Lake Fork Lure Co. Tournament Presented by Sealy Outdoors
OFFICIAL TOURNAMENT RULES
Please read all official tournament rules and regulations prior to signing the entry form and/or participating in the tournament(s).
All contestants must use Lake Fork Lure Co. Baits during this event.
OFFICIAL LURE RULES
1. Lake Fork Lure Requirement
During tournament competition, contestants must fish exclusively with approved Lake Fork Lure Co. baits, except for the specific third-party lure systems expressly permitted below.
Approved Lake Fork Lure Co. baits include:
· Any soft plastic bait currently produced by Lake Fork Lure Co.
· Any hard bait currently produced by Lake Fork Lure Co.
· Any soft plastic or hard bait previously produced under the following Lake Fork legacy brands:
Lake Fork Trophy Lures
M-Pack Lures
Mark Pack’s Lake Fork Lures
The current Lake Fork Lure Co. product lineup may be viewed at www.lakeforklures.com.
Previously produced or discontinued Lake Fork and approved legacy-brand baits remain eligible, provided tournament officials can reasonably verify the bait as an authentic product from one of the approved brands.
2. Approved Third-Party Lure Systems
The following third-party lure systems may be used only when rigged with an approved Lake Fork Lure Co. or approved legacy-brand soft plastic as the trailer:
· Spinnerbaits
· Bladed jigs/ChatterBait-style lures
· Buzzbaits
· Jigs
· Underspins
· Jigheads
The approved Lake Fork soft plastic must be physically attached to the lure and actively fished as part of the presentation. Merely attaching a Lake Fork product for the purpose of satisfying this rule does not make an otherwise prohibited lure legal. No other third-party lure or bait is permitted unless specifically authorized by these rules or approved by the Tournament Director before use.
3. Hollow-Body Frogs
Third-party hollow-body frogs are permitted only when actively rigged and fished in conjunction with an official Lake Fork Lure Co. Frog Tail Hook. A third-party hollow-body frog fished without the Lake Fork Lure Co. Frog Tail Hook is prohibited.
4. Terminal Tackle
Standard terminal tackle may be used in conjunction with approved baits and lures.
Permitted terminal tackle includes, but is not limited to:
· Hooks
· Weights and sinkers
· Swivels
· Snaps
· Split rings
· Pegs and stops
· Other standard rigging components that do not independently function as a prohibited bait or lure
The use of standard terminal tackle does not exempt the contestant from the Lake Fork bait requirements contained in these rules.
5. Prohibited Baits and Lures
Unless specifically permitted elsewhere in these rules, contestants may NOT use:
· Any soft plastic bait manufactured by a company other than Lake Fork Lure Co. or an approved Lake Fork legacy brand.
· Any hard bait manufactured by a company other than Lake Fork Lure Co. or an approved Lake Fork legacy brand.
· Any third-party lure system other than those specifically permitted in Section 2.
· Any hollow-body frog that is not rigged and fished with an official Lake Fork Lure Co. Frog Tail Hook.
· Any lure, bait, trailer, artificial fish-attracting component, or combination containing a non-Lake Fork product unless that product is specifically permitted by these rules.
If a bait, lure, rig, or combination is not specifically permitted by these rules, it shall be considered prohibited unless approved by the Tournament Director before use.
6. Alteration and Rigging of Approved Lake Fork Baits
Approved Lake Fork soft plastics may be rigged using customary fishing techniques, including trimming or modifying the bait for normal fishing purposes, provided the bait remains identifiable as an approved Lake Fork Lure Co. or approved legacy-brand product.
Approved Lake Fork baits may not be combined with a prohibited soft plastic, hard bait, trailer, or other fish-attracting component in an attempt to satisfy these rules.
7. Inspection and Verification
Tournament officials may inspect any contestant’s bait, lure, rig, tackle, or equipment at any time during tournament competition or weigh-in to verify compliance with these rules. Contestants are responsible for ensuring that every bait and lure they use complies with tournament rules. If the origin or eligibility of a discontinued, legacy, modified, or otherwise questionable bait cannot be reasonably verified, the Tournament Director may determine the bait ineligible for competition. Contestants are encouraged to obtain approval before tournament competition for any bait or rig whose eligibility may be unclear.
8. Tournament Director Authority
The Tournament Director shall have final authority to interpret and enforce these lure rules and to determine whether any bait, lure, trailer, rig, modification, or combination complies with tournament requirements. Tournament officials may prohibit any bait or rig that they determine violates the intent or requirements of these rules, including attempts to circumvent the Lake Fork Lure Co. bait requirement through technicalities or unintended interpretations. When in doubt, a bait or rig shall be considered prohibited unless approved by the Tournament Director before use.
9. Violations
Use of a prohibited bait, lure, trailer, or rig may result in penalties up to and including:
· Disqualification of the affected fish or weight
· Forfeiture of an hourly prize or other award
· Disqualification from the tournament
The appropriate penalty shall be determined by the Tournament Director based on the circumstances of the violation.
All decisions of the Tournament Director regarding lure eligibility, rule interpretation, violations, and resulting tournament penalties are final.
OFFICIAL TOURNAMENT RULES
Tournament will be held regardless of weather. Should conditions threaten safety, please use caution.
DECISIONS:
1. All decisions of the Tournament Director are FINAL.
2. All protests must be submitted to the Tournament Director in writing within 15 minutes of the designated weigh in.
INFORMATION:
1. Any and all announcements concerning emergencies and hourly results will be broadcast over the OFFICIAL radio station. Bring a portable radio in your boat.
ELIGIBILITY:
1. All State & Federal penal code laws shall apply at all times.
2. All State, Coast Guard, Federal Parks & Wildlife regulations shall apply at all times.
3. This tournament is designed primarily for amateurs. Anyone who has fished 3 or more tournaments within the past 12 months of this tournament with an entry fee over $1000 is not eligible to compete in this tournament. Anyone who has provided guide service (on or off water) for pay on any lake within the past 120 days will not be eligible to compete in this tournament.
4. Contestants must present their valid fishing license or official email confirmation with expiration date for said tournament lake at time of weigh in and it must be on their person during tournament hours.
5. Each person in boat must be a paid contestant of official tournament and abide by all tournament rules and regulations.
6. No one other than paid contestants or tournament officials are permitted in a competitor’s boat during tournament hours.
7. Any contestant found to be in violation of any tournament rules and regulations will be subject to disqualification from this tournament and all future tournaments.
8. All bass caught by contestants fishing together will be disqualified if any of the said contestants are found to be in violation of any tournament rules and regulations.
9. Any person who has been disqualified from any prior tournament may be subject to being refused entry into tournament.
10. Tournament officials have the right to refuse ANY ENTRY.
11. Participants under 18 years of age must be accompanied by a parent or adult with written parental permission.
REGISTRATION AND ENTRY FEE:
1. Entry form with complete entry fee must be received before fishing.
2. ONCE TOURNAMENT ENTRY FEE HAS BEEN SUBMITTED AND RECEIVED, THERE WILL BE NO REFUND OR SUBSTITUTION OF ENTRY FEES FOR ANY REASON!
ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES:
1. No alcoholic beverages are to be consumed by tournament contestant nor are alcoholic beverage containers allowed in contestants’ boat during official tournament hours, unless tournament contestant is finished fishing/has had their boat inspection and polygraph for that tournament day.
SAFETY (THE FOLLOWING IS MANDATORY):
1. All boats must be equipped with some type of emergency ignition cut-off device (kill switch) on any remote steered outboard while main engine is in use. Ignition cut-off device (kill switch) must be attached to boat operator at all times while main engine is in use. Kill switch must operate properly. When the kill switch is activated; the outboard main engine must stop running immediately. However, kill switches are not required with hand operated engines unless equipped with one when manufactured.
2. Boat operator must show proof of valid registration.
3. US Coast Guard approved life jackets are required for each person in boat. Life jackets must be worn and fastened while main engine is in use.
4. No boat shall have a motor of higher horsepower than the approved Coast Guard maximum.
PERMITTED FISHING AREAS & HOURS:
1. All bass caught during tournament hours each tournament day (7am – 2pm) on Official Tournament Lake may only be weighed in during official tournament weigh in hours (8am – 2pm) on that day.
2. No fishing is allowed during official “Off Limits” which begins at 8pm prior to each tournament day and ends at 7am of each tournament day.
3. Contestants may leave from any launch site on official Tournament Lake. No casting until 7am official clock. Official start-stop times will be determined by Official Radio Station.
4. No fishing within 50 yards of a marina gas pump.
TACKLE AND EQUIPMENT:
1. All bass must be caught on artificial bait by casting. No trolling with big motor. Contestant may use only one rod at any one time. Other rods may be in the boat for substitute purposes.
2. Bank fishing is permissible.
3. No electronic tracking devices (implanted microchips) may be used to locate fish for tournament purposes (Depth finders and graph charts are the only exception).
WEIGH IN SPORTSMANSHIP AND CONSERVATION:
1. Sportsmanship, courtesy, safety and conservation are expected from every participant.
2. All bass weighed in will become the property of the Tournament and will be released back into the lake each tournament day alive if possible.
3. All contestants shall be required to bring their boat and respective partner(s) with them to the weigh-in site when weighing in bass.
4. Trailering is permissible.
5. No bass on ice. Bass must be alive to be weighed in.
6. All bass brought to weigh in station must be in weigh in bag with water.
7. No contestant may weigh in more than one bass per tournament hour. Only one bass per weigh-in bag is allowed. Bass entered in the Big Bass of the Hour contest do not carry forward from hour to hour. Your biggest bass is registered into the final overall standings.
8. Bass must be weighed in by the contestant who originally caught the bass, and it must be in said contestant’s physical possession in the weigh-in line.
9. Any artificially weighed or preserved bass will be disqualified and that contestant will be subject to prosecution under federal laws.
10. Any questionable entry will be subject to inspection by a marine biologist or similarly qualified expert of
the applicable State’s Parks & Wildlife Dept.
11. Only Largemouth, Smallmouth, and Kentucky Spotted Bass (Black Bass) will be weighed in.
12. Lake Fork is a slot lake, and the length limit is posted on the Texas Parks & Wildlife Dept. website. Official measuring board is the CHECK-IT-STIK.
13. No contestant may have more than three bass in possession at any time during official Tournament hours. One bass only is allowed to be weighed in during any Tournament hour.
14. This is a mandatory catch and release program during Official Tournament hours. When tournament is officially over each day all bass must be released back into tournament waters.
15. Contestants are to be attentive to litter and should make every effort to maintain their trash in their boat and dispose of it properly.
POLYGRAPH:
1. Each contestant, by signing the entry form and/or participation in the tournament, agrees to submit to a polygraph examination.
2. Polygraph test will be given on a random basis and must be passed.
3. There will be random polygraph tests given after the conclusion of each official tournament hour as soon as that hour has elapsed. All contestants who have placed during said hour, their respective partners and boats, if any must remain at the official Tournament site until said hourly winners are declared official. If not present, contestants will automatically be disqualified.
4. Any contestant determined by the polygraph examination or other Tournament officials to be intoxicated or on any type of illegal drugs at the time said contestant is required to take the polygraph examination, or in violation of Tournament rules, will be disqualified from this and all future Tournaments.
5. Any contestant found to be in possession of any illegal substance will be subject to disqualification and prosecution.
BOAT INSPECTION:
All contestants, by entering this Tournament, hereby consent to the boarding and inspection of their boats by Tournament Officials at any time during said Tournament. Such inspections may include, but NOT LIMITED TO, verification of current boat registration, Coast Guard horsepower rating plate, and all boat contents to include live well, rod boxes, closed storage compartments, tackle boxes, life jackets, PFD’s and all required safety equipment.
* The above-mentioned rules are for your own safety *
For additional information or rule verification please contact Sealy Outdoors, Inc.
Office: 409.698.2591
Email Address: tournament.info@sealyoutdoors.com
Website: sealyoutdoors.com
Facebook & Instagram: bigbasssplash1984
Office hours are subject to change during tournament events and holidays.