Section I.1 Tournament Rules (1.a) Members shall not cheat or be dishonest. Any angler breaking the following rules will be disqualified. (1.b) Members will use artificial baits only--live or cut bait is not allowed. (1.c) Members are restricted to using one rod and reel at a time. Anglers may not have more than one line in the water at a time. (1.d) Only one person per kayak or approved fishing vessel is allowed. (1.e) All fishing regulations under DFG and boating regulations under USCG apply. A current California fishing license must be in possession during the tournament. (1.f) Kayak or approved vessel must be propelled by paddle or peddle drive system, electric motors. (1.g) US Coast Guard approved PFD must be worn at all times while in the kayak or approved fishing vessel. (1.h) Anglers must cast, catch, and land their fish from the kayak or approved fishing vessel while floating (example: anglers may not fish from a beached kayak). (1.i) Members must not go more than 100 yards past the launch location prior to the start of the competition. No fishing during the waiting period. (1.j) Members must stay within the tournament boundaries during the tournament. (1.k) Members must be within 100 yards of the launch site by the check-in time, no fishing allowed after the check-in time. (1.l) A penalty of 1 inch per minute late will be applied to the angler s score. The member is disqualified after 15 minutes past the check-in time. Section I.2 Catch Photo Release (CPR) (2.a) All photos will be judged by two different judges. (2.b) Members will only use Catch Photo Release as means of fish measurement. (2.c) Fish must be at least 12 inches in length, or the minimum legal length for that species and that body of water. (2.d) Accepted species are largemouth bass, spotted bass, and smallmouth bass. (2.e) Fish must be caught, landed, and handled consistent with DFG regulations and released alive and in good condition immediately after the photos have been taken. (2.f) Acceptable measuring boards include the Hawg Trough manufactured by Hagen s (pictured below), a FishStik Version 2 (with Bump Board Arrows and Lock Slide) and the Ketch Co Measuring Board. Measuring boards may be shortened b removing inches from the upper end (opposite the fence) For example, one may cut a measuring board off at the 26 inch mark in order to fit crossways between a watercraft s gunwales. However, it may not be broken, snapped, or cut apart and then reassembled at any point between the two ends. A crack that does not separate the measuring
board into pieces and does not affect the measuring board s accuracy may be repaired and reinforced for use. Violation will (2.g) The picture must show: (2.g.i) Mouth must be fully closed. One inch will be deducted from a fish pictured with an open mouth. (2.g.ii) Fish is laying on side, dorsal fin up, with mouth touching the left side of board. (2.g.iii) No obstructions in the nose or tail of the fish. (2.g.iv) Measurements need to be rounded down to the ¼ mark unless the tail is clearly crossing the line. (2.g.v) Only one hand may be used to hold fish on the board: no ties, bungee cords, bands, etc. (2.g.vi) Fish should not be pictured while hooked by any fishing device such as: a fish grip, game clip, lure, hook, or bait. (2.h) The unique identifier code for the competition will be drawn from a deck of cards the morning of the tournament prior to launch. The identifier, measuring device, and the full length of the fish must be clearly visible for the catch to count towards the score. (2.i) Members will be responsible for submitting their own photo catches using a camera with a viewable screen. (2.j) Members will be responsible to report accurate length of their fish. (2.k) Each member s top three longest fish will be scored. (2.l) The angler with the highest total inches for three fish is the winner. In case of a tie, the anglers biggest fish will break the tie, or second biggest if the first is tied also. Photo Standards Digital photographs of each bass submitted to judges for scoring must meet these criteria: A. Unique Each digital photo submitted by the same Competitor in each Event must be of a different bass. Subsequent digital photos of the same bass submitted by the Competitor in an Event will be denied. B. Legible Each photo must be in sharply focused and clear enough for a judge to: i. Verify the correct Identifier Form and Event ID Code. Inability of the judge to verify will result in denial of photo. ii. Verify the bass condition. Violation will iii. Verify the bass length. Judge will score fish at the greatest length of which he is certain. iv. Verify whether its jaw or lip is in contact with the measuring board fence. Inability of the judge to verify will result in a penalty of 1 inch. C. Centered Camera lens positioned directly over the center of the bass body, which contributes to accurate measurement by judges. Photos taken at a low angle in order obscure an open mouth may be denied or penalized at the Tournament Director s discretion. D. First-generation Each digital photo must be a first-generation image (not a photo or screen-shot of another photo). Violation will E Identifiable Official Yak-A-Bass Identifier Form above, below, or beside that bass (not covering any portion of the bass, unless attached to the Competitor s hand or arm). Neither a hand-drawn form nor an image of the Yak-A-Bass Identifier Form on a smart phone are permissible. Violation will F. Background Competitor s watercraft clearly visible in the photograph. Violation will result in denial of photo.
G. Hand Position. i. Hand or finger(s) may be in contact with the caudal peduncle (fleshy, scaled part of the bass body at the base of the caudal fin) but not touching any portion of the caudal fin (tail fin). Violation will result in a 1-inch deduction in score. II. No portion of a hand or finger may be under the fish s operculum (hard gill flap). Violation will H. Mouth i. Bass lip or jaw must be in contact with measuring board fence (bump board, upright). Violation will Section I.3 Miscellaneous (3.a) The cut-off time and date for any changes to the tournament will be as follows: the tournament directors must notify the competitors no later than 8:00PM on the date two days preceding the tournament date if any changes need to be made. (3.b) The tournament directors will establish the tournament details concerning weigh-in, big fish rules, off-limit rules and other details of each tournament at the club meeting prior to each tournament and announced to the membership at that time. (3.c) Some tournaments or Fish-n-Chills, as determined by a vote of the members may also be designated as technique-specific, such as jigs only, frogs only, etc. (3.d) Tournament results will be posted after the tournament, and the top anglers will act as mentors for the group, providing insight into their winning methods and techniques, and their approach to the day. Sale of Prizes No prizes won participating in Yak-A-Bass Events may be sold on Yak-A-Bass forums or any affiliate Website, Facebook page, or event page for a period of one full year. After one year, challenge prizes may only be sold in Yak-A-Bass Facebook after receiving permission from Yak-A-Bass administration. Violation of this rule will result in ineligibility for all future events and forfeiture of qualification status. Competitor Conduct Competitors participating in any Yak-A-Bass sanctioned event must observe the applicable rules for the specific event in which they are participating and must conduct themselves at all times in a manner that reflects favorably on the sport of kayak bass fishing, Yak-A-Bass, its members, officers or representatives, tournaments or sponsors. Competitors are expected to follow high standards of sportsmanship, courtesy, integrity, safety and conservation in support of the sport of kayak bass fishing, especially when in the vicinity of non-competitors who may be on or beside eligible waters. Any Competitor who violates these principles or behaves in ways the reflect unfavorably up to Yak-A-Bass efforts to promote fisheries conservation, clean waters and courtesy, may forfeit tournament winnings, face suspension from future Yak-A-Bass sanctioned events, be permanently banned from competition, or any combination thereof deemed appropriate by Yak-A-Bass.. Public Comments A. The favorable public reputation of Yak-A-Bass as a sanctioning organization in the sport of kayak bass fishing, the integrity of its officials, and the reputation of its media channels are
valuable assets and tangible benefits for Yak-A-Bass. Accordingly, it is an obligation of Competitors to refrain from comments in public forums and social media or to the news media that unreasonably attack or disparage the integrity of Kayak Bass Fishing tournaments, tournament officials, sponsors, fellow members, fellow Competitors or the Yak-A- Bass organization. Competitors are encouraged to express themselves and have the right to question the rules officials. Responsible expressions of legitimate disagreement with Yak-A- Bass policies are encouraged, as opposed to attacks upon the integrity of the rules or officials. However, public comments that a Competitor knows, or should reasonably know, will harm the reputation of, Yak-A-Bass officials, Yak-A-Bass members or sponsors, may result in disciplinary action. B. Sponsor contributions will not be devalued by disputes or disagreements in public forums or social media platforms. 1. Publicly disputing any judgment decisions by Yak-A-Bass Tournament Directors or judges will result in participants receiving one warning followed by permanent disqualification for repeated offenses. Any public dispute of final rulings, ongoing determination by judges or judging panel is grounds for immediate disqualification from the current event and termination of any eligibility for future events, even if previously qualified. This is not in place to prevent any disputes; it is done to ensure that a fair and unbiased approach is used and the approved challenge and appeals processes are followed in determining the best possible outcome Rule: Added that any portion of a hand under the fish s operculum (hard gill flap) will result in disqualification of the photo No Trolling- defined as dragging, swimming a bait behind your vessel under power by motor, peddle or paddle. Baits need to be worked at all times. Cast and retrieve of artifical baits only. Open launch- Fish pictures must be taken with a cell phone only no cameras as we have no way to upload them to tourney x Photos must be turned in 30 mins after the weigh in time Taxes Competitors are responsible for all applicable taxes on both cash and merchandise awards. Failure to meet those obligations may result in disqualification from all future Yak-A-Bass events. All prize recipients whose cumulative total for the year adds up to $600 or more must fill out and turn in an IRS Form W-9 including name, address, social security number, signature and date. These are used to prepare IRS 1099 forms for distribution in January. PFD Wear Exception If all of the following conditions exist, Competitor may briefly remove his PFD while afloat in order to change, add or remove articles of clothing: i. No fishing lines are in the water; and ii. The watercraft is not underway; and iii. Weather and water conditions permit one to do so safely; and iv. Competitor is over the age of 12.
When finished changing his attire, Competitor must immediately put the PFD back on before resuming navigation, fishing, or any other competition-related activity.