Rules and tournament fees are currently under review and may change before season.
1. Tournament fee of $40 per person ($30 to payout pot, $5 to big bass pot and rest to cover new DNR fees). A Team can be one or two anglers that fish from the same watercraft. Tournament Fees must be paid with exact cash at tournament morning check in. Tournament signup will open two weeks before tournament and close Wednesday night before tournament. Classic fee will be $45 per person. (see Classic qualification below) Entry fees are non-refundable.
2. Each participant is responsible for their own actions regarding property, health, and safety while traveling to, from, and during Bent Rod events. All participants must agree to waiver (or have one on file with club), and pay before fishing. If your team does not “pay”, agree to waiver, your team will not be considered as a Bent Rods Bass Club tournament entrant. No Exceptions!
3. You must have a valid fishing license for state tournament is located and all required safety equipment.
4. All state and local laws must be observed.
5. Catch, Photo and release policy. Prior to launch, each team will be given an official tournament token/wristband to be kept on board their vessel for the duration of the tournament. You must use a yellow or white Hawg Trough with lines blacked in thin and clear or Ketch bump board (any color but black).
To qualify for the tournament a bass(largemouth, smallmouth, or spotted) must be 12″ or larger.
A digital photo must be taken of each qualifying fish. Anglers age 12 and over must take their own pictures.
Submission Photo – Lay fish out along approved bump board so that entire length of fish is clearly visible with tournament token/wristband clearly visible (more than 75% of band showing). 
Have the mouth closed, fish facing left belly down, have only one hand on the fish making sure not to cover the eye or tail, tail may be pinched. If you enter a photo with an open mouth a two-inch penalty will be assessed, if penalty drop length less than 12 inches, fish will be DQ’d. Violation of any other rules will result in that fish being disqualified. Make sure you take a clear picture and it’s not blurry.
If you can, please also take a “Grip’n’Grin” photo of you holding your fish. Make sure the entire fish is showing as well as the angler from the waist up.
All bass must be released alive immediately following pictures. Any team found keeping bass will be disqualified.
Smartphone – You can’t document your catch without one. In order to accrue points each angler must have a smartphone to document their catches. Bent Rods Bass Club is not responsible for lost or damaged smartphones. Smartphones don’t like water, take precautions.
Weigh-in procedure: Each person to text/group message top 3 fish each to tourney director/designated board member. Only send 3 fish; Biggest bass first, and only the next 2 fish sent will be the ones counted. If there is no cell signal, member will show outbound text/message to tournament director and send when service is available, this will help speed up judging as well as policing submissions of the same fish twice. Member is responsible to know how to do this on their phone prior to weigh in.
6. Only artificial lures may be used. Pork type baits are permitted. Only one fishing rod per angler may be used at a time. No Trolling Permitted.
7. Use of electric motors only (Gas motors may be used for loading and unloading boats where allowed). Oars and paddles are also allowed.
8. All participants are required to have a lifejacket during each tournament.
9. The longest three bass equal to or greater than 12 inches will be entered per team.
10. Minimum length will be 12 inches, if penalty drops fish below 12 inches, that fish will not count.
11. Federal, state, and local laws must be observed during tournament hours. This includes all club rules. Failure to abide by federal, state, and local laws or club rules will result in no measurement allowed for the tournament in which the infraction occurred. Any contestant who displays poor sportsmanship, does not follow our code of conduct and/or brings unfavorable publicity to the sport of bass fishing or the Bent Rods Bass Club will be disqualified and shall forfeit all entry fees and/or prize money.
12. Weather / Cancellations – Bent Rods Tournaments will take place rain or shine! The tournament directors reserve the right to cancel or postpone the event at any time due to hazardous weather conditions such as lightning or high winds.
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Payout info
Regular Season:
If entry fees total is $100 or more:
1st place = 50% of total entry fees
2nd place = 30% of total entry fees
3rd place = 20% of total entry fees
If entry fees total is less than $100, winner takes all.
If no fish caught all entry fees roll to Classic.
Tie Breaker – See AOY Tie Breaker below and follow same process
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Classic payout is winner takes all.
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CLASSIC QUAILFICATION
Fished 4 out of our 6 AOY Qualifying Tournaments or Fished 3 out of our 6 AOY Qualifying Tournaments and pay an additional $30 on top of Classic entry fee
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ANGLER OF THE YEAR SCORING
Bent Rods Angler of the Year, this will be tallied for the regular tournaments during the year and award will be given at Classic.
Angler of the Year points award system:
5 points for fishing the tournament plus length of largest 3 fish total per angler
Your lowest scoring even will be dropped from AOY scoring.
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AOY Tie breaker, go down the list until a winner is declared
Biggest Bass of all entered
Fished the most tournaments
Greatest number of Bass entered
Flip a coin
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Read the club By-Laws