Rules and regulations
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Please take time to read the rules and regulations prior to registration
IMPORTANT: This is a CATCH AND RELEASE tournament!
- TFC reserves the right to refuse participation, to anyone for any reason including, but not limited to, suspension, disqualification or banning from this or other events, criminal behavior, felony convictions, or any unsportsmanlike behavior that would reflect dishonorably on our sport. All contestants must have a valid fishing license, produce it upon request and follow all state and federal regulations for the waters they fish.
- Rules Meeting is mandatory (At least one team member must attend). Check each event fact sheet for exact details. Each contestant should receive an entry verification with dates, time, and location of that meeting. Please follow these directions for each event. If you do not receive this information, it is your responsibility to contact us and gather it. Contestants not present may forfeit their entry fee and not be entered in the tournament. If an angler arrives 15 minutes or more late without approval they will be removed from the event and forfeit all entry fees.
- Participation is open only to those who are 16 years of age or older (If Captioning a Boat). Any person under the age of 18 must also have the signature of a parent or legal guardian on the liability release. Each participant must complete, agree to and submit an official entry form with payment by the due dates. During any “official” tournament days no contestant may use a boat unless they have documented proof of boating liability coverage in reasonable amounts on that particular boat that covers all claims connected with the event. Proof of insurance must be with the boat and/or produced upon request. Random checks may be conducted at events.
- The first 60 properly completed entry forms No refunds once confirmed in Entry fee is $450 for each event, there will be (Final payouts will be announced at the tournament meeting.)
- No refunds once confirmed in. No exceptions. All entries will be based on date/time they were marked complete and paid.
- Payback, Participation & Entry Payback includes cash and prizes and is based in part on the number of paid entries in each event. Awards Participants are responsible for all applicable taxes on all cash and prizes.
- Each entrant must have in his possession a valid South Dakota Fishing License.
- Promoters, tournament directors, and organizations assisting the Tournament operation, their agencies, agents, etc., are not responsible for Death, injuries, damages, liability, theft, fire, or any loss of any kind to entrants. Each entrant, upon signing an entry form will in effect, be signing a waiver form.
- All tournament boats are required to have in their possession all Coast Guard-required safety equipment, including but not limited to approved type III or greater CHEST TYPE personal flotation devices, a type IV throw cushion, fire extinguisher, distress horn/flag/whistle, and display a boat marker (supplied by TFC). Tournament boats are required to have a functioning bilge pump and emergency ignition shutoff device that must be securely attached to the driver anytime the boat is on plane. A driver must be seated behind the steering wheel or at the tiller and in full control of the boat whenever the primary combustion engine is in operation and in gear. In addition, a marine band radio is recommended. Safe boating must be observed at all times. Boat operators are solely responsible for the safe operation of their vessel at all times, and responsible for the safety of any and all passengers. Participants must abide by all local navigation laws and always avoid restricted areas.
- All boats must be propeller-driven and a minimum of 16 feet in length. All boats must be equipped with wheel or tiller steering; no other steering device will be permitted.
- Each contestant is required to wear a fastened U.S. Coast Guard-approved type III or greater chest type personal flotation device anytime the boat is on plane. Each entrant will be required to have a U.S. Coast Guard approved personal flotation device (PFD). It must be worn and fastened any time the boat is on full plane.
- Officials may restrict or alter tournament waters and reserve 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. In the event of lightning, severe weather, limited visibility or any unsafe condition, participants should remove themselves from competition and seek safety or shelter until it is safe to continue. Participants may not leave their boats during tournament hours except in case of emergency.
- At the sole discretion of the tournament director, tournament days or waters may be altered, shortened, or canceled due to unsafe weather or water conditions.
- No alcoholic beverages or marijuana/cannabis products, (“medical” or otherwise) or any mind-altering drugs by any participant during the official event or tournament days I are allowed during tournament hours. Drunkenness by any competitor during the tournament hours will not be tolerated and shall be cause for disqualification.
- All tournament boats must be cleaned of all harmful exotic aquatic species CLEAN, DRAINED and DRY prior to entering the water and upon departure from infected waters.
- All fish must be caught live and in a conventional sporting manner on hook and line. All fishing must be done from a tournament inspected boat.
- Each contestant will be allowed a maximum of two (2) lines in the water at any time. Spare rods and equipment may be carried in the boat.
- CB or marine radios are allowed for emergency use only. Transmitting information over a cell phone or radio concerning any aspect of taking fish during the tournament is prohibited.
- Fishing is permitted on Lake Sharpe, one tank of gas No carrying extra gas. Only Factory install gas tanks are allowed. No extra tanks can be added.
- Contestants may fish anywhere on tournament waters available to the public and accessible by boat, except areas posted or otherwise designated as “off-limits,” “no boats,” “keep out,” or “no fishing” (or similar language or markings intended to restrict public access) by TFC, local, state or federal officials, or within a contestant’s first-marked fishing area. A “marked fishing area” is defined as a 20 yards diameter area around a marker buoy placed by the contestant on the same day of competition. The contestant placing the buoy must remain within the marked area and may leave only to play and land a fish. When limited out or not fishing, the buoy must be picked up. A “marked fishing area” may be navigated through if it restricts access to other fishable waters.
Any contestant has the right to protest another team or contestant. The protest must be filed in writing with the tournament director in person no later than 1/2 hour after close of that fishing day. A $300 protest fee must accompany any protest. A three (3) man protest committee will convene to hear both sides of the issue. Their decision shall be final in all cases. Tournament officials reserve the right to utilize polygraph examinations in determining if prizes will be awarded. The fee will be returned if the protest is found valid. If found invalid the fee will not be returned. Anyone found cheating will be immediately disqualified and the reason for disqualification announced at the weigh-in.
- Tournament fishing hours will be announced at the rules meeting. Boats must be available for pre-start inspection as shown on the weigh-in slip. All boats must be inspected, and tournament weigh-in slips validated before being allowed to leave in the flight.
- The tournament field will be divided into flights according to the number of contestants. Each boat in each flight will go out single file, 15-20 seconds apart. Your number will be called by the lead boat at the starting line, and you must advance at no wake 40 yards past the start boat before going to full throttle.
- Contestants who return later than the assigned flight times as indicated on contestant weigh-in slip or who leave in an earlier flight will be disqualified for that day. No exceptions and no excuses.
- Off-limits, Practice & Competition: Competitors must be paid in full the Friday, before each event to participate. Competitors must be off the water by 3pm the evening before the 1st day of competition. After this time participants are prohibited from fishing or pre-fishing on tournament waters except during designated tournament hours. Participants must stay off tournament waters before and after tournament hours except to navigate to and from the check-in site and launch facilities. If repairs and/or an equipment test-run are needed on the water without a TFC official must give pre-approval before getting on the water for equipment testing.
- Prizes will be based on the most weight of walleyes, sauger, or saugeye caught in the tournament, each boat will be allotted 7 tags per day, and all 7 fish must be tagged properly in the mouth of which 5 of the 7 fish will be weighed. The contestant will be responsible for the selection of the 5 walleyes to be weighed.
- Catch & Release A 1 Pound deduction will be made for each legal fish presented to the bump master for weighing that is determined to be dead. Every boat must have adequate LiveWell space, properly aerated to sufficiently maintain, in a healthy condition a limit catch by competitors using the boat. TFC recommends the use of LiveWell additive and ice, in warmer water months to improve oxygen levels and promote a healthy release of fish into natural habitat. Tournament Officials shall have the sole responsibility for accessing any penalty points or for determining whether aeration and capacity is “proper and adequate.” Minimum Size Limit: 15 Inch. MAXIMUM SIZE LIMIT: Two walleyes per day per boat (2 anglers). Twenty (20) inches or longer.
- Fish will be measured from the top of the mouth to the farthest extension of the tail on a flat surface. STATE LAW: Lake Sharpe -Daily limit may include no more than one walleye/sauger 20 inches or longer (year around)
- Any fish mauled, mashed, frozen, stringered, injected with water or other fluids, containing foreign matter to add weight, or showing extreme loss of gill color may result in disqualification at the discretion of the tournament director.
- In the event of ties, final placing will be determined by the largest weight on the second day.
- It is now illegal to high grade/cull walleye and sauger once they have been placed on a stringer, or in a live well, or other storage container.
- In the event of ties, final placing will be determined by the largest weight on the second day.
- It is now illegal to high grade/cull walleye and sauger once they have been placed on a stringer, or in a live well, or other storage container.
- Must be present at the awards ceremony held after Final days weigh-in to accept any prizes or awards.
- All teams are subject to inspection during the tournament and patrol boats may conduct inspections at any time.
- Each boat MUST be given prior to each day’s start, a LiveWell and SAFETY INSPECTION check by officials, also a boat marker, which MUST remain in or on the boat and turned in during check-in at the end of each day. TFC reserves sole discretion to assign boat numbers in any manner. There shall be one official safety checkpoint for checkout in the morning / check-in in the afternoon. At the time of checkout/check-in all competitors and their boats shall be in full compliance with all rules set forth by officials. At check-in all boats shall identify themselves to the check-in official and proceed immediately to the designated weigh-in area. YOU MUST CHECK-IN EVEN IF YOU DON’T HAVE ANY FISH. Failure to go through boat checkout in the morning or failure to check in at the check-in point in the afternoon will result in disqualification. It is each angler’s responsibility to know what time they are due in. All fishing must cease upon check-in.
- All fish must be tagged properly (in the mouth) when placed in live wells
- All tags must be accounted for each day at weigh-in. Failure to do so will result in disqualification.
- Each team will be issued 7 numbered tags each day.
- Fish found not properly tagged by inspection teams will result in that team disqualification.
- All tags and tag bags for each day must be presented to tournament officials during the weigh-in to register the team weight.
- All questions or problems connected with the rules of this tournament are to be referred to the tournament officials.
- Sportsmanship Participants will conduct themselves in a sportsmanlike, courteous, safe, and ethical manner always maintaining professional demeanor in public and in communication with officials. Any unfavorable conduct, speech, or action by a participant in our efforts to promote sportsmanship, clean waters and conservation can be grounds for disqualification. Each competitor is expected to participate in the marshaling of the field to help maintain the highest integrity of competition. Any incidents observed during tournament hours should be reported to tournament officials for investigation. Any violation of these basic sporting principles may be deemed cause for disqualification. In case of conduct not complying with these standards, TFC shall have the right at its sole discretion to refuse an application to compete, to deny a confirmed application to compete by returning the entry or to disqualify a contestant.
- Contestants are not permitted to fish within (20) yards of another boat at any time. In the interest of good sportsmanship, it is expected competitors will not crowd nor impede each other. No contestant boat may pull up to another contestant boat during tournament hours.
- The use of mobile communication devices, including but not limited to, cell phones, texting, marine radios, walkie-talkies, CBs, etc., during tournament hours is strictly prohibited except in an emergency (severe weather, breakdowns, etc.) or with the tournament officials.
- Patrol and safety boats will pull up and may inspect contestants at any time.
- Disqualifications for any reason will result in forfeiture of entry fee.
- 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 check-in by boat. The boat must remain in the tournament waters during the tournament day.
- The cutting of trees, bushes and/or logs after the start of the pretournament meeting and/or the removal of official local, state or federal barricades at any time to make an area more accessible by boat is strictly prohibited and may result in disqualification from the tournament. The use of cables, ropes, chains or any type of block and tackle system to maneuver a boat into fishing waters is strictly prohibited and will result in disqualification from the tournament.
- In the event of equipment failure or emergency, there are two permitted methods of returning to the check-in: (1) by both anglers remaining in their boat and being towed by water by another contestant or a designated rescue boat. (2) By one angler transferring the clearly marked fish to another boat as described above and proceeding directly to the weigh in. Only under these two conditions will a contestant’s catches be counted. Contestants who elect to return to the check-in by any other means than cited above will forfeit their day’s catch to that point in time of the tournament day. No one in a “tow, ride -in or rescue boat” is allowed to fish until after proceeding directly to weigh in site and all parties communicating directly with tournament officials. Arriving late, because of offering or needing assistance, even with the aid of a rescue boat, as the towed boat or the towing boat is still late, and all late or other penalties will still apply. No exceptions.
- Any contestant returning to the check-in point will be eligible to restart and resume competition under the supervision of the tournament director or his designated tournament official. It is the sole responsibility of contestants to locate the tournament director to request a restart.
- Media Coverage Contestants are required to comply with all requests (including but not limited to: video, still camera, access to boat and access to fishing area) made by TFC film crew for the purpose of gathering media coverage throughout events. Failure to coordinate with and accommodate the TFC film crew needs will result in disqualification of that event.
- Insurance Liability insurance with coverage of not less than $300,000 per occurrence is required of all Boat Captions in TFC tournaments. The Boat Caption is solely responsible for the safe operation of the vessel at all times, and responsible for the safety of any passengers aboard. Said insurance must be issued by a reputable insurer and must cover all injury and/or damage incurred in connection with this Tournament and cover the dates of the event(s). Proof of insurance must be with the boat being used and must cover all passengers in the boat. Random checks will be conducted. Failure to provide proof of insurance when requested by the tournament director may result in disqualification.
- All rules have “loopholes.” It is the intention of the sponsors to provide an honest sportsman-like tournament. In the interest of good sportsmanship, contestants are reminded that the “spirit of the rule” will prevail in all judgment cases.
For emergencies, contact Curt Underhill (605) 350-3845, Cheri Underhill (605) 222-6582, or Nate Munce (605) 280-8197
Rules Meeting:
Contestants must check in at Rules Meeting:
Friday, April 26 — 7:00pm, Check-in starts at 5:30pm
Americinn Fort Pierre
312 Island Dr, Fort Pierre, SD 57532
