ENCROACHMENT -
....A "25 yard rule" is in effect at all times during competition. No contestant's boat may move within 25 yards of another contestant's boat at any time for the purpose of fishing without the consent of all contestants' involved. As a general rule of sportsmanship all anglers should give all others enough room to make a reasonable cast to fish an area. Exception: In the case of fishing docks or piers, no contestant's boat may "tie up," or "protect" more than a single dock at one time regardless of the distance involved.
EQUIPMENT FAILURE OR EMERGENCY -
....In the event of equipment failure or emergency, contestants' boat may be towed to the check-in. If it is necessary to transfer fish to another boat, it must be another contestant's boat. At least one member of the team must accompany the fish to the weigh-in site.
FISHING HOURS AND LATE PENALTY -
....Official fishing hours will be announced prior to the day of each event. Teams late for the morning check-in deadline will have to check-in on the water after the starting field has been released. All teams must check in with the tournament boat. There will be a 1lb./min penalty, up to 15 minutes, assessed to teams who have not checked into the tournament boat at their appointed flight time. No culling of fish in the host marina or weigh-in area. Fish must be 'bagged and tagged' before you approach the weigh-in dock. Catch bags must be SWBA approved and 'self draining'. Nets and 'wet bags' that are presented to the weighmaster will not be weighed.
LIVE FISH -
.....50 lbs. will be deducted from the total bag weight for each dead fish presented for weigh-in, this also means that the .50 lb. penalty will apply to all fish submitted as 'Big Fish'. The tournament director or a designee will make all judgments of fish mortality. No Team shall possess more than five (5) fish at any time except when culling. Both anglers must stop fishing when culling. Culling of dead fish is prohibited and will result in disqualification.
OFF LIMITS TIME PERIOD-
....Off limits time periods in place for all events this year and will be in effect from Monday-Saturday prior to the event, within the designated boundaries. No team may launch or enter into the boundaried area to transit or fish during this time. Infraction of this rule will be considered grounds for disqualification for that event!
SCORING/PAYOUT -
....Scoring will be determined by the total weight of each teams catch. The limit shall be five (5) fish per team. The official minimum length for bass shall be thirteen (13) inches. Bass will be measured lying down, mouth closed / tail fanned, on a FLAT board. Tail may be swung but must remain fanned. Bass presented for weigh-in, which fail to measure the prescribed minimum length limit, shall be removed from the catch and a penalty of one (1) pound will be deducted from the remaining weight. 100 points will be awarded for first place, 99 points for second place and so on. Twenty (20) “Show-up” points will be awarded to each team in attendance. All ties will be broken by the team weighing the heaviest bass at that event. All tournaments are based on a 1 in 5 pay out ratio. Angler of the year ties will be broken by total bag weights for the season.
SEASON FINALE QUALIFICATION-
....The top 25% of the average field, after round 6, will qualify to fish the season finale'. Winning any single event will qualify a team to fish the finale' provided they have fished all six events. A wild card spot shall be awarded to the team weighing the single heaviest bass in the final qualifying event provided that team has fished all six events.
SHARING OF INFORMATION-
....Communication between Teams during tournament hours is strictly prohibited. This includes the use of cellular phones, vhf radios or any other communication devices. Exceptions are allowed in emergency situations.
FISHABLE/ RESTRICTED WATERS-
....All coastal, harbor, and Back Bay waters within the 120' depth line and considered legal to fish by the USCG and local authorities will be deemed legal to fish. All tournament boundaries are contingent upon the implementation of MLPA conservation areas. No fishing will be permitted within 50 yards of any fuel dock. No fishing will be permitted within 300 yards of any oil platform. Casting over a buoy line into restricted/out of bounds waters is prohibited. No team may enter to fish within any posted no entry zones by the US navy, USCG, DFG or local authorities. Fishing within any posted restricted areas will be considered grounds for disqualification for that tournament. . Teams that receive a ticket from law enforcement for any violation will be disqualified from that event.
FISHING LICENSE/ CITATIONS-
....All competing members must possess a current and valid California fishing license. This license must be in possession at all times during competition. Any Team member(s) cited for non-possession of a valid fishing license will automatically receive a Team disqualification for that event.
