RULES

Participants and Eligibility – Open to all individuals, male or female. Those under 18 years of age, not fishing with a parent, must have written permission from a parent or guardian. River Battle Team Series or Battle of the Border MD vs VA Event reserves the right to reject any entries, which we feel are not in the best interest of the tournament. All participants must sign the release of liability form to be eligible to compete. The official start time and time for end of tournament will be announced at the start of the tournament. Live-well checks will be conducted as the boats pass by the end of the dock just prior to blast off.

Entry Fees – Entry fees for the River Battle Team Series will be $110 per team prior to each event and $120.00 the morning of each event, There will be a $20 membership fee for each member. Substitutes will be required to pay the membership fee. Checks, Cash, Credit Card and PayPal @ battleoftheborder@aol.com (you must pay any fees associated with PayPal) are the only form of payment that will be excepted. Entry fees for the Battle of the Border MD vs VA event will be posted at a later time.

Teams – Teams can register themselves as a ‘team’ prior to the first event of the year or on the morning of the first or second event. A team member may fish alone but will pay the full entry fee OR the team may use a substitute for 2 tournaments only to include the Championship. Same substitute must be used by the team. Subs are allowed to fish the Championship as long as they fall within the limit of 2 events only and is the same person.

Off Limits / PERMITTED FISHING LOCATIONS –  Any area that Maryland or Virginia has marked or unmarked so please know your boundaries. Only water open to ALL public fishing will be considered fishable tournament waters. All Angling must be done from the boat. Teams may not solicit information from any non competitor who is on or off the tournament waters during the time of the event for the purpose of location or catching fish during any event, Any competitor found guilty of violating this rule will have their catch disqualified.

Payout – Prize money will be awarded following the weigh in at each tournament. One place will be paid out per five teams entered. Winners are responsible for any and all taxes on any moneys or prizes won, and must sign W-9’s prior to receiving any winnings.

Launch Sequence – Starting positions will be assigned by prepayment and by order of time the register in the mornings of each event. Pre Payment/Registration is allowed and encouraged.

Safety – Safe boating conduct must be observed at all times. Each competitor is required to wear a Coast Guard approved personal flotation device, securely fastened, at all times while the boat is being propelled by the combustion engine. Furthermore, a kill switch must be fastened to the driver any time the combustion engine is propelling the boat. Failure to do so is grounds for disqualification of the offending team’s catch. Running lights must be operational and turned on at the blast-off of each tournament or you will be sent to the back of the line. Each competitor’s boat must be equipped with a livewell system capable of keeping a tournament limit of bass alive. Any boat equipped with a motor that exceeds the horse power rating of the boat according to the manufacturer is prohibited from being used in any of the River Battle Series Events or Battle of the Border MD vs VA Events.

Sportsmanship – Each contestant is expected to follow high standards of sportsmanship, courtesy, and conservation. NO TEAM MAY FISH WITHIN 50 YARDS OF ANY OTHER BOAT WHICH IS ANCHORED WITH THE TROLLING MOTOR UP, FURTHERMORE NO TEAM MAY FISH WITHIN 25 YARDS OF ANY OTHER BOAT WITHOUT THE OTHER BOATER’S PERMISSION. PERMISSION MAY NOT BE GRANTED TO ANY TEAM AT THE EXCLUSION OF ANY OTHER TEAM. No hole sitting by a non- competitor or by another competitor, to aid a tournament participant will be allowed. Violators will have their catch disqualified. It is considered to be un sportsman like to pull in front of another contestant’s boat fishing in a given direction, Move into a limited area being fished constantly by another team. Any person who consistently or repeatedly demonstrates bad manners by customary tournament standards or so violates tournament rules will not be Allowed to register for tournaments at the judgment of the director(s).

Tackle / Fishing Methods – Only artificial baits may be used. No live or cut bait is permitted (pork baits are permitted). All bass must be caught alive in a legal and sporting manner. No snagging. Each competitor may only use 1 rod at a time. No more than 1 line in the water at a time per angler. Trolling with the combustion motor is not permitted. No competitor may leave the boat to land or catch fish.

State and Federal Regulations – All participants are expected to abide by all state and federal laws and game regulations. Any team who intentionally violates a law or regulation in an attempt to gain an unfair advantage will have their catch disqualified. In the case of multiple governing authorities, the strictest law is applicable. Any participant who consumes, or is under the influence of alcoholic beverages, stimulants or depressants during any River Battle Series event or Battle of the Border MD vs VA event will have their catch disqualified. (Prescribed medications taken per doctor’s instructions are excluded.)

Scoring – A limit of 5 bass (largemouth or smallmouth,) may be weighed in. 15” Minimum length from March 1st– June 15th and 12” minimum length from June 15th – December 31st. Any short fish brought to the scales will not be weighed, and will result in a 1-pound penalty and loss of your biggest fish in your bag. Two short fish will result in a disqualification and will receive 50 points for the event.  Dead fish will be penalized .5 (1/2) pound. The dead fish penalty will also apply to any fish weighed as a Big Fish if that fish is dead. All culling must be done at the time the 6th fish is caught; no team may continue fishing with more than the tournament limit in the livewell at any time during the tournament. You may not cull a dead fish. Points – Will be awarded in the River Battle Series events. The winning team will receive 200 points, 2nd Place will receive 199, 3rd Place 198, plus your bag weight etc… (EXAMPLE: 1ST PLACE BAG OF 20.55 LBS WILL RECEIVE 220.55 POINTS) Teams not weighing fish will receive 50 points only. Teams prepaid or not prepaid and not showing up to each event will receive no points.

Event Winners for Regular Season Events shall receive a spot on their home state team in the 2019 Battle of the Border MD vs VA Event as long as you are a resident of Maryland or Virginia. If you are from another state or country this prize is unavailable to you/team.

Points Champions – The team that accumulates the most points in the 7 regular season tournaments (Championship is not a points tournament) will be crowned the River Battle Series Points Champions. If there is a tie for the end of the year points, the Championship will go to the team with the highest total weight over the 7 regular season tournaments.

TIES: In case of a tie, the prizes will be divided between the participants equally.

Emergencies – Competitors shall remain with their partners in the boat at all times during the tournament, except in the event of sickness or brief excursions for “nature calling”, severe storm or other such hazard. It is permitted for a competitor to leave the boat for marina services. Competitors may leave the boat to dislodge it, but only to return the boat in the direction it came from. Leaving the boat to advance it is not permitted. (In falling water conditions, a team may leave the boat to advance it only to return from water they accessed without leaving the boat.) If for any reason either or both team members decide to leave the tournament waters early, both members shall bear full responsibility for notifying a tournament official. If one team member leaves the water early, he/she must notify the director before returning to fish and the other team member may continue fishing in his/her absence. In the event that he/she does not intend to return, his/her partner may continue fishing alone for the remainder of the tournament hours. In case of a breakdown, one partner may return with fish by another tournament boat while the other partner is permitted to stay with the disabled boat.

Late Penalty – Competitors who are not checked in by the check in deadline will be penalized at a rate of 1 pound per minute, up to 15 minutes at which time their catch will be disqualified. Late penalties will be deducted from “Big Fish” weight as well as total weight. No culling, sorting or handling of fish after boat is off plane in area of marina for weighs in, other than to put fish in bags and present for weighing.

Protest and Voice Stress Test – Any protest must be submitted in writing to the tournament director within 15 minutes of the close of the weigh-in, this must be handed directly to Ed Dustin or Lenny Baird. The River Battle Series and Battle of the Border MD vs VA Event reserves the right to give a Voice Stress test to any participant at any time. This test does not have to be administered on site and may be set up by the tournament directors at there discretion. All participants agree to abide by the results of any test.

Liability Insurance – All members must carry a minimum of $100,000 of liability insurance on any boat they use during any River Battle Series or Battle of the Border MD vs VA  event. Failure to do so, or reporting of false information will result in disqualification of catch.

Violation of Rules and Disqualifications – The violation of a tournament rule by either team member may result in weight loss, the loss of weight up to a particular time in the tournament day (eligible for a restart), loss of weight for the entire day, disqualification for the entire tournament or, in an extreme circumstance, ineligibility to participate in future River Battle Series or Battle of the Border MD vs VA events. If a team is disqualified from a tournament their weight will be recorded as 0 lb. If the director feels that their violation was a willful attempt to gain an unfair advantage or to intentionally cheat, then the directors have the right to refuse entry from that team or team members in the future.

Rules Interpretation – Interpretation of these rules will be left to the Tournament Directors. Infractions of any rule may result in disqualification of catch. Each competitor agrees to report to a Tournament Director immediately any violation or infraction of any tournament rules. Failure to report violations, or suggestions to another competitor that they violated these rules, may cause for disqualification OFFICIAL PROTESTS MUST BE FILED IN WRITING.