Official Rules - 2013
1) ELIGIBILITY:
a) All persons 18 years or older are eligible to enter. Anglers under the age of 18 must have their parent’s written consent.
2) REQUIREMENTS:
a) Each contestant must have in his or her possession a fishing license that is valid in Ontario.
b) Promoters and organizations assisting in tournament operation, their agencies and agents are not responsible for death, injury, damage, theft, fire or any loss to entrants. Each entrant, upon signing an accepted entry form will in effect be signing a waiver form.
3) FISHING:
a) Only walleye, sauger & saugeye will be included in official totals.
b) Only those fish caught on a hook and line in normal and usual manner will be accepted.
c) Each angler will be allowed only one line in the water at a time. Spare rods may be carried.
d) Live bait, artificial bait and lures are allowed. Electronic or electrical luring or attracting devices are prohibited.
e) Only walleye, sauger & saugeye 35-45 centimeters will be accepted by tournament officials, with one fish over 70 centimeters allowed for the tournament.
f) No boat may touch another boat. Participants are not allowed to toss or pass any items to another boat or to receive items from another boat.
g) Anglers must not leave the boat to land a fish or untangle lines or lures.
h) Daily limit per team shall be four (4) fish. At no time shall there be more than four (4) fish in the live well. (No more than four (4) fish per team per day)
i) Putting an un-releasable fish back into the water will mean disqualification and ejection from the tournament.
j) No contestant will be allowed to fish after 4:00 pm the day before the tournament.
4) BOATS & EQUIPMENT:
a) Electronic depth finders, thermometers, oxygen meters, etc. are allowed.
b) Live wells must be used by all teams, live well is a covered aerated container used to retain live fish.
c) Use of cell phones, walkie-talkies, or other communication devices of any sort will result in immediate disqualification if used for anything other than an emergency situation.
5) TOURNAMENT BOUNDRIES:
a) The Winnipeg River and connected lakes from Norman Dam in Kenora to the Whitedog Dam. (5 Lakes!!)
6) WEIGH-IN:
a) The Weigh-in will be open at 8:00am and will continue throughout the fishing day.
b) The determination of stressed or dead fish will be made in the live well before weighing. In the opinion of the tournament officials;
- any fish not swimming upright will be considered stressed.
- any fish not deemed capable of recovery will be considered dead.
- Stressed fish 70 centimeters or more will receive a 1 pound penalty.
- Stressed fish 35-45 centimeters will receive a 1/4 pound penalty.
- Dead fish are ineligible for weight but must be counted as catch.
- Any fish considered stressed at dockside or weigh-in shall be automatically be the property of the tournament official and be counted as catch.
c) Fish will be transported from the entrant’s boats a bag of fresh water to the weigh-in site.
d) All measurements will be taken with the tail laid flat and pinched and the mouth closed. (Jaw not in extended position)
e) Fish will be measured, then weighed and a copy of the official ticket will be issued. Tickets are to be initialized by one of the team members.
f) If a contestant submits a fish that is judged to be within the slot limits illegal size, the contestant will be disqualified for that day’s weight.
g) If a fish is dropped by officials at check in site and as a result is judged dead, there will be no penalty assessed.
7) REQUIRED ACTIVITIES:
a) All contestants are required to attend the pre-tournament rules meeting which will be held on Friday, July 5th, 2013 beginning at 6:00pm.
b) Any contestant involved in a protest must be on call for three (3) hours following the end of the fishing day.
8) FISHING HOURS AND STARTING:
a) The tournament fishing day will begin at 8:00 am and end at 4:00 pm Saturday and Sunday. All boats must be inspected and signed in with a tournament officials prior to leaving for the fishing day.
b) No boat may travel faster than 4 mph near the check-in AND weigh in docks.
c) Contestants who return late will be penalized one (1) pound for each minute late. Any boat five (5) minutes late will be ineligible for weigh-in and will have no weight recorded for that day. FOR THE SAFETY OF EVERYONE, ALL CONTESTANTS MUST CHECK IN AT THE WEIGH-IN DOCKS EACH DAY END AND REPORT TO A TOURNAMENT OFFICIAL.
d) Paradise Cove Park will serve as the tournament weigh scale location and contestants will be required to end each day at this point.
e) All times are GPS times.
9) BOAT IDENTIFICATION AND PATROLLING:
a) Team numbers will be assigned when applicants are notified of their acceptance into the tournament.
b) Boats may be inspected during the tournament to monitor compliance with tournament rules and regulations.
10) PRIZES:
a) Prizes will be based on total weight during the two day tournament.
b) Prizes will be awarded on a team basis and must be accepted as awarded.
c) The director reserves the right to cancel the tournament in the event of insufficient entries.
11) OTHER:
a) Contingency prizes may be made available by contributors, supporters, and other parties. Rules for these prizes will be stipulated by those offering the prize.
b) Only live and releasable fish will qualify for any big fish award. Stressed fish do count after penalty is applied.
c) Cancellations will be accepted up to 10 days prior to the tournament (up to 4pm on June 26, 2013). The tournament director must be notified of the cancellation before the deadline to qualify for a refund. The entry fee will be refunded less a $50.00 administration fee to the captain only.
12) TIE BREAKERS:
a) In the event of a tie, the team with the highest rank for the first day of fishing will be awarded the prize.
It is the intention of the tournament director to provide an honest, sportsmanlike tournament. Contestants are reminded that the "spirit" of the rules will prevail in all judgment cases.