Rules

RedFin BASS TOURNAMENT RULES

1) PARTNERS – Teams consist of two (2) anglers. Single anglers will be allowed to enter. At least one (1) member must be 18 years of age. Each angler must possess a valid South Carolina fishing license.

2) HOLE SITTING – A team having someone who is a competitor or non-competitor sitting on a location for the sole purpose of holding the location for the team will be disqualified.

3) GUIDE – Any angler who has guided ninety (90) or more trips on tournament waters in a twelve (12) month period immediately preceding to the date of the event being entered will not be eligible to enter. Salt water guides are exempt from the guide rule. This rule will be included on the polygraph exam. Both members of a team will be tested. Refusal to take polygraph exam for any reason — health reasons included — will result in disqualification.

4) START TIME – The event will begin at safe daylight and end at 3:00 PM unless weather is a factor. There may be some exceptions. In case of break down or emergency, anglers will be allowed to enter the tournament after blast off.

5) TROLLING OR LONG LINING — Trolling or Long Lining will not be allowed at this event and will result in disqualification. No live bait is allowed. All fish must be caught on rod/reel and artificial bait.

6) LIMITS – This event will have a five (5) bass limit. Length limits will be determined by DNR length rule in effect for the tournament lake. A four (4) ounce penalty will be deducted for each dead fish weighed. The four (4) ounce penalty will not be subtracted from a team’s Big Fish weight, but will be deducted from the teams total weight. A team bringing a short fish to the scales will lose the short fish and their big fish. A team bringing more than five (5) bass to the scales will results in loss of the team’s tournament Big Fish. A team must have a working livewell. All fish must be hooked in the mouth. No SNAGGED hooked fish are allowed to be weighed in and shall be released upon hooking. Once a teams bag has been weighed their cannot be a 2nd weigh for any reason.

7) BLAST-OFF POSITIONS – Blast-off position is determined by order of payment. Any team blasting off out of position will be warned for first offense. Second offense will result in disqualification. LIVEWELL CHECKS will be performed prior to blasting off.

8) OFF LIMITS — The following off limits rules apply: A. Redfin Bass Tournament Rules have no off limits time period. B. Areas of a lake that will be off limits are all areas designated off limits by the state DNR. A team will be disqualified if rule 8B is violated. C. Casting over any skimmer wall or any dam wall is not allowed. D. Any areas that are not accessible by boat are off limits.

9) CULL RULE – Fish must be culled when the five (5) fish limit is reached. Not culling will results in one (1) warning. Second violation will result in disqualification.

10) TIES – Each team will have a Big Fish weighed in order to break a total weight tie. Total weight will break a Big Fish tie.

11) LATE PENALTY – One (1) pound per minute will be deducted from a team’s total weight for each minute the team is late. Returning to the ramp more than fifteen (15) minutes past the designated weigh-in time will result in disqualification.

12) POLYGRAPH – Winners and participants are subject to a polygraph exam. Refusal to take a polygraph for any reason will result in disqualification.

13) ALCOHOL, ILLEGAL DRUGS, & FELONS – No alcohol or illegal drugs may be consumed during tournament hours. Anyone who has been convicted of a felony in the past 7 years from tournament date will not be allowed to enter the event.

14) WEATHER – In the event of heavy fog, lightning, heavy rain, or any other weather-related problems, the Director can postpone or cancel the tournament. In the event of high winds, trailering will be an option. This decision will be made by the Director.

15) CELL PHONE – Cell phones may be used during tournament hours for family, business, and emergency calls. No cell phone discussions pertaining to fishing are allowed during tournament hours.

16) LIFE JACKET & KILL SWITCH – A life jacket/vest for each angler and the boat motor kill switch must be in use while big motor is in operation. You will receive a warning 1st offense for failure to wear life jacket/vest. 2nd offense failure to comply will result in disqualification. Life vests must be Coast Guard approved. Excessive speed and reckless driving will result in disqualification.

17) BOATS – Any boat equipped with a motor exceeding the Coast Guard approved rating for the boat will not be allowed for use in the Redfin event. Jet drive engines are not allowed during both official practice and competition. Boats must be a minimum of 16 feet. A working livewell is required.

18) GAS CAN & JUGS – No gas can be placed on the bank for use in a Redfin event. Gas can not be brought to a team for the sole purpose of enabling the team to advance to other fishing areas or in order to travel back to the weigh-in location. Gas may be obtained from a marina that is available to all participants. One (1) extra gas tank with fittings will be allowed in the boat during tournament hours.

19) ASSISTANCE (Break Down) — If a team receives assistance from a competitor or non-competitor, it must be brought to the Director’s attention for approval. If possible, a phone call should be made to the Director to receive clearance for any help a team receives during tournament hours. If a call cannot be made, the instance must be brought to the Director’s attention before weigh-in. A team member can return to the weigh-in with the team’s catch in another competitor’s boat or non-competitor’s boat. A team member can exit the boat in case of the call of nature, emergency, or to pay for gas. A team member cannot exit the boat in order to advance the boat into a fishing area.

20) PROTESTS – All protests should be made to the Redfin Bass Tournament Director. Protests must be brought to the Redfin Bass Tournament Director’s attention immediately after weigh-in is concluded. Any protest brought at a later time will not be reviewed. All LMFR Benefit Bass Tournament Directors’ decisions are final.

21) BEHAVIOR – The following is unacceptable behavior by competitors in any and all Redfin events that will be cause for penalties or disqualification from future RedFin events. Displays of anger and displeasure for reasons related to fishing competition where members of the public, including other anglers and spectators are present. Abuse whether it’s physical, verbal, threatening, or slandering tournament officials, volunteers, fellow competitors or others connected with Redfin including comments on social media. Offensive or slanderous comments with racial, cultural or sexual overtones regarding event officials, event personal or fellow anglers. Family members of any and all RedFin officials or personal are strictly off limits!

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