FAN RULES PDF

   

2026/27 FAN High School Fishing Series

Rules and Regulations

The FAN (Faith Angler Network) High School Fishing Series and committee expect strict adherence to the following rules by all contestants.

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1. Interpretation & Enforcement

Interpretation and enforcement of these rules will be left exclusively to the Tournament Director. The decision of the Tournament Director is final in all matters and is not subject to appeal.

• Each contestant and coach agrees to report any rule violation to the Tournament Director immediately upon discovery.
• Failure to report violations may be cause for disqualification.
• Violations may result in weight loss, including late, dead-fish, or short-fish penalties; loss of weight up to a particular time in the tournament day; loss of weight for the entire day; disqualification from the tournament; or, in extreme circumstances, ineligibility for future FAN tournaments.
• Protests must be made in writing within 15 minutes of the final flight’s check-in time for each tournament day.

2. Participation and Eligibility

• Contestants must be FAN members in good standing.
• Participation is open to students in grades 6 through 12.
• All students must be academically eligible as defined by their school district.
• A parent or legal guardian must sign the liability form.
• Contestants must have a current student identification card or proof of grade level for home-schooled students.
• Contestants age 17 or older must have a valid fishing license for the waters they fish.
• Contestants must follow all applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations. Violations may result in disqualification.
• Each team consists of two eligible student contestants and one adult Boat Captain.
• Student Boat Captains are not permitted, and boats with fewer than two student anglers will not be allowed.
• If a student does not appear, the Tournament Director may pair individual students from separate teams so all students have an opportunity to fish.
• The Tournament Director may request an observer in a boat for hardship cases.
• There is no limit to the number of teams accepted from each school or club for qualifying tournaments.
• Points are awarded to each team based on tournament placing and recorded for each individual student. Clubs may vary partner pairings between qualifying tournaments.
• Tournament officials reserve the right to reject any application for any reason.
• To receive tournament points, anglers must remain in the event until 10:30 a.m.

3. Registration and Check-In

Registration and payment are due on Wednesday, three days before the tournament.

You must check in before your weigh-in time, even if you are not weighing fish. Failure to check in will result in disqualification.

4. Championship Qualifications

To be eligible for the Championship, an angler must fish at least four of the five qualifying tournaments.

There are two methods of qualifying:

1. Top 10% of qualifying events.
2. Top 50% of qualifying anglers based on total points from qualifying tournaments.

5. Purchasing of Information

Contestants and coaches may not purchase or barter for information about locating or catching fish on tournament waters within 30 days of any tournament. This includes, but is not limited to:

• GPS waypoints, except through commercially available sources.
• Fishing with or using fishing guide services.
• Using a coach to obtain fishing information.

Violation of this rule may result in disqualification.

6. Off-Limits, Practice and Competition

• The lake is off-limits to student anglers and Boat Captains from sunset on the Sunday before the tournament until the stated launch time on tournament day.
• Contestants and coaches may not enter tournament waters during the off-limits period to identify bass, locate potential fishing areas, or sightsee.
• Testing equipment after the pre-tournament meeting begins is allowed only with prior approval from the Tournament Director.
• Once competition begins, contestants and coaches may not solicit or receive information about locating or catching fish on tournament waters.
• Teams may not follow a non-contestant’s boat, participate in marker placement by non-contestants, or engage in “hole sitting.”
• Cell phones and other communication devices may be used only for safety purposes and as directed by the Tournament Director.
• No parents or additional guests are allowed on boats during tournament hours.

Violation of this rule may result in disqualification.

7. Tournament Awards

• FAN will recognize first-, second-, and third-place teams with trophies.
• Prizes will be awarded at a rate of one place per 10 teams.
• A Big Bass award will be presented at each qualifying tournament.
• FAN will recognize top Championship teams with scholarships, trophies, and prize products.
• Anglers of the Year will be determined by the highest collective point totals at the conclusion of the final qualifying tournaments for each division.
• Scholarships may be used for higher education, including colleges and trade schools.
• Additional prizes may be awarded based on participation and sponsor contributions.

8. Safety

• Safe boating must be observed at all times.
• Each contestant and coach must wear a fastened U.S. Coast Guard-approved and state-approved personal flotation device whenever the combustion engine is operating, from boat check through weigh-in.
• Every boat must have an emergency ignition-shutoff device securely attached to the driver’s body whenever the combustion engine is operating.
• All persons must remain seated in a manufacturer-recommended on-plane seating location while the combustion engine is operating.
• Sitting on pedestal seats while the combustion engine is operating is prohibited.
• Contestants may not drive the boat while the combustion engine is operating.
• The Tournament Director may shorten, postpone, or cancel tournament days because of unsafe weather or water conditions.

Violation of any safety rule may result in disqualification.

9. Sportsmanship

All contestants and coaches must follow high standards of sportsmanship, courtesy, and conservation. They must conduct themselves in a manner that reflects positively on themselves, FAN, FAN sponsors, their school or club, and the sport of fishing.

Prohibited conduct includes, but is not limited to:

• Violating or failing to comply with any rule for the 2026/27 High School Fishing season.
• Possessing or consuming alcoholic beverages or mind-altering substances during registration, the pre-tournament meeting, tournament hours, or weigh-in.
• Abuse of or addiction to mind-altering substances.
• Suspension, disqualification, probation, or a ban from another tournament or fishing organization.
• Words, conduct, or actions that reflect unfavorably on safety, sportsmanship, fair competition, or compliance with tournament rules.

Tournament officials may refuse or deny an application or disqualify a contestant for conduct that does not meet these standards.

10. Boat Operation & Captain Rule

• Boat Captains must be at least 19 years old and comply with the Safe Sport Authorization Act of 2017.
• Coaches must provide and drive boats for their teams.
• Contestants may operate the trolling motor.
• Coaches may assist with locating and catching fish, and netting is permitted.
• Captains may fish, but all fish they catch must be released and may not count toward the team’s total weight.
• The coach or captain may not fish for the student competitor.
• The student must perform the entire fishing process, including casting, working the lure, and reeling in the fish.
• The captain or coach may not hand a student a rod and reel with bait already in the water.
• The captain may not hand a student a rod while the student already has a rod in the water, including when tangled or stuck.
• Boat Captains may use mobile communication devices only for safety, not to share fishing information during the tournament.
• Guides may serve as Boat Captains only if they have not guided on the scheduled body of water within 30 days of the tournament.
• Boat Captains, coaches, parents, and participating student anglers may not fish with guides or obtain fishing locations or GPS data within 30 days of the tournament.
• Tournament day is considered Day 1 of the 30-day period.

Violations will result in immediate disqualification.

11. Boat and Horsepower Regulation

• Boats must be at least 16 feet long and equipped with console steering.
• Boats must carry all required U.S. Coast Guard safety equipment.
• Required equipment includes a working fire extinguisher, throw cushion, life jackets for all occupants, current registration, proof of at least $300,000 in liability insurance, working navigation lights, a working kill switch, and a working livewell.
• The livewell must be properly aerated and large enough to keep a tournament limit of bass alive.
• Outboard horsepower may not exceed the boat’s rated maximum capacity.
• Boats subject to federal capacity-plate requirements must display the required plate.
• Contestants and coaches agree to submit their boat and motor for inspection by tournament officials.
• Falsifying entry-form information or altering horsepower numbers or capacity placards will result in disqualification and may affect future eligibility.
• Fishing platforms must be factory-installed. Portable platforms are prohibited.
• Fuel may be carried only in factory-installed tanks or auxiliary tanks securely fastened to the boat.
• Additional fuel used during tournament hours must be purchased from a public retail facility and pumped through a hose with a nozzle.

12. Permitted Fishing Methods

• Fishing is defined as having a lure attached to a line and rod and reel, with the lure in the water.
• All bass must be caught alive by the student angler in a conventional sporting manner.
• Only artificial lures may be used, except pork trailers and biodegradable soft baits.
• Only one fishing rod per contestant may be used at a time.
• The captain may not hand a student a rod while the student already has a rod in the water, including when tangled or stuck.
• Trolling, defined as operating the combustion engine to extend a cast or lengthen a retrieve, is prohibited.
• Bass caught while sight-fishing must be hooked inside the mouth and immediately shown to the coach for verification.

13. Permitted Fishing Locations and Boundaries

• Teams may fish any area of tournament waters that is open to the public and accessible by boat.
• Teams may not fish areas marked off-limits, no boats, keep out, restricted, no trespassing, no fishing, or similar restrictions.
• Teams may not fish within 50 yards of a contestant’s boat that was first anchored.
• An anchored boat is held in a stable position by a weighted line, Power-Pole, or similar shallow-water anchor, with the trolling motor raised.
• All fishing must be conducted from the boat.
• Contestants may not leave the boat to land a fish or improve access to fishing water.
• Using cables, ropes, chains, or block-and-tackle systems to move a boat into fishing waters is prohibited and will result in disqualification.
• Teams must leave and return to check-in by boat, and the boat must remain on tournament waters during the tournament day.
• A tournament boat may not be loaded onto a trailer before check-in without the Tournament Director’s permission.

In an equipment failure or emergency, teams may return to check-in by one of these methods:

1. Both contestants remain in their boat while it is towed by water.
2. One contestant enters another team’s boat.
3. Both contestants enter a rescue boat designated by the Tournament Director.

Under these conditions, the catch may be counted, subject to applicable late or other penalties. Returning by another method will forfeit the team’s catch up to that time.

Teams may restart under the supervision of the Tournament Director or a designated official. It is the team’s responsibility to locate the Tournament Director and request a restart.

Teams must remain together and within sight of their coach until check-in. Brief separation for restroom breaks is permitted. Violation may result in disqualification.

14. Checkpoints

• All qualifying events for the 2026/27 season are trailering events.
• Teams are responsible for understanding and using FAN’s check-in tools.
• There will be one morning boat-check checkpoint and one afternoon check-in point.
• Failure to complete morning boat check and checkout, or failure to complete afternoon check-in, may result in disqualification.
• All fishing must stop upon check-in.

You must check in before your weigh-in time even if you are not weighing fish.

15. Late Penalty

• Teams not at the designated afternoon checkpoint at the appointed time will be penalized one pound per minute.
• Teams more than 15 minutes late will lose credit for that day’s weight.
• There are no exceptions.

16. Live Fish

• Every effort must be made to keep bass alive using a properly aerated livewell.
• Eight ounces will be deducted for each dead bass presented at weigh-in.
• If a fish is believed to meet ShareLunker status at 8 pounds or more, the team may weigh it early. FAN will take possession of the fish, and the anglers may return to fishing to complete their limit.

17. Scoring

• Scoring is based on the final weight of each team’s catch.
• Accepted species are Largemouth, Spotted, Guadalupe, and Smallmouth bass.
• The tournament limit is five bass per team.
• The minimum length is 14 inches.
• Each short bass presented at weigh-in carries a one-pound penalty.
• Each catch must be presented in an official weigh-in bag.
• The winning team is determined by the heaviest catch.
• Prizes are awarded at a rate of one place per 10 participating teams, plus one Big Bass award.

Points:

• 1st place: 1,000 points
• 2nd place: 999 points
• 3rd place: 998 points
• 4th place: 997 points
• Points continue decreasing by one for each placing among teams that weigh fish.
• Teams that do not weigh fish receive 600 points fewer than the last team that weighed fish.

Points from all four qualifying tournaments are totaled to determine individual Championship qualifiers. Championship results are based on each team’s total weight on Championship day.

Teams must remain on the water until 10:30 a.m. and check in before leaving to qualify for tournament points. Angler of the Year will be determined by points from the four qualifying tournaments.

18. Ties

1. Ties are first broken by biggest bass.
2. If still tied, the total number of fish from all tournaments breaks the tie.
3. If still tied, FAN staff will conduct a casting competition.

19. Logo Display and Television Coverage

Contestants and coaches are encouraged to wear their team shirts or jerseys at FAN High School Fishing Series events. Tournament officials may prohibit any shirt or jersey they consider offensive. All decisions are at FAN’s sole discretion.

20. Alcohol and Tobacco

• Alcohol and tobacco logos may not be worn or displayed during competition days.
• Contestants may not smoke or use tobacco products during tournament hours, including weigh-in.

21. Truth Verification Test

By signing the tournament entry form, each contestant and coach agrees to submit to a polygraph or voice-stress analysis examination and abide by its conclusion. Failure to pass an examination will result in disqualification. Tests and interpretation of results are at the sole discretion of tournament officials.

22. Insurance

All boats used in High School Fishing tournaments must carry liability insurance with at least $300,000 in coverage. Proof of insurance must remain with the boat.