2011 Dick Hiley
/ St. Jude Bass Classic
Benefiting St. Jude Children’s
Official Rules and Regulations
I. RULE CHANGES
The Following changes have been
made to the 2010 Tournament rules.
II.A Participation as team entry. At least one (1) partner of each team shall be 21 years of age or older. Those anglers under the age of 18 years must have written consent of parent or guardian.
III. A. Entry Fee: The entry fee
for the tournament is $350 per team if received by April 1st. Beyond April 1,
the fee is $400 per team. This is non-refundable. Entries need to be in the
Tournament Director’s possession no later than Friday
April 22, 2011. Beyond that date
applications will rejected.
II. PARTICIPATION AND ELIGIBILITY
A. Participation as team entry At least one (1) partner of each team shall be 21 years of age or older. Those anglers under the age of 18 years must have written consent of parent or guardian.
B. Each contestant must possess a valid state 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.
III. TOURNAMENT FORMAT
A. Entry Fee: The entry fee for the
tournament is $350 per team if received by April 1st. Beyond April 1, the fee
is $400 per team. This is non-refundable. Entries
must be in the Tournament Director’s possession no later than Friday April 22 , 2011. Beyond that date applications will rejected.
B. Friday, April 29 is official practice day. All boats must be on a trailer by 4:00 pm. NO EXCEPTIONS. The tournament days are Saturday and Sunday, April 30 and May 1
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. Payback is over 100 percent of entry fees plus cash and prizes.
IV. PRE-TOURNAMENT MEETING
The pre-tournament meeting will be held on Friday, April 29, 2011 at Slippery’s in Wabasha. Check-in will be from 4:00 pm to 5:00 pm, with the meeting beginning as close to 5:30 pm as possible. The meeting is mandatory for each team. NO EXCEPTIONS. Flight and boat positions to be determined at this meeting.
V. SAFETY
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.
VI. SPORTSMANSHIP
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.
VII. INSURANCE
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.
VIII. PERMITTED FISHING METHODS
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.
IX. PERMITTED FISHING LOCATIONS
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.
X. OFFICIAL CHECKPOINTS
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 tournament limit shall
be Six (6) bass per team. The minimum length of the bass shall be Fourteen (14”) inches.
Any team who possesses more
than the legal limit or brings more than 6 fish into the
XII. LIVE FISH
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.
XIII. LATE PENALTY
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.
XIV. TIES
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.
XV. RULES AND INTERPRETATIONS
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.
