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TX SHOOTOUT
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OFFICIAL 2023 TX SHOOTOUT RULES
To protect the integrity of Bass Champs and our anglers, all winners will be subject to a polygraph exam before the prizes are distributed at each event. Contestants must pass the polygraph exam at the tournament site to receive prize money and awards for the event. The Tournament Director reserves the right to waive any violation of these rules that are disclosed to him before the polygraph exam, in his sole and absolute discretion.
1.  OFFICIAL 2023 TX SHOOTOUT EVENT RULES:
Decisions of the Tournament Director are final and are not subject to appeal. Interpretation of these rules will be left exclusively to the Tournament Director in his sole and absolute discretion. Each competitor agrees to report any rule violation to the Tournament Director immediately upon discovery of the violation. The violation of a tournament rule may result in weight loss, the loss of weight up to a specific time during the tournament day, total loss of weight for that particular day, the ineligibility to participate in future Bass Champs events, or any other penalty deemed appropriate by the Tournament Director in his sole discretion. Protests must be made in writing within 10 minutes of the official closing of the scales at each tournament.

2.  PARTICIPATION AND ELIGIBILITY:
Participation is open to all anglers who are 18 years old and older. Any person entering the 2023 TX Shootout under the age of 18 years must also have the signature of their parent or legal guardian in the provided space on the official entry form.

• All Contestants must have a valid fishing license.

• NO MEMBERSHIP FEE is required for the 2023 TX Shootout.

• The 2023 TX Shootout is open to all anglers except "Professional Anglers."
A "Professional Angler" is defined as . . .

* Any angler competing in the Bassmaster Elite Series or the Bass Pro Tour in the immediately preceding six months prior to the date of the 2023 TX Shootout.

* Any angler that has guided for Bass on tournament waters within 12 days of the official event for any method of compensation.

• James Wood Motors Discount or Bonus for the 2023 TX Shootout is not eligible.

• In order to be eligible for the 1st Place Skeeter Bonus, the winner must be registered in Skeeter Real Money and fish in a qualified Skeeter Boat during the 2023 TX Shootout. The Skeeter Boat must be within 2 years of original warranty registration.

3.  TEAMS:
The 2023 TX Shootout is a team event. A team shall consist of no more than two anglers; although a Contestant (and official observer, if required by Bass Champs) may fish alone as a single person team (in such event Bass Champs reserves the right to place an observer in such Contestant’s boat for the tournament day). Only registered Contestants may be in the boat during official practice and tournament days. Bass Champs reserves the right to place an official observer in any teams boat during official practice or during the competition day.

4.  INFORMATION:
Other than using publicly-available information (e.g. newspaper reports and internet reports) no fishing information may be purchased, bartered, solicited or received from any person who entered official tournament waters during the established off-limits period for the 2023 TX Shootout or from any non-contestant during the official practice day.

5.  OFFICIAL OFF LIMITS PERIOD: The 2023 TX Shootout will have a 4-day off-limits period, which consists of the Tuesday - Friday prior to the tournament. No Contestant may be on designated tournament waters for any reason during the official off-limits period, June 20th thru June 23rd.

6.  OFFICIAL PRACTICE:
The 2023 TX Shootout official practice day is Saturday, June 24th. Only anglers that have pre-registered and paid by Thursday, June 22nd (online, mail, phone) or register on-site Friday, June 23rd between 5:00-8:00pm at Lake Fork Marina may practice Saturday, June 24th. Tournament waters will be off-limits at 7:00pm Saturday, June 24th for the purpose of fishing or locating bass until official competition takeoff.

7.  REGISTRATION TIMES:
Registration and Boat ID cards for the 2023 TX Shootout will be held from 5:00-8:00pm on Friday, June 23rd, 5:00-7:00pm Saturday, June 24th and beginning at 5:00am the morning of the event. Each team must register in person at Lake Fork Marina during official registration. A completed and signed entry form must be received before the start of each competition day.

8.  TRAILERING:
The 2023 TX shootout will be a trailering event. Competitors may launch from any ramp on Lake Fork on competition day. First Cast will begin at 6:15am and last cast will be 3:00pm on competition day.

9.  LAUNCHING TIMES:
You may launch your boat prior to 4:30am, however you may not leave your immediate launching or dockage area until 4:30am competition day. Electronics may be used for navigational purposes only before 6:15am on competition day. No Casting or Fishing may occur until 6:15am on competition day.

10.  SAFETY:
Safe boating must be observed at all times. Each Contestant is required to wear a fastened (fully zipped and/or all clips fastened), U.S. Coast Guard approved, personal flotation device anytime the combustion engine is in operation from 4:30am until afternoon weigh-in. All boats must be equipped with an emergency ignition shut-off device, which must be securely attached to the driver's body any time the combustion engine is in operation. The driver must be seated in the driver's seat anytime the combustion engine is engaged in gear. Tournament day may be shortened or canceled due to unsafe weather or any conditions that would endanger the safety of the competitors at the Tournament Director’s sole and absolute discretion. Competitors are allowed to leave the boat and seek shelter in bad weather, at which time no fishing may occur.

11.  PERMITTED FISHING METHODS:
Only artificial lures may be used. Only one fishing rod per angler may be used at any one time. Additional rods may be in the boat and ready for use; however, each cast and retrieve must be completed before another cast is attempted or rod is used. Trolling with the combustion engine as a method of fishing is prohibited. Switching or sharing fish with other teams or individuals is a violation of these rules and will result in immediate disqualification. All Bass must be caught alive, in a conventional, sporting manner. When sight fishing for Bass, all fish must be hooked inside the mouth to be counted as a legal fish. All angling must be conducted from the boat. At no time may a Contestant leave the boat to land a fish, make the boat more accessible to fishing waters, or locate bass.

12.  SPORTSMANSHIP AND CONDUCT:
All Contestants are required to follow high standards of sportsmanship, courtesy, safety and conservation. Examples of conduct not complying with those standards include, but are not limited to, the following:
• Consumption and/or possession of alcoholic beverages or any mind-altering substance during tournament hours extending through the weigh-in procedure;
• Any previous conviction, charge, arrest, or investigation for a felony, a crime involving moral turpitude, or a crime related to, arising out of, or involving any fishing tournament or event, except with full, prior written disclosure to the Tournament Director under oath and by affidavit of all facts and circumstances surrounding such conviction, charge, arrest, or investigation at least ten (10) days before the Bass Champs event being entered, and thereafter subject to the Tournament Director’s sole and absolute discretion that such conviction, charge, arrest, or investigation does not result in the Contestant’s honesty, integrity, character or qualifications to enter the event being unreasonably questionable;
• Actions or words which reflect unfavorably upon efforts to promote safety, sportsmanship, and fair competition;
• Chemical substance abuse or addiction;
• Disqualification from Bass Champs tournaments or other fishing organizations that resulted from unexplained rule violations that result in a Contestant’s honesty, integrity, character, and qualifications for entry into a Bass Champs event being questionable in the Tournament Director’s sole and absolute discretion.
Upon review of the circumstances by Bass Champs and the Tournament Director, the Tournament Director shall have the right to refuse any application, or to deny a confirmed application, by returning the entry fee of a previously accepted application, or disqualifying a Contestant. Bass Champs reserves the right to place an official observer in a Contestant's boat at any time during competition hours.

13.  ASSISTANCE:
During hours of official practice and competition, Contestants may not receive fishing information from non-competitors or participate in the practice of "hole sitting." The use of mobile communication devices such as cellular phones, marine radios, walkie-talkies, CBs, etc., to communicate fishing information during tournament hours is strictly prohibited. In the event of an emergency situation, competitors should call 911 first and then notify the Tournament Director at 817-439-3274.

14.  BOAT AND HORSEPOWER REGULATION:
Each boat must have all required U.S. Coast Guard safety equipment. Boats must contain a properly aerated live well space to maintain alive a limit catch of Bass. Maximum horsepower for all outboards used in tournament competition may not exceed the horsepower limitations as set by the U. S. Coast Guard in such vessel. Falsifying information on entry forms or altering the horsepower numbers on the motor or rating plate to conceal such limitations will be cause for disqualification from the tournament. No Contestant may have a platform, raised deck, or ladder which is higher than the gunnel of the boat. Standing on the fishing seats or outboard motor will not be allowed in Bass Champs events. All boats must be propeller driven and must be equipped with wheel steering, no other steering device will be permitted. No air, jet drive, or surface drive boats will be permitted during official practice or competition days.

15.  PERMITTED FISHING LOCATIONS:
Contestants may fish anywhere on Lake Fork accessible by boat and available to the public, except areas designated as "off limits" or "no fishing" by state or federal officials, or within 50 yards of a competitor's boat which was first anchored (an anchored boat is a boat held in a stable position by a line attached to a weight with the trolling motor in the up position), or within 25 yards of a non-anchored competitor's boat unless otherwise agreed upon by the other tournament angler. The act of moving Bass from one area of the lake to another confined area of the same lake at any time, whether or not during official practice days or competition days, is not permitted.

16.  OFF-LIMITS AREAS:
Such areas established and announced at the registration for the 2023 TX Shootout. Contestants may not fish inside the established “off-limits” area. Violation of the rule will result in immediate disqualification. Contestants' boats must remain in the tournament waters during the event.

17.  SCORING:
Will be determined by the pounds and ounces of each angler's catch during the tournament. The limit will be FIVE (5) Bass per team. Any team who possesses more than the tournament limit at any time will have their catch for that day disqualified. Lake Fork is a slot lake. No bass over 16 inches or under 24 inches in length may be presented to the scales. Bass will be measured with mouth closed, tail compressed and swiped to achieve overall greatest length. The Pro-Rule is the official measuring board of Bass Champs. Bass presented for weigh-in, which fail to measure the prescribed length limit, will result in loss of that particular fish and a one-pound (1) penalty to the weight of the remaining fish. No regurgitated forage or other foreign matter may be placed in bass. Any artificially weighed, preserved, or altered bass will be disqualified and that contestant will be subject to prosecution under federal and state laws.

18.  OVER THE SLOT BASS:
Each team may possess no more than 2 over the slot Bass at one time, provided each angler caught one of the overs. Teams may bring an over the slot bass in during fishing hours and be eligible to catch and retain an additional over the slot bass.

19.  LIVE FISH: Every effort must be made to keep bass alive through the use of a properly aerated live well. The use of live well additives made by Sure-Life which promote the healthy return of bass to their natural habitat are recommended. A half-pound (1/2lb) penalty will be deducted for each dead Bass presented for weigh-in. Any team that weighs in a dead fish for the Big Bass award will receive a half-pound (1/2lb) penalty from the total Big Bass weight. Culling of dead Bass is prohibited.

20.  CLOSING OF THE SCALES:
All teams must be in the official weigh-in line by 4:30pm on competition day. Any team arriving to the weigh-in line after 4:30pm will not be eligible to weigh their catch. It is the angler’s responsibility to verify the official scale closing time and to be in the weigh-in line by such time.

21.  TIES:
A tie for 1st place in the 2023 TX Shootout will be broken by a One Hour Fish Off. All other ties will be resolved by splitting that place and the next place's money.



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