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Official Rules for Northwest Bass, LLC
2011
Challenge Circuit The following rules will
remain unchanged throughout the event unless State or local laws are in
conflict. Interpretation and
enforcement of rules will be left to the Tournament Director.
In the event of a rule violation, the Tournament Director may impose
such sanctions as deemed appropriate, including, without limitation:
disqualification, forfeiture of prizes, entry fee and prohibition from
participation in subsequent tournaments.
Northwest Bass reserves the right to refuse entry. Participation and
Eligibility: Each tournament is
open to anyone 18 years or older and a Northwest Bass member in good
standing. In the event of a
minor, at least one team member must be 18 years or older and the minor must
have written authorization from a parent or legal guardian.
A team must fish or pay for four (4) qualifiers to be eligible for
the 2011 Challenge Championship.
Fishing Alone:
In the event that a team
member is unable to fish a qualifying tournament, the remaining angler may
fish alone. For anglers fishing
alone, the qualifier will still count toward team qualification for the
Championship and angler of the year points.
Team Member Substitution:
Northwest Bass is a team tournament and it is intended that anglers
fish with the same team member for the entire circuit.
If for some reason one team
member must drop out, with less than four (4) qualifiers remaining, the
remaining angler may declare a permanent substitution and qualify for the
2011 Challenge providing at least one(1) team member will have fished or
bought into at least four (4) qualifiers. Points
for anglers of the year will start over at zero.
If one team member drops out after all qualifiers are completed, but
prior to the Championship tournament, the remaining team member must fish
the Championship alone. Team
member substitution is not allowed for the Championship tournament. Temporary team member
substitution will be allowed for an individual tournament as long as both of
the original partners have or will fish together or buy-in for the requisite
number of qualifiers to qualify themselves for the championship.
In all partner substitution cases angler points for team member
substitutions will not count toward permanent team angler of the year
standings. Northwest Bass
reserves the right to allow additional temporary team member substitutions
based on individual circumstances.
All team member
substitutions must be approved by the tournament director prior to
tournament registration. No team
member substitutions will be allowed to any angler that has not observed the
official off limits period. Registration:
Pre-registration is encouraged.
For mailed entries, a completed entry form and the entry fee must be
received by Northwest Bass no later than the Wednesday prior to the
tournament. On-site registration
will be Friday, Off-Limits:
Tournament waters are off limits for all Qualifiers Monday prior to the
tournament until tournament blastoff on Saturday. Championship waters
are off limits Monday through Thursday the week prior to the Championship
tournament. Permitted Fishing
Waters: No fishing is allowed
inside the host marina area.
Contestants cannot leave the boat to land a fish.
Navigable waters are the only waters to be fished during a
tournament. Contestants must be
able to navigate boat into fishing area without getting out of the boat.
All fishing must be done from an inspected boat.
No tube or wade fishing is allowed.
Boats may not be trailered to and from weigh-in during
tournament hours. If you are
unable to return to the weigh-in site by boat, your catch for the day will
not be weighed. No fishing is
allowed within 50 yards of another anchored or tied boat without that boat's
permission. Team partners must
fish from the same boat. Only
the contestants may be in the boat during tournament hours, unless
specifically approved by the Tournament Director prior to the tournament.
Having a non-contestant sit on a hole for you will be grounds for
disqualification. If a team
allows one boat into an area to fish, all teams have permission to fish that
area. Safety:
Boating safety must be observed at all times during competition.
A US Coast Guard approved chest type life preserver must be on and
fastened any time the combustible engine is operative and the kill switch
must be attached to the driver during competition.
Inflatable waist pack PFDs are allowed as long as they are US Coast
Guard approved and meet all US Coast Guard requirements.
Boats must obey all state and local regulations including speed and
no-wake zones.
Blast Off:
Tournament registration will be halted prior to the start of the drivers
meeting. Registration will
resume after the drivers meeting.
Those anglers not registered prior to the drivers meeting will
automatically be assigned to flight #1 for weigh-in, however, they will not
blast-off until the end of the last flight.
Late registrants will be blasted off in order of the number assigned
at the registration desk but will return for weigh-in with flight #1. It is imperative that all
boats have their live wells checked and be in the water before the start of
the drivers meeting. The
Tournament Director will not delay blast off due to anglers that have not
had their live wells checked or have not safely launched their boats.
In the event your boat is not in the water at the time your number is
called, your blast off will be delayed until the Tournament Official
re-calls your number. In most
cases your number will be recalled at the end of the last flight and before
the first number of the late registrants.
Regardless of blast off time, you and your partner will be required
to return for weigh-in at the time of your originally assigned flight.
Culling Fish:
It is the responsibility of each team to cull their limit to (5) fish
throughout the tournament. No
culling is allowed within the host marina.
Relief Rule:
In the event that an angler must leave the boat during competition to
use the restroom, one angler must remain in the boat at all times and all
fishing must cease. Check in for Weigh-in:
An official timekeeper (wearing
an orange vest) will be posted at the entrance to the host marina and will
log the time that each team returns for weigh-in. The official return
time will be logged at the point that the boat comes "off-pad" to enter the
host marina. To avoid confusion, each team is responsible for holding
up their boat number in clear view of the timekeeper. If the
timekeeper determines that a boat is late, he/she will signal the boat with
an orange flag in order to notify the team that there is a time issue and
that they need to see the timekeeper as soon as possible. It is the
responsibility of the team and the timekeeper to resolve time dispute issues
prior to weigh in. If the issue cannot be resolved with the
timekeeper, the team should weigh in their fish and immediately report to
the Tournament Director/Weigh Master that there is an unresolved time
dispute. All unresolved issues must be reported during weigh-in.
It is the Tournament Director's responsibility to assess the situation and
make a ruling. Tournament Director's ruling is final. Boat Numbers:
All boat numbers must be turned in at weigh-in.
Boat numbers must be turned in even if no fish are weighed. Scoring:
Each team may weigh in five (5) fish with no minimum size limit,
unless State or lake limits are more restrictive.
A quarter of a pound (.25 lb) penalty will be assessed for each
dead fish. Any team bringing
more than five (5) fish to scales will have their bag culled to five (5)
fish, starting with the largest fish.
Only largemouth or smallmouth bass will be weighed.
Failure to check-in by the designated weigh-in time will result in
a one pound (1 lb) per minute penalty.
After 10 minutes that team will forfeit its weight for that day.
It is the responsibility of each team to make sure they are identified at
the check-in site.
Anglers of the Year and Rookie Team of the
Year:
Anglers of the Year and Rookie Team of the Year are determined by
points total for all five (5) 2011 qualifiers.
A Rookie Team is defined as a team where neither team member has
previously fished more than two qualifying tournaments in any one season.
Ties:
Big fish will be used to break all tournament ties whenever possible.
In the event of a tie, monies will be added and divided equally.
In the unlikely event of a tie in points for Anglers or Rookie Team
of the Year, the tie will be broken by first using big stringer of the
season. If a tie still exists,
big fish of the season will be used. Protest:
All protests must be submitted in writing within 15 minutes of the final
weigh-in. Protests will be accepted
from registered tournament anglers only. Awards: Out of sportsmanship and respect for other anglers, Northwest Bass appreciates those who stay for awards presentations. For those unable to attend awards ceremonies, Northwest Bass reserves the right to forfeit claim to merchandise, and prize money will be mailed. In celebration of the 50th anniversary of Nixon’s Marine, upon request, all anglers will be required to wear approved or provided official Northwest Bass/Nixon’s Marine apparel for award ceremonies and winners’ photos. Alcoholic Beverages and
Drugs: At no time during
tournament hours are any alcoholic beverages or drugs, other than
prescription, allowed in the boat or to be consumed. Sportsmanship:
Each team is expected to follow a high standard of sportsmanship, courtesy,
safety and conservation. Any
team failing to do so may be disqualified. Tournament Protection
Rule: Any act or inflammatory
statement by any contestant that, in the opinion of the Tournament
Authority, is detrimental to the operation of the tournament, damaging to
organized bass fishing, to Northwest Bass, or any of its sponsors, or to
permitting agencies or their officers (such as rangers, fishery biologists,
etc.), during any official practice round or tournament, may result in
temporary or permanent suspension from all future Northwest Bass
tournaments. IT IS THE
RESPONSIBILITY OF EACH ENTRANT, to know these rules.
A rules violator compromises the entire field. Boats and Motors:
There is no horsepower limit, however; no engine may exceed the BIA
horsepower rating for the boat on which it is used.
All boats must meet US Coast Guard and State regulations.
All boats must have an emergency kill switch and an aerated livewell
large enough to sustain a tournament limit in releasable condition.
Tackle and Equipment:
All fish must be caught in a legal and sporting manner by casting, flipping
or pitching. Intentional
snagging of fish will not be allowed.
Using the electric motor only to stroll or troll is permitted as long
as the angler maintains contact with his or her fishing rod. Setting
the rod down or in a pole holder while moving the boat with the electric
motor is not permitted. Only
artificial lures may be used. No
live bait or prepared bait is permitted with the exception of pork rinds.
Liquid fish attractants are allowed.
Only (1) rod may be used at one time.
Other rods may be in the boat and ready for use, however, every cast
and retrieve must be completed before another cast is made.
Nets are allowed and Northwest Bass encourages the use of catch &
release style nets. Underwater
cameras are not restricted at this time. Conservation:
Adequate livewells are mandatory on each boat and must provide aeration to
maintain fish in good condition as every effort will be made to release as
many fish live a possible following weigh-in.
This is a primary concern of Northwest Bass and we will allow early
weigh-in to prevent the loss of fish. Equipment Failure or
Emergency: There will be only two
permitted methods of returning to the official weigh-in site: (1) by both
partners remaining in their boat and being towed by water, or (2) by one or
both partners entering the boat of another Northwest Bass tournament
contestant and returning to weigh-in site.
If one partner remains with the troubled craft, he cannot continue to
fish. Under these two
conditions, the contestant's catch may be counted without penalty (except
for late or dead fish penalties).
Teams who elect to return to official check-in by any other means
than cited above will forfeit that day's catch to that point in time of the
tournament day. In case of a mechanical
breakdown that requires a team to swap tournament boats, that team will be
eligible to resume competition only under the supervision of a Northwest
Bass official. Both team members
must be present for a boat inspection before a restart will be granted.
It is the sole responsibility of contestants to locate a tournament
official to request a restart. Insurance:
Adequate liability insurance is required of all contestants utilizing their
boats in a Northwest Bass tournament.
All contestants must sign a waiver absolving the tournament sponsors,
co-sponsors and their employees from any responsibility for any damage or
personal injury sustained as a result of their participation in the
tournament or related activities.
Contestants are required to have proof of insurance at each
tournament. Information Sharing and Communications: During the off limits period and during competition, anglers may not solicit and/or receive fishing information from anyone other than the partner they are fishing with. Information gathered through publically available sources, i.e. Google Earth, published maps, etc is permissible. Involuntary violation of this rule should be reported to the Tournament Director. Appropriate action will be taken on a case by case basis. The purchasing of or bartering for information or the hiring of services will not be permitted after the start of the off-limits period. The sharing of tournament winnings in exchange for fishing information is strictly prohibited. Further, during competition, the use of electronic communications devices, including cell phones, CB radios, VHF radios or any other type of communication device to aid in catching or locating fish is not permitted. Such devices may only be used in an emergency or in addressing safety considerations such as weather, river flow conditions, mechanical malfunctions, and lockmaster communications. Such devices may be used in other situations only as pre-approved by the tournament director. Polygraph:
All contestants, winners and non-winners, are
subject to a polygraph. Failure
to submit to or pass a polygraph test will result in immediate
disqualification. Challenge
Circuit Champions will be tested.
Random tests may be conducted at tournaments without prior notice.
Rules are subject to change without notice at
anytime prior to the start of a tournament. Revised: 3/21/2011 |