2019 Catch & Release Event
Standard Rules & Regulations
Tournament Director - Tim Thomas (585) 330-0494
By registering for the tournament, all participants agree that they are executing an agreement to abide by all tournament rules. The interpretation and enforcement of the rules is at the sole discretion of the tournament director. The tournament director may change rules or impose sanctions as they deem appropriate including but not limited to: disqualifications, forfeiture of prizes, and prohibition from competing in future tournaments. All decisions made by the tournament director are final.
Participation and Eligibility
Participation in the “Open C&R Division” is open to all fisherman; if any additional Divisions have been created for your tournament, then you are only participating in the division that you have registered for when you joined the tournament. Make sure you are registered for the correct division or you could be disqualified. All anglers must register before the start of the event on January 1st.
Safety
Participants are responsible for their own safety, actions, and property at all times.
Sportsmanship
All participants are expected to follow high standards of sportsmanship, courtesy, safety and conservation. Any participant who displays poor sportsmanship, violates these rules or brings unfavorable publicity to the sport of fishing could be disqualified. Encroachment is considered a sportsmanship rule.
Date, Time, & Location
The tournament is scheduled to take place starting at 12:01 on January 1st and run through 11:59:59 on February 28th 2019. Participants must fish in NY waterways - the state designated for this tournament event.
Inclement Weather and/or Unsafe Conditions
If weather or ice conditions are questionable, it is the angler's call to fish that day or not. This event runs for a full 2 months allowing for many opportunities for anglers to get out and fish in safe conditions.
Species
The species of fish that qualify for the tournament will be determined by the tournament director and will be available in the tournament details via the app. The species for this event include:
Trout (browns, lakers, rainbows, steelhead)
Northern Pike
Walleye
Prize Categories
There is one leaderboard category for each species in the competition.
Largest Fish (The longest fish)
FishDonkey App
All registrations must be completed using the app. The FishDonkey App will be used to record, measure, and document fish and then upon submission, the app will place the fish on the tournament live leaderboard. The leaderboard will be updated throughout the day as fish are submitted by tournament participants. All entries will be considered unofficial until verified by tournament judges.
Measuring & Submitting Fish
Fish should be immediately recorded for submission as soon as they are caught. All submissions must include at least two photographs - One of the participant holding the fish and one of the fish on a measuring board or rigid tape measure. The measuring board or ruler must be clearly visible with a readable scale (no faded numbers). If using a tape measure, it must be "rigid" and not bent when measuring fish length.
All of the photographs must be taken by using the FishDonkey app and measurements must be on a valid measuring board or tape measure.
You must close the fish's mouth and touch the tip (nose) of the fish to the lip on the left side of the measuring board (The belly will be facing you). The fish's tail may be squeezed to determine the maximum length. Take the photo in a horizontal position, so that both the fish’s nose, which is touching the board or over the end of the tape measure, and the tail, which is indicating the measurement, are clearly depicted.
If there are two fishermen in the boat, then both fishermen should agree on the length. If the fish tail is touching the graduation line on the board then that is the exact measurement for that fish. If the fish’s tail crosses the graduation line, then the measurement will be rounded down to the nearest ¼ inch.
All participants must have their fish submitted before the deadline marking the end of the tournament.
Video Release: At the discretion of your tournament director, a video (of no more than 30 seconds) may be required during submission to validate that the fish was successfully released.
After successfully photographing a fish, the fish should be immediately released back to the waters where it was caught. Livewells are not to be used. If two fish are caught at the same time, one of the fish may be placed in a cooler temporarily until it is ready to be measured. It is not acceptable to dangle a fish in the landing net or on a stringer over the side of the boat.
Ties and Tiebreakers
Any ties for length will be broken using the earlier entry for the higher placement.
Leaderboards
Leaderboards will be updated throughout the day. The app will update the leaderboard throughout the day as fish are submitted. All entries are unofficial until verified by tournament judges. At the end of the tournament, the top entries from the leaderboard will have their submitted fish verified by a judge. The judges shall have the right to verify that fish submissions are accurate and that they were legally caught. The decision of the judge is final.
Measuring Boards
Measuring boards/tapes may be required to be brought to the awards ceremony for verification purposes. Failure to bring the measuring device used in the submitted photographs may result in disqualification of the entry.
Claiming Prizes
Prizes are the responsibility of the winners. Licensing, registration, transportation, taxes, and all incidental or consequential expenses incurred are the responsibility of the winners. Prizes and cash awards must be claimed at the awards ceremony or you forfeit the item - winners must be present to win.
Laws and Regulations
Anglers must abide by all federal, state, and local laws and all fishing and boating rules & regulations.
Failure to comply with any tournament rules subjects participants to disqualification and removal from the competition, as determined by the tournament officials. The right to refuse sale and/or revoke a competition ticket to anyone is hereby reserved.
Cheating
All protests must be brought to the tournament director before the awards ceremony and be accompanied by the $500 deposit for issuance of a polygraph test.
Anyone caught breaking the law or disobeying the rules will be disqualified.
Failure to report violations, or suggestions to another competitor that they violate
The rules, or alteration of fish measurement photos will be cause for disqualification.
Fish must be hooked and caught live in a conventional sporting manner. Fish cannot be snagged, netted, speared, etc.
Competitors must remain in contact with the boat at all times except: In case of emergency, in case of a rescue, to enter a rescue boat, to have a restroom break, to refuel or in case of a mechanical breakdown. If it is a partner event and one partner exits the boat, all fishing will cease until both fishermen are in the boat.
Competitors may not exchange, solicit, or share fishing information including but not limited to lure color, method of presentation, bait, lure, location of fish, or type of water. This includes any information exchanged to and from non-competitors.
All participants may be required to take polygraph exams as part of the tournament requirements. In the event deception is detected or the participant refuses to take the exam, his/her prize will be forfeited and the participant will be disqualified. Anglers taking a polygraph examination may be responsible for any and all costs incurred.
All Rules stated herein are to be adhered to in accordance with the Rules & Regulations set forth within the NYS Winter Classic event (see www.NYSwinterclassic.com).
If there are any questions about the rules please verify your questions with the tournament director, Tim Thomas.
