Tournament Rules
1. Entry Fees, Registration, Payouts
a. Entry Fees are $100 per person plus credit card fees.
b. Entry fees must be received by the Tournament Director no later than 7:00 AM on the day of the tournament.
c. Entry fees will not be refunded unless the tournament is cancelled or postponed by the Tournament Director.
d. Anglers may register by (i) registering online at www.crappiefest.com; (ii) registering in person at Lake Fork Trophy Lures in Emory, Texas on March 22, 2024 between 5pm and 6pm; ONLINE REGISTRATION IS STRONGLY ENCOURAGED!
2. Participants
a. This is an individual tournament, not a team tournament.
b. THIS IS A SINGLE POLE TOURNAMENT. You are allowed to have multiple poles available, but each angler may only have one line in the water at a time. c. Junior Anglers may fish in this tournament ONLY in a Special Junior Angler Division. There is no entry fee for either Special Junior Angler Division.
d. A “Junior Angler” is any angler that is not yet 18 years old whose parent or legal guardian has authorized such minor to fish in the tournament and has signed the appropriate releases.
e. There will be two “Special Junior Angler Divisions” that will compete for prizes only and will not participate in the payout from this tournament. Junior Anglers ages 11-17 will be in one Special Junior Angler Division and Junior Anglers ages 10 and under will be in a separate Special Junior Angler Division.
f. This is no limit on the number of participants in a boat (please follow the boat manufacturer’s load restrictions).
g. Participants may fish from the bank, a dock, a boat, canoes, kayaks, rubber rafts and float tubes, or wade in the water.
h. Participants must have valid applicable fishing and boating licenses (when required by state law) when participating in the tournament.
i. All Participants will be required to complete and submit a form 1099 prior to receiving any cash award at the tournament, regardless of the amount of such cash award.
3. Weigh-In
a. There is no check-in on the day of the tournament; once you have registered online or in person, there is nothing else to do in order to participate in the Tournament. Participants may unload at any ramp they want at any time they want, but Participants may not start fishing (line in the water) until 7:00am and must stop fishing (line out of the water) at 1:00pm (“Tournament Hours”).
All Participants must be in the weigh-in line by 2:00pm. Once the Tournament Director announces that the weigh-in line is closed no Participant will be allowed to enter the weigh-in line.
b. Not more than 1 (ONE) Legal Crappie that is caught and landed by a Participant on permissible Fishing Tackle, Bait or Lures may be weighed-in and the total weight of the Legal Crappie will determine the order of finish. PARTICIPANTS MAY NOT SHARE FISH. You may only weigh in a fish that you caught.
c. A Legal Crappie is any crappie that is caught by the Participant from a Permitted Fishing Area during the Tournament Hours, does not have any weight enhancements, has not been altered in any manner, was caught in a legal manner, and is legal to be kept by the Participant under applicable state law.
d. We strongly encourage all Participants to keep their fish alive during the weigh-in, but a dead crappie that is otherwise a Legal Crappie may be weighed in, provided that the crappie is still fresh, as determined by the Tournament Director in his or her sole discretion.
e. The Tournament Director may refuse to weigh-in any crappie presented for weigh-in if the Tournament Director believes, in his or her sole discretion, that the crappie does not satisfy the definition of Sections 4c or 4d above. All crappie weighed in may be retained by the tournament director for further inspection.
f. Presenting any fish to be weighed-in that is not a Legal Crappie will result in the disqualification of the Participant and may result in a referral to the proper legal authorities for prosecution if warranted.
g. All ties will be decided as follows: the Participant who weighed-in their fish the earliest will win. Thus, there will be no ties for awards. For example, if there is a tie for 2nd place, the cash prize for 2 nd place will go to the Participant who weighed in first, and the other Participant will be awarded 3rd place. However, if more than one angler weighs-in a 3lb+ crappie, the largest crappie will win the extra $10,000.
4. Safety
a. The Tournament Director may cancel, postpone, delay or shorten the tournament in his sole discretion due to extreme weather or water conditions.
b. Participants must comply with all applicable State and Federal fishing and boating regulations during Tournament Hours.
c. PFDs must be worn by adult Participants during Tournament Hours when their Boat is on plane. All Junior Anglers must wear an approved life jacket as required by applicable state laws.
d. The use of Boat kill switches is mandatory in the state of Texas.
e. Participants members may not use or be under the influence of alcohol or illegal drugs during Tournament Hours and until the weigh-in is completed.
f. Participants must operate their boats in a safe and courteous manner at all times during Tournament Hours.
g. Participants must keep a 50 ft. distance from each other while fishing, and must not interfere with the fishing of another angler.
h. Anglers are not allowed to approach the front of another boat while the competitor in that boat is actively fishing or with line in the water.
i. All Participants must sign a release form prior to participation in the tournament.
j. All Participants are encouraged to abide by any recommendations of the CDC or any other public health organization during Tournament Hours, including during the weigh-in.
k. All Participants are required to comply with any health and safety ordinances, rules, orders and the like in effect during Tournament Hours, including during the weigh-in.
5. Permitted Fishing Areas
a. All areas of Lake Fork.
6. Permissible Fishing Tackle, Bait and Lures
a. Participants must use rod and reel combos, hand-held pole and reel combos or hand-held poles.
b. Each Participant is limited to ONE pole with not more than 2 baits on that pole in the water at any one time.
c. Artificial baits and lures are permitted; live bait is permitted.
d. Landing Nets may be used.
7. Sportsmanship
a. Unsportsmanlike conduct during Tournament Hours may be grounds for disqualification from the tournament.
8. Violations
a. A violation of any of these Rules may result in disqualification from the tournament and the forfeiture of any prizes received.
b. Protests alleging a violation of any of these rules must be made in writing to the Tournament Director within 30 minutes following the end of the weigh-in. All protests must cite the rule number allegedly broken and must be signed by the person making the protest. The person making the protest and the person against whom the protest is being made may be required to submit to and pass a polygraph test or other truth test.
c. At the request of the Tournament Director, Participants that qualified for a prize at a tournament must submit to and pass a polygraph test or any other truth test deemed necessary to determine compliance with these rules. If a Participant refuses to submit to a polygraph test or other truth test, or fails to pass a polygraph test or other truth test, the Participant will be disqualified from the tournament and forfeit any prizes received. By participating in this tournament, Participants agree to release CRAPPIEFE$T and its sponsors from any liability arising from the administration of the test and/or the decisions made as a result of the test.
d. The interpretation of the rules shall be at the sole discretion of the Tournament Director.
a. Entry Fees are $100 per person plus credit card fees.
b. Entry fees must be received by the Tournament Director no later than 7:00 AM on the day of the tournament.
c. Entry fees will not be refunded unless the tournament is cancelled or postponed by the Tournament Director.
d. Anglers may register by (i) registering online at www.crappiefest.com; (ii) registering in person at Lake Fork Trophy Lures in Emory, Texas on March 22, 2024 between 5pm and 6pm; ONLINE REGISTRATION IS STRONGLY ENCOURAGED!
2. Participants
a. This is an individual tournament, not a team tournament.
b. THIS IS A SINGLE POLE TOURNAMENT. You are allowed to have multiple poles available, but each angler may only have one line in the water at a time. c. Junior Anglers may fish in this tournament ONLY in a Special Junior Angler Division. There is no entry fee for either Special Junior Angler Division.
d. A “Junior Angler” is any angler that is not yet 18 years old whose parent or legal guardian has authorized such minor to fish in the tournament and has signed the appropriate releases.
e. There will be two “Special Junior Angler Divisions” that will compete for prizes only and will not participate in the payout from this tournament. Junior Anglers ages 11-17 will be in one Special Junior Angler Division and Junior Anglers ages 10 and under will be in a separate Special Junior Angler Division.
f. This is no limit on the number of participants in a boat (please follow the boat manufacturer’s load restrictions).
g. Participants may fish from the bank, a dock, a boat, canoes, kayaks, rubber rafts and float tubes, or wade in the water.
h. Participants must have valid applicable fishing and boating licenses (when required by state law) when participating in the tournament.
i. All Participants will be required to complete and submit a form 1099 prior to receiving any cash award at the tournament, regardless of the amount of such cash award.
3. Weigh-In
a. There is no check-in on the day of the tournament; once you have registered online or in person, there is nothing else to do in order to participate in the Tournament. Participants may unload at any ramp they want at any time they want, but Participants may not start fishing (line in the water) until 7:00am and must stop fishing (line out of the water) at 1:00pm (“Tournament Hours”).
All Participants must be in the weigh-in line by 2:00pm. Once the Tournament Director announces that the weigh-in line is closed no Participant will be allowed to enter the weigh-in line.
b. Not more than 1 (ONE) Legal Crappie that is caught and landed by a Participant on permissible Fishing Tackle, Bait or Lures may be weighed-in and the total weight of the Legal Crappie will determine the order of finish. PARTICIPANTS MAY NOT SHARE FISH. You may only weigh in a fish that you caught.
c. A Legal Crappie is any crappie that is caught by the Participant from a Permitted Fishing Area during the Tournament Hours, does not have any weight enhancements, has not been altered in any manner, was caught in a legal manner, and is legal to be kept by the Participant under applicable state law.
d. We strongly encourage all Participants to keep their fish alive during the weigh-in, but a dead crappie that is otherwise a Legal Crappie may be weighed in, provided that the crappie is still fresh, as determined by the Tournament Director in his or her sole discretion.
e. The Tournament Director may refuse to weigh-in any crappie presented for weigh-in if the Tournament Director believes, in his or her sole discretion, that the crappie does not satisfy the definition of Sections 4c or 4d above. All crappie weighed in may be retained by the tournament director for further inspection.
f. Presenting any fish to be weighed-in that is not a Legal Crappie will result in the disqualification of the Participant and may result in a referral to the proper legal authorities for prosecution if warranted.
g. All ties will be decided as follows: the Participant who weighed-in their fish the earliest will win. Thus, there will be no ties for awards. For example, if there is a tie for 2nd place, the cash prize for 2 nd place will go to the Participant who weighed in first, and the other Participant will be awarded 3rd place. However, if more than one angler weighs-in a 3lb+ crappie, the largest crappie will win the extra $10,000.
4. Safety
a. The Tournament Director may cancel, postpone, delay or shorten the tournament in his sole discretion due to extreme weather or water conditions.
b. Participants must comply with all applicable State and Federal fishing and boating regulations during Tournament Hours.
c. PFDs must be worn by adult Participants during Tournament Hours when their Boat is on plane. All Junior Anglers must wear an approved life jacket as required by applicable state laws.
d. The use of Boat kill switches is mandatory in the state of Texas.
e. Participants members may not use or be under the influence of alcohol or illegal drugs during Tournament Hours and until the weigh-in is completed.
f. Participants must operate their boats in a safe and courteous manner at all times during Tournament Hours.
g. Participants must keep a 50 ft. distance from each other while fishing, and must not interfere with the fishing of another angler.
h. Anglers are not allowed to approach the front of another boat while the competitor in that boat is actively fishing or with line in the water.
i. All Participants must sign a release form prior to participation in the tournament.
j. All Participants are encouraged to abide by any recommendations of the CDC or any other public health organization during Tournament Hours, including during the weigh-in.
k. All Participants are required to comply with any health and safety ordinances, rules, orders and the like in effect during Tournament Hours, including during the weigh-in.
5. Permitted Fishing Areas
a. All areas of Lake Fork.
6. Permissible Fishing Tackle, Bait and Lures
a. Participants must use rod and reel combos, hand-held pole and reel combos or hand-held poles.
b. Each Participant is limited to ONE pole with not more than 2 baits on that pole in the water at any one time.
c. Artificial baits and lures are permitted; live bait is permitted.
d. Landing Nets may be used.
7. Sportsmanship
a. Unsportsmanlike conduct during Tournament Hours may be grounds for disqualification from the tournament.
8. Violations
a. A violation of any of these Rules may result in disqualification from the tournament and the forfeiture of any prizes received.
b. Protests alleging a violation of any of these rules must be made in writing to the Tournament Director within 30 minutes following the end of the weigh-in. All protests must cite the rule number allegedly broken and must be signed by the person making the protest. The person making the protest and the person against whom the protest is being made may be required to submit to and pass a polygraph test or other truth test.
c. At the request of the Tournament Director, Participants that qualified for a prize at a tournament must submit to and pass a polygraph test or any other truth test deemed necessary to determine compliance with these rules. If a Participant refuses to submit to a polygraph test or other truth test, or fails to pass a polygraph test or other truth test, the Participant will be disqualified from the tournament and forfeit any prizes received. By participating in this tournament, Participants agree to release CRAPPIEFE$T and its sponsors from any liability arising from the administration of the test and/or the decisions made as a result of the test.
d. The interpretation of the rules shall be at the sole discretion of the Tournament Director.
