2021 Heart of Dixie Catfish Trail Championship

Guntersville Lake

Guntersville, Alabama

Launch Location is the Guntersville State Park Boat Launch

Weigh-in will be conducted at the Guntersville State Park.

Entry Fee - $150 (Includes Big Fish)

Teams may register day of the event beginning at 4:30am.

Pre-Register Now!

Calcutta - Calcutta will be held on Friday Night at the State Park Lodge

Calcutta will be in a draft format.

Full Details with time and location will be announced on the Heart of Dixie Facebook Page once they are finalized.

Fishing Hours are from Safelight to 3pm each day.

Blastoff will be conducted in simultaneous waves.

Weigh in - You must be back to the state park boat launch by 3:30PM each day. Any team that fails to return their token to the box by 3:30PM will be considered late and receive a 0.00lb weight that day.

In the event of a tie for the points championship there will be a sudden death fish-off. (See Below)

2021 Heart of Dixie Championship Rules and Regulations

1. Heart of Dixie Catfish Trail reserves the right to postpone, delay or cancel a single day or the entire event under any circumstance that may put competitors or tournament staff in danger. 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. In the Event of inclement weather or other circumstances tournament staff will make their best judgement to ensure safety of anglers.

2. All Teams and Anglers are subject to a polygraph test at any time to verify their catch and any other rules. If an angler fails or refuses to take the test that team will forfeit any winnings and will be removed from the event.

3. There will be no refunds issued once the event begins. If a team has a mechanical failure or personal emergency prior to blastoff the team may request to withdraw from the tournament and may be eligible for a refund on a case by case basis. Disqualification prior to the beginning of the event does not constitute a refund.

4. All Anglers are required to pay a once yearly trail fee to participate in Heart of Dixie Catfish Trail Events. The annual fee will be $20 per person or $50 per team. A List of anglers from each event of 2021 will be present at registration. (Children under the age of 16 and Seniors over the age of 65 are not required to pay an annual trail fee)

5. All Federal, State, and Local Fishing regulations apply and will be observed. Any fishing regulations or restrictions not covered in this document fall directly under the guidelines of the state code. Violation of any laws may result in immediate disqualification. This rule supersedes all other rules.

6. Teams are allowed up to 3 anglers on-board. Teams are required to ensure they have the proper safety equipment, licensing, and registration for each of their anglers. Children under the age of 16 will not count against a team’s 3 angler limit. (Exemptions to this rule see Note 1)

7. No Buddy Fishing (Note 2), Scanning or Pre-Fishing on Guntersville Lake after 8pm on Friday, November 12th. All Boats must remain off the water outside of tournament hours each day. Any team in violation of this rule will be disqualified from participating in this event.

8. Teams will be assigned waves prior to blastoff. The teams with an Angler in the top 10 in Points will make up the first wave of Boats. All Other Teams will be placed based on order of Registration. Waves will be spread out along the state park and launch simultaneously. Pre-Registration is now open for the Event on the ACA website which can be reached through the link above.

9.  Anglers should remain on their vessel during tournament hours. Anglers can exit the boat to use restrooms or in case of emergencies. Anglers must fish from inside the boat for the duration of the tournament. If an angler chooses to leave the boat for any reason all fishing must stop and lines removed from the water. Fishing may resume once the angler has returned to the boat. If an Angler needs to leave the boat for a reason other than the ones stated, the tournament director should be informed prior.

10. All fish must be legally caught on Rod and Reel ONLY.

11. Any fishing method other than rod and reel is not authorized during tournament hours. Any equipment on board such as trotlines, limb lining gear, bowfishing gear, jugs, noodles, noodling poles etc. are prohibited and if found onboard or witnessed in use will result in immediate disqualification from the event. A Cast-net for bait catching purposes only is authorized.

12. No Snagged or Foul Hooked Fish may be brought to the scales. If a fish is hooked behind the gill plates it is considered a foul hook and must be released immediately with as little harm done to the fish as possible.

13. All Fish must be weighed alive and healthy. All fish must be released alive and swim under their own power. (see note 3)

14. Tournament Bag Limit will be 3 catfish per day with only 2 fish allowed to exceed 34” in length. In the event all 3 fish exceed 34” in length that bag will be disqualified.

15. Approved Species – Any Variant of Blue Catfish, Flathead Catfish, or Channel Catfish may be weighed.

16. Tiebreaker rule - Big Fish will be used to determine tiebreakers for payout spots.
17. There will be no limit on the number of rods allowed in use or on board.

18. 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 used for snagging are not allowed)

19. Bait – All Live, Cut, and Artificial baits are allowed so long as they are in accordance with state and local law. (example – bluegill must be caught on rod and reel, see Alabama code 220-2-162 for live bait transport law)

20. All Fish shall be kept in an adequate live-well (See Note 4) on the boat for the duration of the tournament. Fish shall not be kept on a stringer at any time, or placed in any type of submerged box, basket, or net designed to hold fish that would require the fish to leave the water during transit or leave possession of the anglers.

21. 50-yard rule - you should remain at least 50 yards from any competitor engaged in fishing at all times 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 and evidence should be provided of the violation if possible.

22. Boats must have their tokens turned into the box by 3:30 any team that fails to do so will not be allowed to weigh-in that day. Anyone who loses their token must inform the director or weighmaster immediately in person or they will be considered late. A representative of your team must turn in your token. Anyone caught turning in another team’s token will result in disqualification of both teams for cheating. 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.

23. 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.)

24. 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.

25. Trailering is not authorized for this event. Trailering may be authorized only in the event of inclement weather or water conditions that would create a hazard to safety. Teams may fish the waters of Guntersville Lake and all tributaries assessible by boat without trailering or leaving public waters.

26. All Teams will receive their final point scores for the season and the points champion will be crowned. Points will be awarded on the same standards as all other events this year as shown below.

Formula

100 – Place of finish = # of points earned

Example – 17^th place 100-17 = 83

1^st – 100

2^nd – 98

3^rd – 97

4^th – 96

5^th – 95

Subtract 1 point for each place until all places have been rewarded points.

Sudden Death Rules

All Tied Teams for points championship will decide which rule variant to follow. If teams do not agree on a variant a coin toss will decide

Variant 1

Teams will blast off at the same time.

1 Fish Limit

Fish must exceed 20 inches in length or 5 lbs.

Time Limit: 1 Hour – Unlimited

All teams will be given 1 hour to catch a fish and bring it back to weigh-in.

If no team catches a fish in the first hour the first team to bring a fish back to the dock to weigh wins

 In the event both teams return at the same time the team with the heaviest fish wins

Variant 2

The Same as Variant 1 except all teams must return at the 1-hour mark. If no team produces a fish the contest results in a draw. In the event of a draw the tie will be broken using the following order.

Most Wins

Add 6^th Score

Add 7^th Score

Variant 3

Teams split the pot and are both Co-Champions

(Variant 3 will only be used if both teams are in agreement)

Note 1 – 3 Angler Limit- This rule is established in order to ensure a fair and level playing field between each team. Teams are only allowed to have 3 anglers on board in order to limit the amount of knowledge/experience and assistance with fishing operations.

Exceptions may be made in order to allow extra rider(s) to perform tasks such as film or research. If an exception is made the rider will not perform ANY function that directly assists the anglers to include but NOT limited to sharing fishing knowledge, casting rods, tying rigs, operating the trolling motor, guiding, netting fish etc.

Exceptions and Accommodations may be made for any person who has a medically documented disability that would prevent them from being able to perform the regular functions needed to safely fish the event. A caretaker or personal assistant may be authorized to assist that individual with specific tasks approved by the tournament directors. (examples – Individuals who suffer from a disability covered under the Americans with Disabilities Act that is considered an impairment.)                         Tournament Directors will do their best to make accommodations for all individuals that would like to participate and will be reviewed on a case by case basis.

To make a request you must contact the tournament director directly. Requests must be put in writing and should clearly outline the reason for the request. The director will review the request and ask questions as needed. All Requests should be made at least 24 hours prior to the event. Any request made within 24 hours of the event may be denied without explanation.

Note 2 – Buddy Fishing – Buddy Fishing shall be defined as any type of intentional communications to gather fishing information from any other person(s) obtained after 8pm on Friday Night or during the two-day event. Anglers should not share fishing spots, tactics, or trade information obtained by any other person(s) regardless of their tournament fishing status after the 8pm cutoff on Friday night. Talking about how your day went or sharing/viewing information publicly available is not a violation of this rule. This rule is not intended to prevent anglers from speaking to each other or sharing casual information about their day. This rule is only intended to restrict anglers from intentionally working together to gain an advantage over the rest of the field. Violation of this rule will lead to disqualification.

Note 3 – Swim Away Rule – All Fish at Heart of Dixie Catfish Trail Events are required to swim away after weigh-in. All Teams are responsible for ensuring their fish are healthy and that they take care to not cause harm to their fish.   Any Fish that’s gills have stopped moving or is unable to recover to be released will be considered a dead fish and result in a zero weight. In the event you have a fish of concern (FOC) please inform the weighmaster and/or tournament director asap to ensure that we can get your fish weighed and released as quickly as possible or can diagnose why the fish is struggling and try to remedy the fishes condition prior to attempting to release.

Note 4 – Adequate Live-well – An adequate live-well is required to keep catfish alive and healthy. While we do not enforce strict requirements for live-wells due to our swim away rule, we do want to ensure that every angler is aware of the bare minimum design needs of a live-well. Live-well(s) should be at least 40 gallons at a minimum. Have a rapid method of adding/removing water and employ a recirculation system with a sprayer to recirculate and revitalize the oxygen in the water. Live-wells need to be covered to keep fish from direct sunlight exposure as well as have vents or ports to allow fresh air to enter and toxic gases to exit the live-well. Oxygen systems are approved and recommended however they are not a substitute for a recirculation system and water changes.

 Teams with restrictions that do not allow them more than a 40-gallon live-well are recommended to utilize multiple live-wells to give fish as much room and keep them as healthy as possible.