Legacy Series Rules and Regulations 2008

1. PARTICIPANTS AND ELIGIBILITY

Open to all individuals, male and female. Each team must consist of one adult who has reached their 19th birthday by September 10, 2008, and one junior who has not reached their 19th birthday by September 10, 2008. Those under 18 years of age must have written permission from a parent or guardian. A Legacy Series or Gold membership with Fishers of Men is required to fish any Legacy Series tournament and each member must be a member in good standing. (No membership required for a legal substitute, as described in rule 16, fishing one tournament as a sub.) F.O.M.N.T.T. reserves the right to reject any entries which we feel are not in the best interest of the tournament.

Associate Membership Benefits: Membership packet (which includes a license plate, a window decal, and a patch). An associate member may upgrade to Team Series membership at any time by paying an additional $15, to Legacy Membership by paying an additional $5, or to Gold Membership by paying an additional $30.

Legacy Series Membership Benefits: Membership packet and eligibility to compete in any Fishers of Men Legacy Series Tournament. A Legacy Series member may upgrade to Gold Membership at any time by paying an additional $25.

Team Series Membership Benefits: Membership packet and eligibility to compete in any Fishers of Men Team Series Tournament. A Team Series member may upgrade to Gold Membership at any time by paying an additional $15.

Gold Membership Benefits: Membership packet and eligibility for you and any immediate family member residing in that household to compete in any Fishers of Men Team series or Legacy Series Tournament.

2. ENTRY FEES

Entry fees shall be $75.00 per team per tournament, which includes Big Fish. Entry fees for Legacy tournaments should be mailed to the Tournament Director and must be postmarked no later than the Friday 8 days prior the Tournament or paid at the Friday Night Pre-tournament meeting. All entries received after the entry deadline will be assessed a $25.00 Late Fee! ABSOLUTELY NO ENTRIES WILL BE ACCEPTED THE MORNING OF THE TOURNAMENT! All entries paid on Friday night are on a cash only basis. There will be a $25.00 fee charged on all checks returned for insufficient funds. Winners are responsible for any and all taxes on any moneys or prizes won.

3. PRIZE PAYOUT

Prize money will be awarded following the weigh in at each Legacy tournament. One place will be paid out per three teams entered. Big bass will be paid out in two places. 1st place and 2nd place big bass can not be won by the same team.

4. BONUS BUCKS

The “Bonus Bucks“ program is designed to increase tournament payout for those who wish to compete for a higher purse. This totally OPTIONAL program features 100% payback of a $25 per team entry, in a 50%; 30%; 20% split, which will be paid to the three highest finishing teams who elect to enter the “Bonus Bucks“ program.

5. OFF LIMITS

THE TOURNAMENT WATERS SHALL BE OFF-LIMITS FROM 12:01 A.M. THE MONDAY PRECEDING THE TOURNAMENT UNTIL SAFE LIGHT ON FRIDAY. Friday will be an official practice day. The official practice closes at 5:30 pm to allow all teams time to make it to the Friday night pre-tournament meeting. All teams assume responsibility of finding out the time and location of the Friday night Pre-Tournament meeting from their respective Director. The tournament waters will remain off limits from 5:30 pm Friday until blast-off. Teams may not have the assistance of any non-competitor for the purpose of locating or catching fish on the official practice day(s) or the competition day(s). (Immediate family of either team memeber may fish with the team at any time on the official practice day(s). The use of electronic communication devices for the purpose of sharing fishing information during tournament hours is prohibited. Any competitor found guilty of violating the off limits period will have their catch disqualified and face a disciplinary hearing before being allowed to fish any more on the Trail. If either of the team members is in violation of the off limits rule, both members of that team will be disqualified unless pre-approved as descibed below.

*It is permissible for one team member to compete in a tournament, alone or with a legal sub, even if his/her partner has been on the tournament water during off limits as long as (1) no information is shared between the partners, AND (2) the team requests approval from the tournament director for one team member to compete in the tournament while the other team member will not be competing and will be on the water during off limits, the tournament director approves the request BEFORE THE OFF LIMITS PERIOD BEGINS.

6. TOURNAMENT HOURS

Tournament hours will be from safe light to 1:00 p.m. We reserve the right to assign flights and change hours if necessary.

7. LAUNCH SEQUENCE

Starting positions will be determined by a drawing of all participants just before the closing of the Friday night meeting or a random number asignment by a computer. Participants not in attendance will be assigned a starting position by the Division Director.

8. SAFETY

Safe boating conduct must be observed at all times. Each competitor is required to wear a Coast Guard approved life vest, 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 anytime 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. Each competitors 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 a Fishers of Men Tournament. All AUXILIARY gas tanks and BLADDER tanks that are not installed by the boat manufacturer are prohibited. Additional gas tanks that are factory options and installed by a manufacturer's authorized dealer are legal. Boats that do not have factory-installed gas tanks are restricted to a maximum of 18 gallons of gasoline in tanks that meet U.S. Coast Guard regulations. Gas tanks must be properly secured or strapped in a boat. During the official practice and during the tournament, no portable gas tanks or containers capable of holding gasoline can be placed anywhere on the tournament waters or shoreline for use by any tournament competitor.

9. 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 to aid a tournament participant will be allowed. Violators will have their catch disqualified.

10. TACKLE AND 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. No rods over 8 feet are permitted. Trolling with the combustion motor is not permitted. No competitor may leave the boat to land or catch fish.

11. STATE AND FEDERAL GAME REGULATIONS

All participants are required to abide by all state and federal laws and game regulations. Any participant who consumes, or is under the influence of alcoholic beverages, stimulants or depressants during any Fishers of Men function will have their catch disqualified. (prescribed medications taken per doctor's instructions are excluded.)

12. SCORING

A limit of 5 bass (largemouth, smallmouth, spotted bass) may be weighed in. Minimum lengths will be set at the discretion of the Division Director but at no time will be less than 12 inches. Lengths will be measured with mouth closed on a "Pro-Rule" ruler. A short fish brought to the scales will not be weighed, and will result in a 1 pound penalty. Dead fish will be penalized .25 (1/4) 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, with the exception of dead fish that is not included in their limit. On any water where State or local laws prohibit culling or impose limits of less than 5 fish, the state or local laws will replace the above as the rule.

13. 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. 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 may not return and resume fishing. However, his/her partner may continue fishing 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.

14. WEIGH-IN PROCEDURES

Weigh-in will be on a first come first serve basis. Once fish have been presented to a Tournament Official to be weighed-in all fish become the property of the F.O.M.N.T.T. and no additional fish may be brought to the scales. Bags will be limited in order to avoid a bottleneck at the weigh-in tanks. Teams not weighing any fish are still required to check in with tournament officials in order to account for all teams. Once a team member has checked in or left the boat for the pupose of checking in, neither team member may fish or continue fishing.

15. 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. The contestants will retain their participation points for their yearly total. Late penalties will be deducted from "Big Fish" weight as well as total weight.

16. USE OF SUBS

Any person may serve as a substitute in a Legacy tournament as long as the Adult/Junior status is maintained. (Adult sub for adult, and Junior sub for junior). All substitutes for Legacy Championship tournaments must be aproved by the National Office.

17. PROTEST AND POLYGRAPH TEST

Any protest must be submitted in writing to the Tournament Director within 15 minutes of the close of the weigh-in. The Fishers of Men National Tournament Trail reserves the right to give a polygraph 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 Director at his discretion. All participants agree to abide by the results of any polygraph test administered. In the event of a protest and an off-site polygraph test the Tournament Director will have the option of mailing all the checks to the teams in the money pending the outcome of the polygraph.

18. LEGACY CHAMPIONSHIP QUALIFICATIONS

Any team that participates in one divisional Legacy tournament and attends one Friday night pre-tournament meeting may compete in any or all Legacy Championships.

19. LEGACY NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT

The Legacy Championship Tournaments will be 2-day tournaments. There will be 2 official practice days preceded by a 1-week off-limits period on the Legacy Championship waters. All teams are required to attend the meeting to be held the evening prior to the first day of competition. Those not in attendance at the meeting will be declared ineligible to compete. Entry fees will remain at $75.00. Deadline for entry will be set by the National Office and will be announced at a later date. There will be 2 Big Fish paid each day. The winning team will receive a new Triton/Mercury/Motorguide package.

In the event of a tie for first place in a Legacy Championship Tournament, the team who weighed in the largest number of fish during the Legacy Championship Tournament will be declared the winner. If all of the tying teams teams weighed in the same number of fish, then the team who had the heaviest single day weight during the event will be declared the winner. In the event there is still a tie, a fish-off will determine the winner, if possible. The details of the fish off will be arranged by the tournament director.

In the event that inclimate weather forces the cancellation of one day of competition, the standings from one day of competition will be considered the final standings for the event.

20. LIABILITY INSURANCE

All members must carry a minimum of $100,000 of liability insurance on any boat they might use during any Fishers of Men Tournament. Failure to do so, or reporting of false information will result in disqualification of catch. Participants must include the company name and either the policy number or the name of the agent binding the coverage on the entry form for each tournament.

21. RULES INTERPRETATION

Interpretation of these rules will be left to the Division Director. Infractions of any rule may result in disqualification of catch.