Outlaw Outdoors Tournament Rules

  1. These rules apply to the following tournaments:
    • Average Joe Tournament
    • Father's Day Tournament
    • Rayburn Toy Bash
    • Sweet Sixteen Tournament
  2. All State, Coast Guard, Federal Parks & Wildlife regulations shall apply at all times. A violation of any of these regulations could result in a Team surrendering their stringer and/or being disqualified.
  3. Teams:  All tournaments are Team Tournaments. A Team cannot consist of more than two (2) anglers, but a Team may consist of only one (1) angler. Only Registered Tournament Anglers are allowed in a Team’s boat during Tournament Hours.
  4. Participation & Eligibility:  Participation is open to anyone 18 years or older. Anyone under the age of 18 must be partnered with a team member over 18 years of age and have a completed and signed Minor’s Release.  (See the Form Section on Outlaw Outdoors’ website for Minor’s Release) The following are NOT eligible to enter:
      • Any angler that has committed to compete in 2025 in a B.A.S.S. Elite Series Event, an MLF Invitational Tournament, MLF Redcrest Series or Bass Pro Tour Event
      • Any angler that has guided for largemouth bass on Sam Rayburn in the preceding 14 days of Tournament for any method of compensation
      • Any angler the Tournament Director should decide to refuse entry
  5. Off-Limits:  There are no off-limit periods for these tournaments.
  6. Registration:  Teams will have two options to enter:
    • Enter online prior to the Tournament at OutlawOutdoors.com. Online registration will end at 6AM the morning of the tournament.
    • Enter in person at Umphrey Pavilion the evening preceding the tournament.
  7. Refunds:  No refund of entry fees will be allowed, nor will entry fees be transferred to a future tournament.
  8. Entry form (online or handwritten) with complete entry fee must be received before tournament hours begin.
  9. Trailering: Trailering is allowed. Contestants may leave from any public launch site. No fishing until Official Start Time. Official Start & Official Stop times will be determined based on cell phone service
  10. Check In Time: Any team wishing to weigh fish must be in the weigh-in line with their fish prior to designated weigh in time.  Any team not in weigh-in line with their fish by their designated weigh-in time will be assessed a one (1) pound penalty per minute from their total weight including any weight towards Big Bass Award.  Any contestant more than fifteen (15) minutes late will forfeit that day's stringer.
  11. Opening Of The Scales:  Scales will open at noon on tournament day. No Teams are allowed weigh in prior to scales opening.
  12. Boat Requirements:  All boats must be equipped with emergency kill switch. Kill switch must be attached to Boat Operator at all times while combustible engine is in operation. Kill switch must operate properly. US Coast Guard approved life jackets are required for each person in boat. Life jackets must be worn and fastened while combustible engine is in operation. All boats must have a functioning live well that is adequate to keep the tournament limit of fish alive.
  13. Method of Fishing:  All bass must be caught on artificial bait by casting. No trolling with main outboard motor. Contestant may use only one rod at any one time. Umbrella Rigs/Alabama Rigs are allowed with a maximum of five (5) hooks. Any fish caught while “sight fishing” must be hooked inside the mouth. No snagging of fish.  All fishing must be done from inside the Team’s boat.  At no time can a Team Member leave the boat to land a fish, locate fish or to make the boat more accessible to new water.  Each angler’s cast and retrieve must be completed prior to angler’s next cast.
  14. Dead Fish Penalty:  Any dead bass weighed in will result in a deduction of one (1) pound per dead fish applied to their daily weight. Any fish that has been on ice will not be allowed to be weighed in
  15. Big Bass must be alive to be eligible for Big Bass Award.
  16. Minimum Length:  Minimum length of ALL bass to be weighed in is fourteen (14) inches. Official measuring board is the CHECK-IT-STIK. Only Largemouth and Kentucky Spotted Bass will be weighed in. Should a Team present a Bass for weigh-in which fails to meet the minimum length limit, Team must surrender their daily stringer.
  17. Culling:
    • 5 Fish Tournament - No team may have more than five (5) fish in their livewell at any time during official tournament hours. While one team member is culling the other team member may fish, however, both anglers cannot resume fishing until culling has been completed and team possesses only five (5) fish.
    • 3 Fish Tournament - No team may have more than three (3) fish in their livewell at any time during official tournament hours.. While one team member is culling the other team member may fish, however, both anglers cannot resume fishing until culling has been completed and team possesses only three (3) fish.
    • A violation of the culling rule will result in the Team surrendering their daily stringer and/or being disqualified.
  18. Ties:  A tie will be resolved by combining the money from tied places and splitting it evenly between tied Teams.
  19. Assistance:  During the hours of the Tournament, a Team may not have non-competitors in their boat on the water for any reason, receive fishing information from non-competitors or follow a non-competitor’s boat or participate in the placing of markers by non-competitors or participate in the practice of "hole sitting” by anyone. The use of mobile communication devices such as cellular telephones, marine radios, walkie-talkies, or any electronic device to obtain and use fishing information from anyone during tournament hours is strictly prohibited. In the event of an emergency situation, Teams should call 911 first and then notify the Tournament Director at (817) 235-9570.
  20. Boat/Motor Breakdown:  In the event a Team’s boat or motor becomes inoperable or in a state that cannot get back to Official Check In, a Team can return to Official Check In by 1) remaining in their boat and being towed to Official Check In,  2) one Team Member, with their daily stringer, may ride in another Competitor’s boat back to Official Check In while the other Team Member stays with their inoperable boat or 3) one Team Member, with their daily stringer, may ride with a Tournament Official (if available) back to the Official Check In, while the other Team Member stays with their inoperable boat.
  21. Polygraph Exam:  Each Team member, by submitting an entry form, agrees to submit to a polygraph exam and accept the result of said polygraph exam. Should a Team member fail to pass a polygraph exam, Team will forfeit all winnings and face possible disqualification. If alcohol or mind-altering drugs are consumed prior to a Team’s polygraph exam, said Team will forfeit all winnings for the tournament. Team selected for polygraph must be available at the designated exam time.  Failure to be available will result in possible surrender of daily stringer and/or disqualification.
  22. Alcoholic Beverages and Mind-altering Drugs:  No alcoholic beverages or mind-altering drugs are to be consumed by any team member during tournament hours or until team required to polygraph has been selected; nor are alcoholic beverages or mind-altering drugs allowed in a team’s boat during official tournament hours. Violation of any of the above will result in disqualification of said team.
  23. Permitted Fishing Areas:  Teams may fish anywhere on Sam Rayburn by boat that is available to the public, except areas designated as “off limits” or “no fishing” by state or federal officials.
  24. Off-Limits Areas:  Teams may not fish inside any areas designated as “off-limits” or “no fishing” by state or federal officials. There are no other off-limits areas for the tournament.
  25. Protests:  Any protest must be submitted to the tournament director in writing within fifteen (15) minutes of the closing of the scales.
  26. Boat And Horsepower Regulation:  Each boat must have all required U.S. Coast Guard safety equipment. Boats must contain a properly aerated livewell space to maintain a live limit 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 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.
  27. Culling Of Dead Fish:  Culling of dead fish is NOT PERMITTED.
  28. Altering Of A Fish’s Weight:  No Angler shall perform any act that will alter the weight of a bass that is to be included in their stringer.  Tournament officials reserve the right to use any means necessary to inspect any bass that is in question which includes, but not limited to, physical inspection, x-rays, metal detectors, necropsy, etc.
  29. 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 process;
    • 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 Tournament 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 any tournament that resulted from unexplained rule violations that result in a Contestant’s honesty, integrity, character, and qualifications for entry into a Tournament being questionable in the Tournament Director’s sole and absolute discretion.
    Upon review of the circumstances by the Tournament Director, the Tournament Director shall have the right to refuse any entry, or to deny a confirmed entry, by returning the entry fee of a previously accepted entry, or disqualifying a Team.
  30. Outlaw Outdoors reserves the right to place an official observer in a Team’s boat at any time during competition hours, place a video/audio recording device in a Team's boat and/or have an observation boat follow a Team any time during competition hours.
  31. All decisions of the Tournament Director are final.
  32. Tournament Director may refuse any entry.
  33. All Bass weighed in will become the property of Outlaw Outdoors and will be released back into the tournament waters.
  34. Any person who has been disqualified or banned from any prior tournament may be refused entry into Tournament.
  35. Violation of any of the aforementioned rules (with exception to rule #10 and #14) may result in an automatic surrender of the Team’s stringer for the day and may result in disqualification from the Tournament.

 

updated 12-17-2024

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