2008 I.O.W.A. Tournament Trail Rules

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These rules will remain unchanged. Interpretation of these rules shall be left exclusively to the tournament director. Failure to comply with any rule may result in disqualification. The decision of the tournament director shall be final in all matters. Protests must be made to the director in writing within 30 minutes from the start of the weigh-in.

AGE LIMITS Any person 16 years or under must be a team partner with a parent or legal guardian only. Persons under the age of 18 must have the signature of his/her parent or legal guardian on the entry form.

LATE FEE Entry fees are $240 per tournament when received at I.O.W.A. office no later than the Monday prior to the scheduled qualifying tournament. Entries not meeting this deadline will be subject to a $50 late fee. Entries received at the tournament site  the morning of the event will be subject to a $100 late fee.

TRANSFERS Entry fees may be transferred to another tournament when proper notification is made to I.O.W.A. office one week before the paid-for tournament.

FIELD LIMITS All qualifying events will be limited to 100 teams.

CLOSED PERIODS All contestants must be off the water by 7:00 p.m. the day prior to the tournament. During multiple-day tournaments contestants are not allowed on the water during non-tournament hours except to go directly to another boat ramp, dock or resort.

MANDATORY CHECK-IN All pre-registered teams and teams entering at the tournament location must check-in with the tournament director prior to the tournament between 6:00 and 6:45 a.m. Teams can come by boat or by land. Boats will be thoroughly inspected by the directors during the check-in period. Failure to check-in in person will result in immediate disqualification.

BOAT INSPECTION All teams are subject to inspection during the tournament; patrol boats may come alongside and conduct inspections at any time. No other boats may come in contact with contestant’s boats. No fishing information may be given to contestants during tournament hours by tournament or non-tournament anglers. Tournament staff can place an observer in any boat at any time.

SAFETY Safe boating must be observed at all times. Each contestant is required to wear a USCG approved chest-type life preserver any time the main combustion engine is running above a trolling speed. The preserver must be fastened securely and the safety-stop switch attached until the combustion engine is shut off.

MARINE BAND RADIOS All boats must have a working Marine Band Radio. Radios may be fixed-mount or handheld. Radios should be tuned to channel 69 during the morning take-off and the afternoon weigh-in. (We will have a limited number of hand held radios for use if you do not have one)

WEIGH-IN, CHECK-IN Teams must come to weigh-in by water. Weigh-ins will be at 3:00 p.m. unless otherwise directed by the tournament director. Only one location will be designated as the official weigh-in location. At least one team member must report to the weigh-in and return the number packet even if the team does not have fish to weigh. Teams one to five minutes late will forfeit half their weight. Teams over five minutes late will be disqualified. Boat must be in sight and off plane to be considered on time. Do not leave fish unattended until they are weighed. Director’s decision is final in the weighing and measuring of fish.

SPORTSMANSHIP All contestants are expected to follow high standards of sportsmanship, courtesy, safety and conservation. No alcoholic beverages or drugs other then prescribed are allowed in the boat or at the weigh-in at any time. Drunkenness at any official activity may be grounds for disqualification.

CELL PHONES Cellular phones and CB or marine radios are allowed for emergency use only. Any transmission of fishing information via any communicative device concerning any aspect of fishing is prohibited during tournament hours. The I.O.W.A. can at any time subpoena your cell phone records if a violation is suspected. Anyone found sharing fishing information during tournament hours will be disqualified for the remainder of the season with no refund.

TACKLE AND EQUIPMENT Live bait and artificial lures may be used. All fish must be caught live and in a conventional manner. Contestants must possess applicable state fishing licenses and stamps. Magnifying sight devices such as binoculars or spotting scopes are not allowed in the boat during tournament hours. Official tournament ruler is the JUDGE.

BOAT AND MOTOR All boats entered in the tournament must carry a $100,000 liability policy. Each boat must have all U.S. Coast Guard safety equipment. Main combustion engine may not exceed USCG recommended horsepower. Each boat must also have properly aerated or recirculating livewell space to maintain a healthy tournament limit.

PERMITTED FISHING LOCATIONS Contestants may fish anywhere on the tournament waters accessible by boat except areas designated OFF LIMITS or within 50 feet of another competitor’s boat. This rule may be waived by anglers fishing in close proximity to one another if all parties agree. If one boat is allowed to fish closer than 50 feet, all others must be allowed the same privilege. Contestants must remain in the boat at all times except in the case of dire emergencies. In such an emergency, partners may enter another competitor’s or rescue boat. In case of an emergency/disabled boat, at least one partner may return (by boat) with the catch by the official check-in time.

RULES & BAG LIMITS All rules and regulations concerning each tournament will be issued during the official registration period. Violation of any of the rules and regulations may result in immediate disqualification. Bag limits will vary with each tournament depending on Iowa state law or lake regulations. Walleye, sauger and/or saugeye will be weighed. Weight will be in pounds/tenths/hundredths. Culling of fish is not allowed. Anyone observed culling fish, dead or alive, will be immediately disqualified. Presentation of more fish than the tournament limit will result in immediate disqualification. Dead fish will not be weighed for the big fish prize. Other dead fish will be weighed at the discretion of the tournament director. A one-pound penalty for fish not within the specified
tournament length limits (the fish will not be weighed) and a .25 pound penalty for dead fish will be assessed. Possession of illegal fish may be grounds for disqualification.

POLYGRAPH OR VOICE TESTS Polygraph or voice tests may be given to first place and big fish winners. Other positions may be selected at the discretion of the tournament director. Failure to take or pass the polygraph or voice examination will result in immediate disqualification without recourse. Anyone that has ever refused to take or failed a polygraph in a fishing tournament will not be eligible to fish this tournament. Fees for these tests may be deducted from entry fees.

PARTNER SUBSTITUTION Each team will be allowed one partner substitution during the qualifying events. Either partner may fish a tournament alone at the discretion of the director if his/her partner is unable to make the tournament, but they will only be allowed to weigh one legal limit of fish, or one tournament limit, whichever is less. No substitute may fish with more than one team. Any other combination will constitute a new team. Partner substitutions must be okayed by the director. The director can make hardship exceptions (death, serious illness, etc.) to the substitution rule. Only team members are allowed in the boat during tournament hours.

TIES In case of a tie, positions shall be resolved by combining the awards and dividing them equally among the tied contestants. Trophy positions shall be determined by the flip of a coin. Duplicate points will be awarded the tied competitors. Year-end ties in points will be broken by averaging the place of finish at each event. So, if you fish 4 qualifiers and throw out your worst one and there is a tie, the tie breaker will be the best average of the 4 qualifiers. In the event there is a tie between a team that fishes 3 events and a team that fishes 4 events, the team that fished the 4 events will be awarded the year end award. Should no fish be caught, prizes and money will be given away by random drawing.

POINTS SYSTEM Points will be awarded for place of finish in I.O.W.A. events. The winner will receive one point, second place will receive two points, and so on. Teams not catching fish will all receive additional points based on the percentage of the field that weighs fish: <25%: 4 points; 26%-50%: 6 points; 51%-75%: 8 points; 76%>: 10 points. Team of the Year will be determined by lowest number of points. The total number of points will be based on your Three best finishes. If you fish four qualifiers you will “throw out” your worst finish.

TO QUALIFY FOR CHAMPIONSHIP There will be 4 qualifiers in 2007. If you fish 3 or 4 of the qualifiers you will be invited to the Championship. Entry Fee into the Championship will be $250.00.

THE PAYOUT The payout at each qualifier will be based on an 80% payback, in addition to many other awards and cash prizes. The entry fee for each qualifier is $240 per team. $20 from each entry will go directly to the championship fund.

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