​TOURNAMENT RULES 
1. Responsibility:  It is the responsibility of each contestant in the tournament to review the tournament rules. 
2. Sportsmanship: All contestants are required to follow high standards of Sportsmanship, Courtesy and Conservation, and conduct themselves in a manner that will be a credit to themselves, to their Club, to the San Diego Council of Bass Clubs, the sport of fishing and the Council’s efforts to promote the sport. In case of any conduct not complying with the standards, The San Diego Council of Bass Clubs shall have the right to refuse any application, or deny a confirmed entry, or to disqualify a contestant.
3. Participation: All clubs are expected to participate and will pay tournament fees to the council no less than thirty days prior to the tournament.  There shall be no exception.
4. Eligibility: Participation is open to all club members who qualify to fish the tournament.  All participants are to submit a signed waiver of liability to the council.  Boat operators are required to provide proof of insurance. Participants less than 18 years of age must be accompanied by an adult 18 years or older.
5. Tournament Meeting: A Tournament meeting will be held during the last monthly meeting of the San Diego Council of Bass Clubs prior to the tournament.
6. Off Limits: The tournament lake is off limits to all members from the close of lake on the Sunday prior to the tournament until the completion of the tournament  weigh-in.
7. Pre-Launch: There will be no pre-launch.
8. Fishing Licenses and regulations: Each contestant must observe all state fish and game laws, lake regulations and have in his or her possession a valid state fishing license.
9. Alcohol/Drugs: No alcoholic beverages, depressants or stimulant drugs are allowed in the boats or to be consumed by participants, and participants may not be under the influence of same prior or during the Tournament. Violation of this rule or disorderly conduct (whether related to drugs or alcohol or not) will be grounds for immediate disqualification and removal from the lake.
10.Boat and Motor: The Tournament Officials reserve the right to prohibit any boat from participating if the boat is considered unsafe or the operator unqualified.  Boats equipped with motors with horsepower in excess of the factory BIA/Coast Guard rating will not be allowed in the Tournament competition.
11. Safety: Safe boating conduct and all safety precautions must be observed at all times by all contestants. Everyone participating in the Tournament must wear a life jacket, worn properly and fastened, whenever the main engine is running. All boats must be equipped with an engine cutoff or emergency “kill” switch device.
12. Boat Safety Equipment: All boats must meet all Coast Guard safety requirements including Coast Guard approved running lights that are working, a throw cushion in addition to the life jackets for each participant, and an approved fire extinguisher.
13. Boat Inspection: Tournament Officials will conduct a boat inspection prior to the start of the event. Officials will be checking for safety equipment, live bait, alcohol, drugs, fishing licenses, empty live-wells, etc. Any boat found in violation must immediately correct the problem or be disqualified. Any boat owner that refuses to allow Officials to inspect their boat will be disqualified. Boats that have passed inspection will have a colored plastic streamer attached to the boat. The streamer must be attached to each boat in a plainly visible location and displayed at all times.
14. Launch: Launching will be as soon as possible after the opening of the lake.
15. Starting Positions: Starting positions will be determined by a draw held at the meeting prior to the tournament.
16. Start of Tournament: For Top-Six Tournament: Boats will be released in flights with a five (5) second interval between boats and a two (2) minute interval between each flight.  For Tournament of Champions:   Boats will be released one at a time with a five (5) second interval between each boat.   No boat may pass another boat heading in the same direction during the initial flight of the Tournament.
17. Weigh-in: For Top-Six Tournament: 1st Flight 1:00 pm, 2nd Flight 1:15 pm and 3rd Flight 1:30 P.M.  For Tournament of Champions:  Day one – 3:00 pm and for Day two – 2:30pm.  Boats that are not within the boat dock no wake zone at the weigh-in time will be disqualified.  Weigh-in site to be announced.
18. Limit and Size: Each team will be allowed to weigh-in five (5) fish per boat. Each fish must be a bass species (excluding stripers) and be no shorter than twelve (12) inches long, closed mouth, except for lakes with different size limits.  All fish will be measured closed mouth swing the tail on a golden ruler. At no time will a boat have more than the Tournament limit in the live well.
19. Dead or short fish Penalty: Each dead fish will result in a FOUR OUNCE – 0.25lb penalty. Each short fish will result in loss of short fish and a ONE-POUND penalty from the club’s total weigh.
20. Permitted Fishing Methods: Only artificial lures may be used during the Tournament. No prepared bait other than Pork-rind strips is permitted. Only one (1) rod and reel may be used at a time. All fish must be caught live and in a conventional method.
21. Permitted Fishing Waters: No fishing is allowed within designated off-limit areas. Contestants should maintain the distance of two long casts between boats. All fishing must be done from a boat. Shore fishing is not allowed.
22. Pre-Fishing: Allowed until the lake is off limits. 
23. Culling: This is a catch and release tournament, and all fish caught and weighed must be released immediately  after being weighed. Any dead fish will be kept by the tournament officials  for disposal.
24. Penalties: Contestants who violate these tournament rules, lake regulations or state laws will be disqualified from the tournament.
25. Cheating: Anyone caught cheating will be disqualified and removed from the tournament. After disqualification for cheating, an independent investigation may be conducted by the San Diego Council of Bass Clubs and local law enforcement to determine the possibility of criminal prosecution. It is the intent of the San Diego Council of Bass Clubs that cheaters be prosecuted.
26. Official Boats: Official boats on the lake during the Tournament and may approach and observe any contestant at any time. Tournament Officials retain the right to inspect any boat at any time for possible infractions of these rules.
27. Live wells: The Fish and Game permit for this Tournament requires adequate aerated live wells, which provide proper aeration to maintain fish in good condition.
28. Electronic Communications: No type of electronic communications i.e. radios or cell
phones may be used to transmit or receive any information concerning aspects of the Tournament during the Tournament.
29. Speed Restrictions: The lake speed limit and no wake zones will always be followed. During foggy conditions the speed limit will be five (5) miles per hour.
30. Special Rules: The Tournament Officials may announce special rules when necessary. Special rules when announced will have the same force and effect as the written rules. Interpretation of all rules will be left exclusively, to the Tournament Officials, whose decision will be final in all matters.
31. Complaints: Complaints must be submitted in writing no later than 15 minutes after the end of the weigh-in. Complaints must be submitted to a Tournament Official for acceptance.
32. Damages/Claims:  The San Diego Council of Bass Clubs and the City of San Diego and their officials and any sponsoring organization are released, and the Tournament participants waive all claims for injuries and/or damage incurred in connection with this Tournament event. All participants will be required to execute a waiver for the above release prior to being allowed to participate in the tournament. This is a condition of your participation.
33. Cancellation: The Tournament Officials, in their discretion, reserve the right to cancel the tournament if situations develop that they feel make it appropriate to do so. In the event of cancellation, the tournament will be rescheduled.
34.Ties in total weight will be broken by big fish weighed in.
35. Polygraph: Each contestant agrees to submit, by his or her signature on the Official tournament waiver, to a polygraph examination and to abide by its conclusion. Failure to pass or take the examination will result in disqualification. Polygraphs will be used at the San Diego Council of Bass Clubs sole discretion and the determination of the meaning of the results will be made solely by the San Diego Council of Bass Clubs.