Tournament Rules

Boat Rules

1. Entry Fee: Entry fee is $150.00 per team. The Entry fee will be 100% tax deductible donation to Restore the Delta. $50 of the entry fee will be paid back 100%. There will be multiple 100% paid back option available including Total Weight, Big Fish, and Fly Fishing Total Weight, and Fly Fishing Big Fish. Money is paid back to 1 in 5 spots for Total Weight and top 3 for Big Fish. There are no late fees and you may sign as late as the morning of the tournament, prior to blast-off, and your blast-off number will be assigned on a first-come, first-served basis.

2. Blast-off: Boats will blast off in the order in which they sign up. There will be no waiting for any team. If you are not in the water and in line when your blast-off number is called (three times), you will blast off last. Please make every effort to be in the water 30 minutes prior to blast-off. All live-wells will be checked by a tournament official at the launch ramp, prior to blast-off. Please present your blast-off card to tournament officials for signature, prior to the live well being checked.

3. Fishing Methods: All bass must be caught live in a conventional and sporting manner, using only artificial lures, with the exception of pork trailers. Only one fishing rod may be used at a time by each angler, and no rod over 12 feet in length may be used. Trolling is prohibited.

4. Restrictions: Participants may fish anywhere accessible by boat, except areas designated as “Off Limits” or “No Fishing” by federal, state and local agencies, or within 50 yards of any marina gas pump, or another contestant.

5. Boat Requirements: All boats must be equipped with wheel or tiller steering. No other steering devices will be permitted. Boats must contain a properly aerated or re-circulating live-well space to maintain alive your catch. Life jackets must be worn any time the main gas engine is running.

6. Scoring: Only large mouth, spotted or small mouth bass are accepted species. The tournament limit will be 5 fish per team. The required length for bass will be 13 inches on a flat board. We will swish the tail. When presenting fish to be measured, the contestant may not touch the fish while the tournament official takes the measurement. Any team who possesses more than the tournament limit will lose their biggest fish weight plus 1 lb. Any team, presenting bass at weigh-in, which fail to meet the required length, will be penalized 1 lb., in addition to the loss of the short fish weight. Restore the Delta strongly recommends the use of proven chemical additives designed for live-wells, to insure the health of the fish. No dead fish may be culled out of your catch. A loss of 1/2 lb. will be deducted for each dead fish weighed in. In the case of a tie, positions will be combined and divided equally. The trophies will be awarded by the flip of a coin.

7. Late Penalty: All contestants must check in with the check-in boat located inside the 5 mph buoys at, or prior to, their designated weigh-in time. A loss of 1 lb. per minute late, up to 5 minutes, will be deducted from the total weight. After 5 minutes the team will be disqualified.

8. Protests: All protests must be made in writing, within 15 minutes after the conclusion of the weigh-in.

9. Liability Release: Any contestant fishing the Restore the Delta Benefit Tournament will release Bobby Barrack, Michael Frost, Russo’s Marina, Bass-N-Fly, Sonoma County Belly Boat Bass Club, and Bass-n-Tubes, their owners, officers, agents, employees, sponsors, tournament staff, from any and all damages, claims, demands, costs or expenses relating to injury of any persons or damage to any property, or theft which you may sustain or may be caused by participating in or connection with this or any other Restore the Delta event.

10. Safety: There will be no alcoholic beverages consumed during the tournament in any boat or by any tournament participant. All laws of safe boating must be adhered to, including obeying of 5 mph buoys, designated “no fishing”, and all Federal and California Boating Laws.

Tube / Kickboat / Kayak Rules:

1. All tournament fees are non-refundable.

2. All State/local laws and lake regulations must be adhered to. Any violations will result in disqualification.

3. Anglers under the age of 18 must have signed parental consent.

4. You must be present at the official check-in time to fish any tournament. Participants must also stay within 50 feet of the launch site until the official ‘kick-off’ is signaled. No fishing is allowed until the official ‘kick-off’ is signaled. Club official will call “Official Time” at kick off and all participants will follow this time.

5. All vessels must be man-powered (no motors). All tournament fishing must be conducted from a float tube, kick boat or Kayak. Anglers may not fish outside of their vessel for any reason. Anglers must be floating in their vessels while fishing.

6. All vessels must have a livewell – no stringers or metal fish baskets allowed.

Minimum livewell requirements are:
a. – Kickboats using oars must have an out of the water livewell.
b. – A 350 GPH minimum bilge pump is to be used for refreshing out of water livewells with fresh lake water.
c. – Out of water livewells must use an aerator.
d. – Livewells must be constructed from a minimum 10 gallon container.
e. – Float tubes and kickboats without oars may use mesh style fish baskets that have a full frame to ensure that the bag will not collapse around the fish while moving.

Although not required we STRONGLY recommend the following, at all times, for the well being of the fish.
a. – An insulated ice chest livewell that is 48 quarts or larger.
b. – A 5 inch or larger aerator stone (larger is better, so go with what you can fit)
c. – Doping products (Rejuvenade, Please Release me, etc.)
d. – Ice on very hot days.
e. – Refreshing with lake water, at least 3 times an hour throughout the day for an amount of time that will pump a minimum of 3X the volume of the livewell.

7. No live bait or cut bait.

8. No fishing multiple rods at the same time.

9. No fishing in multiple tournaments on the same day.

10. All official weigh-ins and measurements are performed by appointed club officials.

11. Bass must be 13-inch minimum – open mouth, swing tail, on a ‘Wil-E-Go’ board.

12. Fish must be largemouth, smallmouth or spotted bass.

13. No participant shall have more than 5 fish in their possession at any time, and no culling of fish is allowed within 50 feet of the weigh-in site.

14. Each dead fish weighed in will result in a 1/2-pound penalty.

15. Late weigh-ins will be penalized as follows: 1 lb. penalty for every 5 minutes late, up to 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, you’re disqualified. Participants must be with in 50 feet of weigh-in location by official weigh-in time or they will be considered late. No fishing by any participant will be allowed after the stated official weigh-in time. Any violations will result in disqualification.

16. Bass-n-Tubes is strictly a ‘Catch-and-Release’ organization. Any violation other than DOA’s or trophy bass can result in disqualification and/or permanent club membership removal.

17. Any one participating in a BNT event must have in their possession a valid USCG approved PFD.

18. The use of alcohol and/or non-medical drugs during tournaments is prohibited.

19. All participants are required to have in their possession and ON a “white light” from launch time until 15 minutes after safe light.

20. Bass-n-Tubes is a non-discriminating organization. Any violation can result in disqualification and/or permanent club membership removal.