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Cactus Cup Trail 2023

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Schedule

Rules

1. PARTICIPANTS | ELIGIBILITY

  • A team will consist of one or two anglers per boat; only registered contestants may be in the boat during official tournament hours.
  • A contestant may fish alone as a single person team.
  • Contestants must be 16 years of age
  • In order to qualify for the championship the team must fish 4 of the 6 events. If for some reason both team members can’t fish an event one person can fish solo to keep their points for the season or they can pay the fee for one event only and miss that event to keep eligibility.
  • FishIn48 reserves the right to refuse any tournament entry fees or entry forms for any reason.

2. ENTRY FEES | PAYOUTS

  • Entry fee is $350 per team per tournament and includes Big Bass.
  • There will be a $50 options that for the Red, Blue and Yellow group. Highest weight in each group will win the option money.
  • Payback will be 80% and we will pay 1 in 6 spots
  • Overhead for the event will be taken off the top for staff, trophies and media.
  • All ties will be resolved by Big Fish
  • All winners may be subject to a polygraph exam before the prizes are distributed at each event. Should there be a Polygraph Contestants must pass the polygraph exam at the tournament site to receive prize money and points for the event.
  • 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.
  • Championship payback will be 1 in 7 spots.

  • If paying at the lake the morning of there is a $20 late registration fee. To avoid the fee please register and pay Thursday the week of the event by 6:00 PM

3. REGISTRATION | TOURNAMENT HOURS

  • Registration via PayPal will be available online at www.fishin48.com until midnight before the day of the tournament.
  • Cash is always welcomed for morning of registration
  • On-site registration will begin at 5:00 am the morning of the event.
  • Each team must register in person at the designated site; a completed and signed entry form must be received before the start of each competition day.
  • Contestants will draw flight numbers at registration and must leave from the official check point location in numbered order.
  • Tournament hours are safe light to 3:00 pm unless otherwise noted.
  • 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 – A-rigs will be allowed

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

  • All FishIn48 regular season events have a 4 day off limits period, which consists of the Monday-Thursday prior to the tournament. Official practice will be Friday the day before the event
  • Must be off water by 5pm on official practice day
  • No contestant may be on designated tournament waters for any reason during the official off limits period.
  • No contestant may launch their boats before 4:00am on tournament day.
  • No fishing information may be purchased, bartered or solicited from any person who entered official tournament waters during the established off limits period.
  • If either partner enters tournament waters during the official four day off limits period, that team will be ineligible for that event.
  • 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.
  • Marina Slips will be off limits
  • During the official practice day no FishIn48 competitors are allowed to be in a boat with non-competitors for any reason unless its an immediate family member
  • All tournament rules apply to practice day with the exception of life jackets
  • Protests must be submitted in writing at the event with in one hour of the scales closing

6. SCORING

  • Each team’s weight will be measured in pounds and ounces.
  • The highest weight will be declared 1st place and receive points equal to the total number of teams that fished the given event.
  • Each descending weight will receive (1) point less than the previous weight. All teams that do not weigh fish will receive (10) points less than the last team that weighs fish.
  • If a team is disqualified for any reason they will receive (0) points for that tournament, BUT WILL RECEIVE CREDIT FOR FISHING THE TOURNAMENT. The team that accumulates the greatest amount of points for the entire season will be declared “Anglers of the Year”. The AOY will receive comp’d entry fees the following season.

7. LIVE FISH | WEIGH-IN

  • A limit of five bass (Largemouth, Smallmouth ) may be weighed in per team.
  • No team 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 fish.
  • All fish must be a minimum of 13 inches; short fish presented for weigh-in will result in the loss of that particular fish. There will be a (.5) pound fish care penalty for each dead bass presented for weigh-in.
  • YOU MUST TAG YOUR BIG FISH TO WEIGH A BIG FISH or it will not count towards Big Fish
  • Culling of dead bass is prohibited.
  • Dead fish will not be eligible for Big Bass
  • Weigh-in will be back at the official check point location 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 fish
  • If weighing in early, a team can only have up to the culling limit for the remainder of the tournament.
  • The remaining culling limit is decreased by the number of fish weighed in early. Any team checking in after their appointed time will be assessed a (1) pound per minute penalty from their total weight including any weight to be counted toward a Big Bass award.
  • Any team more than 15 minutes late will forfeit that day’s catch.
  • Scales will close 30 minutes after the last flight is due in unless otherwise noted by a Tournament Director.

8. SPORTSMANSHIP | SAFETY

  • All contestants are required to follow high standards of sportsmanship, courtesy, safety and conservation.
  • Safe boating must be observed at all times.
  • Each contestant is required to wear a fastened (fully zipped and/or all clips fastened) U.S. Coast Guard approved personal flotation device any time the 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 that would endanger the safety of the competitors at the Tournament Director’s sole and absolute discretion.
  • In case of inclement weather it will be the contestant’s decision to stay and fish or seek shelter/leave.
  • Once tournament fees are paid and the tournament has begun there will be no refunds for any reason.

9. INSURANCE

During any official competition days of any FishIn48 event, no contestant may operate a boat unless that contestant has documented proof of insurance that show date of coverage for the event with a minimum $250,000 boating liability coverage on that particular watercraft. Random checks will be conducted.

10. MEDIA DISCLAIMER

FishIn48, has the irrevocable right and permission to use photographs and/or video recordings of tournament anglers on www.fishin48.com, Facebook, Instagram, Youtube.com and other websites, as well as in publications, promotional flyers, 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 FishIn48. Tournament anglers hereby release, acquit and forever discharge FishIn48, 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.

Registration

Registration Closed

  • Team Entry Fee - $370

    Entry fee is $370 and $20 from each boat will go into the Championship Fund at each event. Payment can be made to either of the following payment methods:
    Zelle - [email protected]
    Venmo - @nick-teschler
    Add $50 for red/yellow/blue option
    Alternatively you can pay with cash at the lake.
  • By filling out these fields you will be added to our email list to provide updates to tournaments and guided fishing trips.

Sponsors

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