September 3 Tournament

• RULE CHANGES: The following rules will remain unchanged throughout all events unless state or local laws conflict.  The decision of the Tournament Director will be final in all matters.  The Tournament Director retains complete discretion to make change(s) where safety is a concern.

• ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES AND DRUGS: At no time during tournament hours are any drugs, other than those prescribed by a doctor or available over the counter, or alcoholic beverages allowed in the boat or to be consumed.  This includes through the weigh-in procedure.  

• SPORTSMANSHIP: All teams are expected to follow high standards of sportsmanship, courtesy, safety, and conservation.   Any team or team member who displays poor sportsmanship, violates these rules, violates any federal, state or local law, or brings unfavorable publicity to the sport of bass fishing or the tournament will result in the team being disqualified.

• TEAM MEMBERSHIP:  All teams must register as a Fish ‘N Stuff Extreme Team to be eligible to fish in any Fish ‘N Stuff Extreme Team tournament.  The team registration fee is $200.00 per team for the season.   

• PARTICIPATION AND ELIGIBILITY: Participation is open to current members of Fish ‘N Stuff Extreme Team who are 18 years old and older; provided that a team may consist of one participant who is 18 years old or older and one participant under the age of 18 who must also have the signature of their parent or legal guardian in the provided space on the official entry form and written consent from parent or legal guardian specifically permitting such contestant under the age of 18 to participate in the event with the contestant who is 18 years old or older.

1. 1. 1. Fish ‘N Stuff Extreme Team Tournaments are open to all anglers except professional anglers. A professional angler is defined as:
         1. Any angler that has entered more than one BassMaster Elite Series, MLF Bass Pro Tour, or MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit in the immediately preceding twelve months prior to the date of the Fish ‘N Stuff Extreme Team Tournament being entered. 
         2. Fish ‘N Stuff Extreme Team reserves the right to refuse membership and participation in any and all events to any individual or team in the discretion of the Tournament Director.  
      2. All Fish ‘N Stuff Extreme Team regular season events are team events. A team shall consist of no more than two anglers; although a Contestant may fish alone as a single person team (in such event Fish ‘N Stuff Extreme Team reserves the right to place an observer in such Contestant’s boat for the tournament day). Only registered Contestants may be in the boat during official tournament days. With written permission obtained in advance from the Tournament Director, a minor child, subject to the requirements above, may fish with the child’s Contestant/parent should one team Contestant be unavailable for the tournament.  
      3. If either partner enters tournament waters during the official off-limits period such partner shall be ineligible for the event and may not participate in the event.
      4. The Tournament Director may participate as a Contestant in any Fish ‘N Stuff Extreme Team event.  In the event an issue arises specific to the team which includes the Tournament Director, an alternative Tournament Director will be appointed by Fish ‘N Stuff ownership to make any decision related to that specific issue.

• PRE-TOURNAMENT PRACTICE: All Fish ‘N Stuff Extreme Team tournaments have a three (3) day off-limits period, which consists of the immediately preceding Monday through Wednesday of the tournament week. No Contestant may be on designated tournament waters for any reason during the official off-limits period. Contestants are not permitted to pre-fish (practice) on the designated tournament waters on the immediately preceding Thursday or Friday to the tournament until their entry fee has been paid. 

1. 1. REGISTRATION TIMES: Registration for all Fish ‘N Stuff Extreme Team tournaments are due by 6:00 pm on the immediately preceding Tuesday to each event. Late registration is allowed up until 7:00 pm the day prior to each event, and a $25 late registration fee will be applied. Teams are required to check in with tournament officials prior to take-off the morning of the event. All Contestants will be randomly assigned flight numbers. Cash entries only for any late registration.
   2. FISH ‘N STUFF CONTINGENCY: Teams registering in person at Fish ‘N Stuff will be entered into the Fish ‘N Stuff contingency program. Any team who registers online and documents, at the time of registration, a purchase of $50 or more at Fish ‘N Stuff within the 15 days immediately preceding the tournament will also be entered into the Fish ‘N Stuff contingency.   The highest two finishing teams in the Fish ‘N Stuff contingency program will win $50 Fish ‘N Stuff gift cards and prizes from sponsors.  

• BOATS AND MOTORS: There are no horsepower limits imposed by the Tournament. No engine may exceed the maximum horsepower capacity rating for the boat in compliance with U.S. Coast Guard regulations and properly marked on the boat. All boats must meet applicable federal and state regulations. All boats must be propeller driven and must be equipped with wheel steering; no other steering device will be permitted. No air, jet drive, or surface drive boats will be permitted during official practice or competition days. No contestant may have a platform, raised deck, or ladder that is higher than the gunnel of the boat. Standing on the fishing seats or outboard motor will not be allowed.  

1. 1. SAFETY: Boating safety must be observed at all times.  Each boat must have all the required U.S. Coast Guard safety equipment.  A U.S. Coast Guard approved life jacket must be worn and securely fastened at all times when the outboard motor is running. All boats must be equipped with a working “kill switch,” which must be securely attached to the boat and boat driver at all times when the outboard motor is running.  The driver must be seated in the driver’s seat anytime the combustion engine is engaged in gear.  

• WEATHER:  Tournament days may be shortened or canceled due to unsafe weather or any conditions that would endanger the safety of the competitors at the Tournament Director’s sole and absolute discretion. Competitors are allowed to leave the boat and seek shelter in bad weather, at which time no fishing may occur.  

1. 1. EQUIPMENT FAILURE:  In the event of equipment failure or emergency, the tournament director must be notified as soon as it is safe to do so. There are then two permitted methods of returning to check-in: (1) by both anglers remaining in their boat and being towed by water, or (2) with permission from the tournament director, by one or both anglers entering the boat of another tournament contestant. Under these two conditions both contestants’ catches may be counted without a penalty (except for late penalties, dead-fish penalties or other penalties pertaining to other tournament rules) provided each team’s fish are adequately marked so as to provide clear distinction to the tournament director. Contestants who elect to return to check-in by any means other than those cited will forfeit their day’s catch to that point in time of the tournament day. Abandoning a boat and leaving it adrift without proper tie-off or anchoring after a mechanical failure may result in disqualification of that day’s weight. Whether or not contestants may be disqualified for improperly “abandoning” a boat is in the sole and absolute discretion of the tournament director.

• TACKLE AND EQUIPMENT: All fish must be caught in a legal and sporting manner.  Intentional snagging of fish is not allowed.  No long-lining, trolling or strolling baits is allowed.  No live or prepared bait is permitted with the exception of pork rinds.  Liquid fish attractants are allowed.  Only one rod and reel may be used by an individual team member at one time.  Additional rods may be in the boat and ready for use; however, each cast and retrieve must be completed before another cast is attempted or rod is used.  When sight fishing, all fish must be hooked inside the mouth to be counted as a legal fish. Alabama rigs, or any other umbrella rigs will be allowed subject to Arkansas Game and Fish regulation.  All angling must be conducted from the boat. At no time may a Contestant leave the boat to land a fish, make the boat more accessible to fishing waters, or locate fish.

• ASSISTANCE: During hours of competition, Contestants may not receive fishing information from non-competitors or participate in the practice of “hole sitting.” The use of mobile communication devices such as cellular phones, marine radios, walkie-talkies, CBs, etc., to communicate fishing information during tournament hours is strictly prohibited. In the event of an emergency situation, competitors should call 911 first and then notify the Tournament Director.

• PROTESTS: All protests must be submitted in writing within 10 minutes of the final weigh-in. 

• POLYGRAPH: All contestants are subject to a polygraph test.  Failure to submit to a polygraph test will result in immediate season-long disqualification.  Any contestant who has failed a polygraph test in conjunction with any Bass Tournament may be disqualified and ineligible to compete.

• SCORING: Scoring will be determined by the pounds and hundredths of a pound of each Team’s catch during the tournament.  Only black bass (largemouth, Kentucky/spotted, or smallmouth bass) are permitted species subject to scoring (“Permitted Species”). Each team may weigh five fish with a minimum length established by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission for the waterbody on which the tournament is held measured on a Gator Grip Pro Series Board with mouth closed and tail compressed.  If the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission has not established a minimum length limit on the tournament waters for any Permitted Species, a twelve-inch (12”) minimum will apply.   Any team with more than five fish in the livewell at any time will be disqualified.  Dead fish may be weighed, and the team will be assessed a half pound (1/2 lb.) penalty for each dead fish.  Culling a dead fish is prohibited and will result in disqualification. All dead fish must be brought to weigh-in for sanitary disposal.  Any team weighing in a fish shorter than the legal tournament length will be assessed a one-pound penalty and the short fish will not be weighed.  Tournament standing will be determined by total weight. Any tie for first place will be broken by big fish.  Any other tie will result in splitting the money for the ties.

• TRAILERING IS NOT ALLOWED: All boats must leave the official check point by boat in the order designated at registration. Contestants may launch their boat at a ramp other than the designated take-off location, but all Contestants must come through the official check point location before leaving to fish. Teams using alternate boat ramps may only using their graphs for navigation mapping on the way to the designated take-off location. In the event of severe weather alternate take-off instructions may be given at the registration site, at the sole discretion of the Tournament Director.

1. 1. OFFICIAL CHECKPOINTS: There will be only one official checkpoint for boat inspection in the morning and one official checkpoint in the afternoon. Failure to go through boat check-out in the morning or failure to officially check-in at the check-in point will result in disqualification from such event. During morning check-out, all teams are required to idle a minimum of 100 yards before putting the boat on plane. It is the sole responsibility of each Contestant to arrive at the designated check-in location on time. Regardless of what you are told or understand, it is the angler’s responsibility to verify their provided flight card time. All fishing must cease upon check-in, or upon such other time as may be designated by the Tournament Director.   Contestants who are not at the official check-in point at the appointed time will be assessed a one-pound-per-minute penalty from their total weight, including any weight to be counted toward a big bass award. Any contestant more than 15 minutes late will forfeit that day’s catch.
   2. CLOSING OF THE SCALES: Weigh-in lines will close 20 minutes after the last flight is due in. Due to certain weigh-in location requirements, this time may be lengthened or shortened at the tournament director’s sole and absolute discretion. Any change to the above stated official scale closing time will be announced during registration, during boat checkout, or during weigh-in. It is the angler’s responsibility to verify the official scale closing time and to be in the weigh-in line by such time.

• POINTS: Points will be awarded as follows:  Points will begin at 200 for 1st Place, 199 for 2nd Place, and so on.  All teams that do not weigh a bass will receive 10 points less than the last place team that weighed fish in that event.  Points will be awarded only to teams that fish an event.  If a team does not attend an event, that team will not receive points for the event.  

1. 1. PERMITTED FISHING WATERS / OFF LIMITS: All fishing must be done from a previously inspected boat.  No tube or wade fishing is allowed.  Boats may not be trailered to and from the weigh-in during the tournament unless under direction of the Tournament Director.  No fishing is allowed within 50 yards of another anchored, including by a shallow-water anchor, or tied boat with its trolling motor out of the water or within 25 yards of a non-anchored competitor’s boat unless otherwise agreed upon by the other tournament angler.  Both team members must fish out of the same boat.  The act of moving fish from one lake or area of the lake to another lake or areas of the lake at any time, whether or not during official practice days or competition days, is not permitted.  Off-limits areas will include any current state or federal off-limit areas and may include other areas established and announced in advance of each and every Fish ‘N Stuff Extreme Team event. Contestants may not fish inside the established “off-limits” area. Violation of the rule will result in immediate disqualification. Contestants’ boats must remain in the tournament waters during the event.

• CONSERVATION: Properly operating livewells are mandatory on each boat and must be provide adequate aeration to maintain fish in good condition as every effort will be made to release every fish alive following the tournament. 

• FISH ‘N STUFF EXTREME TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT:  In order to be eligible for the Championship Tournament, a team must have fished, or paid the registration fee for, at least 4 of the 5 regular season tournaments.    In order to be eligible for the boat given away by random drawing at the Championship Tournament, a team must have fished, or paid the registration fee for all 5 regular season tournaments.  Teams may pay for up to 2 tournaments without fishing. 

1. 1. ANGLER TEAM OF THE YEAR (AOY):  The team that receives the highest cumulative Points total for the entire season, including the championship event, will be the AOY Team.  The AOY Team will receive $4,000.  The second-place team will receive $2,000.  In the event of a tie in Points total, the team with the highest cumulative weight for the entire season will be the winner. In the event that an AOY team is disqualified from any Fish ‘N Stuff Extreme Team event prior to that year’s championship, they agree to forfeit any and all prizes they receive.  

• PHOTOGRAPHY & VIDEO:  All photos and/or video taken at a Fish ‘N Stuff Extreme Team event are the property of the Fish ‘N Stuff Extreme Team and may be used for promotional purposes. If any form of the media approaches, you are expected to present yourself in a professional manner and to accommodate them within reason. During weigh-in you are expected to present yourself in a professional manner and answer the questions to the best of your ability. All video/camera equipment placed in a contestant’s boat shall not be tampered with or removed without permission from the tournament director. Any tampering with, powering off, or removing of this equipment will result in the team’s disqualification.

Click to See Lake DeGray Standings – 5/22

Click to See Current Team of the Year Standings