Tournament Director:
Danny Suggs (763) 566-4971

Event Founder/Coordinator:
Mark Tipler (651) 779-8216
Email Mark

I. Participation and Eligibility:
• Participation is open to anglers who are 18 years of age or older and possess a valid MN fishing license.
• The Tournament Director reserves the right to refuse entry from any individual who has been barred from other tournaments for rules violations or unsportsmanlike conduct.
• There will be a limit of 40-60 boats/angling teams per tournament. The Tournament reserves the right to overbook by 10% to ensure a full field.

II. Tournament Format:
• The tournament format will be one Pro-angler paired with a sponsor/ contributor. The Pro will have full control of the boat through the entire tournament and will fish with the additional anglers as a team, weighing all of their fish for one weight. .
Each contestant must register in person.

VI: Pre-Tournament Cutoff Time- none

VIII: Scoring
• Scoring is determined by pounds and ounces of each team. Largemouth and smallmouth bass are the only accepted species. The limit shall be six (6) fish, the official length for bass shall be twelve (12) inches unless local or state ordinance specifies otherwise. No fish shorter than this will be weighed.
• Each team’s bass must be presented in an official container.

X: Live Fish
• Four (4) ounces shall be deducted from the total weight for each dead bass weighed in.
• Under no circumstances can a fish be purposely altered.
• Contestants may use landing nets to land their fish. Gaffs and grippers are not allowed.

XI: Late Penalties
• Angler teams that are not at the official check-in site at the appointed time will be penalized one-pound-per-minute up to a maximum of five (5) minutes. After five (5) minutes the team shall have that day’s catch disqualified.
• All fishing shall cease upon check in.

XII: Ties
• In case of ties, positions will be determined by: 1st tiebreaker - number of fish alive, 2nd tiebreaker - total number of fish, 3rd tiebreaker – Teams largest fish.

XIII: Insurance
• All contestants using boats in the tournament must submit a copy of a paid-in-full, current boating liability policy with a minimum value of $300,000.00 prior to the first tournament. No exceptions.

XIV: Permitted Fishing Methods
• All bass must be caught alive and in a conventional sporting manner. Only artificial lures may be used with the exception of pork trailers. Only one fishing rod may be used at a time. Trolling as a method of fishing is prohibited.

XV: Permitted Fishing Locations
• Contestants may fish anywhere accessible by boat, except areas designated off-limits by federal, state, or local officials, or the Tournament Director
• Buoyed Water - A buoy must be yellow, orange, or bright in color and identified with the angler’s name. A buoy controls an area of 150 feet, or seven boat lengths (whichever is greater), in all directions. The positioning angler solely controls this area. A competitor may not enter the buoyed area with the main combustion engine running. Only with permission from the buoyed angler may another competitor pass through with an electric motor. An angler may not position a second buoy until the first approved buoy had been retrieved. None other that the positioning angler may fish the buoyed area. If more than one angler is fishing a marked area, then the angler who does not have a buoy in the controlled area will be disqualified.
• All angling must be conducted from the boat. At no time may a contestant leave the boat to land a fish or to make the boat more accessible to fishing waters. In no way may the boat be altered in any manner to make it more accessible to another body of water, including sinking the boat. The boat must remain in the tournament waters during the tournament days. The contestants must leave and return to the official checkpoint by boat and must remain in contact with the boat at all times except in case of emergency or breakdown. Violation will result in immediate disqualification.

XVI: Safety
• Each competitor must observe safe boating conduct at all times.
• All anglers are required to wear a Coast Guard approved chest-type life preserver which is fully secured, whenever the main combustion engine is running on all tournament days. The Pro-angler will provide the life preserver for the additional anglers if necessary.
• All competitors must have an emergency ignition shutoff device securely attached to the driver’s body whenever the main combustion engine is in gear.
• All boats must be a minimum of 14 feet in length. Stick steering is not allowed. No barges or similar cumbersome craft will be permitted. Each boat must have all required U.S. Coast Guard safety equipment. Boats shall contain a properly aerated livewell space to maintain a live limit of bass. Maximum horsepower for all outboard motors used in tournament competition shall be 250 HP not to exceed the limitation set by the U.S. Coast Guard in their ruling of November 1, 1972. Changing or altering standard factory parts of your motor to increase the horsepower over the factory horsepower rating is forbidden and will result in disqualification.
• Main combustion engine horsepower may not exceed the Coast Guard B.I.A. or N.M.M.A. horsepower rating plate on the boat.
• Use of and/or possession of alcohol or drugs (other than those prescribed by a licensed physician or purchased over the counter) from the time you arrive at the tournament site on the tournament date(s), until you sign your weigh slip, is prohibited.
• The Tournament Director retains the right to extend, delay, cancel, or restrict tournament waters in the case of safety or severe weather.
• The Tournament Director reserves the right to disallow the use of any boat and/or motor deemed unsafe, inappropriate, or unsuitable for use in competition.
• Each competitor agrees by the signing of their entry form to submit their boat and/or motor to an inspection by factory trained personnel.
• During practice and during the tournament contestants must follow and obey local ordinances governing the body of water.
• Any contestant ticketed by on-the-water authorities for speeding and/or moving violations, or any other violations, (except equipment tickets) during tournament days will be subject to disqualification.
• The Tournament Director may declare any entrant or participant ineligible to compete who may hinder or endanger the safety and well being of any contestant or be unable to perform safety functions. All contestants must be able to start and drive a boat (at least at low speed), navigate by being able to follow a compass heading, recognize prominent landmarks and be able to assist with a man-overboard rescue effort from any point in the boat. The starting and driving procedures will be part of the tournament instruction each morning before departure. Training regarding the other aspects of safety, operation of a marine band radio and boat control will be an integral element of the day’s fishing.

XVII: Sportsmanship
• All contestants are to follow high standards of sportsmanship, courtesy, safety and conservation. Any infraction of these fundamental sporting principles may be deemed cause for disqualification.
• Maximum courtesy must be practiced at all times, especially with regard to boating and angling in the vicinity of non-competitors who may be on tournament waters. Violators of this rule will be disqualified.
• During official practice and tournament days contestants may not obtain or receive fishing information and/or assistance in catching fish from a non-competitor who would be considered a guide or local expert of the lake. Competitors may not engage in the practice of paying a non-competitor to practice fishing for them. Violation of this rule or the intent of this rule can result in disqualification from the tournament.
• Any radio communication (broadcasting or monitoring) during tournament hours, other than in the case of emergency, equipment breakdown or for safety reasons is prohibited. Violation will result in loss of weight for that day.

XII: Rules and Interpretations
• Contestants will be responsible for knowing the tournament rules as well as the state and local rules and regulations which pertain to the tournament waters.
• All protests must be made to the Tournament Director prior to weighing any fish. Following interviews with concerned parties a ruling will be made. The Tournament Director will interpret the rules according to the spirit and intent of the rules and the Director’s decision in all disputes is final.
• In the event rule infractions are brought to the attention of the Tournament Director at any time and an investigation proves a violation occurred, a penalty or disqualification may be made relative to the violation and cash prizes and awards must be returned if so requested.

XIX: Rule Changes
• These rules will remain unchanged. The interpretation of these rules shall be left exclusively to the Tournament Director. The decisions of the Tournament Director are final in all matters and are not subject to appeal.