Tournaments | Bass Regulations
Pike Regulations
1. RULE CHANGES:
The tournament director and/or the tournament committee have the right
to change and/or alter any rules if there is a demonstrated need for
change. The tournament director and committee may impose disciplinary
action if deemed appropriate and in accordance with club bylaws. The
decision of the tournament director and/or the tournament committee will
be final and be in accordance with the club bylaws.
2. PARTICIPANTS AND ELIGIBILITY:
K-W CAMBRIDGE BASSMASTERS tournaments are only open to members in good
standing with the K-W CAMBRIDGE BASSMASTERS and B.A.S.S., who are 16
years of age or older. Proof of age to the satisfaction of the
tournament director is the responsibility of the potential competitor.
3. STOCKING OF PIKE:
Transporting pike for the sole purpose of stocking an area for a future
tournament(s) is ABSOLUTELY PROHIBITED. No pike will be allowed to be
kept in a livewell during the specified practice period or for seven
days prior to the tournament date.
4. TRANSPORTING PIKE:
During tournament hours you can only have in your possession the legal
tournament limit except for the appropriate time required to cull a
fish.
5. PRE-TOURNAMENT PRACTICE:
Absolutely NO pre-fishing after 5 pm on the day before the tournament.
During the five (5) days prior to a tournament, no competitor can
solicit assistance and/or advice of a professional guide or a provincial
wildlife agency employee. During the tournament, a competitor may not
use a CB or VHF radio or cellular phone for the purpose of location or
catching fish.
6. REGISTRATION – TOURNAMENT DAY:
Each competitor must register in person with the K-W CAMBRIDGE
BASSMASTERS tournament officials prior to official competition hours.
Failure to register will result in a TEN (10) inch penalty.
7. SAFETY:
Safe boat conduct must be observed at all times by tournament
competitors. During tournament hours each competitor must wear a
certified PFD (Personal Floatation Device) at any time the main
combustion engine is running. The PFD must be fastened securely at all
times it is required to be worn. Tournament officials have the right to
delay and/or cancel the start of a tournament due to bad weather or
other unforeseen factors. Tournament waters may also be restricted
because of bad weather.
8. SPORTSMANSHIP:
Competitors in K-W CAMBRIDGE BASSMASTERS tournaments are expected to
follow high standards of sportsmanship, courtesy, safety, and
conservation. Use of alcohol and/or illegal substances by any competitor
during official practice or tournament hours is grounds for immediate
disqualification.
9. TACKLE AND EQUIPMENT:
Only artificial lures may be use. No “live bait” or “prepared bait”,
with the exception of pork strips, rinds, etc. Only one rod and reel
combination, (8 feet maximum, butt to tip) may be used at any one time.
Nets and cradles are permitted to be used to land pike. There is no
trolling or down-rigging allowed.
10. HORSEPOWER REGULATIONS:
Maximum horsepower for all motors used in official tournament
competition will not exceed the maximum rating allowed for that boat.
Each boat MUST have a Coast Guard horsepower rating plate attached to
the boat by the manufacturer. The horsepower of the engine must not
exceed this rating plate.
11. BOAT AND MOTOR:
All boats must be equipped with some type of operable ignition kill
switch. This kill switch must be attached to the operator’s body any
time the combustion engine is operating. This includes “tiller-steered”
outboard engines. Only manufacturer-approved gas tanks are allowed to be
used during competition hours. Any competitor that acknowledges that
he/she will be bringing a boat and motor to a tournament is expected to
bring that said boat and motor to the tournament. It shall be the
responsibility of the fishing partners to mutually agree on whose boat
to use and a basis for sharing operation expenses.
12. BASIC BOAT EQUIPMENT:
Every boat must have all required MOT safety equipment. In addition, it
must have a functional bilge pump and/or baling pail and livewell space,
properly aerated to adequately maintain alive a tournament limit of
pike. If this livewell fails to operate prior to tournament blast-off,
that boat will not be allowed to blast-off until repairs to the livewell
are conducted.
13. BOAT OPERATION AND EXPENSES:
A full discussion MUST be held between the two partners prior to the
tournament blast-off. This discussion must deal with boat operation and
afford each partner the opportunity to fish his selected waters an equal
amount of time unless other agreements and/or strategies have been
discussed. The operator of the boat reserves the right to refuse to
travel to locations and/or spots that in situations of bad weather or
the nature of the boat that it would be unsafe to do so. The focus in
these situations is SAFETY. In view of the large expense involved in
operation and towing a tournament boat to, from, and during
competitions, it is required that the non-owner/partner pay 50% (1/2) of
the costs incurred to fish any particular tournament. This includes gas
for boat and tow vehicle, launch fees, and any other costs directly
attributed to the participation in a tournament. FAILURE to pay this
cost will result in disciplinary action in which the said person who
does not pay will not be allowed in any more K-W CAMBRIDGE BASSMASTERS
tournaments until payment is made to the affected party and also meet
the tournament director’s approval. Please Pay Your Share!!!
14. PERMITTED FISHING LOCATIONS:
Tournament waters shall be established by the tournament director and
the tournament committee. This information will be provided to all
participants. There is absolutely no LOCKING to different bodies of
water. Fishing on tournament waters is permitted anywhere except: within
50 yards of any marina gas pumps, 50 yards of another competitors boat,
(if that boat is anchored and the trolling motor is up), and 50 yards of
any provincial, federal, conservation authority and/or commercial nets.
Any waters closed to public fishing, (i.e. sanctuaries, signage posted
by Ministry of Natural Resources) will be closed to all tournament
contestants. Common courtesy should be your guide when fishing around
private boat docks / houses. All angling must be done from the
competitor’s boat.
15. CONTESTANTS:
All competitors must not depart the boat to land fish. Contestants must
leave and return to the official checkpoint by boat unless in case of
emergency. Only boats that return to the official checkpoint via water
will be eligible to be weighed in. One contestant must remain in the
boat at all times in the instances of emergencies, use of facilities,
purchasing fuel and/or due to extreme illness. In the event that the
boat experiences difficulty on the water, one contestant may take the
day’s catch and board another boat to be returned to the weigh-in
location and have their catch weighed and measured.
16.OFFICIAL CHECKPOINT:
The official checkpoint will be determined by the tournament director
and committee. There will be only one checkpoint.
17. TOURNAMENT LIMIT:
The tournament limit for all pike events is THREE (3) PIKE per team
(boat) per day. At no time shall a team (boat) have more than the
tournament limit in their possession except for the appropriate time
required to cull a fish. Any violations in this rule will be grounds for
immediate disqualification.
***SEE BELOW FOR EXCEPTIONS***
18. SIZE LIMITS:
The official size limit for all K-W CAMBRIDGE BASSMASTERS pike
tournaments is SIXTEEN (16) INCHES from the tip of the tail to the tip
of the snout (406 mm). Any fish that does not meet the minimum size
requirement will be disallowed and the angler(s) will be assessed a TEN
(10) INCH penalty (254 mm). This penalty shall be deducted from the
total length of the competitors’ catch. There is no excuse for not
having a ruler!!!
19. SCORING:
Tournament standings, auxiliary awards and winners will be determined by
total length of each competitor’s catch during the competition. This
will be determined by the total length in total inches (i.e. 65 1/4
inches ).
20. DEAD PIKE:
For each legal dead pike presented to weigh-in officials, the competitor
shall be penalized and have TEN (10) INCHES (254 mm) deducted from the
competitor’s daily score. Dead pike are not eligible for big pike.
21. LATE PENALTY:
Competitors who are not at the official check-in area at or before the
appointed time shall be penalized at the rate of ONE ( 1 ) INCH ( 2.54
mm ) per minute, to be deducted from the total creel, up to ten minutes,
after which the entire creel will be disqualified.
22.TIES:
In the event of a tie for first place, the following procedure will be
followed: The teams having tied for first place shall select their
respective longest pike and have that particular fish measured again.
The longest fish shall be declared the winner. If there is still a tie
after this measurement, then the contestants shall measure their second
longest fish. And the same shall apply to the third fish. If there is
still a tie, then the flip of a coin shall determine the winner (two out
of three flips). Ties for lesser positions shall be resolved by the
teams that are tied combining the prize monies and points and dividing
by the amount of teams (golf tournament style). Example: if two teams
tie for second, the money and points for second and third will be added
together and split equally between the two teams.
23. PAIRING OF CONTESTANTS:
Two competitors will be teamed together by a random blind-draw of
boaters and non-boaters. These draws will be held on a night the
Tournament Director of the K-W CAMBRIDGE BASSMASTERS deems as draw
night. These draws will be made at a time pre-determined and announced
by the tournament director on these particular nights. The draws will be
made on a first come / first serve basis. No entries will be accepted
after the official draw time. Only those competitors drawn are eligible
to fish in the tournament. It is the responsibility of both competitors
to show up on time. The tournament director may reassign partners prior
to blast-off, if required. Entries will be accepted right up until draw
time.
24. TOURNAMENT HOURS:
See pike schedule for each tournament for the official tournament hours.
