Rules
HoD Tournament Rules
Entry - $100 on Tennessee River and $80 on the Coosa River. ( Includes $10 Big Fish Pot)
Membership - $10 per angler due at first Heart of Dixie Event. ( Children under 16 are excluded)
Raffle - 50/50 Pot- $1 per ticket or 6 for $5
Trailering is allowed on designated bodies of water only.
Registration line opens by 5:30am or as soon as we are set-up.
Weigh in - You must be back to the registration ramp within 30 minutes of tournament end time. Failure to make it back within 30 minutes will result in disqualification.
Fishing Hours are from 7am - 4pm on Day Tournaments.
Night tournaments vary.
No lines in water until 7am.
Lines out at 4pm.
Anyone in violation of this may be disqualified.
2021 Season Rules
1. All Federal, State, and Local Fishing Regulations Apply. (Example: 6 Rod Limits on Neely Henry and Weiss Lake)
2. In Case of Severe Weather/Dangerous Water Conditions HoD Catfish Trail reserves the right to postpone or cancel any event. In the event of a Tornado Warning or Severe Thunderstorm Warning tournaments will be cancelled or delayed and all participants are to take shelter immediately.
3. 10$ Annual Membership is required to be paid by each Angler prior to fishing their first event.(Children under 16 are not required to pay membership fee).
4. Registration start times will be approximately 1 hour prior to events unless specified otherwise. Registration closes 30 minutes prior to the start of the event. (Example 7am-4pm event registration closes at 6:30am)
5. No Pre-Fishing or Scanning on the designated body within 8 hours prior to tournament start time.
6. All Boats must go through boat inspection prior to blastoff. Boat inspection may consist of any or all compartments and equipment on the boat.
7. All fish must be caught on Rod and Reel only. No Foul Hooked, Gut Hooked, or Snagged Fish will be allowed.
8. All Fish must be weighed alive and swim away freely under their own power. Any dead fish brought to the scales will result in disqualification from the event. Any fish that fails to swim away prior to rewards ceremony will be considered a dead fish.
9. All fish should be culled immediately. No culling at the ramp or weigh-in line.
10. Two man team rules are always in effect (teams are allowed up to 3 anglers on board children under 16 do not apply to 3 angler limit)
11. No rod limits with the exceptions of Neely Henry Lake and Weiss Lake these lakes will have a 6 rod limit in accordance with state laws and 2 man team rules.
12. Blue Catfish, Flathead Catfish, and Channel Catfish may be weighed.
13. Regular events are a 3 Fish limit-only 2 fish may exceed 34” in length. All fish under 34” will be measured. If all 3 fish exceed 34" it will result in disqualification.
14. Tiebreaker rule - Big Fish will be used to determine tiebreakers at regular events.
15. All Fish must be kept in an adequate livewell as determined by directors, absolutely no stringers. An adequate livewell is large enough to hold a limit of fish safely for the duration of the tournament.
16. 50 yard rule - you should remain at least 50 yards from any competitor engaged in fishing except when doing so would impede access to fishable waters, facilities such as restrooms, boat launches, gas pump etc , or could create a hazard to either teams safety. Violations will be handled on a case by case basis.
17. All Anglers should remain in boat at all times during tournament hours with the exception of using rest rooms and emergencies. If you need to leave the boat for any other reason please inform the tournament director for approval.
18. Restrictions on certain equipment and tackle.
Tackle - Tackle must be in accordance with state laws and shall be appropriate for use in a catch and release tournament to ensure fish are released unharmed. (Items such as but not limited to Gaffs and oversized Treble hooks are not allowed)
19. Boats must be back at the ramp by weigh in or will result in immediate disqualification. In the event of breakdowns contact tournament director(s) ASAP and we will do our best to get you back to the ramp prior to weigh in. Breakdowns do NOT excuse a team for being late.
20. Cheating will result in disqualification from all future events and removal from The Heart of Dixie Catfish Trail. Cheating will be determined at tournament director(s) discretion. (Examples: Limb Lining, Trotlines, Jug Fishing, Checking Jugs, Hand Fishing, Fish Sharing, Locking to another body of water, Trailering Etc.)
21. Unsportsmanlike Conduct will not be tolerated and may result in a Verbal warning, Disqualification from the event, Disqualification from the entire season, Requirement to submit a public written apology to the group page, or Permanent Removal from The Heart of Dixie Catfish Trail. (Examples – Harassment, Threatening, or Sabotaging other competitors, Reckless Driving, Intoxication, Inappropriate use of Social Media to put down or discourage other competitors from competing) Unsportsmanlike Conduct will be determined by the Tournament Director and Committee.
22. Absolutely no refunds will be issued for any reason except cancellation. Any Side Pot that has no winner will result in that pot being carried over to the end of the year classic.
23.Trailering is allowed at designated events. Leaving the designated fishing area by locking through or trailering to an unauthorized body of water will result in immediate disqualification.
24. Number of spots paid will be based on the following.
1-6 teams = 1 spot
7-13 teams = 2 spots
14-24 teams = 3 spots
25-30 teams =4 spots
30+ teams = 5 spots
25. Teams will receive trail points based on their best 4 finishes + The end of the year Classic.
Trail Points will be awarded based on the system below.
1st - 100
2nd - 98
3rd - 97
4th - 96
5th - 95
6th - 94
7th - 93
8th - 92
9th - 91
10th - 90
And so on until all teams have been awarded points.
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