WINTERSERIES_RULES_2022

Get5Bass.com

2022 Winter Series

Official Rules

1. PREFACE-RULES: These rules will remain unchanged during the Get5Bass 2022 Winter Series. Interpretation and enforcement of the following rules and regulations will be left exclusively to the Tournament Director (Frank Leone). Decisions of the Tournament Director and Tournament Officials shall be final in all matters. PROTESTS MUST BE MADE IN WRITING WITHIN ONE Week of the tournament in question. Rules are in effect from December 1, 2021 through February 2022.

2. ELIGIBILITY: In order to fish the Get5Bass Winter Series, anglers must be members of Get5Bass and abide by rules of the contest as written. Members winning checks will be responsible for taxes of any winnings.

3. SPORTSMANSHIP: Conservation, care and courtesy must be observed at all times by all contestants. No alcoholic beverages may be allowed in the boat or used by the competitors during official tournament hours and the weigh-in. No stimulants, depressants or other drugs (other than those purchased over the counter or prescribed by a physician) shall be used by any competitor during tournament hours, and the weigh-in.

4. CONSERVATION: All bass to be weighed in must be presented to the director in a weigh-in bag filled with enough water to sustain the health of the fish through the weigh-in. No team/individual shall possess more than 5 legal bass at any time (Legal culling is permitted). Possession of more than 5 legal bass will be grounds for disqualification from the Tournament in question. If an angler/team self-reports making a cast with 6 fish in the livewell, a two pound penalty will be assessed and that team/angler will not be disqualified. At no time shall a competitor/team attempt to weigh bass caught during Get5bass competition with another tournament organization or entity, and doing so will be grounds for disqualification from the tournament in question and the Winter Series Points race.

5. ETHICS: Contestants/Teams may not seedor direct others to seedbrushpiles, bays, weed edges, bridges, rockpiles, rip-rap etc. Seeding will be defined as the releasing of legal bass in specific areas of the lake with the intent of catching those fish again during the tournament competition hours. Contestants/Teams may not bait or direct others to bait brushpiles, bays, weed edges, bridges, rockpiles, rip-rap etc. Baiting will be defined as The application of light, food, dog food, fish food, corn, baitfish, crayfish, frogs, toads, insects, etc. to a specific area of the lake in order to attract baitfish or legal bass to that area. Normal culling practices are allowed (releasing of smaller fish to increase weight of bag). Legally fishing in areas known to be tournament release sites is permitted (Except in the State Park Cove on Lake Dardanelle as defined in rule #7) Seeding and Baiting will be grounds for expulsion from all Get5bass Winter Series events.

6. TACKLE AND EQUIPMENT: Only artificial lures may be used. All fish must be caught in a legal sporting manner. live bait or prepared bait will not be permitted, with the exception of pork strips, rinds, etc. Only ONE casting, spin-casting or spinning rod and reel may be used at any one time. A-Rigs are allowed during Winter Series Competition All other types prohibited. Other rigs as specified above may be in boat ready for use; however, only ONE is permitted in use at any given time. Each cast must be completed before another rod and reel may be used. All bass must be caught live and in a conventional sporting manner. No trolling or strolling. Gaffs may not be used nor be permitted in the boat at any time. Landing nets may be used. Contestants may not use electronic bugging devices, or chemicals during official competition days on the tournament waters.

7. PERMITTED FISHING LOCATIONS: Fishing on the tournament waters is permitted anywhere navigable by boat from the Launch ramp except: within any area designated by state or federal agencies as a fishing area, in the State Park cove (Lake Dardanelle - Straight line from tip of state park jetty to upstream side of fishing pier), in the State Park Marina (Lake Dardanelle - Straight line from rock to rock in entrance), and in the ANO outlet (Lake Dardanelle) where posted. All other Commercial Boat Docks on Lake Dardanelle (including Dardanelle Bay Marina and the Spadra Marina) are also off limits. Anglers may not cast into or hold there boats in any area off limits.

8. SPECIAL SITUATIONS: Contestants must not depart the boat to land fish. Contestants must leave and return to the official checkpoint by boat. Competitors may depart the boat in the case of emergency or toilet break.

9. Cell phones/Marine Radios: A competitor may not use a CB radio, A VHF band marine radio, a cellular phone, or any other communication device for the purpose of locating or catching fish during the normal tournament hours.

10. SCORING/POSSESSION: Largemouth bass, Spotted (Kentucky) bass and Smallmouth bass will be counted. Five fish per Boat may be weighed in each day. The official length limit for bass will depends upon species. Largemouth Bass must be 14-inches, while Spotted Bass (Kentuckies) and Smallmouth Bass must be 12-inches. Bass shall be measured on a flat board with mouth closed and tail pinched. Bass presented for weigh-in which fail to measure the official length will not be counted and will cause a 1.00 penalty for each such bass presented to be deducted from the contestant's score. At no time during tournament hours shall a contestant possess more than a 5-fish limit. In the event of a tie for 1st place, the first tie-breaker is number of fish weighed and the second tie-breaker is biggest bass weighed. If the tie is not broken with the tie-breakers, 1st and second place checks will be split amongst the tied teams.

11. PENALTY POINTS: For each legal dead bass presented to weigh-in officials, the competitor shall be penalized 0.50 pounds to be deducted from his daily score. For anglers self-reporting making a cast with 6 fish in the livewell, there will be a two pound penalty. The Tournament Director and his designated appointees shall have sole authority for assessing penalty points

12. LATE PENALTY: Competitors who are not in the official checkpoint area at the appointed time shall be penalized at the rate of 1 pound per minute to be deducted from the total weight of his catch that day. Any team that is late may not weigh a bass for the big bass award. Any competitor more than 15 minutes late shall lose all credit for that day's catch.

13. Points - Get5Bass Winter Series Anglers of Year Award: Points will be awarded to each team fishing a Get5Bass Winter Series event if they weigh a bass. The winning team from each qualifying tournament will be awarded 50 points, the second place team will be awarded 49 points, etc. A team weighing a bass will receive a minimum of 5 points. A team will be defined as two anglers fishing an event. All Teams are allowed one substitution during the qualifying events, or one of the team members may fish alone. The top 10 teams and any team fishing at least 3 qualifying tournaments will be invited to fish the Winter Series Championship. If a situation arises where an angler subbed in or fished at least 3 tournaments alone, that angler will also be invited to the Winter Series Championship, but must fish alone. The Championship will be double points and be allocated in the following manner: 1st place - 100 points, 2nd place - 98 points, 3rd place - 96 points, 4th place 94 points, etc... At the conclusion of the championship the top team the most points will win an AOY prize package. Teams may not substitute anglers for the championship, but an angler representing the team may fish alone. In the event of a tie for an AOY prize package, total weight for the series will act as the tie-breaker.

14. POLYGRAPH: All contestants in the Get5bass Winter Series are subject to a polygraph test. Failure to submit to a polygraph test will result in immediate disqualification from all Winter Series events. Any contestant who fails a polygraph or whose results are found to be inconclusive will be disqualified from the Get5bass Winter Series. Any contestant who has failed a polygraph test in connection with any bass tournament for cheating or whose results are found to be inconclusive will not be eligible to compete in Get5Bass Winter Series Event.

15. Live Vests: All Anglers must wear a U.S. Coast Guard Approved flotation device while the boats gasoline motor is running.