Fish and Wildlife regulations.
Fish may not be taken from the San Francisco Bay shoreline, San Pablo Bay shoreline, or other inland waterways. Fish may not be taken from jetties, piers, docks, bridges, or other structures where a California fishing license is not required.
All participants must attend the online orientation.
Virtual Orientation
Tuesday, July 7 at 9:00 PM PST
A Zoom link will be provided approximately one day prior to the orientation date.
Participants who are unable to attend must email admin@morethanfishing.net to obtain the recorded orientation.
QUALIFYING ENTRIES
Only two(2) species are allowed to be caught, Striped Bass and Surf Perch
QUALIFYING ENTRY | Catch and Release only
STRIPED BASS – minimum length of 22 inches
SURF PERCH – minimum length of 12 inches
Barred Surfperch
Redtail Surfperch
Calico Surfperch
Silver Surfperch
Walleye Surfperch
Rainbow Surfperch
All fish must be line-caught using one (1) fishing rod and reel with bait or lure.
Only one (1) fishing rod is allowed per participant during the event. Participants who register for both the Striped Bass and Surf Perch divisions may use up to two (2) rods.
Fish must be caught from shore. Fish taken from boats, personal watercraft, trolling methods, gill nets, or other prohibited methods are not permitted.
Fish must be measured from the tip of the mouth to the farthest tip of the tail fin with the mouth closed.
IMPORTANT:
- A special link will be provided for uploading video catch and release entries.
- All fish must be filmed alive during the catch and release.
- Fish must be measured from the tip of the mouth to the farthest tip of the tail fin with the mouth closed.
The following MTF Official Requirements must be clearly visible in the video clip for the entry to qualify: (*Dead fish are not qualified entry)
1) Official MTF ID badge
2) Say the FISHING CODE
3) MTF official measuring tape
-follow instructions how to properly measure your catch
(will be discussed during the orientation or see the highlighted info below)
4) Fish being released (must be alive)
MEASURING TAPE MUST BE SHOWN LAID FLAT ON THE SAND BEFORE PLACING THE FISH ON THE TAPE FOR MEASUREMENT.
Failure to show the tape laid flat will result in a 3 inch penalty from the total measured length.
Any missing requirements will be automatically disqualified.
- All qualifying video clip(s) must be UPLOADED and submitted using the special upload link ON THE DAY the fish were caught and released.
Video uploading opens from 6:00 am and closes at 3:00 pm on the day of the tournament - Winners to be determined by longest fish caught, as measured from tip of mouth to farthest tip of fin. The longest fish caught will be declared the winning entries of the MORE THAN FISHING® Surf Fishing Tournament.
- In case of a TIE in length, the winner will be determined by whoever SUBMITTED FIRST.
*Measurement: greatest matched or surpassed quarter inch
Placement Rule for Biggest Fish Winners
To ensure fair recognition among all participants, a competitor may only receive one placement (1st, 2nd, or 3rd place) in the Biggest Fish category.
If a single competitor catches multiple fish that qualify for multiple placements, only the competitor’s highest-ranking fish will be counted toward the final results.
The next qualifying fish caught by a different competitor will move up in rank to fill the remaining placement(s).
Example:
If Competitor A catches the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd biggest fish, only the 1st place will be awarded to Competitor A. The 2nd and 3rd places will then be awarded to the next two largest qualifying fish caught by other competitors.
Tournament Judging Authority
More Than Fishing tournament officials reserve the right to review, verify, and interpret all submissions and tournament rules. Any participant found to have violated tournament rules or submitted incomplete or misleading entries may be disqualified.
All decisions made by tournament officials and judges are final.
All decisions by tournament judges are final.
All competitors are expected to conduct themselves in a respectful, professional, and courteous manner.
Any participant who violates tournament rules or engages in unsafe, disruptive, or inappropriate behavior may be disqualified and may be barred from participating in future More Than Fishing® events.
More Than Fishing reserves the right to verify any catch submission and to disqualify any participant who violates tournament rules, submits misleading or incomplete entries, or engages in unsafe or unsportsmanlike conduct.
Participants compete to land a lure into a bucket in the fastest time.
The ten fastest competitors will qualify for the 1 vs 1 finals.
All registered surf fishing competitors are automatically entered.
Non-competitors who wish to participate must register separately.
For those who are not competing in the fishing tournament but would like to participate in accuracy casting contest, please REGISTER HERE.
Competitors use a fishing rod to drag a weighted object toward them.
The first competitor to reel the object to the finish line wins.
This activity is free for children. Registration will be available at the main event table.
More Than Fishing welcomes participants of all abilities. This is a surf fishing tournament conducted within designated beach and surf boundaries. The event takes place in natural outdoor conditions including uneven sand, soft sand, changing tides, waves, currents, and ocean water entry.
Participants are responsible for assessing their own physical condition, skill level, and ability to safely participate in these natural and potentially hazardous conditions. Entering the water is at the participant’s own discretion and risk.
Participants are strongly encouraged to monitor tide conditions, weather forecasts, and surf reports prior to and during the event.
As a volunteer-run event, More Than Fishing does not provide personal assistance personnel, medical staff, lifeguards, or mobility support services. Participants who require assistance, supervision, mobility support, or adaptive equipment are welcome to bring their own assistance personnel and equipment.
Reasonable modifications to event policies may be considered upon request. However, modifications that would fundamentally alter the nature of the tournament or create a safety risk may not be permitted.
All competitors and participants agree to participate in the More Than Fishing® Surf Fishing Tournament at their own risk.
More Than Fishing®, its owners, volunteers, partners, sponsors, and affiliates are not responsible for any injuries, accidents, losses, or damages that may occur while traveling to, participating in, or returning from tournament activities.
Participants acknowledge that surf fishing takes place in a natural outdoor environment and involves inherent risks including waves, currents, uneven terrain, equipment hazards, and weather conditions.
By registering for the tournament, participants voluntarily assume all risks associated with participation.
By registering for the More Than Fishing® Surf Fishing Tournament, participants agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless More Than Fishing®, its owners, volunteers, sponsors, partners, and affiliates from any and all claims, damages, liabilities, costs, or expenses, including attorney fees, arising from participation in the event.
By registering for this event, participants agree to the More Than Fishing® Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions.
Rules and regulations are subject to change up until the day of the tournament.
GIVEAWAYS:
Winner(s) must be present to claim the prize. If winner(s) is not present, prize will be forfeited and a new alternate winner(s) will be selected.
All paid competitors are automatically given a raffle draw ticket along with their credentials. Ticket owner(s) are responsible for dropping the ticket into the raffle box / drum.
CASH PRIZE WINNERS:
Cash prizes will be distributed via secure bank transfer. Winners receiving $600 or more in cash or prizes must complete a W-9 form for tax reporting purposes.
**Rules and Regulations are subject to change until the day of the tournament, Sunday, July 12 at 6am PST**
More Than Fishing®, its owners, volunteers, partners, sponsors, and affiliates are not responsible for any injuries, accidents, losses, or damages that may occur while traveling to, participating in, or returning from tournament activities. Participants acknowledge that surf fishing takes place in a natural outdoor environment and involves inherent risks including waves, currents, uneven terrain, equipment hazards, and weather conditions. By registering for the tournament, participants voluntarily assume all risks associated with participation.
By registering for the More Than Fishing® Surf Fishing Tournament, participants agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless More Than Fishing®, its owners, volunteers, sponsors, partners, and affiliates from any and all claims, damages, liabilities, costs, or expenses, including attorney fees, arising from participation in the event.
By registering for this event, participants agree to the More Than Fishing® Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions.
Rules and regulations are subject to change up until 6:00 am PST the day of the tournament.
Assumption of Risk and Waiver for Participating in More Than Fishing® Events
More Than Fishing® Tournament Release and Waiver of Liability
More Than Fishing® Privacy Policy
Terms and Conditions for participants and/ or competitors
FOR COMPETITORS