OFFICIAL TOURNAMENT RULES
OF TBF OF MONTANA
Revised 12-05-11

OFFICIAL TOURNAMENT RULES OF TBF OF MONTANA
These rules and safety regulations shall apply to all sanctioned TBF of Montana, herein after (TBF) tournaments and shall remain in effect until changed by the Tournament Committee and approved by the membership of TBF. Interpretation and enforcement of these rules shall be left exclusively to the Tournament Director. In the event of a rules violation, the Tournament Director may impose such sanctions, as deemed appropriate including, without limitation, disqualification, forfeiture of prizes and prohibition from participation in subsequent tournaments. The decision of the Tournament Director and TBF Tournament Committee shall be final in all matters.

1   PARTICIPATION AND ELIGIBILITY: Participation in TBF tournaments is open to everyone who is 16 years of age and older. Only FLW/TBF members in good standing may enter to fish for State Team Points to qualify for the Montana State Team. Proof of age to the satisfaction of Tournament officials is the responsibility of the competitor. All participants must have in their possession, a valid fishing license covering the waters to be fished. During the official practice and competition days of any TBF no contestant may operate a boat unless that contestant has documented proof of an insurance policy in force, that cover  the event date with a minimum of $300,000 boating liability coverage on that particular boat. Proof of insurance must be with the boat being used and must cover the competitor using that boat. Each policy must show no contestant may operate a boat unless that contestant has documented proof of an insurance policy in force, that $300,000.00 liability and a valid expiration date. Note: Statements of “No fixed expiration date” are NOT acceptable. Any candidate for competition who, in the judgment of Tournament officials, is handicapped in such a manner as to unfairly hinder their partner or endanger the safety and well being of their partner or their self shall not be eligible. PROPERLY COMPLETED AND SIGNED OFFICIAL ENTRY FORMS MUST BE RECEIVED BY TBF BEFORE THE DRAW FOR PARTNERS AT 7:00 PM ON FRIDAY BEFORE THE TOURNAMENT START DATE UNLESS PRIOR ARRANGEMENTS ARE MADE WITH THE TOURNAMENT DIRECTOR. Competitors may obtain entry forms on the TBF website or copies will be available at the registration meeting. Each competitor must register in person at the time and place prescribed on the entry form. FAILURE TO REGISTER IN PERSON DURING THE PERSCRIBED TIMES SHALL RESULT IN A ONE POUND PENALTY DEDUCTED FROM THE TOTAL CATCH. NO EXCEPTIONS. It shall be each competitor’s responsibility to check their entry form for time and location of registration or obtain this information from a TBF tournament official.

2   SPORTSMANSHIP: Competitors in any TBF tournament are expected to follow the very highest standards of sportsmanship, courtesy, safety and conservation. Any violations of these basic sporting principles may be deemed cause for disqualification. Use of alcohol or drugs (other than those purchased otc or those prescribed by a physician) by any competitor during the official practice day, tournament day or during the weigh-in will not be tolerated and shall be cause for automatic disqualification from the tournament and all future TBF tournaments. No alcoholic beverages or other stimulants or depressants, prescription or otherwise, shall be allowed in a competitor’s boat during official practice or in on competition days. Maximum courtesy must be practiced at all times, especially with regards to boating and angling the vicinity of non-competitors who may be on tournament waters. Any act of any competitor which reflects unfavorably upon efforts to promote fisheries conservation, clean waters, and courtesy shall be reason for disqualification.                                                       

3   SAFETY: Safe boat conduct must be observed at all times by tournament competitors. During the official practice and during the tournament, each competitor is required to wear a Coast Guard approved, Type III, life preserver. This preserver must be worn anytime the combustion engine is operating. This preserver must be snapped, strapped or zipped securely and maintained in that condition until the competitors reach their fishing site and the combustion engine is shut off. Violation of this rule shall be reason for disqualification.  All boats must be equipped with some type of operable ignition kill switch device. This device must be attached to the driver’s body any time the combustion engine is operating. Any time the combustion engine is operating and in gear, there must be a driver in the driver’s seat in full control of the boat. Every boat must have all the required Coast Guard safety equipment. 

4   BOAT AND MOTOR: Maximum horsepower for all outboard motors used in TBF tournament competition will be 250 Horsepower and minimum horsepower shall be 40 horsepower. In no case, shall the horsepower of the motor exceed the horsepower rating listed on the US Coast Guard rating plate of the boat or the horsepower limit set by TBF. Fishing boats may be used that are 17 feet in length or longer. Boats must be equipped with a divided, properly aerated live well capable of maintaining, in a healthy condition, a limit catch by both competitors using the boat. TBF recommends the use of live well additives and ice, during the summer months, to cool live well water and improve oxygen levels to promote the healthy release of all fish to their natural habitat. An electric motor may be used for slow maneuvering. However, trolling (moving the bait by either gas or electric motor) as a method of fishing is prohibited. Partners should have a full discussion as to a schedule of boat operation.  This schedule MUST permit each partner an equal time to fish from the front of the boat and to operate the trolling motor so as to afford each partner equal time on their water. If a contestant waives this right, he shall retain the right to select the fishing waters for one-half of the tournament day. Any contestant who, in the judgment of the Tournament Director, operates the boat in such a manner as to unfairly handicap his partner shall be disqualified. Competitors shall wash their boats, including live wells and trailers, before launching at tournament site unless the tournament waters were the last water your boat was in.

5   FISHING LOCATIONS: Tournament waters shall be established by the Tournament Director and will be announced at the Tournament briefing. Fishing on tournament waters is permitted anywhere except water within the tournament boundaries posted “off limits or no fishing” by State or Federal agencies which will be OFF-LIMITS. Also, there will be no fishing within 50 yards of any gasoline pumping station or the live-bass release area established by the Tournament Director and announced at the briefing. Only that water open to ALL public fishing will be considered tournament waters. Any waters closed to public fishing will be closed to tournament contestants. All angling must be done from the boat. Boats must remain in tournament water on tournament days. Contestants must leave and return to official check point by boat. Both contestants must remain in the boat at all times except in cases of dire emergency. The momentary condition of being out of the boat for a bathroom break is permitted. In case of a mechanical breakdown, contestants may hail a passing boat for assistance. Contestants may assist with breakdown and/or switch non-boaters and bring in both tournament banners for check-in. Once non-boaters have been switched for this purpose, no contestant from either boat may fish. Assisting boater must wait until his partner returns with the assisted boat to check-in before weighing in any fish.  No contestant’s boat may move within 25 yards of another contestant’s boat at any time for the purpose of fishing without the consent of all contestants involved. A boat moving from one area to another may infringe upon this zone as long as the contestants that are moving do not fish and do not intentionally disrupt the area with the combustion engine In the case of fishing docks and piers, no contestant’s boat may “tie up” or otherwise “protect” more than a single dock at one time regardless of the distance involved.

6   TACKLE AND GENERAL FISHING RULES: Only artificial lures may be used. No “live bait” or “prepared bait” will be permitted, with the exception of pork rinds, strips, etc. Only one (1) fishing rod (8 foot maximum length as measured from the butt of the handle to rod tip.) and reel may be used at any one time. All other types prohibited. Other rigs as specified may be in the boat ready to use, however, only ONE is permitted in use at any given time. All Bass must be caught in a conventional and sporting manner. Anyone guilty of snatching or snagging of visible fish will have their day’s catch disqualified. When sight fishing for visible fish, all fish must be hooked inside the mouth and must be verified by your partner before being unhooked to be counted as a legal fish. Dip nets are allowed for landing fish. Dip nets must not exceed 6 foot in length. No gaffs or grippers may be used to land Bass nor will they be permitted in the boat at any time. Contestants will make every effort to keep all fish alive through the use of a properly aerated live well and the use of additives as discussed in “Rule 4” above. For each legal dead fish presented to weigh-in officials, the competitor will be penalized .25 pounds of weight to be deducted from their total weight for the day. Tournament officials will make all judgments as to fish mortality. Culling of dead fish is prohibited and will result in disqualification. NO EXCEPTIONS. An official checkpoint for tournament check out/in will be designated at the tournament briefing. Also at the briefing, a drawing will be held to pair up boaters and non-boaters for the tournament day. Whenever possible, two contestants will be assigned to each boat.  In the event of excess boaters, following the last non-boater draw, the remaining boaters will be drawn for boat number only. If there are persons at the tournament who are not competitors, but that would like to fish, these persons will be drawn as observers and assigned to the boats that did not draw a non-boater. After the observer pool is exhausted, the remaining boats that are without non-boaters may both pair up and fish together or they may elect to fish alone. In the event of an excess of non-boaters, following the last boater draw, all of the boat numbers will be placed back in the draw bucket and the remaining non-boaters will draw from the bucket until all have drawn a boat number. If any of the boats drawn will not accommodate three persons, then that person will be allowed to re-draw.

7   FISHING HOURS AND LATE PENALTY: Official fishing hours will be announced at the tournament briefing prior to the event. It shall be the responsibility of each partner to appear at a mutually agreed upon location with sufficient time remaining to check out at the official checkpoint and start on time. Tournament officials shall have no responsibility for finding missing partners. The Tournament Director, at his sole discretion, may reassign partners prior to the morning take off. If non-boater is late for start, the boater may start alone, or with an approved fill-in, on schedule. If the boater is late for start, every effort will be made to get the non-boater out on time in another competitor’s boat or an approved fill-in boat. Competitors who are not in the official checkpoint area at the appointed time shall be penalized at the rate of 4 ounces per minute to be deducted from the total weight of their catch that day and from the weight of any “Big Fish Award”. Any competitor more than fifteen (15) minutes late shall lose all credit for that days catch. There shall be no excuse for tardiness and in no case shall a competitor be allowed to make up “lost time”. After proper recognition at the check-in point, competitors will be allowed ample time to proceed to the weigh-in site; however, all fishing must stop upon check-in.

8   SCORING: Scoring and competitor standings will be determined by the total weight of the competitor’s “legal” Bass. Competitors may bring to the weigh-in no more than 5 legal Bass consisting of largemouth and/or smallmouth species. It is the responsibility of each competitor to bring to the weigh-in his or her best legal limit. Minimum length for a legal Bass shall be twelve (12) inches. Bass will be measured lying down, mouth open, tail fanned on a flat measuring rule. If a competitor brings in a fish that fails to measure to the legal length of twelve (12) inches, that fish will be removed from the competitor’s bag and a one (1) pound penalty will be assessed against his remaining weight. If a competitor brings in a bag of more than a legal limit of five (5) Bass, the catch will be culled, starting with the largest Bass, down to a five (5) fish legal limit and a one (1) pound penalty will be assessed against the remaining limit.  All Bass will be released alive at the live release area designated by the Tournament Director at the tournament briefing. As previously stated in Rule Six (6) above, any competitor who brings in a dead Bass to weigh-in will be penalized four (4) ounces of weight deducted from his total weight for the day. Tournament officials will make all judgments as to fish mortality. Ties for first (1st) place will be broken by the weight of each competitor’s big fish. (It is the responsibility of each competitor to make sure that tournament officials weigh his /her biggest fish.) If a tie still exists, then by the total of live fish brought to the weigh-in, and if still tied, then a fish-off to be determined by the Tournament Committee. 

9   AOY AND STATE TEAM QUALIFYING: Two 2 day draw tournaments, one on the West side of Montana and one on the East side of Montana. The top 4 Montana TBF members from each tournament shall qualify to fish for the 12 member Montana State Team. The top four spots are allocated to those members fishing for points, money, or money and points. The top 2 shall be boaters the next 2 shall be co-anglers from each tournament. The four remaining slots shall be filled by points accumulated by those competing in both tournaments which shall be called Trail Points. This will make up the 12 person Montana State Team. There will be 8 from individual tournaments and 4 from the accumulation of Trail Points. If a top four participant wishes to forfeit their state team qualifying position, or did not choose to fish for points, the remaining opening shall be filled through trail points. After team members have been determined, all alternates will be placed by using Trail Points. Angler of the year shall be determined by the total of Trail Points; all ties will be broken by biggest fish. If a contestant qualifies to make the team as a boater or non-boater he/she may lock into this position or may opt to compete in the second tournament to improve position and/or compete for angler of the year points.  If the contestant chooses to compete in the second tournament and does not do as well, they will not loose the position earned from the first tournament. If the contestant chooses to compete in the second tournament and increases their position with trail points, the opening created by forfeiting their top four finish at the previous tournament will be filled by trail points. Trail points are as follows: 1st place 100 points, 2nd place 99 points, 3rd place 98 points, etc.  All MTTBF members are welcome to fish both tournaments but are only required to fish one to qualify for the team. Any TBF member who wishes to receive State Team points, and for reasons beyond their control, are unable to attend the tournament/s, will receive points equal to ten (10) less than the last place finisher at the tournament provided that person’s registration is valid and paid in full.  This will be considered a “buy-in” for Team points and will be charged a $100.00 entry fee. This fee must be paid no later than 1 week prior to the tournament date.

10   ENFORCEMENT OF THE RULES: Interpretation and enforcement of these rules shall be left exclusively to the Tournament Committee. In the event of a rule violation, the Tournament Committee may impose such sanctions, as they deem appropriate, including without limitations, disqualification, forfeiture of prizes and entry fees and prohibition from participation in subsequent tournaments. The Tournament Director has the authority to postpone, delay or cancel tournament start or impose special rules when he/she feels safety is a risk. Any protest must be submitted to the Tournament Director, in writing, within thirty (30) minutes after the conclusion of that day’s weigh-in. Any protest filed where a Tournament Committee may be involved, that Committee member will not be involved in any discussions or decisions concerning that protest. The decision of the Tournament Director and the Tournament Committee shall be final in all matters.