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Official 2014 WSBF Qualifier Rules
Rule Changes:
The following rules of this tournament will remain
unchanged. Interpretation of these rules shall be
left exclusively to the Tournament Director. In the
event of a rule violation, the Tournament Director
may impose sanctions as he deems appropriate,
including, without limitation, disqualification.
Participants & Eligibility:
All entrees must be done in boater non-boater
pairs. Only anglers who are members of
the Washington State Bass Federation and TBF/FLW
National Federation rosters for 2014 are eligible
for the qualifier. All State, National and FLW
dues must be current. The Official Entry Form
must be properly completed, signed, and a check
postmarked no later than April 15th
2014.
Entry Fees:
Entry fees are $330 per angler
which covers the whole series of three (3) two (2)
day tournaments. This breaks down to only $75.00
for each tournament. Late entries will be
assessed an additional $50.00 fee.
All entries must be accompanied by a photocopy of
the angler’s current FLW and Federation membership
cards.
All boaters must also attach proof of valid and
current insurance with a minimum of $300,000
liability.
This insurance must be in effect at the time of the
event.
Option Pots:
Option pots will be $40 each day. Big Fish
Option will be $10 each day. Options pay
back 100%. Option pots may be paid at the event.
Big Stringer Pots will be paid 1 place for each 7
Option Pot entries. Big Fish Option will pay out to
the single Big Fish.
NOTE - For Option Pots,
Boaters will be competing against boaters and
no-boaters against non-boaters. Only for option
money, the state team will still be comprised of the
top 12 finishers overall.
Off Limits Period:
There will be a one day practice period
immediately preceding the first day of the
tournament. The tournament waters will be
OFF-LIMITS to all competitors commencing 4
days prior to the official practice day. During
the official practice, and during the tournament, a
competitor may not have the assistance or advice of
anyone for the purposes of locating or catching
bass, nor enter the tournament waters with a
professional guide, state or federal wildlife agency
employee, or any other person deemed an “expert” on
these tournament waters by the Tournament Director,
unless he is a contestant in the tournament. Each
competitor agrees to report to the Tournament
Director any violation or infraction of these
Tournament Rules. The failure to report violations
or suggestions to violate these Rules, or false
verification of weigh-in forms will be cause for
disqualification. EACH COMPETITOR AGREES TO SUBMIT,
BY HIS SIGNATURE ON THIS DOCUMENT, TO A POLYGRAPH
TEST SHOULD THEY BE ACCUSED OF ANY RULE VIOLATION.
The administration and interpretation of the
polygraph test shall be solely the responsibility of
the Tournament Director and his agents, and shall be
used (or not used) at the discretion of the
Tournament Director. Without limiting the foregoing,
the Tournament Director shall have sole discretion
to select the place at which such polygraph test
shall be administered, the individual who
administers such polygraph test, and the scope of
the questions which may be asked during such test.
The Participant shall be available, at his expense,
at the location selected by the Tournament Director
and shall cooperate in all respects with such
examination if deemed necessary.
Registration:
Each competitor must register in person with
official tournament staff between 5:00 pm and 7:00pm
Friday evening. If an angler is unable to do so
during scheduled registration hours, it is the
contestants responsibility to designate someone to
check them in.
Morning Pre-Flight Check In:
ALL contestants must check in before blast-off with
tournament officials. Failure to do so will result
in the missing anglers team partner being removed
form competition for the day. AND failure to check
in will also result in disqualification from the
event and for the remainder of the year and possibly
for the following years events.
Draw & Drivers Meeting:
The draw will be held at the Driver’s Meeting Friday
evening at 7:30pm and Saturday afternoon as soon as
the days weights are tallied. Boaters and
Non-Boaters will be paired at the drivers meeting
for the following days competition. No pair may be
from the same club. Each contestant must be present
or have someone represent them at the drivers
meetings.
Penalties:
·
If an individual enters, or is entered by their
Club, and does not show up for the tournament the
Club will be fined $50.
·
If a Club does not update its tournament roster (Club
rosters from the first Qualifier are carried over to
each Qualifier as is, unless updated), and/or
there is a no-show, the Club will be fined $50 for
each.
·
If an individual leaves before the final weigh-in
the that individuals Club will be fined $100 and
that individual will be banned from all further
tournaments that year and the following year.
·
A
1 pound per minute late penalty will be imposed for
each minute an angler is late to the official
weigh-in site.
·
A
½ pound will be deducted from any competitor for
each Dead Fish brought to the scales.
·
1
pound will be deducted from any competitor for each
fish that does not measure 12 inches brought to the
scales.
·
Any and all fines will be waived in case of a
documented emergency.
Boat Check:
Boat check will be done each morning on the ramp at
site. Boats must be inspected and tagged by a
tournament official before blast off. Boat check
will consist of live-well check, kill switch, and
required coast guard equipment including fire
extinguisher, life jackets, current flares, and
horn.
Horsepower Regulations:
MAXIMUM HORSEPOWER
FOR ALL OUTBOARD MOTORS USED IN OFFICIAL PRACTICE
AND IN TOURNAMENT COMPETITION WILL
BE 250 HORSEPOWER.
WHERE REQUIRED, EACH BOAT MUST BE EQUIPPED WITH A
U.S. COAST GUARD RATING PLATE, WHICH MUST BE
ATTACHED TO THE BOAT BY THE MANUFACTURER. IN NO CASE
MAY THE HORSEPOWER OF YOUR OUTBOARD EXCEED THE
RATING SPECIFIED ON THE RATING PLATE OR THE
HORSEPOWER LIMIT SET BY TBF. Each competitor agrees
to submit, by their signature on the official entry
form, the boat and motor used in the tournament to
an inspection by factory-trained personal, if there
is any reason to suspect the horsepower is in excess
of the rating. Normal maintenance to increase the
performance of your engine is allowed. 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. Falsifying information on entry
forms or altering the horsepower rating numbers on
the motor or ratings plate also would be cause for
immediate disqualification from WSBF Sanctioned
Events.
BOAT OPERATION AND EXPENSE:
A
full discussion MUST be held between the two anglers
prior to a morning departure as to the schedule of
boat operations.
This schedule MUST permit each partner equal time to
fish from the front of the boat and to operate the
trolling motor, so as to afford each partner the
opportunity to fish his selected waters an equal
number of hours. Distance traveled to fishing
locations must be considered in order not to deprive
either partner fishing time while traveling to and
from fishing waters. If a contestant waives the
above rights, he shall retain the right to select
the fishing waters for one-half the tournament day.
Any contestant who, in the judgment of the
Tournament Director, operates the boat in such a
manner as to unfairly handicap his partner shall be
disqualified.
Boat Control:
Each boater and non-boater will have full control of
the boat for 50% of the tournament period. Control
to be defined as where on the tournament waters the
competitors are fishing. The time of day must be
determined by the contestants before the start of
the tournament.
Tackle and Equipment:
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 (1)
fishing rod (8-foot maximum length from butt of the
handle to rod tip) and reel may be used at any one
time. All other types prohibited. Other rigs as
specified may be in the boat ready to use, however,
only ONE is permitted in use at any given time. All
bass must be caught alive in a conventional and
sporting manner. Anyone guilty of snatching or
snagging visible fish will have their day’s catch
disqualified. When fishing for bass you can see, all
bass must be hooked inside the mouth and must be
verified by your partner before being unhooked
to be counted as a legal fish. No gaffs OR
“GRIPPERS” may be used to land bass nor be permitted
in boat at any time.
Tournament Waters:
shall be established by the Tournament Director for
each tournament. Each competitor must obtain this
information from the WSBF Federation Department.
When anchors are used there are no distance or area
restrictions on other anglers. Competitors are
expected to extend professional courtesy and use
good judgment when entering an area that is being
fished by another angler's). Any water within these
boundaries posted Off-Limits or No Fishing by state
or federal agencies will be OFF-LIMITS. Also,
the live-bass release area established by the
Tournament Director will be OFF LIMITS and
will be announced at the Tournament Briefing. Only
that water open to ALL public fishing will be
considered tournament waters. Any waters closed to
public fishing will be closed to this tournament’s
contestants. All angling must be done from the boat.
Safety:
Safe boat conduct must be observed at all times by
tournament competitors. During the official practice
and the tournament, each competitor is required to
wear a Coast Guard-approved chest-type life
preserver. This preserver must be worn anytime the
combustion engine is operating. This preserver must
be strapped, snapped or zippered securely and
maintained in that condition until the competitor
reaches his fishing location and the combustion
engine is shut off. Violation of this rule shall be
reason for disqualification. Tournament officials
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 because of bad weather.
Contestants Must Remain Together in The Boat:
Contestants must not depart the boat to land fish or
to make the boat more accessible to fishing waters.
Boats must remain in tournament waters during
tournament days. Contestants must leave and return
to official checkpoint by boat. Both competitors
must remain in boat at all times except in case of
dire emergency. In such an emergency, both
competitors may be removed from their boat to: A
BOAT OPERATED BY OTHER COMPETITORS OR A RESCUE BOAT.
Partners must remain together at all times, in sight
of each other and each other's catch under the
conditions cited above, in order for their catch of
that day to be counted. The momentary condition of
being out of sight of each other for a restroom
break is permitted, however ALL FISHING MUST CEASE,
until partners are back together. If a competitor
must violate any of the above conditions (to use a
phone to report an emergency or breakdown) both
competitors must cease fishing at this 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. This applies only to dire emergency
situations. Trailering of boats during tournament
hours is prohibited, except by the direction of the
Tournament Director.
Sportsmanship:
Competitors in WSBF tournaments are expected to
follow high standards of sportsmanship, courtesy,
safety and conservation. Any infraction of these
fundamental sporting principles may be deemed cause
for disqualification. Use of alcohol or drugs (other
than those purchased over the counter or prescribed
by a licensed physician) by any competitor during
the official practice or during the tournament will
not be tolerated and shall be cause for automatic
disqualification from this and all future WSBF
tournaments. 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. Any act of a competitor
which reflects unfavorably upon efforts to promote
fisheries conservation, clean waters, and courtesy
shall be reason for disqualification. All
competitors are bound by the prevailing statutes and
regulations of the various states within which they
fish. No alcoholic beverages or other stimulants or
depressants, prescription or otherwise, shall be
allowed in the boats during the official practice or
competition days or when in the weigh-in area.
Chemical-substance use and or drunkenness shall be
grounds for disqualification.
Ignorance is no excuse!
Read and Know These Rules! |
