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2008
Dick Hiley / St. Jude Bass Classic
Benefiting
St. Jude Children’s
I.
RULE CHANGES
The
Following changes have bee made to the 2008 Tournament rules.
III.
TOURNAMENT FORMAT
We
encourage teams to submit their entry forms by
April 1st, 2008
.
Beyond that date applications will be accepted in order until the field is full.
II.
PARTICIPATION AND ELIGIBILITY
A.
Participation as team entry. One member of each team must be 18 years of age.
B.
Each contestant must possess a valid MN or WI fishing license.
C.
The Invitational reserves the right to refuse entry to any team who has been
barred from other Tournaments for rules violations or unsportsmanlike conduct.
Determination will be made by Tournament Director only.
A. Entry Fee: The entry fee for the tournament is $400* per team. This is non-refundable. Applications will be accepted in order until the field is full.
B.
Friday, May 2nd is official practice day. All boats must be on a trailer by
C.
Weigh-in will take place at the Wabasha Ramp. Boxing of bass or moving of fish
from one location to another during pre-tournament practice is prohibited and
will result in immediate disqualification. The Tournament officials will have
the right to board tournament boats, during practice and on the tournament day,
to check livewells, etc.
D. The tournament committee reserves the right to limit the field of entrants.
E.
Payback is over 100 percent of entry fees plus cash and prizes.
The
pre-tournament meeting will be held on
A.
Each competitor must observe safe boating conduct at all times.
B.
Each angler is required to wear a U.S. Coast Guard approved chest-type life
preserver which is fully secured whenever the main combustion engine is running.
C.
All competitors must have an emergency ignition shut-off device securely
attached to the driver’s body whenever the combustion engine is in operation.
D.
All boats must be a minimum of 14-feet in length. Stick steering is not allowed.
No barges or similar cumbersome craft will be permitted. Each boat must have all
required U.S. Coast Guard safety equipment. Boats shall contain a properly
aerated or re-circulating livewell space to maintain a live limit of bass.
E.
Use of and/or possession of alcohol or drugs (other than those prescribed by a
licensed physician, or purchased over the counter), during the Tournament is
prohibited; this includes the time prior to a teams weigh-in. Violation of this
rule may result in disqualification.
F.
The Tournament Director retains the right to delay, cancel or restrict
Tournament Waters in the case of severe weather.
G.
The Tournament Director reserves the right to disallow the use of any boat
and/or motor he deems unsafe, inappropriate, or unsuitable for use in
competition. The Tournament Director’s decision in this matter is final and
may be made at any time.
H.
During practice and during the Tournament, contestants must follow and obey
local ordinances governing the river, including speed limit laws and no wake
zone. Any contestant issued a ticket by a law enforcement agency will be
disqualified.
A.
All contestants 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.
B.
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. Violators of this rule will be disqualified.
C.
The use of mobile communication devices, including, but not limited to, cellular
telephones, marine radios, walkie-talkies, CBs, etc., during tournament hours
are prohibited except in emergency (severe weathers, etc.) or to communicate
with lockmasters.
D.
During the tournament days, anglers may not obtain or receive fishing
information and/or assistance in the catching of fish from a non-competitor.
Competitors may not follow a non-competitor’s boat or allow a non-competitor
to anchor and/or hold spots for competitors. Competitors may not engage in the
practice of paying non-competitors to practice fishing for them. Violation of
this rule or intent of this rule will result in disqualification.
All
contestants using their boat in the Invitational must submit a copy of a “paid
in full” current boating liability policy with a minimum value of $300,000
(waivers and binders will not be accepted). Your insurance form must accompany
the entry form, or your check and entry form will be returned. There are no
exceptions to this rule.
All
bass must be caught live and in a conventional sporting manner. Only artificial
lures may be used with the exception of pork trailers. Only one fishing rod may
be used at a time. Trolling as a method of fishing is prohibited.
A.
B.
All angling 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.
The boat must remain in the tournament waters during the Tournament day.
Contestants must leave and return to the official checkpoint by boat, and must
remain in contact with the boat at all times except in the case of dire
emergency.
C.
The Tournament Director will establish the day two off limit area based on the
tournament release location.
Teams
who fail to arrive at the official check-in location by the time established at
the rules meeting will be held for inspection until all other boats have been
released.
XI.
SCORING
Scoring
shall be determined by the pounds and ounces of each team’s catch during the
Tournament. LARGEMOUTH and SMALLMOUTH BASS will be the only accepted species.
The limit shall be Ten (10), weighing your top Eight (8) bass per team. The
minimum length of the bass shall be Fourteen (14”) inches. Any team who
possesses more than the Tournament limit shall be immediately disqualified. Bass
presented for weigh-in which fail to measure the prescribed length violate
Every
effort must be made to keep the bass alive through the use of a properly aerated
or re-circulated livewell. Four (4) ounces shall be deducted from the total
weight for each dead bass weighed in. Under no circumstances can a fish be
purposely altered.
Contestants
who are not within the municipal harbor mouth at the appointed time shall have
their day’s catch disqualified. All fishing shall cease upon check-in.
In
case of ties, positions will be determined by: 1st tiebreaker – number of fish
alive, 2nd tiebreaker – total number of fish, 3rd tiebreaker – big
fish, and last tiebreaker – coin toss.
A.
Contestants will be responsible for knowing the Invitational rules as well as
state and local rules and regulations, which pertain to the Tournament waters.
B.
All protests must be lodged with the Tournament Director within 30 minutes of
completion of daily weigh-in. Following interviews with concerned parties, a
ruling will be made. The Tournament Director will interpret rules according to
the spirit and intent of the rule and his decision in all disputes is final.
C.
Tournament Director reserves the right to polygraph any contestant. Contestant
agrees to submit to a polygraph when signing the Tournament waiver. Winnings
will be withheld pending results of the test.
D.
In the event rules infractions are brought to the Tournament Director’s
attention at any time,and investigation proves a violation occurred,
disqualification from the tournament could result. Also, cash prizes and awards
must be returned if so requested.