Official Rules for the 2015 MNO fishing challenge

[DDSBYDAY]

                                 2015 Fishing Team Challenge rules



Rules and how this Challenge works.

1. Contest is limited to 30 contestants.  Each contestant is required to puchase an MNO numbered bumper sticker to enter.   (purchase your Sticker here)   http://mnoutdoorsman.com/forums/index.php?topic=29781.0
 
2. Must be a member of MNO.   Residents of Minnesota and surrounding states are encouraged to join MNO so you can enter The Challenge.

   2a. You will need ten posts by  May 6th 2015 at 12:00pm-noon) in order to be eligible for the draft creating the fishing teams. If you do not have the required ten posts your name will be held from the draft. To be fair to all teams we want fishermen who are active on the board.

3. Contest runs from Saturday  May 9th  2015, till Sunday Nov. 1st at midnight.

4. This contest is a team challenge. The teams will consist of three members to be drawn at random. Your name will be added to the contest roster once your payment for your bumper sticker is received. Your name along with two others will be randomly selected. You and your partners will be posted as a team and then we ask you to contact your partners and post a team name. Now comes the twist to this contest. You and your team members will be asked to submit the longest fish in three species categories. Bass (either smallmouth or largemouth) (Walleye or Sauger) and Northern Pike. **New for this year-  Each team member will be listed on the leader board with their scored fish totals.  We have added a total team score to this years contest.  ** 

The total length will win the contest. Example a 20" Bass and a 26" Walleye and a 40" Northern gives you a total of 86 inches. Anyone on your team can upgrade your catch, say you catch a 24" walleye and a team member later catches a 30" fish. Your 30" fish will now be your top entry for walleyes for your team. Ideally each team member would qualify a fish but also just one member could catch all three qualifying fish for their team.

5. All fish must be photographed along side a clearly visible outstretched tape measure (Fish board STRONGLY, HIGHLY, DO YOURSELF AND YOUR TEAM A FAVOR recommended) and must include the staple item. This years staple item will be announced a few days before the contest  begins. 


  5.a The entire fish must be in the picture and it is important that the nose of fish is up against the edge of the tape or HIGHLY RECOMMENDED, SOON TO BE REQUIRED, GET ONE NOW,  fish measuring board. Any one of three judges will look at the submitted picture and give it a thumbs up. That means the fish will be scored for your team. Fish pictures must be posted by the last day of the contest, no late or early entries will count. There will no longer be any open mouth deduction.   All rulings are final, please post your best photo for judging.

  5.b  Review your photo's before posting. A judge may ask for a different photo if the one that was posted has been diqualified. Again, all rulings are final.
 
   5.c A short, 30 second or less video may be used to score your fish.  It must have the whole fish and staple item on a fish board all at the same time. No rulers or tape measures can be used in the video category.  It must be posted  on this site with no links. 

6.  When you post your fish you may comment but please make no comments in the scoring thread in regards to fish caught, save that for the "2015 Fishing Smack Down thread" With a five month long fishing contest there will be a lot of fish for the judges to track and a lot of posts to go through.

   6.a You must post a legal fish even if it is not your teams largest to  qualify for any prizes. Judges will track the largest fish for each team as well as each individual team members fish.  Posted fish must meet the minimum.

7. Photos must be posted in the official thread; this thread will be for the posting of fish only.  Please no trash talk in the official posting thread, post your remarks in the Smack thread.

8. All local and State fishing rules must be adhered to in the catching of fish, Smallmouth Bass must be in season. No illegal means of harvesting will be accepted. Catch and release rules/seasons are OK for the  contest. Bass cannot be posted unless they are in season where you caught them.

9. All members who want to participate must sign up by Midnight Monday May 4th, 2015. Teams will be drawn and posted the evening of WEDNESDAY May 6th. Teams will consist of 3 members per team. Members will be selected by a random draw.

   9.a. There will be only one draft, so make sure you sign up before the deadline.
 

   **  THERE WILL ONLY BE ONE DRAFT!!!!!!!!  YOU MUST SIGN UP BEFORE THE DEADLINE!!


10. There will be a minimum size for your fish to be entered. Bass will need to be 14" or larger. Walleye or Sauger 17" or larger and Northern Pike 24" or larger. Fish will be measured to the nearest ¼ inch down and upgrades may be made in ¼ inch units. (Example a walleye at 21 and 3/8 will be scored as 21 and ¼) There is no limit to how many times you can upgrade your catch. Remember that your teams largest fish in each category will determine your final entry length.

11. Prizes will be awarded to the #1 team and to runner-up teams to be determined by the donated prizes that we receive.  And ***[new for this year]-- the team with the highest team score **Grand prizes will be awarded by a drawing of those fishing challenge fishermen who have posted a fish in the Challenge. Grand Prizes can not be transferred and will only be honored by the drawn winner. Prizes need to be claimed with in thirty days of drawing. . After thirty days if not claimed they will be rolled into the next contest.

12. Rules and prize packages are subject to change as this Challenge is an on going and growing project.

13. Winning teams announcement: All winners at the end of the challenge must PM their sight name and actual name & mailing address to the prize distribution contact before November 30th. After that date all unclaimed prizes will be forfeited and rolled over into next years challenge.

The intent of this fishing challenge is to promote MNO and to make new fishing buddies. Only Fishermen who post a fish will be eligible for Grand prize drawings

14.  The MNO bumper sticker will not be required to be in your fish pictures.  We will however have a prize for the best picture using it in the background in some way.  This is separate from the contest.

15. ****    Every potential game winner fish will need TWO (2)  from the judges. By game winners I mean any walleye 27" and above.  Pike 36" and above.  Bass 19.5" and above.

     Good Fishing, Good Friends, and Good Luck is all you need to become the next MNO Fishing Challenge Champions!!