RULES

1. PARTICIPANTS | ELIGIBILITY

Participation is open only to current members of the TFL.
Any member under the age of 18 must have the signature of their parent or legal guardian.
A team will consist of one or two anglers per boat; only registered contestants may be in the boat during official tournament hours. A contestant may fish alone as a single person team.
Partner substitution is allowed with a youth under the age of 18 ( one time only). Otherwise, a new combination of partners creates a new team and the points from the prior team are not carried forward.
Any qualified angler may fish one or both championships with any other qualified angler.
Texas Fishing League reserves the right to refuse any membership or tournament entry fees or entry forms for any reason.
Placing 1st in any event will qualify any team or person for Championship of that particular series.
All Contestants must have a valid fishing license.

2. ENTRY FEES | PAYOUTS

Entry fee is $250 per team per tournament and includes Big Bass.
Adult/Youth team entry fee is $220 per team per tournament which includes Big Bass.
- Adult/Youth team is comprised of 1 angler 18yrs of age and older, and 1 angler no older than 17yrs of age
- Youth angler must be present and in the boat
Seasonal $40 membership fee required for all anglers. $40 membership fee covers only one season. Season defined as tournaments leading up to 1 championship. This is not an annual membership and does not include any "special events" that may require additional fees.
First place at each regular season event will be a GUARANTEED $10,000. (with a minimum of 100 Boats.)
TFL does not cap at $10,000 for 1st place. EXAMPLE - with 200 registrants the first place prize would be $20,000. $100 from each entry goes to first place and pays 1 place every 10 entries. Winnings will be paid in cash and prizes of equal value.
All ties will be resolved by splitting that place and the next place’s money.
1st place ties will be given to the team with the biggest bass. if neither team weighs big fish the winners will split the first place prize.
All winners will be subject to a polygraph exam before the prizes are distributed at each event. Any team may be polygraphed. Contestants must pass the polygraph exam at the tournament site to receive prize money and points for the event. Any participant maybe polygraphed at any time during the season for any reason. Failure to participate in a polygraph when requested will be a lifetime ban from TFL. The Tournament Director reserves the rights to waive any violation of these rules that are disclosed to him before the polygraph exam, in his sole and absolute discretion.

3. REGISTRATION | TOURNAMENT HOURS

Registration via PayPal will be available online at TexasFishingLeague.com until midnight the Thursday before the day of the tournament. Cash is always welcomed.
On-site registration will begin at ( time posted before tournament under latest news on the home page) the morning of the event. Each team must register in person at the designated site; a completed and signed entry form must be received before the start of each competition day.
All TFL Team events are Trailered. Anglers can launch their boats at any ramp the morning of the event.
TFL IDLE RULE - All contest may leave their ramp no earlier than 5am the day of the tournament. Contest may Idle only ( meaning not on pad) until the" running time "designated before each tournament that will be found under " Latest News" on the home page of the website before each event. Running time will change based on sunrise and time of year.
In the event of severe weather, alternate take off instructions will be provided by the Tournament Director on facebook page/group and website.
Tournament hours for each event are posted under "Latest News" on the home page.
It is the angler’s responsibility to get the official time from the Tournament Director.

4. PERMITTED 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 contestant may only use 1 rod at a time. No more than 1 line in the water at a time per angler.
All fishing must be conducted from the boat. At no time may a contestant leave the boat to land a fish.
At no time may an angler leave the boat to access fishing water.
Trolling with the combustion motor is not permitted.

5. OFF LIMITS

All TFL regular season events have a 5 day off limits period, which consists of the Monday-Friday prior to the tournament. Any Team that has paid their entry online the Thursday before an event will have Friday Off limits lifted. All online entries are none refundable NO EXCEPTIONS.
All qualified contestants that pre-fish friday before tournament may not enter tournament waters till 5 am and must be off tournament waters by 5pm.
No contestant may launch their boats before 5:00am on tournament day.
No fishing information may be purchased, bartered or solicited from any person who entered official tournament waters during the established off limits period.
No fishing info may be gathered from anyone who has been in tournament waters during off limits period.
If either partner enters tournament waters during the official five day off limits period such partner shall be ineligible for the event and may not enter or register for the event; the eligible partner may enter the event. However, all previous points acquired will be forfeited and the eligible partner’s points will start from zero.
Contestants may fish anywhere on tournament waters accessible by boat, 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.

Championship Off limits

Qualified anglers can fish with any other qualified anger, new teams can be created for the TFL Championship
No fishing information may be purchased, bartered or solicited from any person who entered official tournament waters during off-limits

6. SCORING

Each team’s weight will be measured in pounds and hundredths of ounces. The highest weight will be declared 1st place and receive points equal to the total number of teams that fished the given event.
Each descending weight will receive (1) point less than the previous weight. All teams that do not weigh fish will receive (10) points less than the last team that weighs fish.
If a team is disqualified for any reason they will receive (0) points for that tournament, BUT WILL RECEIVE CREDIT FOR FISHING THE TOURNAMENT.
The team that accumulates the greatest amount of points for the entire season will be declared “Anglers of the Year”. In the event of an AOY points tie the winner will be decided by the highest place finisher at the trail championship. *The AOY will receive comp’d entry fees the following season for the division that the AOY was won in and only for the regular season events. In the event that an AOY winner does not have a division in the following year to enter, the angler may choose an alternative division with the directors consent. AOY does not carry any cash value or cash reimbursement. Comp'd AOY is not included in the overall payout at each event. These anglers are participating for free and have not paid an entry into the tournament.
*AOY comp'd entry for Spring Trail - AOY comp'd entries will only be give based on a 100 boat average at each event. Other prizes will be received in place of comp'd entries in the event of short participation at TFL's discretion.
*AOY comp'd entry for Fall Trail - AOY comp'd entries will only be give based on a 35 boat average at each event. Other prizes will be received in place of comp'd entries in the event of short participation at TFL's discretion.

7. LIVE FISH | WEIGH-IN

A limit of five bass (Largemouth, Smallmouth, Guadalupe, and Spotted) may be weighed in per team.
No team may have more than the tournament limit (5 bass) in the live well at any time during the tournament except during the short time frame of culling a fish. This may be waved by tournament director for anglers competing in a local club event. Any dead fish must be weighed and counted to your five fish limit at weigh ins.
All fish must be a minimum of 14 inches. Short fish presented for weigh-in will result in the loss of that particular fish.
There will be a (1) pound fish care penalty for each dead bass presented for weigh-in. Culling of dead bass is prohibited.
Dead fish will not be eligible for Big Bass
Weigh-in will be back at the official check point location according to the appointed time. All contestants must check in with a Tournament Director prior to weighing fish.
The scales will be open during tournament hours (12 noon) for the purpose of weighing big fish. If weighing in early, a team can only have up to the culling limit for the remainder of the tournament. The remaining culling limit is decreased by the number of fish weighed in early.
Any team checking in after their appointed time will be assessed a (1) pound per minute penalty from their total weight including any weight to be counted toward a Big Bass award. Any team more than 15 minutes late will forfeit that day’s catch.
Scales will close 30 minutes after the last flight is due in unless otherwise noted by a Tournament Director.

8. SPORTSMANSHIP | SAFETY

All contestants are required to follow high standards of sportsmanship, courtesy, safety and conservation.
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 any time the boat is above idle. 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 boat is above idle.
Tournament hours 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.
In case of inclement weather it will be the contestant’s decision to stay and fish or seek shelter/leave. Once tournament fees are paid and the tournament has begun there will be no refunds for any reason.
Mobile communication devices are encouraged for safety reasons but their use is prohibited during tournament hours for the purposes of finding or locating fish.
Consumption of alcohol or any non-prescribed drug is prohibited until the official scales are closed.
Any contestant that can not preform a polygraph exam due to any intoxication will be disqualified from the tournament and may be permanently ban from future events.

10. MEDIA DISCLAIMER

. All TFL Winners must participate in a live interview ( Winner's Circle ) at the end of each tournament. Only one team member needs to participate in interview.

Texas Fishing League, hereto referred to as TFL, has the irrevocable right and permission to use photographs and/or video recordings of tournament anglers on Texasfishingleague.com , Youtube.com and other websites, as well as in publications, promotional flyers, or for any other similar purpose without compensation.
Photographs and/or video recordings of anglers may be placed on the Internet. Anglers may be identified by name and/or title in printed, Internet or broadcast information that might accompany the photographs and/or video recordings. All anglers waive the right to approve the final product. All such portraits, pictures, photographs, video and audio recordings, and any reproductions thereof, and all plates, negatives, recording tape and digital files are and shall remain the property of TFL.
Tournament anglers hereby release, acquit and forever discharge TFL, its owner and employees from any and all claims, demands, rights, promises, damages and liabilities arising out of or in connection with the use or distribution of said photographs and/or video recordings, including but not limited to any claims for invasion of privacy, appropriation of likeness or defamation.

* All contestants may 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, awards and points for the event. The Tournament Director reserves the rights to waive any violation of these rules that are disclosed to him before the polygraph exam, in his sole and absolute discretion.
* Protests must be made in writing within 10 minutes of the official closing of the scales at each tournament.
* 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.
* All participants expressly assume all risk(s) associated with each tournament event and hereby release, indemnify and hold harmless Texas Fishing League, the host, all sponsors and Tournament Directors from all claims or injury and/or damage arising out of, or related to and/or incurred in connection with any TFL sponsored event(s)