Registration open for Hard Water Classic Ice Fishing Tournament

Hard Water Classic Rules

FAIR PLAY

 Anyone caught breaking the rules of the Hard Water Classic Tournament will be disqualified at the discretion of the Tournament Director.

ELIGIBILITY

Anyone can participate in the Hardwater Classic Tournament. All persons 16 years or older are to enter the adult category and all persons 15 years and younger are eligible to enter the free youth category as well as enter the adult category if they so choose to pay the registration fee. Entrants 15 years and under must be accompanied by parent or guardian.

FEES

• You must be actively registered for the Hardwater Classic Tournament and in good standing in order to participate in the tournament.
• Registration fees must be paid by EMT to terri-lea@brooksbandits.ca. If you wish to pay by another format, you must get approval from the Director by calling 403-363-5497.
• Entry fee will only be returned if notice is given seven (7) days prior to the start of the tournament.

WAIVER

Promoters and organizations assisting in the tournament operation, their agencies and agents are not responsible for death, injury, damage, liability, theft, fire, or any loss to any entrants. By signing up for this tournament all entrants accept the above statement.

REQUIREMENTS AND SAFETY

• Each contestant must be in possession of a valid Alberta Fishing License.
• Each entrant will be responsible for navigating the ice at their own risk, and following safe ice practices.
• Electronic and electrical depth finders, sonars, and live scopes are permitted.
• In the case of bad ice conditions the event will be cancelled and full refunds of the entry fee will be returned to all registrants.

FISHING HOURS AND STARTING

• The approved bodies of water allowed to be fished during the tournament are Lake Newell and Rolling Hills Reservoir
• Fishing dates and times will be January 18, 2025 starting at 12:00 AM and ending on January 19, 2025 @ 03:00PM
• Contestants will not be able to enter fish outside these dates and times or outside the boundary of the two approved lakes within the app.

FISHING & MEASURMENT

• Every angler will need to have downloaded and subscribed to the eTournament Fishing app to be eligible for the tournament.
• Each angler will be allowed to have only two lines in the water at all times. More than two lines in the water for any reason will result in disqualification.
• Bait must be in accordance with the Fish and Wildlife regulations for the bodies of water in which the tournament is held.
• The Hardwater Classic is hosting a catch and release picture tournament.
• This event is catch and release only. Eligible species include Walleye/ Sauger & Pike only. All other species of fish caught during the event must also be released. WE STRONGLY RECOMMEND BARBLESS HOOKS DURING THE TOURNAMENT.
• Bump boards are the only accepted measurement device for this tournament. A commercial/ manufactured board is preferred, however a homemade board is acceptable but will have to be inspected and approved by the director prior to awarding any prizes. The director reserves the right to inspect any bump board used for fish submission at any time.
• For each catch to qualify, a photograph of the fish on an approved bump board must be taken through the eTournament Fishing app. Photos cannot be uploaded from a photo gallery or other sources.
• This is a total length measurement tournament in inches. NOT fork length. The total length of a fish is measured from the tip of the nose or jaw to the tip of the tail with the tail pinched.
• The nose of the fish must be touching the bump or zero mark on an approved bump board measuring device and the total length is taken where the longest length of the tail crosses or lands on the measurements of the measuring board and is clearly visible in the picture.
• All Fish must be measured with the right side down (the right side of the fish must be facing down and touching the board) and the left side of the fish facing upwards. The nose of the fish must be on your left touching the bump on the board with the tail on your right, with your belly towards the belly of the fish.
• When you measure your fish entry, the measurement rules are as follows. The nose of the fish must be visibly touching the bump end of the board, the fish must be placed on top of the board and the entire fish showing the head and tail and past the tail must be visible in the measurement photo. All fish are to be measured in inches
• Measurements touching a graduated line will be taken for exact measurement. If a tail is crossing the line, you will round up ¼ inch.
• The photo must be taken from a birds-eye view looking down on the fish.
• A photo that does not clearly show the overall length of the fish, including head and tail, on the bump board WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.
• The mouth is allowed to be open, closed, or anywhere in between, so long as the fish meets the other above requirements.
• There are to be no fingers placed in the gills or mouth of the fish. Any fingers in the gills or mouth of the fish will disqualify that fish. Any fish that appears to have been mangled, mashed, mauled, or otherwise altered will be credited only at the discretion of the tournament director and may result in disqualification of the event.
• After the photo entry is taken and completed, you must with video proof through the app, immediately release the fish.
• Please note that if your fish is not measured correctly (hands pushing on the gills of the fish, the nose not touching the bump of the board, the fish not touching the board, or any other means of attempting to stretch a measurement, the entry will be deducted ½”.
• The Director will have final say on all deductions and disqualifications.
• We strongly encourage all anglers to take the time to practice entering fish in the free eTournament Fishing Practice event and complete a few practice submissions prior to the event.

AWARDS & PRIZES

• Prize amounts are based on a percentage of the entry fees for the registered anglers. This will vary due to participation of the event with the maximum number of anglers being 300 in the adult category.
• Awards will be announced by the Director.
• In the event of a tie, the tie break will be decided by the earliest fish caught, based on the timestamp of the submitted fish. The tournament director will have final say.
• Tournament organizers reserve the right to adjust the number of entries.
• The tournament director may implement a polygraph policy where they see it necessary. If it is determined that dishonest practices have occurred during a tournament, the tournament director has final authority over the decision of the disqualifications and alternate winners.
• Payout structure will be as follows based on participation. The event entry fee of $150 will be split into 3 different categories. $50 to the Brooks Bandits, $50 to the BFGA and $50 to the cash payout portion for the tournament.
• The cash payout portion for the event is based on the single biggest fish by length in inches for each category and will be paid as follows.

Adult Division

Longest Walleye/Sauger

1st- 20%

2nd- 12%

3rd- 9%

4th- 6%

5th- 3%

Longest Northern Pike

1st- 20%

2nd- 12%

3rd- 9%

4th- 6%

5th- 3%

Daily Big Fish in each species category- Non-Cash Prize

Daily Mystery Fish in each species category- Non-Cash Prize

• Please submit all eligible fish caught (Walleye/ Sauger and Northern Pike) for a chance to win the Mystery Fish prize.
• The Mystery Fish will be a prize awarded each day for each category of a randomly selected measurement. The closest measurement to the randomly selected length will be the winner. If there are multiple winners the tie breaker will be awarded to the first fish caught as recorded by the time stamp on the submission.

Youth Division

Longest Walleye/Sauger

1st- 3rd- non cash prizes

Longest Northern Pike

1st- 3rd- non cash prizes

PROTESTS

• Any contestant has the right to make a protest against another contestant. A protest email must be sent to the Tournament Director within 1 hour of the close of the tournament day. The email to send the protest to is hermann.chris7@gmail.com
• Email must include the protesters full name and cell number and the name of which the protest is being launched against, a general description of the area of the lake in which the person in question was at the time of the incident, and the incident witnessed.
• A $100.00 protest fee will be required to accompany any formal protest. The fee will be returned if the protest is found to be valid by the protest committee.
• Any contestant involved with the protest must be on call for three hours following the end of the fishing day.
• The decision of the tournament director is final.

OTHER RULES

• By registering and participating in the tournament, all participants agree to abide by the rules and regulations they have received as set out by the tournament director.
• This tournament is catch and release ONLY. Please handle all fish caught with care. The harvesting of any fish will result in disqualification. The goal is to achieve a 0% mortality rate.
• All anglers are strongly urged to only use barbless hooks or have barbs pinched.
• We strongly encourage all anglers to not fish deeper than 25 feet, due to large fish mortality rate increase beyond this depth.
• Anglers can only submit catches that they caught themselves.
• All fish entered for this event must be caught via angling i.e., using hook, line, rod and reel. At no time will fish caught by non-angling (i.e., use of traps, trap nets or cages) be allowed to be entered.
• Each contestant must have in their possession a valid fishing license for their respective jurisdiction or be exempt under the regulations of their jurisdiction.
• Each contestant must conform to the fishing rules and regulations that are in place for the jurisdiction in which they are fishing.
• Promoters and organizers (including their agencies or agents) hosting/assisting in the tournament operation are not responsible for death, injury, damage, liability, theft, fire flood or any loss to any participants, families or friends. Each entrant accepts the above statement and will stay in effect for the entire duration of tournament.
• Any angler found to be cheating will be disqualified from the tournament. The tournament director also reserves the right to ban anglers from competing in future events.
• In the event of disqualification, any paid entry fees will be forfeited and not refunded.
• Being sports minded anglers, please give other anglers appropriate courtesy/ consideration while fishing and/or driving by fellow anglers
• All questions or concerns relating to the rules of this tournament are to be referred to the tournament director. Their decision will be final in all cases. No other person can be considered a spokesman for the rules during the tournament. The contact email for this event is hermann.chris7@gmail.com
• All rules have loopholes. It is our intention to provide an honest sportsmanlike tournament. In the interest of good sportsmanship, contestants are reminded the spirit of the rule will prevail in all judgments.
• To ensure the best chances of survival for the fish, all participants are to handle fish safely. Blatant abuse to fish or the resource is reason for disqualification
• All participants must follow safe ice practices

SCHEDULE A 

Specific Rules as set out by Alberta Environment & Parks AEP & CFE license: To be posted for each event at tournament headquarters THE TOURNAMENT ADMINISTRATION/COMMITTEE RESERVES THE RIGHT TO DISQUALIFY ANY TEAM FOR RULE INFRACTIONS IF THE SITUATION WARRANTS SUCH ACTION. THE TOURNAMENT DIRECTOR RESERVES THE RIGHT TO DECLINE ANY ANGLER FROM ENTERING A TOURNAMENT WHERE THEY HAVE BEEN PREVIOUSLY DISQUALIFIED AT ANY OTHER FISHING TOURNAMENT/

EVENT.  THE TOURNAMENT DIRECTOR RESERVE THE RIGHT TO CHANGE OR MODIFY THE RULES AT ANYTIME.