CFF Tournament Trail 2015 Rules and Format

Dropshot · Dec 7, 2014

CFF Tournament Trail 2015 Rules and Format

** 2015 CFF Tournament Trail
* 11 Tournaments
* 6 Day Tournaments
* 4 Night Tournaments
* 5 Tournament participation required for Classic qualification
** Administrative Fee
A one-time fee of $5 will be charged to ALL participants before they fish their first tournament of the year. This fee will be used to purchase scales, trophies, door prizes, and other items needed to ensure the smooth operation of the tournament trail. No one is excluded from paying this fee before fishing.

Example: Patrick and Jerry pay their $5 each before fishing their first tournament. If Tyler shows up to<a name="_GoBack"></a> fish with Jerry during the third tournament, then Tyler must also pay the $5 fee.**Tournament Entry Fee
The entry fee for each tournament is $40. $5 from each entry is used towards the “Big Fish” reward.


Every boat with a participating angler under the age of 16 will pay an entry fee of $30. Fisherman under the age of 18 must fish with an adult, as well as have a waiver form signed by a legal guardian in order to participate.**Angler Eligibility to Participate


* 200 CFF Posts PER BOAT are required to fish the CFF Tournament Trail* Qualified Member – A qualified member is designated as any active CFF member who has accumulated a minimum of 200 posts in any category at time of sign-up. An active member is one who contributes to the forum on a regular basis.
* Qualified Team - Any team consisting of a minimum of 200 posts in any combination between the two participating anglers.


* Exception - "One-pass Rule"
Each team participating in any 2015 CFF Bass TX, shall have a total of 200 CFF posts and a minumum of one (1) CFF member who is active on the forum, in any combination between the two anglers. This can consist of one member with 200 posts and a guest with 0 posts. Additionally, any CFF member lacking 200 posts ("NON-Qualified member" will be allowed to participate by using one free pass. This means that a member with less than 200 posts may fish one tournament with another non-qualified member or guest. Both non-qualified members and the guest will have used their free passes. The "non-qualified members" will be encouraged to enjoy the fun and fellowship and contribute back to CFF by posting and the guest will be encouraged to join and contribute. Any new members (non-qualified) should print their user profile and present it with their driver’s license at sign-in to verify their qualifications. In addition, anglers wishing to participate should verify that they post counts can be viewed. NOTE: THE FREE PASS RULE WILL BE WAIVED AFTER THE 2NDTOURNAMENT. NO MORE FREE PASSES WILL BE ALLOWED AFTER THAT POINT***


* All sign-ups will take place under the CFF Tournament Trail Forum. A sign-up deadline will be posted as well, and normally will be 7pm on Thursday evening the week of a tournament, or on Wednesday evening for a Friday night tournament. Anyone who does not sign up online before the sign-up deadline will not be allowed to participate in the tournament. NO EXCEPTIONS!

* All day tournaments will start at safe-light and weigh in at 2:00pm EST unless otherwise stated on the sign-up thread. 

* No live bait, trolling, or locking through will be allowed at any CFF Tournament Trail tournaments.

* Official Tournament Deadline and blast-off order will be pre-determined before blast-off. Blast-off will be organized and numbers will be distributed at registration. Additionally, weigh-in instructions will be given at sign-in, prior to departure. Any team wishing to weigh fish, are required to return to the designated dock/ramp prior to deadline. For safety reasons, a two minute grace period may be invoked for some ramps. CFF Tournament Committee members will be present to assist in this process. 

* The CFF Tournament Committee member who performs the blast off process (thus being the last boat out) will be rewarded with being the first boat out at the next tournament.

* Weigh In – All fish must be presented for weigh-in in a water-filled bag or container. Fish not presented in a water-filled bag or container will not be weighed in. The tournament committee reserves the right to measure any fish being weighed in. Anglers should strive to not stand in line with their fish. Please observe good conservation.
* Weigh-In Interference – The tournament committee asks that all anglers be mindful of the process for weighing-in and registration. This process is not always an easy one. With that said, all participants not on the tournament committee should remain in front of the scale area with the exception of the team weighing-in. We also ask all anglers to be courteous and respectful at the registration table. Anglers who do not adhere to this request will be subject to disqualification with no refund of entry fees.
* Big Fish Payout – For the 2015 Trail, we will be reverting back to a big fish payout for each of the largest Largemouth Bass, Kentucky (Spotted) Bass and Smallmouth Bass. In case only 1 or 2 of the 3 species are weighed in, the big fish pot will be adjusted to reflect.


* Waiver Form - A waiver form must be signed before participating each year. This form specifies additional information and guidelines. If you fish and do not sign a waiver form, you are subject to disqualification.

* Fishing Report – In exchange for participation in the CFF Tournament Trail, each boat is expected to provide a fishing report under the CFF Fishing Reports. Boats that participate and place are required to post a fishing report, or risk participation in future tournaments. Fishing reports are the life-blood of the forum. 

* Dead Fish – A 16 ounce penalty will be issued for weighing in a dead fish. Only 1 dead fish will be allowed per boat. If a boat possesses more than 1 dead fish, they will only be allowed to weigh their LIVE fish. Dead fish will be deemed ineligible for participation in the big fish award. Dead fish can be disqualified at the discretion of the tournament committee based on condition of fish.

** POINTS
* Points will be earned by points equivalent to each boats overall finish, as determined by each team's total weight. We will utilize a points system starting at 100 points, and decreasing a single point for every declining place finished.

Example:
1st Place – 100 Points
2nd Place – 99 Points
3rd Place – 98 Points
4th Place – 97 Points
5th Place – 96 Points, etc

* A one point bonus will be added to the team(s) weighing in the largest of three species of bass. A single point will be given for the overall largest largemouth bass, spotted bass, and/or largest smallmouth bass. 

* Teams that fish a tournament, but fail to weigh a fish will receive 20 points.
Example – You and your partner weigh in 10 lbs, good for third place in a tournament, and are worth 97 points. Points are kept INDIVIDUALLY throughout the year, but you will earn points at each event, based on the TOTAL TEAM POINTS.
In the next event, Joe and John fish with different partners. Joe and his partner finish in first place (100 points) while John and his partner finish in 10th place (90 points). For those 2 events, Joe has a combined total of 197 points and John has a total of 187 points. 

* The best of 10 tournaments will define your points for the Championship. With 10 total tournaments, you are allowed to drop your two lowest scores.* A year-end point’s champion (Angler of the Year) will be crowned at the Classic. A certificate, trophy, or plaque of recognition, as well as a cash or merchandise prize not to exceed $200 will be awarded to the Angler of the Year. As an option, the Angler of the Year winner will have the option to have all entry fees waived for the 2016 CFF Tournament Trail. In addition, the winner must participate inthe Classic to receive his recognition.
* New this year will be the recognition of the junior angler who compiles the most points over the tournament trail. In order for a junior angler to qualify, they must fish a minimum of five (5) tournaments. In addition, the winner must participate inthe Classic to receive his recognition.


* Only anglers who have participated in 4 or more tournaments will be eligible to participate in CFF #11.

* The tournament committee will draw for a free entry to the following tournament at the conclusion of every CFF Tournament except CFF #11. The winner of the drawing after the eleventh tournament will have half of their CFF Classic fee covered if they have qualified. The winner must use their winning entry for the next tournament.

** AGE TO PARTICIPATE IN THE CFF TOURNAMENT TRAIL
*Anglers of all ages are welcome to participate in the CFF Tournament Trail. However, at least one participating member of a team must be a minimum of 18 years of age on the date of the tournament to be fished. In addition, any boat operator under 18 years of age will need to present the following before entry will be permitted:
a. TWRA-issued wallet Boating Safety Education Card (Tennessee residents) or proof of completing a NASBLA course (non-Tennessee residents) before entry will be permitted.
b. Proof of insurance on watercraft.
c. CFF Waiver form signed by their parent or legal guardian to be eligible to fish.

** 2015 CFF CLASSIC –
* The 2015 CFF Classic will be a two day tournament.
* Day one will be held on Nickajack Lake, while day two will be held on Chickamauga Lake. Ramps will be determined and posted later in the season. This is subject to change based on scheduling, etc.
* The year end Classic will have double entry fees ($80), which will result in a double pay scale.
* To qualify, an angler must fish a minimum of 5 out of the 11 regular season events. CFF Alias' cannot be shared in qualifying for the CFF Classic.
* Both anglers have to qualify to fish the Classic
* The Classic will have a five-fish limit per day.
* There will be a Classic Champion, an AOY, a Junior AOY (if qualified), and a Big Fish Champion recognized at the conclusion ofthe Classic, AFTER THE WEIGH-IN. To qualify for recognition as the Big Fish Champion, or Junior AOY, the angler must participate in a minimum of five tournaments and participate in the Classic.

** BASS SPECIES
* 12" Spotted bass - 15" Largemouth - 18" Smallmouth (The only exception is Guntersville Lake, where limit for smallmouth bass is 15"
* Brown is Brown. There are some smallmouth that contain a tooth patch, but a brown fish is a smallmouth
* A spot qualifies as being green, and has a tooth patch.
* A fish in question will be voted on at the weigh-in by CFF Committee Members. The decision of the CFF Committee members will be final. 

** SAFETY –
* Participants are encouraged to abide by all state and federal regulations and take all necessary precautions to provide for their safety. At the discretion of the tournament committee, any event may be postponed, shortened, or cancelled due to unsafe conditions including weather. It remains the decision of the participants, as to whether conditions are safe and suitable. 

** DISTANCE-
* 50 yard rule when competing in a CFF tournament. Unless waived over, stay outside a judgment distance of 50 yards.
* As usual, please exercise safety, good sportsmanship and most of all, have fun fishing!

** PROTESTS –
Any protest shall be submitted to any tournament committee member within 5 minutes after “last call” at weigh in. 

** FUN –
The most important rule of CFF is to have fun. Enjoy fellowship with fellow anglers who enjoy the same passion as you do!

CFF Tournament Trail 2015 Rules and Format

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Dropshot

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