| One-day Qualifiers | Super Tournaments | |
|---|---|---|
| Boater | $200 | $300 |
| Co-angler | $100 | $150 |
Big Bass - The boater who catches the heaviest bass receives $1,000 in each one-day qualifying tournament and $1,500 in each two-day Super Tournament based on a 200-boat field. The co-angler who catches the heaviest bass receives $500 in each one-day qualifying tournament and $750 in each two-day Super Tournament based on a 200-boat field.
Chevy Angler of the Year, Co-angler of the Year - The boater who earns the most points within a division of the BFL will be awarded the Chevy Angler of the Year title and $1,000 at the end of the season. The co-angler who earns the most points within a division of the BFL will be awarded the Chevy Co-angler of the Year title and $500 at the end of the season. These awards apply to each of the 24 divisions within the league.
Evinrude $1,000 Award - Presented to the highest-placing owner of a 2010 or newer 90-250 HP E-TEC outboard.
Mercury $1,000 Award - Presented to the winner if he/she is the original registered owner/first purchaser of a 2010 or newer 115-250 HP Mercury outboard.
MotorGuide $500 Award - Presented to the winner if he/she is the original registered owner/first purchaser of a 2010 or newer MotorGuide trolling motor.
Power-Pole Captains Cash Club - The Power-Pole Captains Cash Club program awards $100 cash to the winning boater at each BFL tournament if he or she meets Captains Cash guidelines.
Anglers must be enrolled in the Captains Cash program and meet all requirements to be eligible. Visit Power-Pole.com to enroll and learn about program requirements for the Captains Cash program. Completed Power-Pole Captains Cash claims forms must be submitted within 30 days of the tournament win and can be obtained here or at Power-Pole.com.
Ranger Cup - Ranger awards $2,000 to the winning boater in each qualifier and each Super Tournament if they meet Ranger Cup guidelines.
Anglers must be registered with Ranger and meet all Ranger Cup clothing and decal requirements to receive the 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.
Grime Boss Clean Up Contingency Award - The Grime Boss Clean Up contingency award will be given to the highest finisher in the Boater Division at the BFL All-American who is wearing the Grime Boss patch. This award will be open to all Boater Division anglers fishing the BFL All-American There is no entry fee for this contingency award.
To be eligible to win the contingency award, anglers must wear the Grime Boss patch on Day 3 (the final day of competition). The Grime Boss patch must be visible on the jersey (front or sleeves).
The winner of the Grime Boss Clean Up contingency award will be given a $200 Walmart gift card and a year supply of Grime Boss Hand Wipes.
STP Powering Maximum Performance Co-angler Contingency Award - STP awards one case of STP Multipurpose Motor Treatment and one case of STP Gas Treatment to the highest finishing co-angler in each BFL Regional and the All-American if he or she is wearing an STP t-shirt provided by FLW during competition and weigh-in on day three. An STP hat will also be provided but is not required to be worn.
Gone Fishing Wear It to Win It - Gone Fishing awards as much as $250 to the winning boater and $125 to the winning co-angler in each BFL tournament if he or she meets Wear It to Win It contingency requirements.
The Gone Fishing contingency award is as follows: 1st place = $250 pro and $125 co-angler; 2nd place = $125 pro and $75 co-angler; and 3rd place = $50 pro and $25 co-angler.
Eligibility requirements for the Gone Fishing contingency award are as follows:
• All boaters and co-anglers must register their Gone Fishing sunglasses purchase at Gonefishingoptics.com prior to the start of each tournament.
• Anglers finishing first, second or third in the eligible tournament must wear a Gone Fishing logo on the front of his or her jersey during the tournament. Gone Fishing logo patches are available for free when registering at Gonefishingoptics.com.
• Anglers must have been wearing their Gone Fishing sunglasses during the eligible tournament.
• Anglers must submit a photo of themselves on stage at the eligible tournament with the Gone Fishing logo clearly legible on their jersey.
• The decision of Gone Fishing is final in all matters regarding contingency eligibility. Visit Gonefishingoptics.com for complete details.
All awards are subject to change.
FLW Outdoors expects strict adherence to the following rules by all contestants. Additionally, FLW Outdoors suggests that co-anglers share fuel expenses with their boater partner to help offset the high cost of boat operation. FLW Outdoors also recommends the use of 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 2012. 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 may be cause for disqualification. The violation of a tournament rule may result in 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 largest one-day catch, disqualification from the entire tournament or ineligibility to participate in future FLW Outdoors 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 Outdoors 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 Outdoors officials. All contestants must have a valid fishing license for the waters they fish.
Entries will be accepted by division beginning at 8 a.m. Central time on the following dates: Dec. 12, 2011 – Hoosier, Michigan, Music City and Volunteer; Dec. 13, 2011 – Bulldog, Cowboy, Great Lakes, Illini and Mississippi; Dec. 14, 2011 – Bama, Buckeye, Choo Choo, Gator and Mountain; Dec. 15, 2011 – Arkie, LBL, North Carolina, Northeast and Okie; Dec. 16, 2011 – Ozark, Piedmont, Savannah River, Shenandoah and South Carolina.
Boaters entering by the priority deadline for each tournament and providing co-anglers (with membership numbers) will be given top priority and, if accepted into the tournament, will receive a guaranteed co-angler draw. Co-anglers entering by the priority deadline for each tournament and providing boaters (with membership numbers) will be given top priority. Boater and co-angler priority and boater draw guarantees are granted when matching boater and co-angler entries (listing each other’s name and membership number) are received by the priority deadline and are contingent on both anglers competing in the tournament entered.
TBF members entering by the priority deadline for each tournament will be given priority.
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 200 boaters and 200 co-anglers. Late entries will be accepted through registration the day before a tournament when a field is not yet full and are subject to a $25 service charge. 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 and will maintain Chevy Wild Card eligibility.
CONFIRMED ENTRIES ARE CONTINGENT UPON COMPLETE ENTRY FEE BEING PAID BY THE ENTRY DEADLINE DATE. Entry fees may be transferred or refunded if FLW Outdoors is notified by 5 p.m. Central time the Tuesday prior to a tournament. ENTRY FEES WILL NOT BE TRANSFERRED OR REFUNDED AFTER TUESDAY. Each refunded entry fee is subject to a $10 service charge.
Chevy Wild Card eligibility: Contestants who pay an entry fee prior to the tournament for all five tournaments in a division and do not qualify for regional competition in any division qualify for the Chevy Wild Card. To maintain Chevy Wild Card eligibility, entry fees may not be transferred or refunded (except for waiting list anglers not accepted into a tournament).
Payment schedule: Boater entry fees are $200 per one-day tournament and $300 per two-day Super Tournament. Co-angler entry fees are $100 per one-day tournament and $150 per two-day Super Tournament. Entry fees are due upon entry.
200 points are awarded to the winner of each tournament, 199 to 2nd, 198 to 3rd, etc., and 300 points are awarded to the winner of each Super Tournament, 299 to 2nd, 298 to 3rd, etc. All anglers who receive weight credit receive points.
The top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers from the final point standings in each division (ties resolved by total weight) qualify for a 2012 regional championship and receive priority entry into the 2013 EverStart Series. If a top-40 angler is unable to attend a regional championship, the next person in the point standings may be invited.
The top six boaters and co-anglers at each regional championship qualify for the 2013 All-American. The winning boater and co-angler at the 2013 All-American qualify for the 2013 Forrest Wood Cup.
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 deadline for each qualifying tournament and Super Tournament or the start of the off-limits for each regional championship and the All-American: Sept. 24, 2012, for the Lake Seminole regional; Sept. 24, 2012, for the Cherokee Reservoir regional; Oct. 1, 2012, for the Kerr Lake regional; Oct. 1, 2012, for the Lake Barkley regional; Oct. 8, 2012, for the Red River regional; Oct. 8, 2012, for the Pickwick Lake regional; and May 7, 2012, for the 2012 All-American on the Potomac River. 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 for each qualifying tournament and Super Tournament. 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.
Once competition is under way, contestants may not solicit and/or receive information about locating or catching fish on tournament waters from anyone except boaters and co-anglers confirmed in the tournament and through publicly available sources (quasi-public websites 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, boaters 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 20 percent cut after the close of weigh-in on day 1 in Super Tournaments may not solicit or receive information about locating or catching fish on tournament waters from anyone except other top-20-percent contestants and through publicly available sources. In multiday tournaments, co-anglers who share a boater partner’s fishing locations with another contestant will be disqualified along with the contestant requesting and/or using the information.
Off-limits dates for each regional championship and the All-American are: Sept. 24-28, 2012, for the Lake Seminole regional; Sept. 24-28, 2012, for the Cherokee Reservoir regional; Oct. 1-5, 2012, for the Kerr Lake regional; Oct. 1-5, 2012, for the Lake Barkley regional; Oct. 8-12, 2012, for the Red River regional; Oct. 8-12, 2012, for the Pickwick Lake regional; and May 7-15, 2012, for the 2012 All-American on the Potomac River.
Each contestant must register in person at the designated site, send a person who is 16 years of age or older to represent them at the site, register online at FLWOutdoors.com between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Central time the day before the tournament or call FLW Outdoors between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Central time the day before the tournament. 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 boater/co-angler draw immediately following the pretournament meeting to receive the contestant’s boat number, meet the contestant’s boater or co-angler, and record the boater or co-angler’s lodging information, phone number and exact location for the contestant and boater or co-angler to meet prior to takeoff.
Registration hours are 4-6 p.m. local time the day before each tournament. Contestants registering between 6-6:15 p.m. will pay a $25 late fee that will be donated to the FLW Outdoors 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 who did not register online or by calling FLW Outdoors the day before the tournament 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 Outdoors Foundation. Contestants not present or represented for pairings may forfeit their entry fee and not be entered in the tournament.
Boaters and co-anglers will be paired by random draw. All contestants or their representatives must contact their assigned partners 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. If more boaters than co-anglers are entered in a tournament, excess boaters will be paired together. If the number of co-anglers exceeds the number of boaters, excess co-anglers may choose to change to boater status or have their entry transferred or refunded with no service charge while maintaining Chevy Wild Card eligibility. The selection of co-anglers in this situation will be determined by date and time of entry.
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 Outdoors, FLW Outdoors’ sponsors, the sport of fishing and FLW Outdoors’ 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 Outdoors shall have the right to refuse an application to compete, to deny a confirmed application to compete by returning the entry fee or to disqualify a contestant.
Boaters 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. Boaters 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. Boaters may not request that the co-angler not fish. Any boater 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 boater may be disqualified for that day. Boaters paired with boaters will receive equal time in the front of the boat to operate the trolling motor and equal time, including travel, to fish their selected waters.
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.
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 Outdoors tournaments.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 boater or co-angler 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 Outdoors 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 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, there are 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) by both paired anglers entering the boat of another tournament contestant. Under these two conditions the contestants’ catches may be counted without a penalty (except for late penalties, dead-fish penalties or other penalties pertaining to other tournament rules). 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.
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. Eight 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 qualifying tournament.
Only largemouth, spotted, redeye or smallmouth bass are accepted species.
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. Contestants possessing more than the tournament limit will have their catch to that point disqualified and, time permitting, are eligible for a restart from the takeoff location.
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 1 pound 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 boater or co-angler. Failure to have a verified boater or co-angler signature may result in disqualification of that day’s catch.
On day 2 in Super Tournaments, the top 20 percent of boaters and co-anglers based on weight from day 1 compete, and the winners are determined by the heaviest combined weight from days 1 and 2.
On day 3 of regional championships, the top 12 boaters and 12 co-anglers based on the combined weight from days 1 and 2 compete, and the winners are determined by the heaviest combined weight from days 1, 2 and 3.
On day 3 of the All-American, the top 10 boaters and co-anglers based on the combined weight from days 1 and 2 compete, and the winners are determined by the heaviest combined weight from days 1, 2 and 3.
Ties in one-day tournaments will be resolved by combining and dividing the awards equally among the tied contestants (trophy recipient determined by lottery). Point standings will break ties on day 1 of two-day Super Tournaments. If a tie remains, it will be broken first by total number of fish for the season then by total weight for the season. The heaviest one-day catch for the tournament will break ties on day 2 of Super Tournaments and day 2 and 3 of regional championships and the 2012 All-American. 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.
Smoking is not allowed in the weigh-in line during all days of competition. Logo restrictions apply for the televised All-American and will be provided to qualifying anglers.
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 Outdoors’ sole discretion, and the determination of the meaning of the results will be made solely by FLW Outdoors.
Liability insurance with coverage in reasonable amounts is required of all contestants in FLW Outdoors tournaments.
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.
