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1. RULES. These rules will remain unchanged during the 2008 season for all qualifying Heartland Trails Inc. tournaments, (herein after referred to as HT). Interpretation of these rules shall be left exclusively to the HT Tournament Committee. Protests must be made in writing within thirty minutes of the official check in time of the final flight. Decisions of the HT Tournament Committee shall be final in all matters and are not subject to appeal.
2. ELIGIBILITY. Participation in the tournaments will be by entries. Anyone, whose entry has been received and approved by HT, that is 16 years of age or older, who is a current member of the Heartland Trails Inc. and has paid the appropriate entry fee by the appropriate deadline date is eligible. HT has the right to refuse any entries received. Any angler who fishes as a Pro or in the Elite Circuit shall be deemed a Pro and is no longer eligible to fish in the Amateur division for that tournament season. Amateurs whose entry is postmarked by the entry deadline (5 days prior to tournament) and provides a pro who is a current Heartland Trails member will receive guarantee entry and if accepted into the tournament will be paired with a pro. A pro whose entry is postmarked by the entry deadline and provides an amateur who is a Heartland member will receive guaranteed entry. All other entries will be taken in order by date, time and number of tournaments entered. Guaranteed status is given at the time that both pro & amateur are entered into the event and have listed both anglers names and applicable entries have been paid. Guaranteed status is contingent on both anglers competing in the event in their divisions. Entries may be made by phone (816-734-0020), mail or internet (www.hpata.com). Each tournament will have a maximum field of 200 boats. Entries received after field is full will be put on a waiting list. Those placed on a waiting list & not drawn may have their entry returned or transferred. Late entries will be allowed, but must be accompanied with a nonrefundable $20 service fee. Entry fees may be transferred or refunded provided Heartland Trails is notified by 5PM Central time Wednesday prior to Sundays tournament.
3. ENTRY FEES, DEPOSITS & DEADLINES. Entry fees shall be: Pro Division $200 ($50 deposit), Amateur Division $100 ($30 deposit). A pro whose entry Entry fee or balance of deposit for Pro-Am must be postmarked 7 days prior to each tournament. A late fee of $20 will be added starting 5 days prior to each tournament. A computer scramble for Pro–Am take-off position will be performed 5 days prior to tournament. Entries received there after, will be placed in the next open position. Late entries for Pro-Am will be accepted up to ½ hour prior to Saturday pairing meeting only if there is a corresponding angler available. Anglers signing up with a corresponding anglers will be guaranteed entry. Deposits may be transferred to another tournament in the same circuit during the same year, but are not refundable.
4. INSURANCE. Boat owners must have at least $100,000 of Boating Liability Insurance. Boat owners must send a copy of their policy, with their entry form prior to the entry deadline.
5. BOATS AND MOTORS. Any boat, 16 feet or longer, powered by a motor of 50 horsepower or more with a kill switch will be accepted. All boats must meet B.I.A. and Coast Guard requirements; no over-powered boats. Stick steering will not be allowed. Each boat must have a functional bilge pump and livewell space, properly aerated, capable of keeping alive one limit of fish per angler.
6. SAFETY. Safe boating must be observed at all times. Each contestant is required to wear an approved personal floatation devise, snapped and zipped, anytime the combustion engine is operated above an idle speed while pre-fishing and fishing all Heartland tournaments. All boats must be equipped with an ignition shut-off device securely attached to the boat operator when boat is operated above idle speed while pre-fishing and fishing Heartland tournaments. At the discretion of the Tournament Committee, tournament days may be shortened or cancelled due to unsafe weather or water conditions. Alcoholic beverages are not allowed in boats during tournament hours.
7. SPORTSMANSHIP. All contestants are required to follow the highest degree of sportsmanship, courtesy and conservation as well as conduct themselves in a manner that will be a credit to themselves, Heartland Trails, sponsors and the sport of tournament fishing. Any words, conduct or actions reflecting unfavorably upon efforts to promote safety, sportsmanship, fair competition and compliance with tournament rules will not be tolerated and may result in disqualification. During the hours of competition, contestants may not obtain or receive assistance from non-competitors, follow a non-competitors' boat or participate in the practice of “hole sitting”.
8. COMMUNICATION DEVICES. The use of mobile communication devices such as cellular phones, marine radios, walkie-talkies, C.B.'s, etc., to communicate fishing locations or fishing information during tournament hours is strictly prohibited.
9. TACKLE EQUIPMENT & DIP NETS. Only artificial baits or lures may be used. Pork style baits are allowed. All bass must be caught on a rod and reel. Only one rod and reel in use at any time is allowed. Trolling, as a method of fishing, or the use of bugging devices is not allowed. Dip nets are allowed to assist in landing fish, however, culling nets in livewells are not allowed.
10. PERMITTED FISHING LOCATIONS. Anywhere on the tournament lake except 50 yards of another contestant's anchored boat, or wirhin 50 yds. of any Corps of Engineers leased concessions, or marina's. Also any area marked off limits or no fishing by the Corp of Engineers, local, state, or Federal officials. Any additional off limits will be announced at the pre-tournament meeting. No tournament boat may be loaded on the trailer before weigh-in except with the permission of a Tournament Committee member. There are no off-limit days. Anglers are allowed to pre-fish at any time with the exception of Pro-Am contestants who must be off the water in time to register & attend the Saturday pairing meeting & may not return to the water without the tournament director’s permission after the pairing meeting.
11. SPECIAL SITUATIONS. Contestants must remain in the boats at all times. Contestants must not depart the boat to land fish or to make the boat more accessible to fishing waters. Contestants must leave and return to official checkpoint by boat. Both competitors must remain in the boat at all times except in case of dire emergency. In such an emergency, competitors may be removed from their boat to: A boat operated by other competitors or a rescue boat. NOTE: It is the responsibility of each contestant to have their own bag large enough to transport a tournament limit of bass plus water to the weigh-in sight. Fishermen should have their name printed on the bag with permanent ink for identification; this rule applies to emergency situations only.
12. MEETING, TAKE-OFF MEETING & INSPECTION. Registration & pairing meeting will take place immediately following Team weigh-in at that location. A pre take-off meeting will be held on the water 15 minutes prior to take-off for all tournaments. All contestants are required to attend. Failure to comply may result in either forfeiture of tournament and entry fee, or loss of take-off position. If contestant is unable to be in the staging area 15 minutes prior they are encouraged to contact Heartland's emergency number. A drive-by boat inspection will be conducted at take-off time.
13. OFFICIAL CHECK POINT. There will be only one site for check-out in the morning and check-in in the afternoon. At the time of morning inspection, all competitors must be in full compliance of all rules set forth by the Tournament Committee. All boats shall identify themselves at check-in sites by means of boat number and proceed IMMEDIATELY to the designated weigh-in area. Failure to check-out in the morning or to check-in at the check-in point will result in disqualification.
14. SCORING. Largemouth Bass, Kentucky Bass, and Smallmouth Bass will be counted. Dead fish will result in a .50 (1/2) pound penalty. If dead fish is the largest of the creel, that ½ pound will be deducted from your big bass weight. Culling of dead fish is not allowed. Any bass under the tournaments legal length limit presented for weigh-in will result in disqualification of that fish and two (2) pounds being deducted from total weight of remaining creel. There will be a five (5) fish tournament limit in the pro division & a three (3) fish limit in the amateur division. Contestants are not allowed to continue fishing until they have culled down to the tournament limit. Pro-Am qualifying tournament points will be awarded as follows: 200 first; 199 second; 198 third, etc. Individuals will receive 1 point for each pound of weight. Contestants must register & attend Pro-Am pairing meeting to receive their 20 show up points. Any Pro angler with a top ten finish, and enters in at least five tournaments, will also qualify for the Pro-Am Classic. That same number of amateurs will also qualify.
15. QUALITY ASSURANCE TESTING. By contestants' signature on an HT entry form and/or participation in HTA tournaments, contestants agree to quality assurance testing and will abide by its conclusions. These tests may include all or any part of the following: polygraph examination, urinalysis, or blood test. Refusal to submit or failure to pass any quality assurance test will result in disqualification. Quality assurance tests will be used at the sole discretion of the HT and the determination of the meaning of the results will be made solely by HT.
16. LATE PENALTY. Contestants not at designated check-in site by official designated time will be penalized one pound for each minute late up to a maximum of ten minutes (ten pounds). Penalized weight will be deducted from the total weight of angler's stringer. If the maximum of ten minutes is exceeded, contestants will forfeit all points/weight for that day's competition, yet will still receive twenty show-up points if eligible.
17. PAYBACK & TIES. Cash awards for the Pro-Am will be based on one place for each four entries. Additional sponsor merchandise may be awarded on availability. For qualifying tournaments, ties will be broken by, number of fish then by date of original entry registration for the tournament. All championship side pots are optional.
18. PRO-AM RULES. Pro–Am pairing meeting will take place at conclusion of Team Series weigh-in site. All contestants are required to attend; registration beginning at 3:00 pm. Contestants must register & attend pairing meeting to receive 20 show up points. Contestants may not return to water after pairing without permission from tournament director. Contestants will be guaranteed entry in each tournament after being placed with a corresponding Pro or Amateur. Tournament officials may use observers in case of sickness, emergency or disqualification in order to maintain an adequate number of Pros & Amateurs. Heartland officials, at their sole discretion, may reassign partners prior to morning take-off. The Pro shall have complete control of boat operation and waters to be fished. In order that all Amateur entrants receive fair treatment, they will all fish from the back deck of the boat. They may move to the front of the boat for safety reasons or for movement of the boat, but may not fish from the front deck of the boat. Any Pro that, in the judgment of the Tournament Committee, operates the boat in such a manner that unfairly handicaps their Amateur partner will be disqualified for that day. Anglers that share their partner’s fishing locations with other competitors will be disqualified along with the person utilizing this information.
19. PRO-AM CLASSIC QUALIFICATION. There will be 6 qualifying tournaments. Each angler’s year end point total will be determined by a maximum of 5 tournaments. The top 40-point qualifiers in year-end points will qualify for the year-end Classic. In the pro division, if there is a 40th. place tie all anglers tied will qualify. A equal number of amateurs will also qualify. Any pro with a top ten finish, and enters in at least five tournaments, will also qualify for the Classic. The same number of amateurs will also qualify. If you are unable to compete in the Championship the next person in points will be added. All prizes, models and sizes are subject to manufacturers' availability at time of winning awards. Ties will be broken by total number of fish weighed in, if still tied, year to date point standings will determine the winner.
20. SIGNATURES. Every contestant must sign the release waiver, along with a fully completed entry form prior to each tournament.
21. KNOWLEDGE OF THESE RULES IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY. Failure to read these rules or ignorance of these rules is no excuse. Any extreme violation of rules will be grounds for disqualification from all future HTA events. Any announcement made by the Heartland Tournament Committee Chairman at tournament sites takes precedence over written rules.
22. OTHER HEARTLAND EVENTS. Other bass tournaments conducted by HT are not qualifiers for Heartland Pro Am circuits. Paybacks, prizes and other awards in these events do not represent nor replace the above mentioned Heartland Trails circuits.
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