These rules apply to The Lost Grove Big Bass Throwdown, referred to herein as "the tournament". The Tournament will be managed by any individuals designated by Bill Kennedy, ("Tournament Director")
- REGISTRATION. Registration fees are $100 per angler. If a person registers for the Tournament but fails to fish for any reason whatsoever, that person will forfeit their entry fee for the Tournament. Each angler must register for the Tournament by providing all registration fees, signed/acknowledged participant agreements, and signed/acknowledgment of these rules.
- ANGLERS. The Tournament is open to all anglers Any angler under the age of 18 who wishes to compete in the Tournament must register with the signature or acknowledgment of their parent or legal guardian on their participant agreement or online registration form.
- OFF LIMITS PERIOD. Anglers must not be present on the Tournament Lake for any purpose on the same calendar date prior to the tournament start.
- FISHING AND WEIGHING TIMES. Fishing will begin at 6am. The Tournament Officials will open the scales at the following times:
9am (230 ramp boat slip)
12 noon (230 ramp boat slip)
3pm (230 ramp boat slip)
The final weigh-in will be at 3pm. All boats must come by the boat slip and check-in prior to weighing their last fish to ensure all fishing has stopped by 3pm. Those weighing fish will be called in the order they check-in. - FISHING METHODS. All fish must be caught alive in a conventional sporting manner. All anglers must cast, reel, and set their own hooks. Only artificial lures may be used in the Tournament. Only one fishing rod per angler may be used at any one time. Additional rods may be in the boat and ready for use, but each cast and retrieve must be completed before another cast is attempted or rod is used. Trolling with any type of motor and bank fishing are prohibited. All bass must be hooked inside the mouth to be counted as a legal fish. At no time may an angler leave the boat to land a fish, make the boat more accessible to fishing waters, or to locate fish.
- COMMUNICATION WITH NON-PARTICIPANTS. Participants in the Tournament may not receive fishing information from other competitors, non-competitors or participate in the practice of “hole sitting” during weigh-ins. The use of mobile communication devices such as cellular phones, marine radios, walkie-talkies, CBs, etc., to communicate fishing information during the Tournament is strictly prohibited.
- FISHING LOCATIONS. Anglers may fish on any area of Lost Grove Lake accessible by boat, except areas designated as “off-limits,” or within 40 yards of a competitor’s boat which was first anchored (an anchored boat is a boat held in a stable position by a line attached to a weight with the trolling motor in the up position; PowerPoles or like devices constitute as an anchor if the trolling motor is up) or within 25 yards of a non-anchored competitor’s boat unless otherwise agreed upon by the other tournament anglers.
The 230 cove will be “off limits” for fishing after 9am first weigh-in period. Parameters of the 230 cove will be defined at the pre-tourney meeting. - LIVE FISH. Only live fish will be weighed-in during the Tournament. Every effort must be made to keep fish alive through the use of a properly aerated live well. The use of live well additives which promote the healthy return of fish to their natural habitat are recommended. No dead fish will be weighed.
Anglers can only have 1 fish (per angler) in the livewell at any time. If an angler catches an upgrade fish he must cull (release) his current fish and replace it with the new fish.
It is the responsibility of the Anglers in a boat to keep their fish separated and identified. Any discrepancy on which fish belong to an angler will result in neither fish being weighed. - SCORING. The only fish species that will be weighed in the Tournament are largemouth bass. All bass presented to be weighed must be caught during Tournament hours. All bass presented to be weighed must measure at least 15 inches in length. Only one bass per angler will be weighed and counted during any session of the Tournament. All Bass are to be weighed in the same session in which they were caught. Each session's largest bass weighed will win the designated prize for that session. Each angler’s biggest bass will be listed in the final overall standings. The grand prize will be awarded to the largest Bass caught in any session on tournament day.
- TIES. In the event of a tie, the Prize for that session will be split between the Anglers. If a tie takes place for the Overall big bass grand prize, the winner will be decided by each anglers next biggest bass from another session.
- LAUNCH. Participants will launch their boats from the 240 ramp (by the dam). Boats will line up in blast off order and wait for the Tournament Director to give the start. Last boat on the draw list will be the blast off boat.
- BOATING. No more than 2 registered anglers will be permitted in any single tournament boat. All boats must abide by the boating rules of Lost Grove Lake and State of IA, including a 5mph speed limit at all times.
- BOAT SPECIFICATIONS. All boats/vessels used in the Tournament must meet the following requirements:
1 - All IA and coast guard regulations.
2 - All vessels are required to have Liability insurance coverage.
3 - All boats/vessels must have a properly aerated live well space to maintain a live catch of bass. - BOATING SAFETY. Safe boating must be observed at all times. Lost Grove lake has a 5mph speed limit that MUST be followed. Adult and junior members must abide by all official watercraft operation regulations applicable.
Blast-off and return to tournament site must be done in safe and orderly fashion. Blast-off is done in assigned order and started by the event directors. No tournament participants will blast-off until all participants are in their boats and lined up in order.
Violations of safety rules, or Lost grove lake speed limits can lead to tournament disqualification.
Boats returning to the event site or weigh-in site will keep at a safe distance, it is recommended to use your trolling motor when approaching the weigh location. - SPORTSMANSHIP. All anglers are required to follow high standards of sportsmanship, courtesy, safety, and conservation during the Tournament. Participants in the Tournament, may not solicit, purchase, barter, or receive information about locating or catching fish on the Tournament Lake from anyone other than another competitor in the tournament. This includes GPS way points. Switching or sharing fish with other participants will result in immediate disqualification of the anglers involved. Any artificially weighed, preserved, or altered fish will be disqualified, and the angler presenting the offending fish will be subject to prosecution under federal and state laws. Actions or words which reflect unfavorably upon efforts to promote safety, sportsmanship, fair competition, and compliance with these rules may result in disqualification from the Tournament.
- ALCOHOL AND OTHER DRUGS. Anglers may not consume or possess alcoholic beverages or any unlawful drugs during the Tournament.
- INTERPRETATION OF THE RULES. Interpretation of these rules will be made exclusively by the Tournament Director in their absolute discretion. Decisions made by the Tournament Director are final and are not subject to appeal. Each angler participating in the Tournament must report any rule violation to the Tournament Director immediately upon discovery of the violation. Failure to report violations may be cause for disqualification.
The Tournament Directors Cell Phone will be provided the morning of the tournament. - VIOLATIONS OF RULES. The violation of any of these rules may result in disqualification from the Tournament without refund.