EVENT INFORMATION AND OFFICIAL RULES

TourneyX Registration & Leaderboard Link

REGISTRATION & TOURNAMENT IDENTIFIER: 

Registration will be open through the TourneyX Pro app up until 10:00PM Central Time, October 23rd, 2020. The 3-digit tournament identifier code will be released in the app at 8:00PM Central Time on October 23rd, 2020.

ENTRY FEES: 

The entry fee is $55 per participant.

$40 of each entry is held for cash prizes to anglers placing 4th or lower and within the top 10% of the field

$10 of each entry is held to pay tournament overhead costs

$5 of each entry covers TourneyX platform fee

NOTE: There is a free youth division open to all anglers under 12 years of age. Contact Bayou Coast tournament directors for the free youth registration.

CATCH, PHOTO, SUBMIT (CPS) FORMAT: 

Bayou Coast is running this tournament as a “catch, photo, submit” (CPS) tournament on the TourneyX Pro app. As compared to “CPR” tournaments, there is no requirement for the angler to “release” their fish back into the water. However, anglers are required to follow the strictest interpretation of Louisiana law regarding the keeping of fish as it relates to size and creel limit for all species.

VIRTUAL CAPTAINS MEETING: 

A virtual captains meeting will take place on the evening of Wednesday October 21st at 7:00PM. It will be held on Zoom virtual meeting.  The details of how to attend this meeting will be announced in advance and will be posted on the club webpage, www.bayoucoast.com as well as on the club Facebook Page, Bayou Coast Kayak Fishing Club – Discussion group. The tournament directors will discuss key details of the tournament and field questions from anglers relative to the rules of the tournament, using the TourneyX Pro app, and submitting photos of fish.

BOUNDARIES: 

Anglers may launch within Plaquemines Parish and/or LaFourche Parish + Grand Isle. All water reachable from the legal launch locations are fishable. All launches (marinas and combat style) must be publicly accessible and non-private. Private launches are only allowed if they are closer than ½ mile from the nearest public launch location. Participants may only utilize those private launches where other anglers can readily access the same fishing grounds. 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.

TIME: 

Anglers may LAUNCH after 12:00AM on October 24th, but the official LINES IN time is 6:00AM. You may put your kayak in the water after 12:00am and pedal/paddle to your preferred fishing location, but DO NOT BEGIN FISHING UNTIL 6:00AM. REMINDER: Be courteous, DO NOT BLOCK LAUNCHES. Anglers must stop fishing at 3:00 PM. Any photos or submissions attempted after 3:00 PM will be rejected.

 

TOURNAMENT OBJECTIVE:

CAJUN SLAM: 

• 1 Redfish in the 16” to less than 30” tournament slot (max submitted size of 29.75”)
• 1 Speckled Trout a minimum of 12” or longer
• 1 Flounder a minimum of 11” or longer

The total cumulative length of a cajun slam decides the winner. All 3 fish slams will place higher than any 2 fish slam. In the event of a tie, the angler with the longest fish will place higher. If the first fish does not break the tie, the anglers next largest fish will be used, and so on down their list of submissions. In the event that the anglers are still tied, then the angler who submitted their final fish first that is used in their stringer will win.

OTHER CATEGORIES:

STUD RED: longest redfish that is 16″ or longer AND that is LESS than 30″ long. 1st through 3rd place will be awarded. In the event of a tie, the first fish submitted wins.

MULE TROUT: Longest speckled trout that is 12″ or longer. 1st through 3rd  place will be awarded. In the event of a tie, the first fish submitted wins.

SADDLE FLOUNDER: Longest flounder that is 11″ or longer. 1st through 3rd place will be awarded. In the event of a tie, the first fish submitted wins.

SENIOR CAJUN SLAM BONUS: The angler who is 65 years of age or older (on the day of the tournament) who catches the longest Cajun Slam wins a bonus prize. This angler also remains eligible to place in any of the regular categories listed above. THE ANGLER MUST NOTIFY THE TOURNAMENT DIRECTORS IF THEY WISH TO ENTER THIS CATEGORY.

LADIES CAJUN SLAM BONUS: The female angler who catches the longest Cajun Slam wins a bonus prize. She also remains eligible to place in any of the regular categories listed above.

*FREE KID’S CAJUN SLAM DIVISION: Junior anglers can participate in the Jr. Angler Division for free. An adult who is a paid participant must accompany them. The same rules as our regular Cajun Slam Division apply. Kids age 12 and under who have elected to pay and register to fish the general Cajun Slam will compete at the adult level and will not be eligible to fish the Jr. Angler Division. Kids fishing the Jr. Angler Division are permitted to ride and fish in a kayak with another angler, however any fish caught by a Jr. angler must be placed on the board by the Jr. angler. An adult may assist by taking the picture for the Jr. angler with a smartphone.

NOTE: Contestants will be allowed to win only one category (exception for Ladies and Senior Divisions as noted below).

 

AWARDS & CEREMONY:  

The awards ceremony will take place on Facebook Live from The Backpacker – Baton Rouge at 12:00 pm on October 25th, 2020. The top 3 finishers are requested, but not required to attend the award ceremony. If any of the top 3 finishers are selected for a polygraph examination, their attendance is mandatory.

CAJUN SLAM CATEGORY PRIZES:

1st Place Cajun Slam – Hobie Pro Angler 12 360, Presented by The Backpacker.

2nd Place Cajun Slam – $2,000 Gift Card to The Backpacker

3rd Place Cajun Slam – $1,000 Gift Card to The Backpacker

Remaining Cajun Slam Places – Anglers finishing in the top 10% of the field will receive cash prizes

**Minimum value of any prize is $50.

SINGLE FISH CATEGORY PRIZES: Winners of Stud Red, Mule Trout, and Saddle Flounder will receive gift cards / sponsor prizes.

SENIOR SLAM PRIZE: $50 monetary value (cash or prize)

LADIES SLAM PRIZE: $50 monetary value (cash or prize)

KID’S DIVISION SLAM PRIZE: $50 monetary value (cash or prize)

 

APPROVED MEASURING DEVICES: 

Check-it Stik Kayak Elite Series – This specific model only will be accepted

Ketch Boards – Models that are 32” or shorter will be accepted

The Hawg Trough – LINES MUST BE TRACED with a marker 

These boards are expected to be clean and all lines/numbers clearly visible to the judges who view submitted pictures.  

 

PHOTO SUBMISSION RULES / INFO: 

“TourneyX Pro” is the official app and tournament scoring method for Bayou Coast CPS Tournaments. It is available for Apple iOS and Android operating system smartphones. Make sure to download the PRO version as it is the only one that works. The 3-digit tournament identifier code will be released on the TourneyX PRO app at 8:00pm on Friday, October 23rd. For more information on how to use the TourneyX Pro APP please visit https://tourneyx.com/app/help/ for information on the app, as well as the TourneyX Youtube page for some of their video tutorials. 

The following photo submission rules are as follows:

– Photos of fish may be submitted from 6:00AM until 3:00PM

– The live leaderboard will be turned off at 1:00pm on October 24th, and back on following the awards ceremony on October 25th held at Backpacker – Baton Rouge.

– The fish must be on a tournament approved measuring device, the body centered between the rails, and alive. 

– Caught fish must be photographed before your next cast. This means an angler must bring a caught fish into their kayak, and take a picture before they begin fishing again. A fish that the tournament directors suspect is dead due to being out of the water too long may be rejected. Examples of issues that may result in a disqualified fish are faded color, no slime coat, shriveled tail, etc. 

– The fish must be facing to the left with the tail to the right and the belly of the fish facing the angler.

– The fish must be submitted at 0.25” incremental measurements

– If the tail is not obviously touching or crossing a measurement line, it will be rounded down to the next lower quarter inch length.

– The nose must be pressed up against the post of the measuring device. Please ensure that shadows do not obscure the nose and post. If the judge cannot see that the nose is clearly up against the post, the angler will face a 0.5” length deduction

– You can submit pictures of as many fish as you like; however, you can only submit one picture of the fish you want judged.  In the event that a submitted fish picture is denied, you can request that the judge review another picture(s) of the same fish  

– FOR REDFISH, If the mouth is gaping wide open with gills flared, the angler will face a 0.5” length deduction. The maximum length a redfish can be submitted at is 29.75” since it may not touch the 30” line

– FOR SPECKLED TROUT, the mouth must be entirely closed with the nose pressed firmly against the post of an angler’s measuring board. If the mouth is open at all, a 0.5” length deduction will be taken

– FOR FLOUNDER, the mouth must be entirely closed with the nose pressed firmly against the post of an angler’s measuring board. If the mouth is open at all, a 0.5” length deduction will be taken

– There may be no lures or fish retaining tools in the fish’s mouth for the picture or the angler will face a 0.5” length reduction. This reduction may be inclusive or in addition to the open mouth penalty at the judge’s discretion.

– The mouth, eye, and tail must be visible for the picture to be accepted, with the tail flat on the measuring board. Only the angler’s hand may obscure the body of the fish, either to hold the fish down or pinch the tail, but not both.

– The top lobe of the tail of your fish must be inside the boundaries of your board. If using a Check It-Stik, the top lobe must be over the lines on the flat (bottom) portion of your board, and not over the slanted lip on the sides. Judges will make a best attempt to score the length of the fish in relation to visible numbers and lines which the tail clearly crosses

– The picture must be taken overhead and not at an extreme angle.

– Pictures will only be accepted if they include original metadata which contains GPS coordinates.  Bayou Coast retains all metadata information which may be reviewed by a single designated tournament director in the event of a valid location or time based protest as spelled out later in the rules. 

– The 3-digit tournament identifier code must be visible in the picture (written on a card or the back of your hand). If written on a card, it may be placed on the back of your hand, or next to the fish, BUT not on the fish.

– If the judge deems your picture to be inauthentic or otherwise too problematic to accept, it will be rejected. Appeals may be made to the tournament directors as described below in the protests section.

– Following completion of the tournament and awards ceremony, anglers may make a formal written request that their entry is deleted from TourneyX. Doing so will delete all of the fish pictures, metadata, GPS, and statistics from the angler’s TourneyX account. This means these pictures/metadata/GPS will no longer be accessible to anyone including the angler or tournament directors. This is a permanent irreversible decision. Making this request will not disqualify the angler from qualifying for awards in this tournament.

GENERAL RULES:

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 signature on the release form. 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.

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/pedal 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.

TROLLING MOTOR WAIVER: Individuals who meet the following requirements can be pre-approved for a trolling motor allowance in the tournament to compete with full rights and privileges of any competitor: Applicants must be 70 years old or older (on the day of the tournament). Applicants must use a trolling motor thrust power of 35 foot-pounds or less. Anglers must be pre-approved before the end of the captains meeting. Contact the tournament director to seek approval. He/she will consult with the board and a decision will be made as soon as is practical.

PRIVATE LAUNCHES & PRIVATE FISHING AREAS: Anglers must launch from publicly accessible launch locations. There is an exception that an angler may launch from private property as long as it is not further than ½ mile from the nearest publicly accessible launch location. Combat launches are allowed so long as all anglers have the legal right to launch from that location. 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 written and submitted electronically (text/email/direct message from social media) by 8PM on October 24th to be considered. The tournament director is the final authority on deciding the merits/outcomes of a protest.

CHEATING/FOUL PLAY: All anglers are encouraged to report violations. Cheating and contest fraud in a fishing tournament is a felony crime in the state of Louisiana. Bayou Coast 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 Bayou Coast events. No refunds for tournament fees will be granted for person(s) refusing to submit to or failing a polygraph examination. Any polygraph examinations performed will be at Backpacker – Baton Rouge on Sunday morning before the awards ceremony. Any anglers that are subject to a polygraph test request will be notified not later than Saturday, October 24th at 10pm. 

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: Live, dead, and 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 Bayou Coast 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 Bayou Coast 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.

LEGAL FISH: 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.

WEATHER: Tournament days may be shortened or canceled due to unsafe weather or water conditions. The decision to shorten or to cancel will be left totally to the discretion of the Tournament Director. A 4-hour period shall constitute a day of fishing.