The Minnesota Bass Nation organizes fishing tournament throughout Minnesota to provide an opportunity for young anglers to compete for scholarships.
Fishing tournaments are organized into conferences that cover regions of the state. Each conference has a series of events. The state tournament will be held on the Whitefish Chain in September.
CONFERENCE FORMAT
Conference Tournaments are the pathway to reaching the State Championship. Teams fishing within their conference are fishing for their 5 biggest bass.
At the end of the tournament, the team with the biggest bag of fish will be the winner of the tournament. The winner will receive 100 points towards conference standings. The second place team will receive 99, third place will receive 98, and so on.
Ties in weight will be decided by their biggest bass of the day. It is important to weigh your biggest bass of the day for this reason regardless of if it is big enough to win the biggest bass prize for the day.
Points will continue down until the minimum of 65. Any teams that participated in the tournament will receive 65 points regardless of their final weight or weighed in a fish at all. In the case of a smaller conference, all teams will be ranked by weight receiving their points by ranking. All teams that fish but do not weigh a fish will all receive the same last place point total. These participation points help maintain competitive balance.
All teams not participating in the team from the conference receive zero points for that event.
Any “out of conference” teams participating receive zero points and are also skipped when points are awarded towards conference standings. Example: An “out of conference” team places second in the tournament, the third place team would receive 99 points instead of 98, fourth place would receive 98. Each conference team receives points based on their rank against in conference opponents. All “out of conference” teams are skipped.
Ties in points will be decided by the biggest bag of each team throughout the season.
QUICK SUMMARY OF RULES FOR ANGLERS
Anglers fish as teams of two (2) per boat with an official boat captain for the day. Individual anglers are not allowed, contact your coach to discuss alternatives regarding guest policy or team substitutes. No additional people can be in the boat.
Fish limit is five (5) fish per team, largemouth or smallmouth bass, minimum of 12 inches in length unless altered by local rules.
Only artificial lures are allowed during competition.
Use of culling devices which penetrate the mouth of a fish are prohibited and will result in disqualification.
Fizzing technique is not allowed and is illegal in Minnesota.
Each boat must return to the designated weigh-in location prior to its designated weigh-in time.
Each team should take one long timeout in a day. During the timeout period, all fishing must cease.
Each boat captain/coach may have one long timeout lasting no more than 5 minutes. Each angler should eat and drink for nutrition. The boat captain/coach may provide advice for the entire five-minute period.
During official competition (i.e., morning take-off until weigh-in), anytime the combustion engine is running, boat captain/coach and student anglers MUST be seated with the coach in the driver’s seat in full control of the boat with life jackets on and buckled. No exceptions.
All participants age 14 and under must wear their life jacket at all times.
Inflatable life jackets may only be worn if you are age 16 or older and weigh more than 80 pounds.
If a participant is wearing an inflatable life jacket, they must wear it at all times during the tournament.
During official competition (i.e., morning take-off until weigh-in), anytime the combustion engine is running, the boat captain/coach must have a lanyard attaching the life jacket to the ignition kill switch.
The Boat captain/coach is responsible for making safety decisions in accordance with B.A.S.S. tournament rules. Failure to adhere to safety procedures may result in disqualification.
No use of tobacco, alcohol, or drugs during the event excluding prescription medication.
All practice pre-fishing must cease at 9 pm prior to the day of the tournament unless otherwise indicated by the conference commissioner.
Rules for Boat Captains
WHO CAN BE A BOAT CAPTAIN?
Neighbors, Friends, Family, etc.!
Anyone ages 18 and older not fishing as a member of a high school team, has a boat, and can drive big motor with knowledge of watercraft safety laws and rules in Minnesota.
All boat captains need to check with their team’s coach to go through a background check protocol.
WHO CANNOT BE A BOAT CAPTAIN?
Employees, officers and directors of B.A.S.S. or its parent, subsidiary, and
affiliated companies and members of their immediate families (spouse, parents,
children and sibling, regardless of where they live).Local professional fishing guides.
WHAT ABOUT THE BOAT?
All boats must:
- have an operating livewell with aeration system to keep all bass alive throughout the day (checked at morning take-off)
- have an operating kill switch connected to the boat captain when the big motor is in operation (checked at morning take-off)
- have minimum 16 foot length and power cannot exceed Coast Guard maximum limitations. Horsepower (250 hp) limitations do apply at National events.
- carry a $300,000 minimum liability insurance policy with a copy readily available upon random checks at morning check-in.
THINGS THAT THE BOAT CAPTAIN MAY DO OR PROVIDE
Boat captain/coach MAY:
Verify competition rules are followed.
Help with hook removal from a fish.
Demonstrate how to tie a knot.
Provide a net for the event.
Assist in untangling of jammed reels, but the student angler’s lure must be out of the water.
Verify length of caught fish.
Provide education on proper fishing ethics and distance away from other teams (i.e., no closer than two cast lengths).
Provide fish handling care and help with culling, however the students must identify which fish is to be kept or released.
THINGS THE BOAT CAPTAIN MAY NOT DO:
Boat captain/coach MAY NOT:
Fish.
Go on plane in the boat within 150 yards of shore.
Pass other participant boats while traveling to the first location.
Pass in “no wake” zones.
Teach by example.
Tie knots for a student angler.
Land fish with or without a net.
Run the trolling motor.
Allow any student anglers to operate the outboard engine except at initial launch in the morning and only after weighing their fish.
The boat captain/coach cannot make a determination on which fish to keep or release.
