- By registering in this Lake St. Clair VEXUS Open (LSVO) event, you are acknowledging that you have read, understand and comply with the rules set out in this document.
- Entry fees are eligible to be refunded, upon receipt of a written request, by any team up until 7:00 am, seven (7) days prior to that event that the team was registered to compete in. After this date/time if a team cannot participate the LSVO will decide if the circumstances warrant the refund.
- At least one competitor must be 18 years of age or older. Competitors under the age of 16 must have written parental consent from both parents/guardians which must be received by the LSVO before any event.
- As a competitor that has filled out and signed the registration form, you have given the LSVO the right to use video or pictures taken during the tournament, weigh-ins and all tournament related functions for future tournament advertising.
- The use of drones or underwater cameras by tournament anglers is strictly prohibited during all tournament hours.
- This is a NO Pre-Fish tournament, all tournament water will be shut down from 11:59pm Sunday June 16, 2024, to blast off time on Saturday June 22, 2024. Violations will cause disqualification with no refund.
- An Ontario Sport Fishing License is required, and you may be asked to produce it at any time. Please ensure it is always on your person during the tournament. Failure to produce your license will result in your withdrawal from the tournament. Conservation licenses will NOT be accepted.
- All Federal and Provincial fishing, boating and criminal laws must be always obeyed, including border crossing.
- The Directors of the LSVO have developed this tournament in the interest and fairness of all anglers, with the intent to have all anglers understand and abide by the rules, regulations, government laws of the province of Ontario and guidelines set out by The Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry. The Directors of the LSVO have every intent on abiding by these regulations as both “official administrators” and as participating anglers in the tournament series.
- The LSVO reserves the right to exceed the limited field and payback accordingly.
- The LSVO is solely responsible for the provision of the percentage paybacks and not responsible for sponsored prizes.
- The LSVO Director and committee reserves the right to amend the rules and regulations as they see fit.
- There will be no fishing allowed within 100 yards of a ministry net.
- Boundaries are any water accessible by boat except when legally marked “no trespassing” or “sanctuary”. Competitors will be disqualified if found to be in violation of these areas. Please note that a license is required to fish in marked water around the Walpole Island Reserve.
- You must always maintain 50 yards from another competitor’s boat. However, in circumstances where there are two teams on a river system less than 50 yards, they may cross one another on opposite sides and adhere to all good sportsmanlike conduct.
- Boats must be 14′ or greater and canoes/kayaks are not permitted.
- All boats must carry a minimum of $1,000,000.00 insurance liability.
- All boats entered in any LSVO event can be operated with only the maximum horsepower rated for the vessel. The maximum horsepower rating allowed during any event is 350hp. The LSVO committee reserves the right to refuse at its discretion an unsafe vessel.
- All motors must have a working kill switch which must be affixed to the PFD of the boater when the outboard is under power.
- You must wear an approved flotation device while the outboard is running. Manual suspenders/vests or manual inflatable life jackets are NOT acceptable. Automatic suspenders/vests or automatic inflatable life jackets are acceptable; however, they will be inspected for expiration at the time of check-in. If you choose to wear, at your own risk, an automatic suspenders/vest, automatic inflatable life jacket or a U.S. COAST GUARD approved life jacket, you must have an approved Department of Transport Canada lifejacket within your vessel (if in question, Tournament Official’s decision will stand).
- Competitor boats must have an operating live well that is part of the boat design, NOT portable.
- When competing in a LSVO event, you must only hold bass in the live well. Any other species of fish must be released. Species of non-releasable fish must be reported at the Check-in Boat.
- The official Blast-off time and Check-in time may vary. Flight times may be required depending on the size of the field. If any time changes or adjustments are required, notification will be given to anglers by email or in person. In case of fog or other delays on the day of the event the Tournament Director will decide if/when safe launch will occur.
- If in case of extreme weather conditions or in a state of emergency, the event may be delayed, rescheduled, restricted or cancelled.
- At the conclusion of each tournament all teams must report to the designated Check-in Boat at the designated time. A penalty of 1 lb. per minute will be applied to a maximum of ten (10) minutes if a team has not checked in by the appointed time.
- There will be zero tolerance for unsportsmanlike conduct. Automatic disqualification will result without refund. All competitors are required to follow high standards of sportsmanship, courtesy and conservation and to conduct themselves in a manner that will be a credit to themselves, the LSVO Committee, the sponsors of the LSVO event and to the sport of fishing. Conduct not complying with these standards includes, but is not limited to, the following:
- In violation of, or failure to comply with, any of the rules of the LSVO
- Consumption and/or possession of alcoholic beverages, or any kind of mind-altering substance, during tournament hours extending from daily arrival at the LSVO event through to the conclusion of the weigh-in
- Abuse of, or addiction to, mind-altering substances.
- The use of words, conduct or actions reflecting unfavourably upon efforts to promote safety, sportsmanship, fair competition and compliance with tournament rules, or which fail to comply with the standards set forth in the first sentence of this paragraph.
- In case of any conduct not complying with the standards outlined above, the LSVO committee shall have the right to refuse an application to compete, to deny a confirmed application to compete by returning the entry fee or to disqualify a competitor.
- If a rule protest is submitted, a $50.00 Protest Fee must be submitted to the LSVO along with solid evidence of the infraction. If the evidence presented to the LSVO Committee is deemed to be factual the $50.00 will be returned. If the protest is determined to be disproven, the $50.00 Protest Fee will be given to the accused by the LSVO Committee.
- Any protest of violations made prior to check-in time must be made at the Check-in Boat. Any violations occurring after check-in can be made to the Tournament Director after Weigh-in.
- If an infraction of the tournament rules is witnessed, it must be reported. Neglect to report an infraction to a Tournament Official may lead to disqualification.
- In the event of disqualification, the disqualified team may be required to meet with LSVO Officials to continue to fish in other events. No refunds will be given upon disqualification.
- Competitors are not allowed to board or approach another vessel during the event unless there is an emergency.
- If any team needs fuel or repairs, one competitor is to always remain with the boat and a receipt confirming proof of purchase must be presented to Officials if required. Competitors must stop fishing during this time.
- In the case where a team’s boat is deemed to be no longer functional, the team may seek a tow from another vessel (competitor or non-competitor). If the towing team feels for any reason that they cannot tow a competitor’s boat (as it may jeopardize their tournament standings), the stranded team must respect the decision and either wait for another boat or release the caught fish and seek the first ride back into the marina.
- Fish can be transferred to another competitor’s boat only if one of the downed team members stays with the fish. If you choose to transfer your fish into a competitor’s live well, the live well must be separate or you must use an approved fish friendly perforated sack complete with draw string ensuring your fish cannot be combined with the rescuing team’s fish. Tagging systems are not acceptable and if fish are combined accidentally or otherwise, both weights will not be accepted. No fishing is allowed while the rescued competitor is in the boat. All competitors in the rescue boat must proceed directly to the check-in point where the fish will be transferred to the Check-in Boat for the weigh-in show. Once the fish have been transferred, the downed boat must be brought back directly to the tournament site for inspection. If, after inspection, the boat is found to be tampered with, then disqualification may result, and the rescuing team questioned. If the team is in a payout position, the prizes will be held until the boats are inspected. The rescue team is responsible for making sure the rescued angler(s) is wearing a DTC approved life jacket. Failure to do so will result in disqualification. Anglers are asked to use the LSVO emergency number to keep Officials informed.
- If a team breaks down and gets to weigh-in late, late penalties will be applied including disqualification after ten (10) minutes.
- If a boat that has broken down, returns to the tournament site and the team manages to repair their vessel and/or changes boats, the new boat must be rechecked by a LSVO Official prior to transferring the fish.
- Only artificial lures are to be used (No live bait allowed). Fish regurgitation is not permitted. Participants may use only one rod at any one time.
- Trolling or Strolling at any time, under gas or electrical power, is NOT allowed and will result in disqualification.
- Drifting due to current is allowed.
- Only one (1) line and lure per angler is permitted to be in the water at any time.
- Only non-puncture cull tags will be permitted for use by teams in all LSVO events. If the LSVO determines that bass weighed in have been subject to puncture cull tags, the team will risk being disqualified at the discretion of the Tournament Director.
- The minimum size of BASS brought in is 12″.
- Short fish will not be weighed, AND a ½ lb. penalty will be applied for each short fish.
- The Official Bass Limit for any LSVO event is Five (5). Automatic disqualification will occur if you are found to exceed this limit while under power and/or at any time upon afternoon Check-in and/or at the Weigh-in. Teams may have a limit of six (6) bass while NOT under power and for the purpose of culling.
- Penalty for dead fish as follows:
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- 1 dead fish – ½ lb. penalty
- 2 dead fish – 1 ½ lb. penalty
- 3 dead fish – 3.0 lb. penalty
- 4 dead fish – Disqualification
- A dead fish will NOT be weighed-in as an entry for the “Big Fish” contest.
- There will be NO early Weigh-In for teams, prior to the official time, with stressed fish or other reasons. It will be up to each team whether to release a stressed fish before weigh-in or risk the penalty for dead fish.
If a team has fish that are stressed, they must notify and present them for verification to the LSVO Official at the Check-In boat. The LSVO Official will allow for the team to advance to the WeighIn at an appropriate time. If the Tournament Director deems that a team deliberately falsified claims of having a stressed fish to advance their position to the Weigh-In, that team will be issued a 1 lb. penalty. - If there is a tie for first place in any LSVO event the winner shall be determined by Big Fish weights. If a tie occurs elsewhere in the event results, the teams will split the combined prize payout.
- The Tournament Official rulings are final.
Click here for a PDF file of the rules to download