Tournament Rules/Policies (2025)
Tournament Rules:
(Updated tournament rules will be provided with official tournament invitation.)
1. All entries are by invitation only, 25 boat limit.
2. All entries are by boat and all scoring is by boat/team.
3. Up to 3 anglers per boat/team
4. Tackle and Equipment: All fishing must be done by Fly (Fly fishing only). Only artificial flies may be used. No live bait, dead bait or prepared bait will be permitted. (No marinating of flies in a fish attractant.)
5. All fishing must be done by boat; all fish must be hooked and landed from aboard your boat. (No wade fishing or stepping off your boat to land a fish.)
6. Three-day tournament / Day -1 Lines in 6:30 am, Lines out at 3:00 pm. Day -2 Lines in 6:30 am, Lines out by 3pm. Day -3 Lines in 6:30 am, Lines out 12:00 pm. Weigh in (cards turned in) by 5:15 pm at F&B Restaurant on SPI.
7. Phone standard clock will serve as official time.
8. Red Fish competition. Up to 10 redfish of any size to be entered; winner will be determined by the combined total number of redfish inches. All measured fish will be photographed on an official tournament measurement stick issued at registration (item of the day) and recorded on the provided scorecard. The boat/team can continue fishing and replacing smaller fish with larger fish on the scorecard so long as the fish is photographed on the official tournament stick and recorded the same.
Tie Breakers:
- 1st tie breaker will be the total of the team’s 5 longest redfish.
- 2nd tie breaker will be the total of the team’s 3 longest redfish.
- 3rd tie breaker will be the team’s one longest red fish based off its’ exact length, not the nearest inch. (Take good pictures)
9. Trout Competition. Longest trout award: there will be a single award for the longest trout; award will go to the angler with the longest recorded trout caught over the 3-day tournament. The trout can be of any length and will be judged on its’ exact measurement.
10. Eligible fishing waters (See map below or access link) – South of the north end of the land cut and inside both jetty systems. To clarify this means from the inside of the South Padre Island jetties and the inside of the Mansfield jetties to the North end of the land cut including the land cut and nine-mile hole.
11. Leave from, Registration, and Weigh in – Boats are welcome to leave out of any area within eligible waters. One member of each team will be required to attend registration Wednesday evening at Tequila Sunset. Saturday Weigh In will require all spot holders to be present at F&B Restaurant in order to officially weigh in and to maintain ownership of their spot. Contact the Tournament Directors proactively for any exception to the above rules.
12. Dinner & Awards Ceremony: The Dinner and Awards Ceremony is a mandatory event for all Spot holders or those captains fishing someone else’s spot. Failure to attend may result in loss of one’s Tournament spot. Contact the Tournament Directors proactively for any exception to the above rule. Attendance for the teammates of spot holders is not required but highly encouraged.
13. Licensed Captains and Guides are welcome to fish and guide. A guide is defined as anyone who has accepted money for a fishing trip within the last year.
14. Top non-guided award: There will be an award for the top non-guided team in the redfish category. To be eligible for the non-guided award, no member of the team may have fished with a guide in the previous ten (10) days prior to the tournament.
13. Maximum leader strength is 12-pound test on a tapered leader or on the class section of a tied leader, which shall be at least 15 inches long.
14. No cheating!
Tournament Policies
1. State Policies: All Texas Parks and Wildlife and state boating fishing regulations apply.
2. Postponement/Cancelation Policies: All tournament postponement or cancelation decisions will be made by the La Mosca directors at any time and for any reason deemed necessary. La Mosca LLC is a for charity entity and all of our income goes to covering the expense of the tournament and then to a charitable cause of our choosing. In the event of postponement or cancelation of the tournament, for any reason, all available monies will be used to cover any La Mosca LLC expenses incurred up to that point. A vote will be taken among the current invitees of the tournament (those individuals who currently own their spot) to determine how the remaining funds shall be dispersed. In the case of a postponement, options to reschedule will be presented by the directors to the current members for a vote. Although the La Mosca directors reserve the right to cancel the tournament for weather related issues, this is a rain or shine event and the option to fish and the ultimate safety of the participants is left to the La Mosca invitees and their teammates.
3. Fish Photo Measurement Policy: Final scoring measurement will be determined by the official judge. Clear and concise photos are required. If it’s unclear, we will go with the shortest discernable length or disqualify the one fish pick. We highly recommend using two separate cell phones for recoding fish pictures.
4. Flag Policy: Provided tournament flags are not required to be flown on skiffs but highly encouraged.
5. Time Policy: Cell Phone standard clock will serve as official time.
6. Invitation Policies: The La Mosca Tournament is built on a sense of a continuity of commitment and community. Each invitee is chosen by the La Mosca Tournament board and subsequently guaranteed an annual invitation, as long as they pay the annual tournament entry fee by the due date and maintain active participation in the tournament. Invitations are not transferable. If an invitee is not able to participate in a particular year, he or she may reserve the spot by paying the entry fee. The invitee will then have the option to have a substitute fish in that spot, subject to board approval or allow the board to fill the spot for that year.
7. New Invitee Policy: If you would like to fish La Mosca in the future, please express your interest through our contact page. From time to time, we have openings, and we will consider your interest as openings occur.
8. Participation Policy: All invitees are responsible for their team and teammates. All participants are expected to act in a sportsman like manner throughout the tournament. Any infraction of the above requirements will be reviewed by the La Mosca board and determine participation in the tournament and invitational rights. La Mosca LLC maintains the ultimate right to reject, repeal or withdraw any invitee, team, team member, or participant from the tournament at the board’s full discretion.