Boat Official Tutorial

Introduction

Welcome to Digital Livewell

Thanks for taking the time to learn about the Digital Livewell fishing tournament scoring system. This video is designed for the Boat Official or Referees who will be responsible for recording the weight of a Scorable fish.

This tutorial will cover a step by step process from preparing for your event to weighing a fish to recording the catch on a paper log to entering the catch in the Digital Livewell system.

Preparation for Your Event

You will receive an email 72 hours prior to your event which will include the event meeting location, a copy of the event Rules/Format and a link to a Digital Livewell training video. You will want to contact the boater that you signed up with to make any travel arrangements. This is also a good time to review the equipment list below ensuring that you have everything needed to be a Boat Official.

Equipment You Will Need to Bring

As a Boat Official or Referee you will need the following items:

  • Fully Charged SmartPhone with the ability to send and receive text messages.
  • A car cord or charging device for your SmartPhone.
  • A Coast Guard Approved Life Jacket. You and your Angler are required to wear a life jacket whenever the big engine is in gear.
  • Proper clothing for the weather conditions:
    • Consider dressing in layers you can always remove gear as the day warms up.
    • A hat or even a stocking cap
    • Sun Glasses
    • Sun Screen
    • And most of all Rain Gear. Rain gear is a must for every event you never know when a storm will pop up and there is nothing worse than being wet and cold.
  • Any food or beverages you wish to consume during the event. (non-alcoholic of course)

The Angler you will be officiating for has been instructed to provide space on their boat for you to store your gear. Most will also have a cooler to store beverages and food.

Arriving at Your Event Meeting Location

Upon your arrival you will need to check in with the Event organizer. There will be a pre-tournament meeting for all Boat Officials that will cover everything about the days Event including the following:

  • Receiving your Event equipment for Scoring. You will receive a bag including the following:
    • ILF Official Scale
    • ILF Book of Rules and Paper Log Book with Scoring Sheet
    • 2 pens and a spare battery
  • You will receive a text message from Digital Livewell with the name of your assigned Angler and a pin number. At this time, you will also be introduced to your assigned Angler.
  • Additional Digital Livewell training and manual paper scoring procedures.
  • You will receive an additional text from the Event Organizer providing directions to the body of water.

Arriving at the Body of Water

YBefore takeoff there will be a pre-tournament meeting with all the Anglers and Boat Officials. At that meeting you will learn the official start time (Lines-In) and end time (Lines-Out) of the first period along with the rendezvous meeting place between periods. You will also learn about any zoned off areas that Anglers are not allowed to fish.

On the Water

Boat officials and Anglers are required to wear a life jacket whenever the big engine is in gear. Boat Officials are permitted to have conversations with their Angler, however Boat Officials are not allowed to provide any comments that would assist the Angler in fishing.

Event Time Keeper

As the Boat Official you are responsible for keeping the time of the event. In a pre-tournament meeting you will be given Period 1 official Lines IN time (when the Angler can start fishing) and Lines OUT time (when the Angler must stop fishing) by a Tournament Commissioner.

You will be given Period 2 and Period 3 start and end times at the meeting between periods.

Anglers will be given a 15-minute ride a round prior to the actual start time or Lines In. You will want to give them a countdown as to how much time is left before Lines In. Like at 5 minutes, 1 minute and then seconds from 10 seconds down to 0 seconds. You will want to do the same for the end of each period to let them know when Lines In and Lines Out is approaching.

Note: A fish that is hooked by an Angler in the last seconds of a period must be in the boat before the period ends to count.

Fish Weighing

A scorable fish is 1lb or more. Anything less is non-scorable.

As a Boat Official you are not allowed to touch any fish. The Angler is responsible for placing the fish on the “scale clip” securing the “clip”.

Make sure your Scale is set to Pounds/Ounces and set to “Zero” before the Angler places the fish on the Scale Clip.

Call out the weight of the fish to the Angler. Angler must agree. The Angler can ask for a re-weigh up to 3 times., however most won’t to save time.

Scoring the Fish on Paper

Once the fish is released it is time to record the weight of a Scorable fish in your Official Log Book. First record it on paper in your Official Score Book. It is extremely important that the Scorable fish be recorded on paper first which is the official record for keeping all Scorable fish weights. Once time permits you than can go ahead and score the fish into the Digital Livewell systems as shown below.

Scoring the Fish in the Digital Livewell System

Once you have recorded the fish in your Official Log Book and time permits you should now record the fish in the Digital Livewell System by sending a text on your SmartPhone as follows:

  • Go to the text you receive from Digital Livewell showing your assigned Angler and pin number.
  • Scoring a scorable fish: enter the Anglers pin number, a space and the weight. Touch Send. Remember a Scorable fish must weigh 1lb or more.
  • Follow this procedure for each Scorable fish.

Viewing the Live Leaderboard - Digital Livewell System

You are required to update your assigned Angler the Leaderboard results at least every 15 minutes. Many Anglers will want it more often which is Ok.

View the full Leaderboard as follows:

  • Go to the text you receive from Digital Livewell showing your assigned Angler and pin number.
  • Enter the Anglers Pin #, a space, LB (caps)
  • Repeat the process whenever you need to give aLeaderboard update.

Recording a Penalty - On Paper

Once the fish is released it is time to start the penalty using a stop watch app on your SmartPhone. At this time, you should first record the Penalty on paper in your Official Score Book. It is extremely important that the Penalty be recorded on paper first which is the official record for keeping your event. Once time permits you than can go ahead enter the Penalty into the Digital Livewell systems as shown below.

Entering a Penalty - Digital Livewell System

Once you have recorded the Penalty in your Official Log Book and time permits you should now record the Penalty in the Digital Livewell System by sending a text on your SmartPhone as follows:

  • Go to the text you receive from Digital Livewell showing your assigned Angler and pin number.
  • Enter the Anglers Pin #, a space, 2p (minutes followed with a p)
  • Repeat the process whenever you need to record a penalty.

Next Steps

This concludes your Boat Official training. You should review the Rules/Format that was sent to you in an email. It is also a good time to prepare the equipment that you are bringing to the event.

Digital Livewell would like to thank you for being a Boat Official and we want you to enjoy your day on the water. If at any time you run into an issue at an event simply call one of us. Our phone numbers are in your Official Scoring Book.