Tournament Rules.
1. Midwest Elite Catfishing Series rules are to provide a fair and equal playing field for all competitors and are based on a (2) man team. Three or more person teams will be restricted to the same limits as a (2) person team. All state, local and Federal laws will take precedence if the limits are below our minimums.
Rod Limits are as follows.
Teams may have as many rods on board as needed.
Clinton Lake events 2 rods per angler, maximum 4 rods in the water.
River Events 3 rods per angler, maximum 6 rods in the water.
2. 3 or 5 fish limit per team depending on event location. Length limits are determined by state law. All fish weighed in must be alive. If there are more than the event limit of fish in the live well, it will result in disqualification. Blue Cat, Channel Cat and Flathead Catfish may be weighed in.
3. Boat check and launch will begin at 5:00AM at a designated location and will be announced prior to each event. Once your boat has been checked you are permitted to launch and proceed unless a mandatory captains meeting is called. You will not be allowed to fish until 7:00AM. (You will be allowed to throw a cast net for bait)
4. Tournament Hours will be 7:00AM – 3:00PM. Lines in the water @ 7:00AM. Lines out of the water @ 3:00PM. You must be in the weigh in line by 4:00PM. All fish must be caught during tournament hours.
5. Each location will have a set ramp/ramps for launching boats and you must retrieve from the ramp you launched from.
6. All children 18 and under MUST be accompanied by an adult.
7. Fish may only be caught by Rod and Reel method only.
8. All State and Federal rules must be observed. It is up to the anglers to determine what license or licenses may be needed.
9. All protests must be made in writing before the awards ceremony and must be in writing. We will not accept any protests thereafter.
10. Ties will be decided by the team with the largest fish. If both teams’ largest fish was not documented, a coin flip would break the tie. If both teams’ largest fish is the same, the same coin flip will apply.
11. Midwest Elite Catfishing Series reserves the right to amend or change any rule for any other reason we deem necessary.
12. Buddy fishing or sharing of information during tournament hours including techniques, baits, location, etc. is strictly prohibited.
13. Placing of ALL fish into the weigh totes must be completed with care. No throwing or mishandling will be tolerated.
14. We encourage all fish handled at weigh-in to be handled with a gripper and/or gloves. Larger fish are encouraged to be handled by 2 anglers.
15. A live well is REQUIRED. Live wells are recommended to be a minimum of 50 gallons. However, the tournament director has the final determination if the Live-well is adequate to care for the fish being caught. The tournament director will have the final call on all live wells and reserves the right to remove the team from the tournament if determined the live well is not sufficient to care for fish properly. OXYGEN is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
16. If inclement weather, all boat captains must decide for themselves and their fellow team members if it is safe to launch and proceed. We will proceed with the event unless the director(s) along with 4 randomly selected team captains determine the conditions to be unsafe prior to the event.
17. All tournament boats must maintain 50 yards between each other while anchored, drifting, or spot locked.
18. No alcoholic beverages, recreational drugs, or illegal substances are allowed to be used during tournament hours. Do as you legally wish after your boat is pulled from the water. Please use discretion as there will be children present.
19. Culling of fish must be done before your boat has been removed from the water.
20. No chumming.
21. No fishing known baited holes.
22. No rod and reel fishing on the body of water, no boats on the water after 11:59pm the day prior to the event.
23. No tying off to any cabled area such as an intake or discharge.
24. No casting beyond a cabled area such as an intake or discharge.
25. Unsportsmanlike conduct at the event or on any social media platform during or after the event may be grounds for disqualification if circumstances require. The decision of the tournament director will be final.
26. Tournament boundaries will be discussed on social media and at the captain’s meeting.