YFL Youth Fishing League


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2021 YFL Rules

YOUTH FISHING LEAGUE YFL TOURNAMENT TRAIL

2020 RULES AND REGULATIONS

1. Rules These rules shall remain unchanged throughout the tournament season. Interpretation and enforcement of Youth Fishing League rules shall be left exclusively to the tournament director. The Tournament director may impose sanctions as deemed appropriate for rule infractions without limitation e.g. disqualification. weigh deduction penalties. Forfeit of prizes and or entry fee and prohibition from participation in subsequent tournaments. Tournament Director's decisions are final in all matters. Federal state local and water body authority laws and rules must be obeyed at all times and shall supersede YFL rules when in conflict.

2. Participation & Eligibility This Tournament is open to all individuals, male or female, ages 6 through 18 and signed for by a Parent or Legal Guardian. Membership in the Youth Fishing League is required. $25 Annual Dues. January 1st through December 31st Participants without membership may join at the event.

3. Non-Boaters If you are a non-boat owner and have friends that fish with the YFL you are welcome to join them as long as you have secured a boat to fish from. If you are unable to secure a boat to fish from notify a member of this within 72 hours prior to the start of a tournament. The YFL will try but there are no guarantees that we will be able to find a boat. Most boat are full. No bank fishing is allowed.

4. Liability Waiver Upon entering any Youth Fishing League Tournament, contestants release Youth Fishing League officials and sponsors from liability of accidents losses or thefts. Contestants are responsible for knowing and understanding these rules and signing Membership Application Tournament Waiver. NOTE It is the sole responsibility of the boat owner to have adequate general liability insurance covering him, her and passengers.

5. Divisions Age as of January 1st of tournament Year

Little League Ages 6 7 8 and 9

Minor League Ages 10 11 and 12

Major League Ages 13 14 and 15

All Stars Ages 16 17 and 18

Participants may fish in the division above theirs if they so desire. Two participants may fish from the same boat even if they are in the same division. Each angler must keep his or hers fish tagged separately. Only one Division may be fished per tournament and points earned will be counted for that Division only.

6. Scoring Fish Each participant may weigh in five 5 fish per day a minimum of 14 inches in length regardless if it is a largemouth, Spotted or Kentucky bass 16 inches on Conroe, measured on a flat board with mouth closed and tail compressed ( the official board for the YFL is a check it stick). If you are running a Skeeter boat please double check your board they have been known to be short. Any contestant weighing in a fish shorter than the legal tournament length will be assessed a 2lb. penalty per short fish plus the loss of all short fish. Any contestant bringing more than five 5 fish to the scales will be disqualified. A penalty of .50 pounds per dead fish will be deducted from the total weight. A dead Big Bass will be penalized .50 pounds due to this being a separate prize. Only Largemouth Spotted or Kentucky Bass will be scored. Fish will be measured on an official tournament measuring board. Ties for prizes will be settled by the largest bass between tied contestants. Points will be awarded equally for tying contestants. Any contestant�s weight will not be counted if not checked in by the designated check in time.

Short Fish -2.0 pounds

Dead Fish -.50 pounds

Late: 1 lb per minute after 15 minutes disqualified.

7. Sportsmanship ADULTS MAY NOT FISH. Assistance is allowed ONLY for boat operation, tying on or removal of lures, and netting of the fish. In the Little League Division assisting with casting is permissible however, the reel must not be engaged before handing it to the youth angler. The adult may NOT set the hook and hand child the rod. In ALL Divisions the child MUST catch their own fish.

7A. TEAM EVENT: 2 Youths may fish as a team as long as there is an adult over the age of 20 years old in the boat to operate. They also must have a valid boaters id card or have taken the required boaters education class.

7B. Anglers 13 and older will be allowed to drive during tournament hours, if they have taken and passed and they have a valid boaters ed license. This must be on them while driving and during tournament hours. They are still required to have an adult over the age of 20 on board the boat with them at all times.

8. Culling No more than a maximum of five 5 fish may be in a live well at any time per angler. No culling is allowed in the host marina area. Per state law no culling of dead fish.

9. Entry Fee and Registration Entry fee is $55 for all Divisions. Registration will only be done online, we will no longer do at the door or same day registrations. Online registration will close the Wednesday before the tournament date. Contestants will receive boat I.D. numbers according to order in which they registered. Official tournament hours will be announced the morning of the event online via our website and facebook pages.. The YFL can change departure times or weigh in times if weather or lake conditions are an issue. All anglers and boat captains will be notified before start of an event.

10. Boats and Motors All boats must have an emergency kill switch. All boats must have an aerated live well. All fishing must be done from a previously inspected boat. Any boat that has NOT gone through a live well inspection will not have their catch allowed for that day.

11. Safety During tournament competition a U.S. Coast Guard approved chest type life preserver PDF Type III or higher, must be worn and properly fastened any time the engine is operating and in gear and the kill switch must be attached to the driver with a lanyard. All participants under the age of 13 will be required to wear a life jacket as required by the State of Texas during tournament hours.

12. Tackle and Equipment Intentional snagging of fish will not be allowed. Trolling with the aid of combustion motor is not permitted. Only artificial lures may be used. No live bait or prepared bait permitted with the exception of pork rinds and Berkley Gulp Liquid and aerosol attractants are allowed. Only one 1 rod may be used at any one time. The use of underwater cameras is not allowed during competition.

13. Permitted Fishing Waters No tube bank or wade fishing allowed. No fishing is allowed within 25 yards of another tournament boat without mutual consent. Hole sitting, or having a non-contestant sit on a hole for you shall not be tolerated. Contestants must be able to get the boat into the fishing area without getting out of the boat. Navigable waters are the only waters to be fished during the tournament. Contestants cannot leave the boat to land a fish. Restricting natural movement of fish by any means such as but not limited to use of nets, tanks or dams will result in immediate disqualification. Restricting access to waters normally accessible to anglers by any means such as but not limited to felling of trees or placement of obstructions will result in disqualification.

14. Guides No hiring of guides 14 days prior to any YFL tournament.

15. Championship Points Championship Points will be based on a pure point format beginning with 100 points for first place and descending down by one 1 point per place. In each event First Place will receive 100 points, e.g. 1st Place 100 points 2nd Place 99. This procedure will be followed for all contestants weighing fish. All remaining contestants that did not weigh fish will receive twenty 20 points less than the last person weighing a fish. If a contestant pays for an event but does not fish the event, that contestant will get forty 40 points less than the last person weighing a fish. In case of a tie for Angler of the Year AOY the total weight between competitors will determine the winner.

16. Championship Qualification: To qualify for The Championship, an angler must fish a minimum of four (4) events and finish in the Top Six 6 of their Division. OR pay for all 5 prior to the event and fish a minimum of 4 events to qualify. NO BACK PAYING FOR ANY TOURNAMENT EVENT.

17. Weather, Change of Venue: Tournament Officials YFL Board of Directors have the right to delay, shorten or cancel the start of the official tournament day due to bad weather or other factors that would endanger the safety of the competitors. The tournament waters may also be restricted, moved or re-scheduled at any time due to bad weather and or lake conditions.

18. PLEASE NOTE Due to the growth of the YFL we are going to allow the Directors who fish with their kids an early departure by 15 min. The three directors who will depart early will also have to be in for weigh in 15 min early. This will allow us to get everything ready for weigh in and speed up the weigh in process. Also we are not going to open the scales up early any more. If the weigh in is at 2 PM you need to weigh in at 2 not 12:30. If you must get off the water before your designated time please load your boat and keep your fish in your live wells with the pump continuously running. Once the scales open at the designated time you may bring your fish to the scales. If you have to get off the water due to an emergency please let a board member know.