Printable Entry Form Tournament Rules Tournament Results Angler's Choice - Bassboat Superstore

Team Tournament Rules

  1. PURPOSE: Tournament Rules provide equal opportunity for all participants to successfully apply their fishing skills and abilities, improve the safety of both participant and non-participant users of the tournament waters, and provide for proper handling of the fish.
  2. INTERPRETATION: The Tournament Rules are subject to interpretation only by the Tournament Officials under the coordination and supervision of Angler's Choice Marine. The Tournament Director's decision shall be final.
  3. ELIGIBILITY: Participation in the tournament is open to anglers 16 years old or more and younger anglers if partnered with an adult. This is an invitation team trail and sponsors retain the option of declining applications to the tournament.
  4. ENTRY FEES: The entry fee is $150 per tournament per team plus $20 for the big fish pot per day.
  5. TEAMS: Teams will register themselves as a team at the first tournament of the year fished together as Boater-captain/Non-boater. That team will accrue points in any Angler's Choice Tournament as long as at least one member of that team fishes in the tournament under the registered team name (A team member may fish by himself using the team name, but will pay the full ENTRY FEE). The registered team must fish in at least 4 of the 6 Angler's Choice Tournaments for the year for their points to count for annual standings and to gain entry to the Angler's Choice Classic. If both members of a team fish a tournament they must fish together in order for their points to count. Otherwise, the two new pairings would be treated as new teams and neither new team would carry forward any points from the original team.
  6. INSURANCE: All boat owners are expected to maintain a minimum of $100,000 liability insurance on the boat used in the tournaments.
  7. REGISTRATION: Registration will begin the day before a tournament at a host motel by the tournament director or any time before the close of business on the Wednesday before each tournament at Angler's Choice dealership. There will be no late charge to register the morning of the tournament, but be aware that starting positions will be determined in the order of registration. Host motel will be listed on Angler's Choice's website, www.anglerschoicemarine.com.
  8. SPORTSMANSHIP: Participants shall observe high standards of ethics, sportsmanship, and personal conduct. They shall obey all of the laws and the authorities having jurisdiction in the tournament area. They shall keep themselves informed and aware of the rules, laws, and conditions applicable to the tournament. Drunkenness during competition and scoring activities is prohibited. No alcoholic beverages shall be permitted in competition boats during competition hours. Competitors shall yield to inspection by Tournament Officials at any time during the tournament.
  9. TOURNAMENT WATERS: Tournament waters shall be defined as public waters which are accessible by boat from the tournament headquarters. All fishing by participants shall be done from a boat on tournament waters. All participants and competing boats shall remain on tournament waters throughout the competition hours. Fishing on tournament waters shall not be permitted within 50 yards of another competitor's boat, which was first anchored. Any such boat shall have its trolling motor retracted from the water. No such anchored boat shall permit selected competitors to fish within the 50-yard circle claimed by him or her to the exclusion of any other competitor. It is the responsibility of the anchored boat to make other competitors aware that he or she is anchored.
  10. WEATHER CONDITIONS: Tournaments shall proceed as scheduled regardless of conditions, except that competition may be suspended or terminated by the Tournament Officials with the concurrence of the Tournament Director whenever weather conditions are found to be hazardous. Competitors shall not fish during a period of suspension or after termination of competition.
  11. SAFETY AND INSPECTION: Safety shall be the concern of first priority to all participants. Life jackets must be on when the gas engine is running. Lights on for blast-off. Idle by start boat, live wells open, kill switch ON. Do not swamp the Tournament Director. Competition equipment found to be unsafe or not seaworthy by the Tournament Officials may be prohibited from use in the tournament.
  12. FISHING TACKLE: Shall be limited to casting, spinning, and spin-casting rods and reels and artificial lures. No live or dead bait is allowed. Animal skin (pork frogs for example), fur, and feathers may be used to dress artificial lures.
  13. FISHING METHODS: Trolling is prohibited. Only one rod and reel per person may be actually in use at one time.
  14. EMERGENCY CONDITIONS: Emergency conditions are those which subject persons or property to imminent danger or which are deemed by the Tournament Officials to be of an emergency nature. Only under emergency conditions, or in cases where boats are disabled, may participants leave their boats. Under such conditions, they may ride in other boats and bring their fish to the tournament headquarters for scoring.
  15. FISH: Tournament limit will be five bass. The size limit will be announced by the Tournament Director at blast off. The dead fish penalty is ¼ pound per dead fish and will be deducted off total weight. If lunker fish is dead, the ¼ pound penalty will apply to big fish pot also. You cannot cull a dead fish. A short fish will not be weighed and 1 pound will be deducted from team weight. All fish must measure 14" on a Golden Rule (mouth closed and tail pinched).
  16. TIMELINESS: Each team must check in with the check-in boat or check-in point marked by the Angler's Choice flag. If late, you will be so informed at that time. The official time is always on the Tournament Director's GPS unit (or on yours). Any boat not in weigh-in area promptly at the appointed time will be assessed a penalty of 1 lb. for each minute late. Disqualification after 15 minutes. If you have a big fish, the penalty will be assessed to that fish also.
  17. SCORING: Competitor's scores shall be the weight of bass they have caught and kept during the competition hours. Weight may be deducted from competitor's scores by the Tournament Officials as a penalty for short fish or late return to weigh-in. Any bass which appears mangled, mashed, or mauled will be credited only at the discretion of the weigh-in officials. Bringing more than 5 fish to the weigh-in will result in disqualification. ONE HUNDRED POINTS to first place, 99 to second, 98 to third and so on until all 100 points are used for teams with fish. All teams with NO fish get 10 points below the last place team with fish unless there are no points left to award (100 or more teams weighed in fish).
  18. TIES: In case of a tie, the prize or points will be divided between the participants equally.
  19. PROTESTS: Participants who suspect that the Tournament Rules have been violated may file IN WRITING a protest with the Tournament Director within 15 minutes after that day's weigh-in process and before awards begin. The Tournament Committee will decide all protests. Decisions of the Tournament Director are final.
  20. VIOLATIONS AND PENALTIES: Participants shall honor the letter and intent of the Tournament Rules of they shall be judged to have violated them. All judgments are reserved to the Tournament Officials. All participants shall be presumed to be familiar with the Tournament Rules. Participants held by the Tournament Officials to have violated the principles of fairness, sportsmanship, and ethical conduct explicitly or implicitly included in the Tournament Rules may be declared as disqualified.
  21. POLYGRAPH TESTS: Polygraph tests may be given in any of the tournaments and to any participant. Failure to pass the test results in disqualification.
  22. TOURNAMENT HOURS: February - April from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. June - October from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. Flights to be determined.
  23. CLASSIC PRIZE: The team that wins the Classic will receive a new Triton boat, Mercury motor, and a trailer.
  24. PAYBACKS: A chart of sample paybacks will be listed on Angler's Choice's website, www.anglerschoicemarine.com.
  25. RAFFLE: Tickets will be sold at registration and the morning of the tournaments for drawings to be held at weigh-in for great door prizes!
  26. ANGLER'S CHOICE BONUS BUCKS: Angler's Choice will hold 3 random drawings at each tournament for $100 for those who did not place in the money. If you are fishing out of a boat purchased from Angler's Choice, double the money for $200.
Angler's Choice Marine