These are the Rules.
1.) RULES: These rules shall remain unchanged throughout 2024. (Unless authorization came from Future Bass Trails LLC Headquarters.) Interpretation and enforcement of these 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, forfeiture of prizes, entry fee, and prohibition from participation in subsequent tournaments. The decision of the Tournament Director and tournament officials shall be final in all matters. It is the Director’s discretion to make a change where safety is a concern. Tournament Director reserves the right to refuse membership or entry of any person for any reason. Federal, state, local, and lake laws and rules must always be obeyed.
2.) PARTICIPANTS AND ELIGIBILITY: One team member must be 18 or older.
3.) ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES AND DRUGS: No alcoholic beverages or illegal drugs may be allowed on the participant's boat while on the water or at any point after the event starts or before the completion of the event, including polygraphs and prize awards for that event. NO MIND-ALTERING DRUG, INCLUDING MEDICAL MARIJUANA OR THC, may be used within four hours of a polygraph for any occasion. Alcoholic Beverages and Drugs are not allowed at the weigh-in area. (AREA MEANS THE ENTIRE PARKING LOT.)
4.) SPORTSMANSHIP: All entrants must always follow high sportsmanship, safety, and conservation standards. Displaying poor sportsmanship and bringing unfavorable publicity to the sport of bass fishing shall be grounds for disqualification. If one team member is disqualified, the team shall be disqualified.
5.) BOATS & MOTORS: There is no horsepower limit. However, no engine may exceed the BIA horsepower rating for the boat in use. All boats must meet US Coast Guard and state regulations. All boats must be a minimum of 16 feet and have an emergency kill switch. All boats must have aerated livewells suitable to sustain a tournament limit in releasable condition. Extra gas tanks must be secured and must meet US Coast Guard specifications. No ladders, platforms, standing on seats and/or motors, or leaving the boat shall be allowed for fishing or locating bedding fish.
6.) SAFETY: Boating safety must always be observed during the competition. A U.S. Coast Guard approved chest type life preserver must be on and fastened at all times when the boat is on a plane and the kill switch must be attached to the driver.
7.) TACKLE & EQUIPMENT: Intentional snagging of fish will not be allowed. Trolling with the aid of combustion or electric motors is not permitted. Only artificial lures may be used. No live bait or prepared bait is permitted, with the exception of pork rinds. Liquid fish attractants are allowed. Only one (1) rod may be used at any one time; other rods may be in the boat and ready for use; however, every cast and retrieve must be completed before another form is made. Rods may not exceed eight feet in length. The official measuring board is The Judge by Lakeborne Tackle. The use of underwater cameras is not allowed during competition.
8.) PROTESTS: All protests must be submitted in writing before the official closing of the scales.
9.) POLYGRAPH: All contestants are subject to polygraph testing. Future Bass will randomly select a team in the top five (5) for the polygraph. Any chosen team, and not present for testing will forfeit their prize. The Tournament Director must approve exceptions to this rule. Failure to submit to and pass is grounds for disqualification. Any contestant who has failed a polygraph test or has been disqualified for cheating in a bass tournament will not be eligible to compete. Polygraph testing is at the discretion of the tournament director. If one team member fails the polygraph, the team will be disqualified.
10.) SCORING FISH: Each team may weigh five (5) fish per day with a minimum of 14 inches in length, unless state or lake limits are more significant, measured on a flat board with mouth closed and tail compressed. Any team bringing in a fish shorter than the legal tournament length will be assessed a one (1) lb. penalty plus the loss of the short fish. Any team bringing more than five (5) fish to the scales will be culled down to (5) fish, starting with the largest fish. No penalty will be deducted for a dead fish. However it is each team's responsibility to try to keep all fish healthy for release. Dead fish will be weighed at the discretion of tournament officials. Only largemouth, Kentucky, smallmouth, and red eye bass will be scored. All teams may fish until 3:00 p.m. (3:00 p.m. reel them in, the tournament is over.) Any team not checked in BEFORE 4:00 p.m. will be disqualified. (JULY AND AUGUST, STOP FISHING AT 1:00 P.M., CHECK IN BEFORE 2:00 P.M., WITH A FOUR (4) FISH LIMIT.) (JULY AND AUGUST, GRAND LAKE DIVISION WILL STOP FISHING AT 1:00 P.M., CHECK IN BEFORE 2:00 P.M. WITH A THREE (3) FISH LIMIT.) All money associated with a tie will be combined and split equally.
11.) PERMITTED FISHING WATERS: No fishing or casting a lure within 25 yards of another tournament boat without mutual consent. If the trolling motor is up and the boat is anchored or tied, (50) yards minimum. Both team partners must fish from the same boat. Only contestants may be in the boat during tournament hours. Having a non-contestant sit on a hole for you, BAITING A HOLE, will not be tolerated. Boats may be trailered to weigh in during the tournament hours. Contestants must be able to get the boat into the fishing area without getting out of the ship. Navigable waters of the Tournament Lake (from the host marina) are the only waters to be fished during the tournament. Contestants cannot leave the boat to land or locate a fish. The practice of restricting the natural movement of fish by any means such as, but not limited to the use of nets, tanks, or dams shall not be tolerated and will result in immediate disqualification. Restricting the access to waters normally accessible to anglers by any means such as felling of trees or placement of obstructions will result in disqualification.
12.) REGISTRATION: Contestants may register by mail, PayLink, or in person at the Registration site. Registration will be from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. the night before tournament. Fishing hours, official time, and checkpoints will be disclosed at registration. It is each team’s responsibility to obtain this information from the Tournament Director.
13.) OFF LIMITS PERIOD: The lake will have NO OFF LIMITS time. During the tournament, a competitor may not use a CB radio, a VHF marine band radio, a cellular phone or any other type of communication device for the purpose of locating or catching fish. During the competition day, a contestant must not have the assistance or advice from anyone to locate bass except from another entered contestant, (NOT BY PHONE) in this tournament. Failure to report violations or suggestions to violate these rules will be cause for disqualification.
14.) CONSERVATION: Adequate live wells are mandatory on each boat and must provide aeration to sustain a limit of fish in good condition, as every effort will be made to release as many live, releasable fish as possible, following weigh in. For CONSERVATION, JULY AND AUGUST, All events of Future Bass Trails LLC, (EXCEPT GRAND LAKE) will stop fishing at 1:00 P.M., have a four (4) fish limit, and be checked in before 2:00 P.M.. GRAND LAKE DIVISION, will stop at 1:00 P.M., be checked in before 2:00 P.M. and have a THREE (3) fish limit in July and August.
15.) CHAMPIONSHIP QUALIFYING: You must enter four regularly scheduled tournaments during the year to qualify for a championship berth by points. All teams entered in all six events of any division, will automatically qualify for both championships. All teams entering (ANY) seven (7) or more Future Bass Trails LLC events will qualify to fish both championships. Each member is allowed to fish 3 qualifying events alone and represent the team providing that the team fishes at least 2 tournaments together. A contestant may fish the first event alone without a designated partner. The team must be declared prior to the contestant fishing their second event. Team members may accumulate points when fishing alone providing the other team member does not participate in that event. To qualify for the championship, points will be awarded as follows: 1st – 150, 2nd – 149, 3rd – 148, plus pounds. All place points will double on the last event of each division, (not pounds) 1st- 300, 2nd-298, 3rd-296. All blanks will receive 10 points less than the last team weighing fish. All teams not entered in all six events must qualify in the top 50% of the yearly points to be eligible to fish the championship. NEW STARTING IN 2023. FOR EXAMPLE IF 45 TEAMS QUALIFY FOR THE CHAMPIONSHIP, AND ONLY 40 CAN PARTICIPATE, WE WILL GO DOWN THE LIST TO FILL THE NEXT FIVE SPOTS. Grand Lake Division will qualify for a championship on Grand Lake. Texoma and Eufaula Divisions will qualify for the Southern Championship. All teams that qualify for one championship, automatically qualify for both Championships.
16.) PARTNERS: Partners must be declared prior to fishing the second tournament. No change of partners will be allowed except in cases of partner death, catastrophic illness or military duty and determination is at the directors discretion. EACH TEAM WILL BE ALLOWED THREE REGULAR SEASON SUBSTITUTIONS PER YEAR TO REPRESENT THE TEAM. (2024, CHAMPIONSHIP SUBSTITUTES WILL BE ALLOWED ON LAKE TEXOMA) The substitute must be a member of Future Bass Trails LLC. Total points, plus pounds from all six tournaments of each division with determine Anglers of the Year for that Division. (AGAIN. 2024, CHAMPIONSHIP SUBSTITUTES WILL BE ALLOWED ON LAKE TEXOMA FOR OU vs TEXAS GAME.) Any championship substitute most have already represented the team in a regular season event in 2024. ( NO NEW MEMBERSHIPS FOR CHAMPIONSHIP. )
17.) ELIGIBILITY: This tournament is designated primarily for introducing young anglers to competitive fishing and for amateurs. Therefore no one will be eligible to compete who has fished five or more tournaments within the past twelve months of this tournament with an entry fee over $2,500, a single $10,000 monetary sponsorship endorsement, or anyone who has provided Bass Fishing guide service for pay within the past 30 days on offical tournament lake.
18.) MINORS: All minors entered in these events must have a parent or legal guardian sign a consent form and be on file with Future Bass Trails LLC before fishing. All minors must have a legal adult in the boat at all times during tournament hours. Qualifying for the championship with a minor (under age 16) will differ from the regular team rule. All teams consisting of one adult and one minor (under age 16) will automatically qualify for both championships after fishing four events, (regardless of point standings).
19.) TRAILERING: Teams that trailer may only trailer to public ramps that are accessible to and from the main lake. Loading and launching at another ramp multiple times is permitted. You may not use a private ramp that another angler cannot use. You may not trailer to an area that you cannot access safely by boat, from the host marina on the main lake. You may launch from any Public Ramp anytime before the official start time. However, all teams are required to remain within 100 yards of the Public Ramp launched from until official START TIME stated on entry form. It is each team’s responsibility to make sure Future Bass Trails LLC received your entry before fishing.
20.) WEIGH-IN: All teams must be checked in BEFORE 4:00 p.m.. (4:00 p.m., no weight will be allowed) BEFORE 2:00 p.m. in July and August.(GRAND LAKE TIMES VARY IN JULY & AUGUST) (DUE TO COVID-19) All participants must use their own weigh-in bag. All teams not in the top five (FOR POLYGRAPH TESTING), may disperse. Checks will be mailed out on Monday, following the event.