RULES

1. PARTICIPANTS | ELIGIBILITY

• • All contestants regardless of age who register and pay entry fees may participate.
  • Only registered contestants may be in the boat during official tournament hours.
  • This is a Big Bass tournament, contestants fish as a single person not as a team.
  • You may have as many contestants in one boat as permitted by the maximum occupancy and weight rating of the vessel.
  • Wakepoint Lunker Series reserves the right to refuse any contestant or tournament entry fees or entry forms for any reason.

2. ENTRY FEES | PAYOUTS

• • Entry fee is $125 per angler per tournament regardless of age.
  • First place at each hour will be $1,000 based on a minimum or 100 entries.
  • Second place for each hour will be $500 based on a minimum or 100 entries.
  • Overall Big Bass will payout $2500 based on a minimum or 100 entries.
  • All ties will be resolved by a Big Bass Fish Off. The Big Bass Fish Off will consist of each angler given 1 hour to produce their biggest catch. No minimum weight required.
  • All winners will be subject to a polygraph exam before the prizes are distributed at each event. Contestants must pass the polygraph exam at the tournament site to receive prize money. The Tournament Director reserves the rights to waive any violation of these rules that are disclosed to him before the polygraph exam, in his sole and absolute discretion.

3. REGISTRATION | TOURNAMENT HOURS

• • Registration via PayPal will be available online at www.wakepointlbj.com until midnight before the day of the tournament. In store entries ( Wakepoint LBJ ) will be accepted until the day before the event. Cash is always welcomed.
  • On-site registration will begin at 5:00 am the morning of the event at Wakepoint LBJ; a completed and signed entry form must be received before the start of each tournament.
  • This is a Trailing event. Contestants may launch their boat from any ramp on LBJ no earlier than 6:30 A.M. the morning of the tournament, but must not have a line in the water until the official start time of 7:30 A.M..
  • In the event of severe weather, the tournament may be canceled at any time.
  • Official tournament hours are 7:00 A.M. to 2:30 P.M. with all lines out of the water by 2:30P.M. unless otherwise noted.
  • Hourly weigh-ins will be as follows:
    • 7 A.M. – 8:30 A.M. ( first hour )
    • 8:30 A.M. – 10 A.M. ( second hour )
    • 10 A.M. – 11:30 P.M. ( third hour )
    • 11:30 P.M. – 1 P.M. ( fourth hour )1 P.M. – 2:30 P.M. ( fifth hour )

• • It is the angler’s responsibility to get the official time from the Tournament Director.

4. PERMITTED FISHING METHODS

• • Only artificial baits may be used. No live or cut bait is permitted (pork baits are permitted).
  • All bass must be caught alive in a legal and sporting manner. No snagging.
  • Each contestant may only use 1 rod at a time. No more than 1 line in the water at a time per angler.
  • All fishing must be conducted from the boat. At no time may a contestant leave the boat to land a fish.
  • Trolling with the combustion motor is not permitted.

5. OFF LIMITS

• • There is 48 Hour off limits period. No contestant may be on fishing water during the 48 Hours prior to the day of the tournament. Off limits for this tournament starts at 6:30 A.M on October 27th.
  • No contestant may launch their boats before 6:30 A.M. on tournament day.
  • Contestants may fish anywhere on tournament waters accessible by boat, except areas designated as “off limits” or “no fishing” by state or federal officials, or within 50 yards of a competitor’s boat which was first anchored (an anchored boat is a boat held in a stable position by a line attached to a weight with the trolling motor in the up position), or within 25 yards of a non-anchored competitor’s boat unless otherwise agreed upon by the other tournament angler.

6. SCORING

• • Each contestants weight will be measured in pounds and hundredths of ounces. The highest weight over 5lbs will be declared 1st place per weigh-in period and 1 overall.
  • If a contestant is disqualified for any reason they will forfeit any prize for the event.

7. LIVE FISH | WEIGH-IN

• • A limit of five bass Largemouth Bass may be weighed in per contestant.
  • There is a minimum of 5lbs for this Big Bass Tournament. Each bass to be weighed in must be at least 5 lbs.
  • No contestant may have more than the tournament limit (5 bass) in the live well at any time during the tournament except during the short time frame of culling a bass.
  • Each time a contestant weighs in a bass, their weighed in fish will be released back into the waters and that contestants culling limit in the live well during tournament hours will be reduced by one for each weighed in bass. A contestant can only have up to the culling limit for the remainder of the tournament.
  • Culling of dead bass is prohibited.
  • Dead fish WILL NOT be eligible for Big Bass.
  • Weigh-in will be at Wakepoint LBJ according to the appointed time. All contestants must check in with a Tournament Director prior to weighing fish.
  • The scales will be open during tournament hours for the purpose of weighing big bass.
  • Scales will close at exactly 2:35 P.M. unless otherwise noted by a Tournament Director. All bass that are not weighed in by the closing time of the scales are disqualified from the tournament and are not eligible for a prize. Contestants must be in line for weigh-in no later than 2:30 P.M.

8. SPORTSMANSHIP | SAFETY

• • All contestants are required to follow high standards of sportsmanship, courtesy, safety andconservation.
  • Safe boating must be observed at all times. Each contestant is required to wear a fastened (fullyzipped and/or all clips fastened) U.S. Coast Guard approved personal flotation device any timethe boat is above idle. All boats must be equipped with an emergency ignition shut-off device,which must be securely attached to the driver’s body any time the boat is above idle.
  • Tournament hours may be shortened or canceled due to unsafe weather or any conditions thatwould endanger the safety of the competitors at the Tournament Director’s sole and absolutediscretion.
  • In case of inclement weather it will be the contestant’s decision to stay and fish or seekshelter/leave. Once tournament fees are paid and the tournament has begun there will be norefunds for any reason.
  • Mobile communication devices are encouraged for safety reasons but their use is prohibitedduring tournament hours for the purposes of finding or locating fish.
  • Consumption of alcohol or any non-prescribed drug is prohibited during tournament hours.
  • All boat operators must comply with the laws of the State of Texas, for a complete list of TexasPWC Operation Laws please visit: http://tpwd.texas.gov/fishboat/boat/laws/pwc/.

9. MEDIA DISCLAIMER
Wakepoint LBJ, has the irrevocable right and permission to use photographs and/or video recordings of tournament anglers on wakepointlbj.com, facebook.com, youtube.com and other websites, as well as in publications, promotional flyers, in store, or for any other similar purpose without compensation.

Photographs and/or video recordings of anglers may be placed on the Internet. Anglers may be identified by name and/or title in printed, Internet or broadcast information that might accompany the photographs and/or video recordings. All anglers waive the right to approve the final product. All such portraits, pictures, photographs, video and audio recordings, and any reproductions thereof, and all plates, negatives, recording tape and digital files are and shall remain the property of Wakepoint LBJ.

Tournament anglers hereby release, acquit and forever discharge TTZ, its owner and employees from any and all claims, demands, rights, promises, damages and liabilities arising out of or in connection with the use or distribution of said photographs and/or video recordings, including but not limited to any claims for invasion of privacy, appropriation of likeness or defamation.

*All contestants may be subject to a polygraph exam before the prizes are distributed at each event.Contestants must pass the polygraph exam at the tournament site to receive prize money, awards andpoints for the event. The Tournament Director reserves the rights to waive any violation of these rulesthat are disclosed to him before the polygraph exam, in his sole and absolute discretion.

* Protests must be made in writing within 10 minutes of the official closing of the scales at each tournament.

* Decisions of the Tournament Director are final and are not subject to appeal. Interpretation of these rules will be left exclusively to the Tournament Director.

* All participants expressly assume all risk(s) associated with each tournament event and hereby release, indemnify and hold harmless Wakepoint LBJ, the host, all sponsors and Tournament Directors from all claims or injury and/or damage arising out of, or related to and/or incurred in connection with any Wakepoint LBJ sponsored event(s).