Official Rules and Entry Form
2017 Junior TBF/FLW State Championship
May 20st Moses Lake Washington
1. Participation/Eligibility: This tournament is open only to members in good standing of a Washington State Bass Federation Club. Contestants must meet age and eligibility requirements set forth as follows having attained the age of 11 years, but not yet 16 years on August 31, 2017.
Sponsoring clubs must provide 1 official tournament boat and captain for every 2 competitors from their respective club to be used for the official tournament days. Boater forms must be completed and submitted meeting all deadlines. Completed competitor entry forms which must include proof of age (copy of birth certificate or government issued passport) and $50.00 entry fee to the Tournament Director. Chemical substance abuse, addiction or conviction of a felony or other crimes involving moral turpitude, or other conduct reflecting unfavorably upon efforts to promote safety, sportsmanship, fair competition and compliance with tournament rules shall be grounds for rejecting any application for participation and for disqualification.
2. Liability: By signing this form competitor, parents and/or guardians of youth assume a risk as related to the event including but not limited to those activities that involve the risk of serious personal injury, illness, permanent disability, dismemberment and death and that also involve the risk of severe economic and property loss and damage. Signature understand that these risks may result from the actions, negligence, fault, omission and failure to act of themselves and others, sponsors, organizers and volunteers of the event and from the rules of play, the challenges of the event and the condition of any property, facilities or equipment used. Competitor and parents/guardians also understand that there may be risks involved which are not known to them or to the distributors, sponsors, organizers and other volunteers, may not be foreseen or reasonably foreseeable by any of them or us at this time or at the time of the event. By signing this form competitor and legal guardian agree to assume all risks and accept personal responsibility for any injury or damages that may occur as a result of participation in this event.
3. Pre-Tournament Practice: Lake is off limits the week prior to the day of the tournament. Monday thru Thursday. Friday May 20, 2016 until 5:00 pm is the only official pre-fish day and time allowed.
4. Use of Electronics: During the tournament a competitor may not use a CB radio, VHF marine band radio, cellular phone or any other type of communication device accept in the case of an emergency.
5. Safety: Safe boat conduct must be observed at all times by all participants, competitors, observers and Boat Captains. During the official practice day and tournament day anyone in a tournament boat is require to wear a Coast Guard approved, Type II or greater chest type life preserver. The preserver must be worn in a snapped, zippered and strapped condition at all times by everyone in the boat including competitors and volunteer boaters Tournament officials shall have the right to delay or cancel the start of an official tournament day because of bad weather or other factors that would endanger the safety of the competitors. Tournament waters may also be restricted at any time for safety reasons. All persons in a tournament boat shall remain seated in standard on plane seating with their feet resting on the main floor of the boat when the combustion engine is running. Sitting on pedestal seats while the combustion engine is in operation is not permitted.
6. Sportsmanship: Competitors are expected to follow the highest standards of sportsmanship; courtesy, safety and conservation. Use of alcohol or drugs (other than those purchased over the counter or prescribed by a physician by an participant during the official practice or tournament or during weigh-in will not be permitted. Courtesy must be observed at all times and both anglers must be given equal opportunity to fish their selected waters and operate the electric motor. The only exception to this is if a competitor agrees to wave his or her right to location selection and trolling motor operation.
7. Tackle, Equipment and Fishing: Only artificial lures may be used. No live bait or prepared bait will be permitted, with the exception of pork rinds, strips, etc. Only one casting, spin-casting or spinning rod (8 foot maximum length from but of the handle to rod tip and reel may be used at any given time. Each competitor is allowed 6 rods and reels as specified above in the boat ready to use, however, only one is permitted in use at any given time. A bass must be caught live and in a conventional and sporting manner. Anyone guilty of intentionally snatching or snagging visible fish will have their day’s catch disqualified. When visually fishing for bass, all bass must be hooked inside the mouth and must be verified by your partner before being unhooked to be counted as legal fish. Nets are allowed. Bass may not be stringered at any time. No gaffs or grippers may be used to boat bass nor be permitted in boat at any time. Dip nets may be used to land fish. Only the partner angler is allowed to assist in the netting of a fish. In the event of a single competitor the observer will be allowed to net the fish.
8. Permitted Fishing Locations: Tournament waters will be Moses Lake located in Washington State. Fishing is permitted in any area of the lake except within 50 yards of another competitor’s boat which was first, anchored or secured in a fixed position with the trolling motor out of the water. The anchored boat has the responsibility to inform other competitors boats when they have entered the 50 yard limit claimed by him,
to the exclusion of any other competitor. Any water within these boundaries posted off limits or no fishing by state or federal agencies will be off limits. No contestant may buy or barter a fishing location. Only that water open to all public fishing will be considered tournament waters. Any water closed to public fishing will be considered tournament waters. All angling must be done from the boat. Participants must remain in boat to land fish or to make the boat more accessible to fishing waters. Boats must remain in tournament waters during tournament days. Participants must leave and return to official check point by boat. All participants must remain in boat except in case of emergency. In such and emergency both competitors may be removed from boat to a boat operated by other competitors or rescue boat. The momentary condition of being out of sight of each other for restroom breaks is permitted. Otherwise, competitors must remain together at all times. Insight of each other and each other’s catch under the conditions cited above. In order for their catch of that day to be counted. If a competitor must violate any of the above conditions both competitors must cease fishing at that point and their catch must be verified by a tournament official in order to be counted in the tournament. If after the emergency situation is resolved by tournament officials and enough time is left to resume fishing a restart will be allowed and the competitors will continue and their catch will be counted. Trailering of boats during tournament hours is prohibited.
9. Official Checkpoint: There shall be an official checkpoint for checkout in the morning and check in the afternoon and this point shall be designated at the tournament briefing. At the time of check out all competitors and their boats shall be in full conformance with all rules set forth in this document. At check in all boats shall identify themselves and proceed immediately to the designated weigh in area. Partners must stay together through check in and weigh in. You must check in even if you do not have any fish.
10. Scoring: Tournament standing, auxiliary awards and final standing shall be determined by each competitors catch during the tournament. The limit shall be 5 bass either smallmouth, largemouth or a combination. At no time shall the competitor have in his/her possession more than the tournament limit. If they do they will be directed to cull fish starting with the biggest fish first until they are down to the limit of 5 fish. The official size limit is 12 inches. Only bass, which measure the official length or more on the longest straight line, shall be weighed in. Bass presented for weigh in which fail to measure the official length shall accrue penalties at the rate of one pound for each such bass. This penalty shall be deducted from the total score of the competitor. Any bass that appears to have been mangled, mashed, mauled or otherwise altered will be weighed and credited only at the discretion of tournament officials. After a competitor checks in at the official checkpoint he must present all fish in his possession to a tournament official to be counted, measured and weighted. Once a competitors catch has been measured, counted or verified by a tournament official, that contestant may not return to his boat until his catch has been weighted and recorded. Bass must not be stringered at any time during the tournament. If it becomes necessary for a competitor to cull his or her days catch, every effort must be made by the competitor to handle their own fish. Competitors cannot cull a dead fish. Each competitor is expected to keep his or her bass alive by use of a properly aerated live well.
11. Penalty Points:
A. Dead Fish: for each dead bass presented to weigh in officials’ the competitor shall be penalized four ounces of weight to be deducted from their daily score.
B. Late Penalty: Competitors who are not in the official checkpoint area as described by tournament officials at the appointed time shall be penalized at the rate of one pound per minute to be deducted from the total weight of their catch that day. If more than 10 minutes late they lose all credit for that days catch. Decisions regarding late penalties shall be at the discretion of the Tournament Director who may choose to wave the penalty in the event of a major boat malfunction. In that event anglers should stop fishing at the appointed hour and prior to that have communicated the situation to the Tournament Director. After proper recognition at the check point, competitors will be allowed ample time to proceed to the weigh in site, however all fishing must stop upon check in. Exact starting and check in times will be announced at the tournament briefing.
12. Ties: In case of a tie the following tiebreakers will be used in order:
1) Largest number of legal fish weighed in during the competition
2) Largest number of legal live fish weighed in during the competition
3) Largest fish by weight caught during tournament
3) If the tie remains a decision will be made by cast off or flip of a coin.
13. Pairing of Contestants: Where ever possible two contestants will be assigned to each boat with one boat captain. If only one contestant is available to go with a boat captain an observer will be assigned to ride in that boat with them. .Whenever possible no contestants from the same club or in the same age group will be paired together. Contestants will not be paired with boaters who are members of their own immediate family described here as parents, grandparents or siblings. Pairing announcements will take place at the tournament briefing. Attendance at this briefing is mandatory by all competitors. Contestants will be responsible for making their own arrangements to appear at a mutually agreed upon location with sufficient time remaining to check out at the official checkpoint and start on time. Tournament officials shall have no responsibility to find lost partners. The tournament director may reassign partners at any time prior to take off. Once fishing, partners must stay together and in sight of each other throughout the day until the weigh in is completed except in cases of dire emergency. A contestant will not allow any bass caught by him/her to be counted on the score of another contestant. If this happens both contestants will be disqualified from the tournament.
14. Restrictions: Tournament officials reserve the right to restrict the use of certain signage, which is deemed to be inappropriate, unfit or indecent by the tournament director.
15. Due Date: May 16th, 2017
16. Boat operation and expense: A full discussion must be held between the two Junior Anglers and the boat captain prior to morning blast off to confirm hours of boat operation of each angler and ability to operate electric trolling motors. If a competitor is unable to or does not wish to operate the electric they may wave that right. A normal schedule must permit each angler equal time to fish their selected waters. Distance traveled to fishing locations must be considered in order not to deprive either partner fishing time while traveling to and from fishing waters. Any contestant who in the judgment of the tournament officials or boat captain operates in such a manner as to unfairly handicap his partner may be disqualified pending a decision by the Tournament Director. The boat captain may veto locations for safety reasons only.
17. Summary: Each participant agrees to report to the Tournament Director any violation or infraction of these tournament rules. The failure to report violations or suggestions to violate the rules will be cause for disqualification. Each participant agrees to submit, by their signature on this document to a polygraph test should they be asked to for any reason. The administration and interpretation of the test shall be solely the responsibility of the Tournament director, and their agents and shall be used (or not used) at the discretion of the Tournament Director. The participant shall be available at their own expense, at the location selected by the Tournament Director and shall cooperate in all respects with such examination.