Trout Challenge Tournament

EVENT INFORMATION AND OFFICIAL RULES

BOUNDARIES: Anglers may launch at either Bason’s Marina in Cutoff, or the Catfish Boat Launch in Golden Meadow. Boundaries include all waters accessible from these two launches.

TIME: The official LAUNCH time is 5:45 AM. You may launch your kayak prior to 5:45 AM and stage in the immediate vicinity of the launch, but DO NOT proceed forth or begin fishing UNTIL 5:45 AM. REMINDER: Be courteous, DO NOT BLOCK LAUNCHES.

OBJECT: The heaviest total weight of up to 10 Speckled Trout (12” or larger) and 1 Flounder (11″ or larger) will win. A speckled trout will be measured with a closed mouth and a pinched tail; the longest point of the pinched tail shall touch the 12” mark at a minimum length.  A flounder will be measured with a closed mouth and a pinched tail; the longest point of the pinched tail shall touch the 11″ mark at a minimum length.

WEIGH-IN: The weigh-in will begin at 2:00 PM in the pavilion at the park attached to the Catfish Lake Boat Launch. The weigh-in line will be cut off at 3:00:00 PM sharp. Upon your arrival at the weigh-in site, SIGN IN ASAP. Sign in time is a tiebreaker in the event of a tie. Sign-in will begin by 2:00 PM and will end promptly at 3:00:00 PM. Any angler not signed in by 3:00:00 PM will not be allowed to have their catch weighed. 

ANGLER OF THE YEAR / CHAMPIONSHIP QUALIFICATION: The top 15 anglers on the leaderboard of Trout Challenge are eligible for qualification to the BCKFC Championship in November. To fully qualify, an angler must also have an additional paid entry to one of the other 3 qualification tournaments and be a paid club member in good standing with BCKFC. 

Points are awarded for Angler of the Year at each tournament with 1st receiving 300 points, 2nd receiving 299 points, 3rd receiving 298 points, and so on down the line. To receive points, an angler must weigh in at least a single legal fish and be a BCKFC member in good standing. The Angler of the Year points total represents the 4 qualifying tournaments plus the BCKFC Championship, less a drop of the worst placing tournament for each individual angler.

At the end of all 4 qualifying tournaments, at least the top 2 anglers in angler of the year points (who had not qualified on the podium) will gain entry to the championship via wildcard. If there are still less than 40 anglers qualified for the championship after the initial 2 wildcards are earned, up to 3 more wildcard places may be awarded to the next highest Angler of the Year points earners (who had not qualified on the podium) so that a minimum of 40 anglers qualify for the championship.  

ENTRY FEES: The entry fee is $31.50 per participant.

$18 of each entry is paid out to the winners.
$10 of each entry is held for the Championship Event.
$2 of each entry is added to the club’s general fund for event expenses.
$1.50 of each entry covers all PayPal processing fees.

100% of the event purse is split to pay out the individual awards.

1-30 Paid Entries = Three (3) places paid out
31-50 Paid Entries = Four (4) places paid out
51-75 Paid Entries = Five (5) places paid out
76-100 Paid Entries = Six (6) places paid out
101+ Paid Entries = Seven (7) places paid out

Minimum payout = $50 with cash differentials provided by BCKFC.

MULE TROUT: There will be an option during registration to enter the MULE TROUT category. Entry into the MULE TROUT category will be $5.00 and the winner will take all. Winner is determined by presenting the speckled trout with the heaviest weight. This category applies to legal speckled trout only.

YOUTH DIVISION: There is a FREE youth division for anglers who are 12 years of age or younger. Enter by sending an email or a private message on the forum to any of the club officers. Youths compete for a prize valued at $50 (minimum) and do not compete against anglers who paid full entry fees.

PADDLE/PEDAL CRAFT ONLY: This event allows human powered craft only. Trolling motors, sails, gas engines, and “mother ships,” are not allowed. Your pedal or paddle craft must be human powered and includes tandem kayaks, canoes, pirogues, and paddleboards. A participant is allowed to wade fish or fish from the bank but ONLY if they remain within 100’ of their LAUNCHED paddle craft. Launched is defined as your paddle/pedal craft being off of your vehicle/trailer and that a portion of the craft is in fishable waters.

PRIVATE LAUNCHES & PRIVATE FISHING AREAS: Only Bason’s Marina and Catfish Lake public launch are permitted launch locations for this tournament. Fishing behind gated areas of the marsh is not allowed unless the angler has arranged for all other participants to also fish the area that day AND has made that possibility known to all by posting appropriate information on our forums at least one week in advance.

WATER COURTESY / ENCROACHMENT: Do your best not to disturb someone else’s fishing area, by encroachment, or noise. An angler officially establishes his/her fishing area by having their craft anchored in place. If you come upon an angler in an egress area, as quietly as you can, ask which side he or she would like you to cross at. A good rule of thumb is that if you can both cast to a common point you’re too close. Respect others and use the golden rule.

PROTESTS: All protests must be made in writing and delivered to a tournament official within 30 minutes of the official end of the weigh-in. The tournament director is the final authority in all considerations.

CHEATING/FOUL PLAY: All anglers are encouraged to report violations. Cheating and contest fraud in a fishing tournament is a crime in the state of Louisiana. BCKFC will enforce a zero tolerance policy with regard to cheating.

POLYGRAPH EXAMINATION: All participants, by signing up, agree to take a polygraph examination if requested. Any participant can be asked to submit to a polygraph examination. No explanation shall be required from the hosts of the tournament as to why a specific individual is asked to submit to a polygraph examination. Refusal to submit to or failure of a polygraph examination will result in disqualification from the tournament, forfeiture of any and all prizes / awards, and potential banishment from all future BCKFC events. No refunds for tournament fees will be granted for person(s) refusing to submit to or failing a polygraph examination.

RELEASE OF LIABILITY AND COVENANT NOT TO SUE: A waiver, release of liability, and covenant not to sue are part of the entry form. It is required that all contestants take responsibility for themselves while participating in event activities. Please DO NOT let your competitive nature push you into doing dangerous things. You must agree to the Waiver to participate. The Waiver is in the online registration page linked below. BE SAFE, BE SEEN, AND WEAR YOUR PFD!

DEPTH FINDERS: Depth finders / fish finders are allowed.

BAITS: Only artificial baits are allowed. Commercially produced scented baits and attractants are also allowed.

COMMUNICATION: Cell or electronic communication “to and from” non-tournament anglers during tournament hours will not be allowed except if it is not fishing related (Example: your wife, work, etc.).

PFD REQUIREMENT: You must properly wear a U.S. Coast Guard approved PFD while afloat in your watercraft during all BCKFC events. Failure to comply with this rule during competition could result in disqualification from the tournament. Disqualification will be determined by the Tournament Director based on investigation of any specific incident.

RULE CHANGES: Interpretation of rules is exclusively left to the Tournament Directors and BCKFC Officers. The decisions of this group are final in all matters and are not subject to appeal. Please do your part in not providing a reason to place them in a position where they must make rulings, decisions, etc. Keep it simple, keep it clean, and when in doubt…do the right thing.

PARTICIPATION AND ELIGIBILITY: Participation is open to anyone 18 years of age or older. Minors are eligible to participate with a parent or legal guardian. That parent or guardian, not BCKFC, is responsible for the safety and well-being of that minor. All participants represent that they are physically and mentally competent and fit and able to participate. By entering, all participants agree to assume ALL risks of personal injury, death, and damage to or loss of property and further agree to indemnify and hold BCFKC, its officers, members, agents, and sponsors harmless from and against any and all claims, liabilities, and causes of action resulting directly or indirectly from participation.

LEGAL FISH: All competitors must check in with legal fish as per LDWF regulations to be eligible for awards and prizes. All fish presented at time of weigh in must meet BCKFC tournament size requirements. Any fish presented to weigh-master that does not meet minimum/maximum size requirements will not be accepted as a tournament entry. A replacement fish will be allowed but has to be in your physical possession. You are not allowed to leave your position at the weigh table. If a second fish is presented and does not meet minimum/maximum tournament size requirements it will result in an immediate disqualification of the angler from the tournament. All gross negligence of the minimum/maximum tournament size limits will result in an immediate disqualification and the BCKFC weigh-master and Tournament Director will have final decision. Any attempt to enter fraudulent catch, exchanging catches, tampering with catch, or to hamper or threaten any official of the tournament will result in immediate disqualification. Only authorized persons will be allowed in the sign-in and weigh-in stations.

All fish must be properly maintained for consumption. Fish that are not properly iced and/or kept “fresh” will not be accepted for the weigh-in.

DO NOT intentionally alter the length of a fish by “air-drying” any portion of the fish. The entire fish must be kept in an appropriate cooler or kept on a stringer while alive. Do not keep dead fish on a stringer. Do not cull dead fish. You are allowed to “take” (kill) ONLY five redfish per day. If you cull dead fish, you may be guilty of exceeding your daily limit. Exceeding your daily limit is a disqualifier. If you cull fish that are “weak” and will probably not survive, you would be committing an unsportsmanlike act. Please be responsible and do the right thing.

Each participant must catch their own fish. You may not give fish to another participant. You may not net a fish for another (adult) participant. Youths should hook and retrieve their own catch. A parent/guardian may net fish for them and may handle the fish once it is netted.

DRONE/UAS USAGE: Tournament participants are not allowed to use unmanned aircraft systems (drones) during the tournament day to scout for fish, spy on other anglers, or any other means that may be viewed as benefiting/advancing their fishing.

CLICK HERE TO REVIEW OUR WAIVER AND RELEASE OF LIABILITY PRIOR TO REGISTRATION