Lake of the Prairies, Manitoba, Canada - Home of the Lions Walleye Classic

Official Rules - 2008 Prairie Classic

1) ELIGIBILITY:
a) All persons 18 years of age or older are eligible to enter. Anglers under the age of 18 must fish with parent or guardian.
b) Tournament committee has the right to refuse any entry at their sole discretion.
c) The team Captain will “own” the team. Make sure of who is registered as team Captain as it will affect future participation.
d) If the Captain of a team that is offered a spot chooses not to fish, the offer will then be made to the qualifying partner who in turn will become the new Captain.
2) REQUIREMENTS:
a) Each contestant must have in his or her possession a fishing license that is valid on Lake of the Prairies.
b) Promoters and organizations assisting in tournament operation, their agencies and agents are not responsible for death, injury, damage, theft, fire or any loss to entrants. Each entrant upon signing an accepted entry form will in effect be signing a waiver form.
c) All contestants are required to observe Canadian rules and regulations concerning safe boating.
d) A Manitoba Provincial Park Permit must be displayed on tow vehicles at all times.
3) FISHING:
a) Only walleye, sauger & saugeye will be included in official totals.
b) Only those fish caught on a hook and line in normal and usual manner will be accepted.
c) Only barbless hooks may be used on Lake of the Prairies.
d) Each fisherman will be allowed one line in the water at a time. Spare rods may be carried.
e) Live bait and artificial bait and lures are allowed. Electronic or electrical luring or attracting devices are prohibited.
f) Only walleye, sauger, or saugeye 30 – 45 centimeters will be accepted by tournament officials, with one fish over 70 centimeters allowed per day.
g) Entrants will conduct themselves as true sportsmen and gentlemen when fishing near another boat. No boat may touch another boat. Participants are not allowed to toss or pass any item(s) to another boat or to receive any item(s) from another boat.
h) A contestant must not leave the boat to land a fish or untangle lines or lures.
i) Daily limit per team shall be (5) five fish. At no time shall there be more than 5 fish in the live well. (NO more than (5) fish per team per day.)
j) There will be no tags used. Putting an un-releasable fish back into the water will mean disqualification and ejection from the tournament.
k) The tournament committee encourages use of cotton or wool gloves at all times when handling fish.
l) No contestant will be allowed to fish after 3:00 PM on the day before the tournament.
4) BOATS & EQUIPMENT
a) All boats will be required to meet Canadian safety regulations.
b) All boats will be required to carry registration in accordance with the regulations of the home, state or province of the contestant owning the boat.
e) Boats may be equipped with electronic positioning or trolling motors.
f) Electronic and electrical depth finders, thermometers, oxygen meters, etc are allowed.
g) In Prairie Classic, live wells must be used by all teams, live well is a covered aerated container used to retain live fish.
h) Use of cell phones, walkie talkies or other communication devices of any sort will result in immediate disqualification if used for anything other than an emergency situation.
5) TOURNAMENT BOUNDARIES
a) From West of the swimming area (Marked with red buoys spanning the river) to the hydro line approx. two to three miles north of Pyott’s Point (Hydro line spans river).
6) WEIGH-IN
a) The weigh-in for entries will be open from 8:00am and will continue throughout the fishing day.
b) The determination of stressed or dead fish will be made in the live well before weighing. In the opinion of tournament officials;
- any fish not swimming upright will be considered stressed.
- any fish not deemed capable of recovery will be considered dead.
Stressed fish will receive a penalty of 16 oz. Dead fish are ineligible for weight but must be counted as catch. Any fish considered stressed at dockside or weigh-in shall automatically be the property of the tournament official and be counted as catch.
c) Fish will be transported from entrant’s boats in a covered tub of fresh water to the weigh-in site.

d) Unloading area will be designated immediately in front of the weigh-in area and will be for unloading of fish only.
e) All measurements will be taken with tail laid flat (not pinched) and mouth closed. (Jaw not in extended position).
f) Fish will be measured, then weighed and a copy of the official ticket will be issued. Tickets are to be initialed by one of the team members.
g) If a contestant who submits a fish that is judged to be within the slot limits illegal size, the contestant will be docked that fish from his/her entry limit, and the fish will be released into the holding tank for release.
h) If a fish is dropped by officials at check in site and as a result is judged dead, there will be no penalty assessed.
7) REQUIRED ACTIVITIES
a) All contestants are required to attend the pre-tournament rules meeting which will be held on Friday June 6th, 2008 beginning at 6:30pm at the Russell & District Community Center.
b) Any contestant involved in a protest must be on call for three (3) hours following the end of the fishing day.
c) All contestants are required to cooperate with the press for interviews and photographs.
8) FISHING HOURS AND STARTING
a) The tournament fishing day will begin at 7:00 am and end at 4:00 pm Saturday and Sunday. All boats must be inspected and must receive their tags before they will be allowed to leave in their respective flight.
b) Contestants who return late will be penalized 1 fish for each minute late. Any boat 5 minutes late will be ineligible for weigh-in and will have no weight recorded for the day. FOR THE SAFETY OF EVERYONE, ALL CONTESTANTS MUST CHECK IN AT THE WEIGH-IN DOCKS EACH DAY END AND REPORT TO A TOURNAMENT OFFICIAL.
c) The boat launch will serve as tournament headquarters and contestants will be required to end each day at this point (Must pass through markers).
d) Boats will leave in three flights. These flights will alternate each day. (Shotgun start spanning dam).
e) All times are GPS time.
9) BOAT IDENTIFICATION PATROLLING
a) All contestant’s boats will be identified with a color decal. Team numbers will be assigned when applicants are notified of their acceptance to the tournament.
b) If an emergency exists, patrol boats will be clearly marked for easy identification.
c) Boats may be inspected before and during the tournament. Patrol boats will ask to see your weigh-in card.
10) PRIZES
a) Prizes will be based on total weight during the two day tournament.
b) Prizes will be awarded on a team basis and must be accepted as awarded.
c) Polygraph test may be given to the top winners of the tournament or others if deemed necessary.
d) The Committee reserves the right to cancel tournament in the event of insufficient entries.
e) The entry fee for two person team is $400.00.
11) SPIRIT OF THE RULE
a) All rules have loopholes. It is the intent of the sponsor to provide an honest sportsman like tournament. In the interest of good sportsmanship, contestants are reminded “Spirit of the rule” shall apply.
12) PROTESTS
a) Any contestant wishing to protest against another contestant will fill out a protest form within one hour of the close of the fishing day. A $200.00 protest fee will be required to accompany any formal protest. The fee will be returned if the protest is found to be valid.
b) If a team wishes to drop out, the place will be filled by the tournament committee and not by the choice of the team that drops out. Entry fee will be refunded only if notice is given two weeks (14 days) prior to the start of the tournament.
13) ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES
a) Prairie Classic Meal in 2007 is included in the entry fee. It will consist of dinner on June 7th at the Russell & District Community Center at 6:30pm.
14) OTHER
a) Contingency prizes may be made available by contributors, supporters, and other parties. Rules for these prizes will be stipulated by those offering the prize.
b) Only live and releasable fish will qualify for any big fish award.
c) The tournament is limited to 150 teams; however, the committee has the right to increase the number of entries by up to 10%.
15) TIE BREAKERS
a) In the event of a tie for 1st to 15th Place Cash Prizes, the highest rank for the FIRST day of the tournament will be awarded the higher prize.