Kayak Fishing Tournament Rules for “Catch All You Can”
Rule #1-The most important rule of all-Respect your fellow anglers, respect the law, and protect the waters and environment that we fish.
➔ Catch Photo Release. All tournaments will be CPR using the TourneyX tournament management system.
➔ Unlimited caught fish and submitted will determine your score. (Minimum 8”)
➔ Ketch Co brand measuring boards are the only measuring devices allowed.
➔ Fish must be hooked in the mouth or jaw. It may not appear to have snagged, snatched,
or hooked only in the body or a fin. If hooked in the mouth, a second treble hook that
snags a gill plate, fin, or body is considered incidental and does not eliminate that fish.
➔ Fish must be alive. If fish appears to be dead, mutilated, frozen, mangled, or otherwise damaged, or it appears to have been mashed, mauled, or otherwise altered, the photo
will be denied. This will be up to the Tournament Director’s discretion.
➔ Any fish submitted for score must be caught live by the Competitor who submits them for scoring using only equipment and legal methods that comply with all sportfishing statutes
and regulations of the state body of water in which they are taken. Competitors are responsible for research of and compliance with all applicable fishing and boating regulations. Snatching or snagging fish is not permitted. When visually fishing a bed for spawning bass, to be admissible all bass must be hooked inside the mouth. Violation will result in disqualification from the Event.
➔ All fish must be caught by the Competitor on rod, reel, line and hook with artificial lures only. No traps, snares, set lines or other methods of fishing other than rod, reel and line are permissible, even if legal under state game laws. Violation will result in disqualification from the Event.
➔ Identifier code may be printed, or written on anything including your hand as long as it is visible in the live photo of the fish.
➔ Fish may not be tied to, or attached to the Ketch board in any way. Hands are allowed to hold the fish down. No fish grips or other restraints allowed while photographing fish.
➔ Photographs of fish must be unaltered in any way. No screenshots or video stills are allowed.
➔ Hands may not touch the Caudal (tail) fin in the photo.
➔ Hands may not go under the gill plate in photos.
➔ Hands may not cover the eye of the fish.
➔ Fish’s mouth must be clearly visible touching the fence of the measuring board.
➔ Fish’s mouth must be closed. If the mouth of the fish is clearly open and the judge
determines a cracked open mouth there will be a 1⁄4” deduction in the score of that fish.
➔ (The very tip of the fish’s lips may not always touch when fully closed, but this is not always considered an
open mouth.)
➔ Photographs of fish must be taken from inside of the kayak.
➔ Fish must be facing to the left, with the belly of the fish towards your belly.
➔ Photos must be clear and in focus so the judge can clearly see the correct
measurement.
➔ GPS location settings must be turned on the TourneyX.
➔ A blurry photo that is unable to be judged will be denied.
➔ The minimum length of the fish shall be 8 inches. ➔
Captains Meeting.
➔ If an angler’s photo is denied or penalized, they are allowed to delete that submission and submit a better photo if they have it. This must be done before the photo submission deadline.
➔ The Photo submission deadline will be listed on TourneyX as well as discussed in each captains meeting prior to the tournament. All photos must be submitted by this deadline.
➔ No photos will be accepted that are time stamped after the competition end time. Once competition ends, anglers will have time to get to cell service and upload the pics from the day, up until the photo submission deadline. *Time deadlines will be at the top of the hour. For example, if the deadline is 3:00 p.m. no photo shall be accepted after 3:00.00 p.m.
1. Scoring fish. Fish length is determined by its caudal fin (tail fin) touching or crossing the manufacturer’s quarter inch mark (e.g., ridges, grooves) on the measuring board. If it falls short of a 1⁄4 inch factory mark, the length is rounded down to the next lower 1⁄4 inch mark that the bass’ caudal fin actually touches or crosses In reviewing photographs, judges will visualize as accurately as possible where a 1⁄4 inch factory mark would be if it extended the full width of a board and use that imaginary line to determine a fish’s length.
2. Tie breakers
➔ In the event of a tie for points, it will be broken by the longest fish. If there is still a tie we proceed to the next longest fish and so on.
Species of bass to be targeted for competition
➔ Species-For competitions, only “black bass” are eligible for scoring. That designation includes the three most common species.
➔ Largemouth Bass – Micropterus salmoides
➔ Smallmouth Bass – Micropterus dolominueu
➔ Spotted or Kentucky Bass – Micropterus punctulatus
Participation and eligibility for competition.
1. Membership is not required to compete or for Angler of the Year points.
2. Anglers must have a valid fishing license.
3. Age requirements- 18+ years old. Minors 14-17 may compete with parental consent
and/or adult supervision (Contact TD for approval)
4. Event Registration-All competitions are conducted using Tournament Management
System (TourneyX) Each angler who wishes to participate in such an event must create a free TourneyX user account before the first day of competition, and must sign up for the Event and pay the entry fee on TourneyX.
5. Each angler must have a PayPal account as winnings will be paid via PayPal.
6. Cancellation policy-Anglers needing to cancel can get a refund, Once the event has begun, no refunds will be issued.
7. Captains Meeting Participation – Tournament Competitors are required to attend the on-site Captains Meeting or view a recorded “Virtual” Captains Meeting Webcast, as stipulated on TourneyX. Failure to either view a Virtual Captains Meeting or attend an on-site Captains Meeting results in a Competitor’s disqualification from the Event.
8. Anglers must abide by each state’s laws.
Approved water craft
➔ 1. Kayaks
➔ 2. Canoes
➔ 3. Inflatable SUP’s rafts, and other small water craft no wider than 4’ and
approved by TD.
➔ 4. Electric motors are allowed in all competitions. 3 HP Max allowed.
Boundaries and Competition Area
1. Anglers must launch from a public access area on the designated body of water.
2. Anglers must launch within the boundaries set forth by the TD prior to the event. Maps
with these boundaries can be viewed on the website.
3. Anglers must launch no earlier than the time designated by the TD prior to each event.
4. Once launched an angler may paddle/pedal/power/pole as far as they can float the
kayak to, without portaging over dry land or leaving the kayak to traverse a natural obstacle. Anglers may travel as far up a creek as they can legally go, but must return in bounds to take out.
5. Anglers may load up and drive to a new spot, and relaunch at a public access during competition hours.
6. Anglers must remain inside the kayak during competition. Anglers may take breaks and leave the kayak but fishing must cease.
7. Mothershipping is not allowed.
Safety
1. During competition, every Competitor must have all required Coast Guard safety equipment, e.g., light source, whistle or other audible signal device, Coast Guard-approved, chest-type life preserver (PFD). See www.uscgboating.org/.
2. Coast Guard approved PFD must be worn at all times during competition. Competitor assumes responsibility for all consequences of removing his PFD. Competitor may cease competition and remove the PFD while his watercraft is beached, anchored or adrift only if doing so creates no unsafe condition. Competitors must put on and securely fasten the PFD before going underway or resuming competition.
3. Angler’s kayaks must be in compliance with all state and federal law.
4. Use of alcohol or drugs (other than those purchased over the counter or prescribed by a licensed physician) by an Competitor during an Event will not be tolerated and will be cause for automatic disqualification from this and all future tournaments. No alcoholic beverages or other non-prescription stimulants or depressants shall be allowed in watercraft during competition days. Illegal chemical substance addiction or abuse,conviction of a felony or other crimes involving moral turpitude, or other conduct reflection unfavorably upon efforts to promote safety, sportsmanship, fair competition and compliance with tournament rules, shall be grounds for rejecting any application for participation Any disqualification, suspension from , or other disciplinary action regarding any tournament or fishing organization, shall be gourds for rejecting any application for participation in a tournament, and/or disqualification from a tournament, after circumstances are reviewed by the Tournament director.
5. In the event of an emergency call 911
6. Weather
a) Tournaments will not cancel due to foul weather, unless there is a major safety issue. These major issues are lightning, high winds, and tornadoes. The TD will send out word to all competitors via a “push” notification and email in the event of a cancellation or severe weather threat while on the water.
b) Anglers should be aware of the weather forecast and pack the appropriate gear.
c) The Tournament Director has the right to postpone or cancel the start of an
official tournament day because of adverse weather conditions or other factors that would jeopardize Competitors’ safety. Tournament waters may also be restricted at any time because of bad weather.
7. Proper safety lights.
a) All anglers launching before sunrise must have a light that is visible from all directions. A 360 degree pole light is recommended.
b) Electric powered watercraft must have red/green navigation lights on the bow per Coast Guard regulations.
Competitors Conduct-Competitors participating in any event must observe the applicable rules for the Competition and must conduct themselves at all times in a manner that reflects favorably on the sport of kayak fishing, tournaments or sponsors. Competitors are expected to follow high standards of sportsmanship, courtesy, integrity, safety and conservation in the support of the sport of kayak bass fishing, especially when in the vicinity of non-Competitors who may be on or beside Eligible Water. Any Competitor who violates these principles, intentionally violates Competition Rules or regulations (attempts) to commit fraud) or behaves in ways that reflect unfavorably upon the efforts to promote fisheries conservation, clean waters and courtesy, my forfeit tournament winnings, face suspension from future events, be permanently banned from competition, or any combination thereof deemed appropriate.
Disputes and Appeals-If a competitor wishes to dispute a rules violation penalty, a judge’s scoring decision, a Tournament Director’s decision or other action that materially affected the Competitor’s ranking or prize eligibility, he must submit a dispute within 24 hours (one full day) following completion of Event judging. Except for situations involving fraud or other law violation, any disputes submitted after the 24-hour dispute deadline will be reviewed without affecting the outcome of an event. No change in rank or reward will result from disputes submitted after the deadline. Only Competitors in the Event where the disputed action occurred may submit disputes. Disputes must be handled privately. All parties directly involved will be provided a copy of the dispute. A $25 application fee must be paid by the person filing the dispute. If the angler wins the dispute and the panel over turns the ruling, the money will be refunded minus the Paypal fees. The Tournament Director (for judges rulings) or Review Board (for Tournament Director rulings) will review the Competitor’s claims, thoroughly investigate the disputed decision, and issue a ruling.
Waiver forms must be completed before competition (Unless an online competition)
a) By registering for each tournament, the Competitor grants the right to use all
photographs, likenesses, stories, accounts, details of Competitor contributions, exploits interviews, loopers, and information pertinent to the tournament, as well as any video footage, photographs gathered at the the Event, for marketing and promotional purposes. This release is granted without expectation for additional compensation upon submission of Event Registration. These are located on our website at Kayakjak.com
b) Waiver and Release of Liability-As a condition of participation in a Competition, each Competitor agrees to accept the terms and condition of the Waiver and Release of Liability Agreement located on the website. This Agreement absolves officers, staff, and volunteers from responsibility and threat of litigation in the case of injury, loss, or death sustained by a Competitor in the Event. Registrants under the age of 18 must have their waiver/release form signed by the parent or adult guardian. Anglers under age 16 must be accompanied by an adult at all times. Waiver forms must be completed before the event, any infraction could lead to a Disqualification from the event.
Taxes-Competitors are responsible for all applicable taxes on both cash and merchandise awards. Failure to meet those obligations may result in disqualification from all future events and delays in payments. All prize recipients must fill out and submit a substitute IRS W-9 including name, address, social security number, signature and date. These are used to prepare IRS 1099 forms for distribution in January.
Tournament Director is Marty Hughes. Cell #308-883-2526. Email address is kayakjaknebraska@gmail.com