These rules will remain unchanged for the year 2010. Interpretation of the rules will be left exclusively to the Big Bass Bonanza Tournament Directors. Decisions of a Tournament Director are final in all matters and are not subject to appeal.

 

Participation as Captain is open only to tournament anglers who are 18 years of age or older. Participation as a Partner is open only to tournament anglers who are 16 years of ago or older. All contestants must have in their possession a valid state fishing license. You are allowed 1 sub per team per year and still retain TOC points.

 

50 points will be awarded to the winner of each qualifying tournament, 49 for 2^nd, 48 for 3^rd etc. All anglers who receive weight credit will receive points. Top 10 boats, excluding tournament directors, from the points standing after five qualifying tournaments will advance to the Tournament of Champion (TOC). Ties will be resolved using total weight of all four qualifying tournaments.  You will need to fish all five tournaments to be eligible for Team of the Year Points.

No contestant may be on tournament waters for the purpose of locating Bass or potential fishing waters after 12:00 am Wednesday morning before the tournament. 

 

Safe boating must be observed at all times. Life jackets must be worn any time the gas engine is running. At the discretion of the Tournament Directors, tournament days may be shortened, postponed, or cancelled due to unsafe weather or water conditions. No alcoholic beverages may be consumed during fishing hours.

 

The use of mobile communication devices, including but not limited to, cell phones, marine radios, walkie-talkies, CB’s etc; during tournament hours are prohibited except in an emergency. No contact between competitors is allowed during tournament hours. Tournament Directors phone will be your responsibility to have on hand.

 

All contestants are required to follow high standards of sportsmanship, courtesy and conversation and to conduct themselves in a manner that will be a credit themselves, the Big Bass Bonanza and their sponsors, the sport of fishing, and the efforts to promote the sport. Any unfavorable conduct or action by a contestant, including by not limited to, a citation from a law enforcement officer whether ultimately guilty or not, or failure to comply with any of the official rules for Big Bass Bonanza will be grounds for disqualification for that day. 

 

Competitors must maintain a minimum distance of 50 yards (approximately 8 boat lengths) from another competitor unless you have their permission. You must obey all buoys and signs on the lake. All Minnesota fishing and boating regulations apply.

 

All boats must be a minimum of 16 feet in length with a properly aerated live-well space to maintain a live tournament limit of bass. Each boat must have all required U.S. Coast Guard safety equipment. All tournament boats must be cleaned of all harmful exotic aquatic plants, including milfoil and zebra mussels prior to entering the tournament waters. Live wells may be checked at any time by a Tournament Director.

Bass must be caught in a conventional sporting manner. Only artificial lures may be used, with the exception of pork trailers. All Minnesota fishing regulations apply. Trolling as a method of fishing is prohibited. Landing nets are permitted.

 

Contestants may fish anywhere on tournament waters available to the public and accessible by boat, except areas designated as “off limits” or “no fishing” by local or federal officials or within 50 yards of a competitor’s boat. All fishing 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. 

Contestants must leave and return to the official checkpoint by boat. The boat must remain in the tournament waters during the tournament day. No tournament boat may be loaded on the trailer before the weigh-in except with the permission of a Tournament Director. In the event of equipment failure or emergency, there will be only two permitted methods of returning to the official check-in: 1) by both partners remaining in their boat while being towed by water or 2) by both partners entering the boat of another tournament contestant. Under these two conditions the contestants’ catches may be counted without a penalty, except for late penalties, dead-fish penalties or other penalties pertaining to other tournament rules. Contestants who elect to return to the official check-in by any other means than citied above will forfeit their days catch to that point in time of the tournament day.

Any contestant returning to the check-in point will be eligible to restart and resume competition under the supervision of a Tournament Director. It is the sole responsibility of the contestants to locate the tournament director to request a restart.

There will be an official check-in location in the morning as well as the afternoon designated by an American Flag. It is your responsibility to check-in before and after the tournament. Failure to go through boat check, morning check-in and afternoon check-in will result in a disqualification.

 

Contestants who are not at the official check-in area at the appointed time will be penalized 1 pound per minute deducted from the total weight including any weight to be counted toward a big bass award. Any contestant more than 15 minutes late will loose credit for that day’s weight. 

 

In the event of a thunderstorm, lightning and/or severe weather, contestants may pull into the nearest shoreline until it is safe to continue fishing. Contestants may not leave their boats during tournament hours except at the official weigh-in station or if severe weather forces them ashore.

Every effort must be made to keep bass alive through the use of a properly aerated live-well. Big Bass Bonanza recommends the use of live well additives that promote the healthy return of bass to their natural habitat. A deduction of .25 lbs (four ounces) will be deducted from total -weight for every dead bass presented for weigh-in.

Scoring will be determined by the pounds and ounces of each teams’ combined catch of 8 bass limit for that day. Only largemouth and smallmouth bass are accepted species. The official minimum length limit for bass will be 12” unless Lake Limit is more than 12 inches; at which the lake limit will prevail. You may not have more than 9 fish in your live well and you can not throw back a dead fish. All Minnesota fishing regulations apply. A bass presented for weigh-in that falls to measure the length limit will be penalized 1 pound and the loss of the fish. Each contestant’s catch must be presented in an official weigh-in container. 

Winners will be determined by total weight of fish, then big bass and finally a coin toss.

 

Boats 4 and 8 will be part of the Tournament Rule Committee. If there is a protest or problem, all protests must be done by the prior to the end of the weigh-in

Liability insurance, with coverage in Minnesota, with minimum amounts of $300,000 is required for all boats used in tournaments.

No refunds apply at any time. At the discretion of a Tournament Director, a credit may extend to an angler if a life-threatening emergency situation or death in the family has arisen that has caused the angler to miss a tournament. Credit must carry over to the angler the following years or it is forfeited. Disqualification from a tournament for any reason will result in forfeiture of entry fee.

Participation Agreement: I understand that this is a professional sporting event governed by the rules that have been established by tournament officials. I acknowledge that I have read and understand these rules and that these rules relate tot eh safety of all participants as well as the fair sporting conduct of this event. The Tournament Official(s) shall act as the referee in all disputes and their decision is based on their interpretations of the rules will be final and without legal appeal. I understand there are never refunds for tournament entry fees.

Release of Liability: I acknowledge that I am participating voluntarily in the Big Bass Bonanza Tournament Circuit. I agree to assume all risk of injury, death, damages, theft and loss to personal property, which may result from my participation in the Big Bass Bonanza Circuit. I recognizer that loss of property, injury or death could arise from the fishing and boating activities contemplated by the tournament and the risks normally encountered in open water fishing from a boat may be enhanced by exposure to the elements and other risks inherent in outdoor competition. I warrant that I am in good physical and mental health and am physically capable of withstanding the rigors and requirements of a professional competition.

Photo & Video Release: I understand and agree that any and all photographs, videos or films taken during the course of my participation in the tournament which includes me, my name and/or my boat maybe be used by the tournament organizers.