Louisiana Saltwater Series

• 
• 
  • Redfish Tournament
  • Trout Tournament
  • Yellowfin Tuna Fall Shootout
  • Tarpon Tournament
  • Youth Tournament
• 
• 

Trout Tournament Info & Rules

• MAY 5th   |   SeaBrook Harbor, New Orleans
• OCTOBER 20th   |   Dockside Bait and Tackle/The Dock, Slidell

Event Details

• 100% payout
• $100 entry fee for 2-man team, per tournament.
• Includes a youth division. Up to two youth (under 16) per team. Participants will compete against one another in a separate category for trophy catch. All youth anglers will be recognized.

Event Rules

1. Rule Changes – These rules will remain unchanged during the year 2012. Interpretation of these rules will be left exclusively to the Tournament Committee. Decisions of the Tournament Committee are final in all matters and are not subject to appeal. Protests must be made in writing within 30 minutes of the official check-in time of the final flight of each tournament day.
2. Participation - All contestants must have a valid Louisiana fishing license and are required to follow all applicable federal, state and local regulations and laws. Any violation of such regulations and laws may result in disqualification from the tournament. Teams may consist of one, two, three or four members. For teams consisting of three or four members, only two of the members may be 16 or older, must have proof of age.
3. Entry Fees, Registration & Pre-tournament Meeting – Entry fees will be $100 per team per event if registered online or registration is received 48 hrs prior to day of tournament. Onsite entry fee will be $120 day of tournament. Registration may be completed by pre-registering online at www.LaSaltwaterseries.com or in person the morning of the tournament. Online registration will close 48 hours prior to the tournament. Cash or check will be the only accepted methods of payment for in person registration. All teams will be assigned boat numbers according to the order of completed registration (including payment). There will be a pre-tournament meeting held just prior to blast off, the morning of the tournament, all teams must have a representative present.
4. Safety – Safe boating will be observed at all times. Each contestant is required to wear a fastened, U.S. Coast Guard approved, personal flotation device anytime the combustion engine is in operation. Each boat must have all required U.S. Coast Guard safety equipment. For the safety of all contestants, all boats must be equipped with some type of operable ignition shut-off device. This ignition shut-off (Kill Switch) must be attached to the driver anytime the combustion engine is operating and in gear. At the discretion of the Tournament Directors, tournament days may be shortened or canceled due to unsafe weather or water conditions.  The tournament will not start under a U.S. Coast Guard "Gale or Storm Warning" or until "Safe Light" is determined.
5. Sportsmanship – All contestants are required to follow high standards of sportsmanship, courtesy, safety, conservation and to conduct themselves in a manner that will be a credit to themselves to LA Saltwater Series personnel and staff, its sponsors, and the sport of fishing. If conduct does not comply with the standards set forth, the "LA Saltwater Series" and its directors or officers shall have the right to refuse any entry, or to deny a confirmed entry by returning the entry fee of a previously accepted entry or disqualify a contestant. The "LA Saltwater Series" reserves the right to place an official observer in a contestant's boat at any time during competition hours.
6. Communication – During tournament hours, contestants may not obtain or receive assistance from non-competitors, follow a non-competitor's boat or participate in the practice of "hole-sitting" or the placing of markers by anyone. The use of mobile communication devices, including, but not limited to, cellular telephones, marine radios, walkie-talkies, CBs, etc., during tournament hours is strictly prohibited except in an emergency, contacting locks and flood gates, or severe weather.
7. Boat & Horsepower Regulation – All boats must be a minimum of 15 feet in length with a console and steering wheel and no stick or tiller steering. Each boat must have all required U.S. Coast Guard safety equipment. A serviceable VHF radio is mandatory for all tournament boats. The official LA Saltwater Series channel will be assigned at the pretournament meeting. Boats must contain a properly aerated live-well space to adequately maintain a live limit catch of trout. Maximum horsepower for all outboards used in tournament competition will be 300 horsepower, not to exceed the horsepower capacity set forth on the "Maximum Capacities" placard described below. Each boat must have a clearly legible "Maximum Capacities" (or comparably titled) placard that includes a maximum horsepower rating affixed to the boat by the manufacturer. The horsepower of the outboard engine must not exceed the maximum horsepower capacity specified on this placard or the 300 horsepower maximum set by LA Saltwater Series. By signing the entry form, each contestant agrees to submit their boat and/or motor to an inspection by LA Saltwater Series personnel. Falsifying information on entry forms or altering the horsepower numbers on the motor or rating placard will be cause for disqualification from the tournament and may result in ineligibility to compete in future LA Saltwater Series events. Fuel may be carried only in factory-installed (built-in) fuel tanks. Any additional fuel used during the tournament day must be purchased from a retail facility open to the public.
8. Permitted Fishing Methods & Locations – All trout must be caught alive and in a conventional sporting manner.  Only artificial lures may be used during competition. Anglers may not catch fish or weigh in fish that have been caged or confined in an area prior to the tournament. A foul hooked fish is defined as a fish that does not have at least one hook in its mouth and it must be released. Trolling as a method of fishing is prohibited. Contestants may fish anywhere on tournament waters accessible to the public by boat, except areas designated as "off limits" or "no fishing" by private ownership or local, state and federal officials. All angling must be conducted from the boat. At no time may a contestant leave the boat to land a fish or to make the boat more accessible to fishing water. The boat must remain in the tournament waters during the tournament day. No tournament boat may be loaded on the trailer before the weigh-in except with the permission of the Tournament Directors. In the event of equipment failure or emergency, there will be only two permitted methods of team members returning to the official check-in: by both partners remaining in their boat and being towed by water, or by one of the partners entering the boat of another tournament contestant. Under these two conditions, the team's catch may be counted without a penalty (except for late penalties, dead-fish penalties or other penalties pertaining to other tournament rules). Teams that elect to return to the official check-in by any other means than cited above will forfeit their day's catch to that point in time of the tournament day. Any team returning to the check-in point will be eligible to restart and resume competition under the supervision of the Tournament Director or designated tournament official. It is the sole responsibility of teams to locate the Tournament Directors to request a restart. If a team must violate any part of this rule due to an emergency or for any other reason, their catch for that day will not be counted.
9. Official Checkpoints & Late Penalty – There will be only one official checkpoint for boat check in the morning and one official check-in point in the afternoon. Failure to go through boat check, checkout in the morning and/or failure to check-in at the check-in point will result in disqualification. All fishing must cease upon check-in. Contestants who are not at the official check-in area at the appointed time will be disqualified.
10. Scoring & Live Fish – Tournament standings and winners shall be determined by the total weight, less any penalties measured in pounds and 100th of a pound of each teams catch during the tournament. Only Spotted Seatrout/Speckled Trout will be weighed and the limit shall be 2 fish per day per team. Additionally, teams may bring in the remainder of their Louisiana daily limit to be tagged by Audubon Aquarium of the Americas or LDWF personnel and placed in the monitoring system before releasing. Teams will receive a ticket for each additional Trout surrendered with a drawing at the weigh-in for various prizes. Fish must be larger than required 12 inch length. Any fish smaller than required length will be disqualified and a 1 pound penalty will be assessed to the remaining weight. Any fish that appears to have been iced, penned, mangled, mashed, mauled or otherwise altered will not be weighed at the discretion of the Tournament Directors. In the event a tie should occur, the team with the largest individual fish will be the tie breaker for a one day event. Every effort must be made to keep trout alive. A 0.5 (1/2) pound penalty will be deducted from the total weight for each dead trout presented for weigh-in.
11. Insurance & Liability – All contestants must have sufficient health, accident and liability insurance to cover any bodily or property injury claim arising from their participation in any LA Saltwater Series event.  By participating in the LA Saltwater Series tournament each contestant agrees to be bound by the rules stated herein. Contestants also waive and release the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and all other participants, tournament officials and sponsors from all claims and/or damages incurred in connection with participation in the LA Saltwater Series. Contestants acknowledge that personal safety and the safety of personal property are the sole responsibility of the participants. The LA Saltwater Series reserves the right to refund fees for any reason. The LA Saltwater Series reserves the right to not allow continued participation in the LA Saltwater Series by any contestant for any reason. By participating in the LA Saltwater Series tournament each contestant agrees and consents to undergo a polygraph test, if requested. If there is a problem passing the test, the contestant will forfeit all fees and awards from the event entered and will be precluded from participation in any future LA Saltwater Series events. Contestants agree, by virtue of participation, to sign whatever forms are required by the polygraph examiner and to release and hold him harmless from liability associated with the polygraph test. Refusal to submit to the polygraph test will result in an automatic disqualification. In consideration of participation in the LA Saltwater Series, contestants waive all claims for damages or loss to their person or property which may be caused by any act or failure to act of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, the LA Saltwater Series, its officials, officers, agents, sponsors, or members. By registering and competing in the LA Saltwater Series tournament, contestants certify that they are aware of the risk of all dangerous conditions associated with boating and participation in fishing tournaments and waive any and all specific notice of the existence of such conditions.
12. Youth Division (<16) – Youths will be allowed to weigh in one (1) fish per event, and must follow all previously stated rules. The Youth Division fish may not be used as one of the two weighed for the team total. The highest finishing youth in each tournament will receive a prize and all youths that compete will be recognized at each event.