2026 SeaArk Boat Owner’s Invitational Catfish Tournament

1. REGISTRATION: $375 The deadline for registration is April 6th. Any registration after this date will be charged a $50 late fee. NO REFUNDS will be given for any reason after April 13th, 2026.

2. MEETING & TOURNAMENT: The Captain’s Meeting will be held on Thursday, April 23^rd. This will be mandatory for at least 1 member of the team to be present. Check-in will be from 5:00-6:00PM. Following team check-in, we will have a sit-down dinner starting @ 6:00PM. During the dinner we will go over rules and answer any questions about the event. In case of bad weather we will have the option to move the tournament to Friday.

3. PARTICIPANTS & ELIGIBILITY: This is a team event. Each team may consist of up to three (3) adults and may include additional members 14 years old or younger, provided the boat’s capacity is not exceeded. The ten (10) rod rule will still apply.

To be eligible to fish, the captain’s name must be listed on the registration.

4. OFFICIAL BOAT: This is a SeaArk Boat Owner’s tournament. You must fish from a SeaArk boat, the verified boat owner must be on the boat during the tournament and present at weigh-in. A copy of the boat registration MUST be presented at the Captain’s Dinner, or you will not be able to fish.

5. SPORTSMANSHIP: All contestants are expected to follow high standards of sportsmanship, courtesy, safety, and conservation. Any contestant who displays poor sportsmanship, violates these rules or any state or local laws, or brings unfavorable publicity to the sport of catfishing will be disqualified.

6. SAFETY: Boating safety must be observed at all times. All boats must be in compliance with Alabama State Law, including a working kill switch and USCG-approved chest-type life preservers for each person on board.

In accordance with Alabama law, the boat captain/operator must have successfully completed a state-approved Boater Safety Course, either from the State of Alabama or the operator’s home state, and must be able to provide proof upon request.

LIFE PRESERVERS AND KILL SWITCHES MUST BE WORN AND USED CORRECTLY WHEN THE COMBUSTIBLE ENGINE IS OPERATIVE.

Failure to comply with safety requirements may result in penalties or disqualification at the discretion of tournament officials.

7. PERMITTED FISHING WATERS: Lake Wheeler and connecting waters of the Tennessee River system accessible by water. Teams are allowed to lock at their own risk. No weigh-in exceptions will be made due to lock schedule or delays. No fishing within 50 yards of another anchored boat.

8. LIVE WELL: Live wells are required; stringers or bags are not allowed. Live wells must be of adequate size to care for trophy catfish and must have the ability to pump in fresh water. The tournament director will have authority over all live wells and reserves the right to disqualify teams from the tournament with inadequate live wells. If you have any questions, please contact the tournament director before the tournament.

9. FISHING HOURS: Boats must be off the water by midnight the day before the tournament. Fishing hours will be 6:30AM-2:30PM.  All boats must check in by 3:30PM, no later. There will be no exception to this rule and will result in disqualification.

10. BOAT LAUNCH: Anglers may launch their boats beginning at 4:30AM after a LiveWell check. Boats must be launched at Ingalls Harbor. There will be an organized blast off that will begin at 6:30AM.  No trailering allowed.

11. BAIT: Any legal or commercial bait will be allowed. No chumming or hole baiting of any kind is allowed.

12. NUMBER OF RODS ALLOWED: All fish weighed must be caught by rod and reel only. A maximum of ten (10) rods per boat is allowed to be used at any given time. Any team with a third person is still limited to ten rods. You may have extra rods and reels in the boat.

13. SCORING: Blue Catfish, Channel Catfish, or Flathead Catfish may be weighed. The team limit is three (3) fish, and all fish must be alive at weigh-in. Teams may have two (2) fish over 34 inches and one (1) fish under 34 inches. Tournament staff will not provide guidance or feedback on fish length or eligibility when proceeding to weigh-in.

14. SNAGGING: No snagging will be allowed.

15. TIES: In the event of a tie, the prize money will be combined and split between the two teams.

16. MECHANICAL FAILURE: In the event of a mechanical failure, SeaArk Tournament staff will attempt to assist with towing anglers to the ramp, if possible, but ability to weigh-in is forfeited. Towing by any other means will be allowed without weigh-in forfeiture if tournament rules are followed. Fish must remain in the boat they were caught in at all times.

17. PROTEST: All protests must be submitted in writing prior to the weigh-in scales closing. Scales will close 15 minutes after the last tournament boat to weigh in. Closure of the scales will be announced.

18. POLYGRAPH: All contestants are subject to a polygraph test. Failure to submit to a polygraph test will result in immediate disqualification.

19. ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE: At no time during tournament hours are any alcoholic beverages or drugs other than prescription allowed in the boat or to be consumed while on the water.

20. BOAT DRAWING: to be entered into the drawing teams must present one legal catfish during final weigh-in. Participants must be present to win the drawing. In the event of an eligible team not being able to stay, reasons will be discussed on a case-by-case basis between the tournament committee.

21. Forward-Facing / Live Sonar
·      The use of forward-facing sonar or real-time live sonar technology is strictly prohibited during tournament day. This includes, but is not limited to, Garmin Live Scope, Lowrance Active Target, Humminbird MEGA Live, or any similar technology capable of real-time forward, down, or 360-degree fish or bait observation.
Forward-facing or live sonar may not be used for any purpose, including locating, observing, targeting, or monitoring fish or bait of any species during tournament day. This means none at all. 
Violation of this rule will result in immediate disqualification.

22. RULE CHANGES:  The following rules will remain unchanged throughout the event unless State or Local laws are in conflict. Interpretation and enforcement of these rules shall be left exclusively to the Tournament Committee. In the event of a rule violation, the Tournament Committee may impose such sanctions as they deem appropriate; including, without limitation, disqualification, forfeiture of prizes, entry fee and prohibition from participation in subsequent tournaments. The decision of the Tournament Committee shall be final in all matters. It is at the Committee’s discretion to make a change where the safety of the contestants is a concern. ALL Tournament, Federal, State, and Local laws must be obeyed during tournament hours regardless of chip or weigh-in status. It is the contestant’s responsibility to know these rules.