| Professional | |
|---|---|
| Complete | $1,000 (per event) |
| Deposit | $250 (per event) |
| Co-angler | |
|---|---|
| Complete | $400 (per event) |
| Deposit | $100 (per event) |
Day 3 - Professionals and Co-anglers
Ranger Cup - Ranger awards a Z518 powered by a 200-hp outboard to the winning pro and $5,000 to the winning co-angler in each tournament if they meet Ranger Cup guidelines.
Anglers must be registered with Ranger and meet all Ranger Cup clothing, decal and boat year model requirements to receive a Ranger Cup bonus. The decision of Ranger Boats is final in all matters regarding Ranger Cup bonus eligibility. Visit the Ranger Cup page at RangerBoats.com or call (870) 453-2222 for additional information.
Strike King Angler of the Year, Co-angler of the Year
The top pro and co-angler from the point standings in each division after four events win the Strike King Angler of the Year and Co-angler of the Year titles, respectively, which allows them to fish the 2014 Forrest Wood Cup provided they fish a full EverStart Series Division or the Walmart FLW Tour in 2014.
Typhoon Wear It to Win It
– Typhoon awards $1,000 to the winning pro and $500 to the winning co-angler in each EverStart Series tournament if he or she meets Wear It to Win It contingency requirements. Additional awards are presented to qualified pros and co-anglers who finish second or third in each tournament.Awards:
• 1st place = $1,000 pro and $500 co-angler
• 2nd place = $500 pro and $250 co-angler
• 3rd place = $200 pro and $100 co-angler
Requirements:
• Pros and co-anglers must register for Wear It to Win It at Typhoonoptics.com prior to the start of their tournament. Pros and co-anglers only need to register one time.
• Pros and co-anglers must wear a Typhoon logo on the front of his or her jersey during the tournament. Typhoon logos are available to download when registering for Wear It to Win It at Typhoonoptics.com. Typhoon logo patches are also available.
• Pros and co-anglers must wear Typhoon sunglasses during the eligible tournament.
• Pros and co-anglers finishing first, second or third in the eligible tournament must submit a photo of themselves on stage at the eligible tournament with the Typhoon logo clearly legible in order to claim their Typhoon prize money.
• The decision of Typhoon is final in all matters regarding contingency eligibility. Visit Typhoonoptics.com for complete details.
Power-Pole Captains Cash Rewards Club
– Power-Pole awards $500 to the winning pro in each EverStart Series tournament if he or she meets Captains Cash Rewards Club contingency requirements.Requirements:
• Captains Cash Club is open to all tournament anglers fishing any 2013 Captains Cash sanctioned event. Be sure to check the current list of sanctioned tournaments.
• Membership is $24.95 for 2013. Program dates are from Jan 1st 2013 to Dec 31st 2013. Purchase a Club Membership here.
• Registration must be completed prior to any sanctioned tournament to be eligible for contingency payments.
• Eligible contingency payment participants are registered Power-Pole owners who are registered members of the Captains Cash Club.
• Sanctioned tournaments are posted at power-pole.com
• Registered Power-Pole owners placing first place overall only in a sanctioned event are eligible for contingency payments.
• Only 1 possible payout per tournament. A maximum of one angler per tournament will be rewarded.
• Sanctioned tournaments must have a minimum of 20 boats registered to qualify for Captains Cash Rewards payments.
• Winners must be verified through the sanctioned tournament via website, newsletter or other official organization communication and obtain tournament director’s signature on claim form.
• Completed Power-Pole Captains Cash claims forms must be submitted within 30 days of the tournament win and can be obtained here.
• JL Marine employees and members of JL Marine’s employees’ immediate families are excluded from participation.
• Approval of claims and payments is at sole discretion of JL Marine Systems, Inc.
• Payment claimants must have Power-Pole registered with JL Marine Systems.
• Power-Pole Captains Cash decals must be displayed on participants’ boat or Power-Pole anchor.
• Power-Pole Captains Cash 4-inch logo must be displayed on the upper-left shoulder of the participant’s shirt. Captains Cash logo must be worn from takeoff through weigh-in during all days of sanctioned tournaments. Logo is available in three formats. Download logos here.
• JL Marine reserves the right to change, modify, enhance, or terminate the Captains Cash program at any time. Refer to power-pole.com for current rules. Rules posted at power-pole.com will supersede any previously printed rules.
• It is the participant’s responsibility to know the rules of the program. Captains Cash participants must meet all requirements and submit proof that they were met.
• Power-Pole Captains Cash Rewards recipients will be responsible for paying any and all local, state, federal or other taxes on contingency earnings.
Atlas Awards
– T-H Marine Supplies Inc. awards as much as $800 cash to the winning pro in each EverStart Series tournament if he or she meets Atlas Awards contingency requirements.Requirements:
• Membership is $29.95 for 2013 and runs Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2013. Membership can be purchased at www.thmarine.com/atlasawards.
• Membership registration must be done prior to any sanctioned event.
• If you sign up the evening of the pretournament meeting, the tournament director or T-H Marine representative must sign and date for it to be valid. Payment must be postmarked by the following Monday.
• Angler must be the owner of any or all of the following T-H marine products:
* Hot Foot
* G-Force Trolling Motor Handle
* Two-way Boat Alarm
* Atlas Hydraulic Jack Plate, which must be on the boat used during sanctioned event
• Event must have 40 boats minimum to be a sanctioned event.
• Winners must be verified through the tournament organization via website or official organization publication.
• All Atlas Awards claims must be submitted within 30 days of tournament win. Form can be found at www.thmarine.com/atlasawards.
• Atlas Awards custom decal must be visible on the boat (windshield, outside gunnel, etc.)
• Atlas Awards logo or patch must be worn during competition and weigh-in.
• Participants must meet all rules and requirements to be eligible for Atlas Awards.
• Please allow up to 4 weeks for processing and payout.
• Atlas Awards winners will be responsible for paying all taxes on contingency earnings.
• All decisions on eligibility and payment made by T-H Marine on the Atlas Awards program will be final.
All awards are subject to change.
FLW expects strict adherence to the following rules by all contestants. Additionally, FLW suggests that co-anglers share fuel expenses with their pro partner each day of competition to help offset the high cost of boat operation. FLW also recommends the use of nonpuncturing culling clips for marking fish and livewell additives like Rejuvenade to help promote the healthy release of bass. In the event of an emergency, please call 911 first and then notify the tournament director.
These rules will remain unchanged during 2013. Interpretation and enforcement of these rules will be left exclusively to the tournament director. Decisions of the tournament director are final in all matters and are not subject to appeal. Each contestant agrees to report any rule violation to the tournament director immediately upon discovery of the violation. Failure to report violations (pro or co-angler) may be cause for disqualification. The violation of a tournament rule may result in, but is not limited to, weight loss (late penalty, dead-fish penalty and short-fish penalty), the loss of weight up to a particular time in the tournament day, the loss of weight for the entire day, the loss of the heaviest one-day catch, the loss of the heaviest bass for the day, disqualification from the entire tournament or ineligibility to participate in future FLW tournaments. Protests are to be made in writing within 30 minutes of the check-in time of the final flight of each tournament day.
Payback is based on the number of paid entries for each tournament. Participation is open only to members of FLW who are 16 years of age or older. Any person under the age of 18 (19 in Alabama and Nebraska) entering a tournament must also have the signature of a parent or legal guardian in the provided space on the entry form. Any person’s participation in any tournament is at the sole discretion of FLW officials. All contestants must have a valid fishing license for the waters they fish.
The top 40 pros and co-anglers from each division of the 2012 EverStart Series and the top 40 boaters and co-anglers from each division of the 2012 BFL must pay their deposits for all four tournaments in a division by December 3, 2012 in order to secure their priority entry position.
For Ranger boat owners (Ranger owners with current registrations who will use their Ranger boat in EverStart Series competition) and sponsor entries (FLW may reserve sponsor spots in each qualifying tournament), deposits will be accepted beginning at 8 a.m. Central time, December 4, 2012.
For TBF members, deposits will be accepted beginning at 8 a.m. Central time, December 5, 2012. For other entries, deposits will be accepted beginning at 8 a.m. Central time, December 6, 2012.
Top entry priority goes to pros and co-anglers who enter all four EverStart Series tournaments in a division by December 19, 2012 for the Central, Southeast, Texas and Western divisions and February 6, 2013 for the Northern Division. All other entry priority will be assigned by the date and time of entry. Entries may be made either by mail, phone or on the Internet at FLWOutdoors.com. Do not make entry by more than one method.
Each tournament will be limited to 150 pros and 150 co-anglers. If maximum field size has not been reached by the entry/balance deadline for a given tournament, FLW may, in its sole discretion, accept entries to balance and/or fill the field.
DEPOSITS ARE NONTRANSFERABLE AND NONREFUNDABLE ONCE ACCEPTED INTO A TOURNAMENT. Entries received after a tournament has filled will be placed on a waiting list. Those placed on the waiting list and not accepted into the tournament will receive a full refund after the tournament.
CONFIRMED ENTRIES ARE CONTINGENT UPON COMPLETE ENTRY FEE BEING PAID BY THE ENTRY/BALANCE DEADLINE DATE. Entry fees (minus the deposit) may be transferred or refunded if FLW is notified prior to the entry/balance deadline. ENTRY FEES WILL NOT BE TRANSFERRED OR REFUNDED AFTER THE ENTRY/BALANCE DEADLINE.
Pro entry fees are $1,000 per tournament, and co-angler entry fees are $400 per tournament. Pros must pay a $250 deposit per tournament and co-anglers must pay a $100 deposit per tournament upon entry followed by payment for the balance of the entry fee according to the schedule outlined below.
Central Division
Northern Division
Southeastern Division
Texas Division
Western Division
200 points are awarded to the winner of each tournament, 199 to 2nd, 198 to 3rd, etc. All anglers who receive weight credit receive points.
The top pro and co-angler from the point standings in each division after four qualifying tournaments (ties resolved by total weight, then total number of fish, then total number of live fish) win the Angler of the Year and Co-angler of the Year titles, respectively, for that division and qualify for the 2014 Forrest Wood Cup provided they fish a full EverStart Series Division or the Walmart FLW Tour in 2014. If the Angler of the Year or Co-angler of the Year in any division has already qualified for the 2014 Forrest Wood Cup, his or her entry will go to the next highest finisher in the division’s points standings who is not already qualified for the Forrest Wood Cup.
The top 40 pros and co-anglers from the final point standings in each division receive priority entry for the 2014 season. The top 10 pros and co-anglers in the final point standings in each division receive priority entry into the 2014 FLW Tour.
The purchasing of, or bartering for, information about locating or catching fish on tournament waters, including but not limited to GPS waypoints (other than through commercially available sources) and the hiring of fishing guide services is not permitted after the entry/balance deadline for each tournament. The sharing of tournament winnings with noncontestants in exchange for information about locating or catching fish on tournament waters is strictly prohibited and will be cause for disqualification from the entire tournament. The purchasing of, or bartering for, fishing locations from another contestant is strictly prohibited and will be cause for both contestants to be disqualified from the entire tournament.
There is no practice period or off-limits period prior to the pretournament meeting. Contestants may not enter tournament waters to locate bass or potential fishing waters or sightsee after the start of the pretournament meeting except during tournament hours. Testing equipment on tournament waters after the start of the pretournament meeting is permitted only with prior approval from the tournament director.
On days 1 and 2, contestants may not solicit and/or receive information about locating or catching fish on tournament waters from anyone except pros and co-anglers confirmed in the tournament and through publicly available sources (quasi-public websites, blogs and/or social media pages set up for the specific purpose of sharing information with individuals or a small group of individuals are NOT publicly available sources).
During competition days, pros may not follow a noncontestant’s boat or participate in the placing of markers by noncontestants or the practice of “hole sitting” by anyone. Anglers eliminated after each round of competition are considered noncontestants. Contestants in the top-10 cut after the close of weigh-in on day 2 in qualifying tournaments may not solicit or receive information about locating or catching fish on tournament waters from anyone except other top-10 contestants and through publicly available sources (quasi-public websites, blogs and/or social media pages set up for the specific purpose of sharing information with individuals or a small group of individuals are NOT publicly available sources). Co-anglers who share a pro partner’s fishing locations with another contestant will be disqualified along with the contestant requesting and/or using the information.
Each contestant must register in person at the designated site. In an emergency or due to an FLW sponsor obligation, contestants may request permission from the tournament director to send a person who is 16 years of age or older to represent them. If permission is granted, noncontestants can represent one person; contestants can represent themselves and one other person. This representative must attend the pretournament meeting to record flights, takeoff time, check-in time, off-limits areas, size and creel limits, and any other relevant tournament rule information. This representative must also attend the pro/co-angler draw immediately following the pretournament meeting to receive the contestant’s boat number, meet the contestant’s pro or co-angler, and record the pro or co-angler’s lodging information, phone number and exact location for the contestant and pro or co-angler to meet prior to takeoff.
Registration hours are 4-6 p.m. local time the day before each tournament’s start date. Contestants registering between 6-6:15 p.m. will pay a $25 late fee that will be donated to the FLW Foundation. Contestants more than 15 minutes late for registration may forfeit their entry fee and not be entered in the tournament. It is mandatory that all contestants or their representatives attend the pretournament meeting that will be held at 6:30 p.m. local time the day before each tournament. Being late for the pretournament meeting will result in a $25 late fee that will be donated to the FLW Foundation.
Contestants not present or represented for pairings may forfeit their entry fee and not be entered in the tournament.
Pros and co-anglers will be paired by random draw and will receive a text message with their boat number, flight time and pro or co-angler’s name and phone number. All contestants or their representatives must contact their assigned pro or co-angler following the pretournament meeting. Partners should advise each other of their respective lodging and phone numbers and establish a meeting time and place for the following morning’s takeoff. The tournament director, at his sole discretion, may reassign partners prior to takeoff.
Safe boating must be observed at all times.
Each contestant is required to wear a fastened U.S. Coast Guard-approved personal flotation device anytime the combustion engine is in operation from boat check until weigh-in each day of the tournament. All boats must be equipped with an emergency ignition-shutoff device that must be securely attached to the driver’s body whenever the combustion engine is in operation.
A driver must be seated behind the steering wheel and in full control of the boat whenever the combustion engine is in operation and in gear. At the discretion of the tournament director, tournament days may be shortened, postponed or canceled due to unsafe weather or water conditions.
All contestants are required to follow high standards of sportsmanship, courtesy and conservation and to conduct themselves in a manner that will be a credit to themselves, to FLW, FLW’s sponsors, the sport of fishing and FLW’s efforts to promote the sport. Conduct not complying with these standards includes, but is not limited to, the following:
In case of any conduct not complying with the standards outlined above, FLW shall have the right to refuse an application to compete, to deny a confirmed application to compete by returning the entry fee (minus deposit) or to disqualify a contestant.
Pros will fish from the front deck of the boat only. Co-anglers will fish from the back deck or seating area of the boat only. Pros will have complete control of boat operation and waters to be fished. For safety concerns in rough water or swift current, in the event of an outboard or trolling motor breakdown or during an emergency, co-anglers may operate the trolling motor or the outboard but may not fish anytime from the front deck.
Pros may not request that the co-angler not fish. Any pro that, in the judgment of the tournament director, operates the boat in such a manner that unfairly handicaps his/her co-angler and any co-angler who unfairly handicaps his/her pro may be disqualified for that day.
The use of mobile communication devices, including but not limited to, cell phones, marine radios, walkie-talkies, CBs, etc., during tournament hours is strictly prohibited except in an emergency (severe weather, breakdowns, etc.) or to communicate with lockmasters about locking or with the tournament director. Co-anglers are not allowed to record GPS waypoints or use any type of handheld GPS during any competition day.
Co-anglers are not allowed to have more than five rods, one tackle bag and one foul-weather bag in their pro’s boat on any day of competition.
Contestants are expected to compete every day for which they are qualified; failure to do so may result in ineligibility to compete in future FLW tournaments. If a special circumstance arises that inhibits a contestant’s ability to compete, the tournament director may allow the contestant to withdraw from competition and maintain the weight caught to that point.
Depending on the need to maintain an equal number of pros and co-anglers, the next highest contestant in the tournament standings may be invited to continue competition.
All boats must be propeller-driven, a minimum of 16 feet in length and have a rear deck (with a seat if requested). All boats must be equipped with wheel steering; no other steering device will be permitted. No barges or similarly cumbersome craft will be permitted. Each boat must have all required U.S. Coast Guard safety equipment.
Boats must contain a properly aerated livewell space to maintain alive a limit catch of bass by both contestants. It is mandatory that co-anglers mark each of their fish for identification before placing them in their designated livewell.
Maximum horsepower for all outboards used in tournament competition will be 250 horsepower, not to exceed the horsepower capacity set forth on the “Maximum Capacities” placard described below. Each boat must have a clearly legible “Maximum Capacities” (or comparably titled) placard that includes a maximum horsepower rating affixed to the boat by the manufacturer. The horsepower of the outboard engine must not exceed the maximum horsepower capacity specified on this placard or the 250-horsepower maximum set by FLW.
By signing the entry form, contestants agree to submit their boat and/or motor to an inspection by FLW personnel. Falsifying information on entry forms or altering the horsepower numbers on the motor or rating placard will be cause for disqualification from the tournament and may result in ineligibility to compete in future FLW tournaments.
Fishing platforms must be factory-installed equipment. No portable platforms may be used in tournament competition. Fuel may be carried only in factory-installed (built-in) fuel tanks. Any additional fuel used during the tournament day must be purchased from a retail facility open to the public and pumped through a hose with a nozzle. The use of generators, other than solar or wind-powered generators, is prohibited in contestant boats during tournament hours on all competition days.
Fishing is defined as having a lure attached to a line and a rod and reel with the lure in the water. All bass must be caught alive in a conventional sporting manner. All lures (including Alabama rigs and similar umbrella-type rigs) must adhere to state regulations. Only artificial lures may be used, with the exception of pork trailers and biodegradable soft baits. Only ONE fishing rod may be used at a time. Trolling as a method of fishing is strictly prohibited. All bass caught while sight-fishing must be hooked inside the mouth and immediately shown to your co-angler or pro for verification.
Contestants may fish anywhere on tournament waters available to the public and accessible by boat, except areas posted or otherwise designated as “off-limits,” “no boats,” “keep out,” “restricted,” “no trespassing” or “no fishing” (or similar language or markings intended to restrict public access) by FLW and/or local, state or federal officials, or within 50 yards of a contestant’s boat that was first anchored.
An anchored boat is a boat held in a stable position by a line attached to a weight or by a Power-Pole, Talon or similar shallow water anchor with the trolling motor in the up position. All fishing must be conducted from the boat. At no time may a contestant leave the boat to land a fish or to make the boat more accessible to fishing waters.
The cutting of trees, bushes and/or logs after the start of the pretournament meeting and/or the removal of official local, state or federal barricades at any time to make an area more accessible by boat is strictly prohibited and may result in disqualification from the tournament.
The use of cables, ropes, chains or any type of block and tackle system to maneuver a boat into fishing waters is strictly prohibited and will result in disqualification from the tournament.
Contestants must leave and return to the check-in by boat. The boat must remain in the tournament waters during the tournament day. No tournament boat may be loaded on a trailer before the weigh-in except with the permission of the tournament director.
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 the check-in: (1) by both paired anglers remaining in their boat and being towed by water, or (2) with permission from the tournament director, by one or both paired 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 that the co-angler’s fish are adequately marked so as to provide clear distinction of the pro’s catch and the co-angler’s catch to the tournament director. Contestants who elect to return to the check-in by any other means than cited above 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.
Any contestant returning to the check-in point will be eligible to restart and resume competition under the supervision of the tournament director or his designated tournament official. It is the sole responsibility of contestants to locate the tournament director to request a restart. Partners must remain together at all times and within sight of each other until the weigh-in verification is signed. The momentary condition of being out of sight of each other for restroom breaks is permitted.
There will be only one checkpoint for boat check in the morning and one check-in point in the afternoon. Failure to go through boat check and checkout in the morning or failure to check in at the check-in point will result in disqualification. All fishing must cease upon check-in.
Contestants who are not at the check-in area at the appointed time will be penalized 1 pound per minute, deducted from the total weight, including any weight to be counted toward the Big Bass Award. Any contestant more than 15 minutes late will lose credit for that day’s weight.
Every effort must be made to keep bass alive through the use of a properly aerated livewell. Four ounces will be deducted from the total weight for each dead bass presented for weigh-in.
Scoring is determined by the pounds and ounces of each contestant’s catch during each tournament.
Only largemouth, spotted, redeye or smallmouth bass are accepted species.
No regurgitated forage or other foreign matter may be placed in a bass.
The daily limit will be five unless the state or lake limit is less than five, in which case the state or lake limit will prevail. Pros and/or co-anglers possessing more than the tournament limit must notify the tournament director immediately upon discovery of the infraction and reduce his/her catch to the tournament limit by releasing live bass. Anglers possessing more than the tournament limit will be penalized 2 pounds for each bass over the limit.
The minimum length limit for bass will be 12 inches unless the state or lake limit is more than 12 inches, in which case, the state or lake limit will prevail. Bass presented for weigh-in that fail to measure the prescribed length limit will be penalized at the rate of 2 pounds for each short bass presented.
Each contestant’s catch must be presented in an official weigh-in bag and verified by the signature of their pro or co-angler. Failure to have a verified pro or co-angler signature may result in disqualification of that day’s catch.
On day 3 in qualifying tournaments, the top 10 pros and co-anglers based on combined weight from days 1 and 2 compete, and the winners are determined by the heaviest combined weight from days 1, 2 and 3.
The heaviest one-day catch for the tournament will break ties on day 2. If a tie remains, it will be broken first by point standings, then by total number of fish for the tournament, then by total number of live fish for the tournament and then by lottery. Ties on day 3 will be resolved by day-2 standings.
During all days of competition any and all tobacco logos are prohibited and may not be worn or displayed. Anglers may wear their own apparel every day. FLW reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to prohibit any angler’s apparel that it finds to be offensive. Smoking is not allowed in the weigh-in line during all days of competition. All decisions are in FLW’s sole discretion.
Each contestant agrees to submit, by signature on the tournament entry form, to a polygraph or voice stress analysis examination and to abide by its conclusion. Failure to pass an examination will result in disqualification from the tournament. Truth verification tests will be used at FLW’s sole discretion, and the determination of the meaning of the results will be made solely by FLW.
Liability insurance with coverage of not less than $300,000 per occurrence is required of all pro contestants in EverStart Series tournaments. Proof of insurance must be with the boat being used and must cover all passengers in the boat. Random checks will be conducted. Failure to provide proof of insurance when requested by the tournament director may result in disqualification.
The captions at the beginning of each paragraph are intended to facilitate convenience in referring to the various rules. The captions are not part of the substance of the paragraph and should not be used in construction of any paragraph or of this overall set of rules.
