SWAMP CABBAGE BASS TOURNAMENT RULES AND REGULATIONS
The following documents are legally required at all times during a permitted bass tournament:
All fish caught in the tournament are to be handled appropriately and are to be live released back into tournament waters. Dead fish are not to be culled by a participant and must be part of the weigh-in. All teams must have FWC exemptions, these will be given to each team before launching.
This is a team event, you can fish solo, however there will be no 3 person teams allowed.
A penalty of at least 4 ounces must be imposed on a participant for each dead fish weighed in.
If a “fog delay” is imminent the tournament officials can delay the launch, and grant additional time to extend the weigh in. In the event of incurring fog post launch a safe speed of 30 mph or less, is mandated.
Each boat will have one or more functioning aerated livewell (s). A functioning livewell is defined as a one that has a working aeration or oxygenation system or a flow-through system to pump fresh water into the livewell.
Each livewell shall be inspected by the permittee or a tournament official prior to the tournament’s starting time to ensure they are operating properly. Anglers not meeting this requirement may not participate in the tournament. Tournament participants may not possess or weigh-in more than the total daily bag limit of (5) bass.
All bass taken over land must be transported in water-filled containers. Bass shall not be kept in water-filled containers longer than (4) minutes prior to, during, and after weigh-in without supplemental aeration and/or water exchange. All efforts shall be made to release fish unharmed or in a manner that does not cause injury or death to the fish.
Tournament participants shall not keep or transport to an unpermitted site any bass caught during the tournament. Releasing fish off Labelle dockside is permitted.
ALL BOATS MUST BE CHECKED BEFORE LAUNCHING. The official tournament waters are all bodies of water reachable from the launch point without removing boat from the water (Caloosahatchee River). NO boats shall enter Lake Okeechobee or Franklin lock. Locking at Ortona is permitted. AIR BOATS ARE PROHIBITED. Safe boating must be observed at all times. Each competitor is required to have a Coast Guard approved flotation life jacket. Life Jackets are to worn when boat is on plane.
All competitors are expected to show courtesy to all persons in the water. DRUNKENNESS WILL NOT BE TOLERATED. Boat captains are not permitted to drink any alcoholic beverages during the tournament. NO FISHING AT THE DOCKS. No live bait shall be used. No fishing from Labelle bridge to first no wake zone headed towards Fort Denaud. No competitor shall have a non-competitor “sit on a hole”, spot scout for them. TROLLING IS PROHIBITED. All decisions by the judges will be final. All bass must be taken in a sporting manner. At any given time, ONLY 2 rods will be allowed in the water per boat. Each boat MUST have a functional kill switch. Boats MUST have a functioning live well, or some type of live well system, coolers with air pumps are permitted. A TOTAL OF only 5 LARGEMOUTH BASS PER BOAT MAY BE WEIGHED IN. Any team presenting more than 5 fish to the tournament staff will be culled down to 5 fish, starting with the largest fish first. Big Fish winner will be determined by the total weight of one single bass. DEAD FISH will not be eligible for Big Fish competition. All boats must check in by appointed time or a 1 pound per minute late penalty will be subtracted from the total score. 15 MINUTES LATE IS A TOTAL DISQUALIFICATION. There will be no weigh in before 3:00 p.m. Please follow all “no wake zones” as marked on the river.
In case of a boat or motor failure, one team member may be brought in on another tournament team member’s boat, with each team’s fish being separated at all times. Interpretation of these rules shall be left exclusively to the tournament officials. Decisions of the officials are FINAL. Infraction of these rules is grounds for disqualification from this and future tournaments.
Please notify Via call, or text of a breakdown, emergency, or that you will need to have another competitor assist in bringing your fish in, or tournament questions, contact. Steve @239-340-4168. OR Kevin @239-777-0669 Please state name and Boat #.
PAYOUTS WILL BE AS FOLLOWS: 90% PAYBACK
1-10 2 SPOTS PLUS BIG BASS 1 AND 2 (THROUGHOUT)
11-20 3 SPOTS PLUS BIG BASS’s
21-30 4 SPOTS PLUS BIG BASS’s
31-40 5 SPOTS PLUS BIG BASS’s
41-50 6 SPOTS PLUS BIG BASS’s
51-60 7 SPOTS PLUS BIG BASS’s
61-70 8 SPOTS PLUS BIG BASS’s
71-80 9 SPOTS PLUS BIG BASS’s
91-100 10 SPOTS PLUS BIG BASS’s
Cost per Boat / Team is $100.00 pre pay online, or if you wish to enter the morning of the tournament between 5 and 6:15 am you may but the full charge is $120 cash, no checks allowed.
ALL NORMAL BOATING REGULATIONS AS PUT FORTH BY THE FLORIDA FISH AND WILDLIFE CONSERVATION COMMISSION MUST BE ADHERED TO AT ALL TIMES.
You can find these rules and regulations at http://myfwc.com/boating/regulations/
It is your responsibility to read, prepare for, and follow all regulations as set forth by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission prior to and during the tournament.
In completing this application the applicants, here forth referred to as the "team" in this document, certifies that all team parties have carefully read the above expectations and understands it has legal consequences, and that applicants have had the opportunity to consult with an attorney and that this document is a release of ALL claims and causes of action for injury, death, or damage to property that occur while the team is participating in the described activity and it obligates all the team members to release and hold harmless any party for any liability for injury, death of any person and damage to property caused by negligent, intentional or unintentional omission. The team hereby accepts all risk to themselves and all persons aboard their boating vessel.
The team also agrees to release all sponsors, organizations and individuals from any and all liability, losses, costs, damages, expenses, including but not limited to court costs, attorney’s fees on account of claims for any reason, including but not limited to personal injury, including death, sustained by any person or persons, and for injury to or damage or destruction of property in this event.
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