OFFICIAL RULES & REGULATIONS
1. RULE CHANGES: It is the responsibility of the contestants to familiarize themselves with and abide by all rules established by the American Red Cross. Interpretation of these rules shall be left exclusively to the Tournament Directors and Rules Committee. The decision of these officials shall be final in all matters and not subject to appeal.
2. PARTICIPATION AND ELIGIBILITY: Each contestant must be 16 years of age or older. Contestants under 16 years of age may fish with parent or legal guardian. The tournament will not be open to a competitor who has (1) declined or failed a polygraph screening in a previous tournament for cheating or (2) been barred from a tournament trail.
3. ENTRY LIMITATIONS: There is no deadline for completed entries. You may pay anytime up to the morning of the tournament. Starting order is determined by registration.
4. LIMIT REGULATIONS - DEAD FISH: The official limit is five (5) fish in your possession, either in your boat or presented at weigh-in. VIOLATION PENALTY: Beginning with your largest fish, officials will cull your catch to the five fish limit and assess a penalty of one pound. ONE dead fish is allowed per team with a ½ pound penalty for that fish.
5. SCORING: Only Largemouth, Smallmouth, and Kentucky Bass will be weighed. The official length will comply with Tennessee regulations. Teams presenting bass for weigh-in which fail to measure the prescribed length and identification will be penalized with the loss of fish and one (1) pound.
6. SPORTSMANSHIP: All contestants are expected to follow high standards of sportsmanship, courtesy, safety and conservation. Any contestants’ conduct reflecting unfavorably upon efforts to promote safety, sportsmanship, fair competition and compliance with tournament rules are grounds for disqualification and/or rejection of any entry for participation. If a team is protested once for sportsmanship, they will receive a warning. A second offense will result in a loss of their catch for the tournament and disqualification. At no time during tournament hours are alcoholic beverages or drugs other than prescriptions allowed in the boat or to be consumed. Drunkenness shall be cause for disqualification. FIREARMS in a contestants boat or personal possession during tournament hours is a flagrant violation and grounds for disqualification.
7. CELL PHONES: The use of cell phones is permitted; however, they are not to be used to help locate fish.
8. SAFETY, BOAT & MOTOR: Safe boating must be observed at all times. Each contestant is required to wear a chest type life preserver anytime the combustion engine is running. Motors that exceed Coast Guard maximum horsepower rating are not condoned. All boats must be equipped with an emergency kill-switch which will be securely attached to the drivers’ body whenever the combustion engine is running. Each boat must be 14 feet or more in length. Each boat must have all required Coast Guard safety equipment and a working livewell with aerators
9. PERMITTED FISHING: Contestants may fish anywhere on tournament waters accessible by boat, except areas designated as “Off Limits” or “No Fishing” by state or federal officials or within 50 yards of any other competitor’s boat which was first anchored with the trolling motor in the up position. All angling must be done from the boat. At no time may you enter a non-contestants boat unless in an emergency which must be reported to the tournament director immediately upon arrival. At no time may a non-contestant hole sit for tournament contestants. This is grounds for immediate disqualification.
10. BREAKDOWNS: In case of a breakdown, one team member may return by another contestant’s boat or boat designated by the tournament director as an official rescue boat while the other team member remains with the disabled boat. Your catch must be kept separate from any others. Your catch will be scored and any penalties will be deducted (dead fish, late, etc…) Fish must remain in one team members possession from catch to weigh-in.
11. TACKLE AND EQUIPMENT: Only artificial lures with the exception of pork trailers may be used. Only one lure by each team member may be presented and in the water at one time. All fish must be caught live and in a conventional sporting manner. Trolling or assisting bait presentation with combustion engine or trolling motor is prohibited.
12. OFFICIAL CHECK POINTS: There will be only one official checkpoint for boat check-in in the morning and one official checkpoint for check-in in the afternoon. Failure to go through morning and afternoon boat checkpoints will result in disqualification.
13. LATE PENALTY: Teams who are not in the official check-in area at the appointed time will be penalized at the rate of one pound per minute to be deducted from their total weight. Any team more than fifteen (15) minutes late will be disqualified.
14. TIES: In case of a tie, awards for the tied position and the next following position shall be combined and divided equally between tied contestants. Should two teams tie for first place, the tournament director may decide to break first place with a fish off.
15. POLYGRAPH EXAMS: Each first place winner and two random top 20 teams are subject to polygraph exams prior to their awards. The tournament director will select team members to take the exam. Each team member agrees to submit to polygraph exam by their signature on the official entry form. You will be disqualified if you fail the polygraph test.
16. PROTEST: Should a team be accused of a rule violation by written protest, both team members shall submit to a polygraph exam. The interpretation of the polygraph exam shall be solely the responsibility of the tournament committee, tournament director, tournament attorney, and polygraph examiner. In the event any team does not successfully complete the polygraph exam, they may be disqualified and forfeit any and all winnings and/or be prohibited from further competition. Protests must be submitted within 15 minutes of scales closing.
17. LIABILITY INSURANCE: Liability insurance is required in the minimum amount of $100,000.00 per accident of all team boat owners utilizing their boats.
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