2025/26 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. In the event of an emergency,
Please call 911 first and then notify the tournament director.
All qualifying events for the 2025/26 season will be trailering events. FAN
will be using GroupMe for morning check in on the water and any additional communications.
Afternoon Check IN is MANDATORY IN PERSON AT THE FAN TRAILER.
Failure to check in will result in disqualification.
1. INTERPRETATION & ENFORCEMENT •Interpretation and enforcement of these
rules will be left exclusively to the tournament director. Decision of the
tournament director is final in all matters and is not subject to appeal. Each
contestant and coach agree to report any rule violation to the tournament
director immediately upon discovery of the violation. Failure to report violations
may be cause for disqualification. The violation of a tournament rule may result
in weight loss (late penalty, dead-fish penalty, and short-fish penalty), the loss of
weight up to a particular time in the tournament day, the loss of weight for the
entire day, disqualification from the entire tournament or, in an extreme
circumstance, ineligibility to take part in future FAN tournaments. Protests are
to be made in writing within 15 minutes of the check-in time of the final flight of
each tournament day.
- PARTICIPATION AND ELIGIBILITY • Must be a FAN member in good standing.
Participation in the series is open to 6th ,7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th grade
Students. All students must be academically eligible as defined by their school
district. Contestants must also have the signature of a parent or legal guardian in
the provided space on the liability form. Contestants must have a current student
identification card from their school (or proof of grade level for those home-schooled)
and a valid fishing license for the waters they fish (for students aged
17 or older). Contestants must follow all applicable federal, state, and
local regulations and laws. Any violation of such regulations and laws may result
in disqualification from the tournament. Each team will consist of two eligible
contestants and one Adult Boat Captain. No student boat captains. No boats with less
than two student anglers will be allowed. If a situation arises where a student
does not show up to complete a two-student team, the tournament director may
choose to pair two individual students from two separate teams into a single
boat to compete together as a team to satisfy the goal of all students being able
to fish. The Tournament Director may also request you to provide an observer in
a boat for hardship cases. There is no limit to the number of teams accepted
from each school or club for the qualifying tournaments. Points will be awarded
to each individual team based on tournament placing, and those points will be
recorded for each individual student, so clubs may vary team partner pairings for
each of the qualifying tournaments. Tournament officials reserve the right to
reject any application to fish for any reason whatsoever. To receive points for the
tournament, anglers must fish the event until 10:30am. IT IS YOUR
RESPONSIBILITY TO FULL UNDERSTAND MORNING AND AFTERNOON CHECK IN PROTOCOL.
- MORNING CHECK WILL BE VIA GROUP ME APP FOR TRAILERING EVENTS.
- AFTER NOON CHECK-IN IS IN PERSON AT THE FAN TRAILER AND DUE BEFORE TEAM’S ALLOTED WEIGH IN TIME REGARDLESS IF YOU ARE WEIGHING IN FISH OR NOT.
FAN will use GroupMe here as the primary communication method during each
tournament, unless otherwise stated.
- REGISTRATION AND CHECK-IN • Registration and payment deadline will be the
Wednesday, three days prior to the tournament. IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO
CHECK IN BEFORE WEIGH IN TIME, EVEN IF YOU ARE NOT WEIGHING IN.
Failure to check in will result in disqualification.
- CHAMPIONSHIP QUALIFICATIONS •
To be eligible for the Championship, the angler must have fished at least 3 of the
4 qualifying tournaments.
There will be 2 methods of qualifying for the Championship.
- Top 10% of Qualifying Events.
- Top 50% of qualifying anglers based on their total points of qualifying tournaments.
5. Wild Card
The Wild Card will be a NO POINTS event and will not have baring on the AOY
points standing. FAN will award the top 10 teams that meet the 3-tournament
minimum that has not otherwise qualified for the Championship.
The Wild Card will serve as an additional qualifying tournament for those that may
need one more event to meet the 3 minimum tournaments for the season.
- PURCHASING OF INFORMATION The purchasing of, or bartering for,
information about locating or catching fish on tournament waters, including but
not limited to GPS waypoints (other than through commercially available
sources), fishing with or the use of fishing guide services or a coach is not
permitted by contestants or coaches within 30 days of any tournament. Violation
of this rule may result in disqualification.
- OFF-LIMITS, PRACTICE AND COMPETITION The lake will be off limits for
student anglers and boat captains from Sunday evening at sunset prior to tournament
until the stated launch time tournament day. Contestants and coaches may not enter.
tournament waters to identify bass or potential fishing waters or sightseeing during off
limits period. Testing equipment on tournament waters after the start of the pre-
tournament meeting is allowed only with prior approval from the tournament
director. Once competition is under way, contestants and coaches may not
solicit and/or receive information about locating or catching fish on tournament
waters from anyone. On competition day, teams may not follow a non-
contestant’s boat or participate in the placing of markers by non-contestants or
the practice of “hole sitting” by anyone. Violation of this rule may result in
disqualification. The use of cell phones or other communication devices are only
to be used for safety purposes and as directed by the tournament director for
tournament event. No parents or additional guest are allowed on boats during
tournament hours.
8.TOURNAMENT AWARDS • FAN will recognize and award trophies for
the first, second and third place teams, and prizes for each place per 10 teams.
FAN will award a Big Bass award at each of the qualifying tournaments. FAN will
recognize and award scholarships, trophies, and prize products for the top placing
teams of the Championship Tournament.
Anglers of the Year will be determined based on the individuals with the highest
collective points at the conclusion of the final qualifying tournaments for each division.
Scholarships may be used for any higher-level education including trade schools or colleges.
Additional prizes may be awarded based on the number of participants and sponsor contributions.
9. SAFETY • Safe boating must be observed at all times. Each contestant and
coach is required to wear a fastened U.S. Coast Guard-approved and state
approved personal flotation device anytime the combustion engine is in
operation from boat check until weigh-in each day of the tournaments. All boats
must be equipped with an emergency ignition-shutoff device that must be
securely attached to the driver’s body whenever the combustion engine is in
operation. All persons in a tournament boat shall remain seated in a
manufacturer-recommended on-plane seating location when the combustion
engine is in operation. Sitting on pedestal seats while the combustion engine is
in operation is not permitted. Contestants are not permitted to drive the boat
when the combustion engine is in operation. Safe boat conduct must be
always observed by contestants and coaches. At the discretion of the
tournament director, tournament days may be shortened, postponed, or canceled
due to unsafe weather or water conditions. Violation of any of these safety rules
may result in disqualification.
10.SPORTSMANSHIP • All contestants and coaches are required to follow high
standards of sportsmanship, courtesy, and conservation and to conduct
themselves in a manner that will be a credit to themselves, to FAN, our
sponsors, the school or club the team is representing, the sport of fishing and
FAN’s effort to promote the sport. Conduct not complying with these standards
includes, but is not limited to, the following:
- Violation of, or failure to comply with, any of the rules for the 2025/26 High
School Fishing season.
- Consumption and/or possession of alcoholic beverages or any kind of mind-
altering substance during registration, the pre-tournament meeting or during
tournament hours extending through the weigh-in procedure.
- Abuse of, or addiction to, mind-altering substances. Suspension/disqualification, probation or ban from any tournament or fishing organization.
- Any other words, conduct or actions reflecting unfavorably upon efforts to
promote safety, sportsmanship, fair competition, and compliance with
tournament rules, or which fail to comply with the standards set forth in the first
sentence of section 8.
In case of any conduct not complying with the standards outlined above,
tournament officials have the right to refuse an application to compete, to deny a
confirmed application to compete or to disqualify a contestant.
11. BOAT OPERATION & CAPTAIN RULE • To qualify as a boat captain you must be
at least 19 years old and comply with the Safe Sport Authorization Act of 2017.
Coaches must supply and drive boats for their teams. Contestants may operate
the trolling motor. Coaches may aid, including information about
locating and catching fish; netting is permitted. Captains may fish, but all fish
caught must be released and will in no way contribute to the team’s total weight.
The coach or captain may not fish for the student competitor. The student
competitor must actively perform the entire fishing process including the casting,
operating the lure and reeling of the fish. The captain/coach may not hand the
student a rod and reel that has a bait in the water. The captain cannot hand a
student angler a rod if the student has a rod in the water (tangled or stuck). The
use of mobile communication devices may only be used by the boat captains for
safety purposes only. Not for the purposes of sharing fishing information during
the tournament. Guides are eligible as a boat captain as long as they have not
guided on the scheduled body of water within 30 days of the tournament.
Boat captains, coaches, parents, and/or participating student anglers are
prohibited from fishing with guides within 30 days on the scheduled body of
water. This includes getting fishing locations or GPS data. Violations will be
immediate disqualification. Tournament day is consider day one of the 30 days
12. BOAT AND HORSEPOWER REGULATION All boats must be a minimum of
16 feet in length and must be equipped with a console steering wheel for steering,
inboard or outboard. Boats between 15 and 16 feet in length must be submitted to
FAN for review and approval, and may only be permitted if they meet all other
requirements. Final approval is at the sole discretion of FAN for the safety of the
anglers and captain. Each boat must have all required U.S. Coast Guard safety
equipment. Working Fire Extinguisher, Throw Cushion, Life Vest to cover all
occupants, current registration, current insurance reflecting $300,000 liability,
working navigational lights, working kill switch, and working live well. Boats must
contain a properly aerated live well space to maintain alive a limit catch of bass.
Maximum horsepower for all outboards is not to exceed the horsepower capacity
set forth on the “Maximum Capacities”. Boats must display a capacity plate
(Federal law requires single-hull boats less than 20 feet in length to have a
capacity plate) The horsepower of the outboard engine must not exceed the
maximum horsepower capacity specified on this placard. By signing the entry
form, contestants and coaches agree to submit their boat and/or motor to an
inspection by tournament officials. 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 High School Fishing tournaments. Fishing platforms must be factory-
installed equipment. No portable platforms may be used in tournament
competition. Fuel may be carried only in factory-installed (built-in) fuel tanks or
auxiliary fuel tanks that are securely strapped or otherwise fastened to the boat.
Any additional fuel used during the tournament day must be purchased from a
retail facility open to the public and pumped through a hose with a nozzle.
13. PERMITTED FISHING METHODS • Fishing is defined as having a lure attached to
a line and a rod and reel with the lure in the water. All bass must be caught alive
in a conventional sporting manner by the student angler. Only artificial lures may
be used, with the exception of pork trailers and biodegradable soft baits. Only
ONE fishing rod per contestant may be used at a time. The captain cannot hand
a student angler a rod if the student has a rod in the water (tangled or stuck)
Trolling (defined as operating the combustion engine to extend a cast or
lengthen a retrieve) as a method of fishing is strictly prohibited. All bass caught
while sight-fishing must be hooked inside the mouth and immediately shown to
your coach for verification.
14. PERMITTED FISHING LOCATIONS AND BOUNDARIES • Teams may fish
anywhere on tournament waters that is available to the public and accessible by
boat, except areas designated as “off-limits,” “no boats,” “keep out,” “restricted,”
“no trespassing” or “no fishing” (or similar language or markings intended to
restrict public access) by tournament officials, local, state or federal officials, or
within 50 yards of a contestant’s boat that was first anchored. An anchored boat
is a boat held in a stable position by a line attached to a weight or by a Power-Pole
or similar shallow water anchor with the trolling motor in the up position. All
fishing 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 waters. The
use of cables, ropes, chains or any type of block and tackle system to maneuver
a boat into fishing waters is strictly prohibited and will result in disqualification
from the tournament. Teams must leave and return to the check-in by boat. The
boat must remain in the tournament waters during the tournament day. No
tournament boat may be loaded on a trailer before their check-in except with the
permission of the tournament director. In the event of equipment failure or
emergency, there are three permitted methods of returning to the check-in: (1) by
both contestants remaining in their boat and being towed by water, (2) by one
contestant entering the boat of another team or (3) both contestants entering a
rescue boat so designated by the tournament director. Under these three
conditions the team’s catch may be counted without a penalty (except for late
penalties or other penalties pertaining to other tournament rules). Teams that
elect to return to the 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 his designated tournament official. It is
the sole responsibility of teams to locate the tournament director to request a
restart. Teams must remain together at all times and within sight of their coach
until check-in. The momentary condition of being out of sight of each other for
restroom breaks is permitted. Violation of this rule may result in disqualification.
15.CHECKPOINTS • All qualifying events for the 2025/26 season will be trailering
events. It is your responsibility to understand and use the tools implemented by
FAN for the check in process. There will be only one checkpoint for boat check in
the morning and one check-in point in the afternoon. Failure to go through boat
check and checkout in the morning or failure to check in at the check-in point
may result in disqualification. All fishing must cease upon check-in. IT IS YOUR
RESPONSIBILITY TO CHECK IN BEFORE WEIGH IN TIME IF YOU ARE NOT
WEIGHING IN.
16.LATE PENALTY • Teams that are not at the designated afternoon checkpoint at
the appointed time will be penalized 1 pound per minute, deducted from the total
weight. Teams more than 15 minutes late will lose credit for that day’s weight.
There are no exceptions.
17.LIVE FISH • Every effort must be made to keep bass alive through the use of a
properly aerated live well. Eight ounces will be deducted from the total weight for
each dead bass presented for weigh-in. WEIGHING IN BIG FISH EARLY – If a fish
is believed to be ShareLunker status (8lbs. or larger), the team may weigh the
fish early, FAN will take possession of the fish, and the anglers can return to fish
to complete their limit.
18.SCORING • Scoring is determined by the final weight of each team’s catch during
each tournament. Only Largemouth, Spotted, Guadalupe, or Smallmouth bass are
accepted species. The tournament limit is five bass per team. The minimum
length limit for all bass is 14 inches. Bass presented for weigh-in that fail to
measure the prescribed length limit will be penalized at the rate of 1 pound for
each short bass presented. Each team’s catch must be presented in an official
weigh-in bag. The winning team is determined by the day’s heaviest catch. For
each qualifying tournament in the series, prizes will be awarded at 1place per 10 teams
participating and one big bass, plus points will be recorded as follows to each individual
angler of each team:
Place 1 = 1000
Place 2 = 999
Place 3 = 998
Place 4 = 997
(Points continue decrementing by 1 for each placing for teams that weighed in
fish.) For teams with no fish weighed in they will be awarded 600 points less than
the last team weighing fish for participation. Points from each of the 4 qualifying
tournaments will be totaled and used for determining the individual
Championship qualifiers. Championship results will be based on each team’s
total weight for the championship tournament day.
Teams must be on water until 10:30am and check in before leaving to be
eligible for tournament points.
AOY will be determined by way of points from the 4 qualifying tournaments.
19. TIES • Ties for each tournament, championship, or angler of the year will be
broken by biggest bass. If a tie remains, the total number of fish for all
tournaments will break the tie. If a tie remains, it will be broken by a casting
competition set up by the FAN staff.
20. LOGO DISPLAY AND TELEVISION COVERAGE • Contestants and coaches are
encouraged to wear their own team shirts or jerseys during all FAN High School
Fishing Series events. Tournament officials reserve the right, in their sole
discretion, to prohibit any contestant or coach’s shirt or jersey found to be
offensive. All decisions are in FAN’s sole discretion.
21. ALCOHOL AND TOBACCO • During all days of competition all alcohol
and tobacco logos are prohibited and may not be worn or displayed. Contestants
may not smoke or use tobacco products during tournament hours, including
weigh-in, at any event.
22. TRUTH VERIFICATION TEST • Each contestant and coach agree to submit, by
signature on the tournament entry form, to a polygraph or voice stress analysis
examination and to abide by its conclusion. Failure to pass an examination will
result in disqualification from the tournament. Truth verification tests will be
used at the sole discretion of tournament officials, and the determination of the
meaning of the results will be made solely by tournament officials.
23. INSURANCE • Liability insurance with minimum $300,000 liability coverage is
required on all boats used in High School Fishing tournaments. Proof of
insurance must be with the boat being used.
FAITH ANGLER NETWORK CONDUCT AGREEMENT AND RELEASE
Thank you for participating in the activities of Faith Angler Network (“FAN”). We want to
make sure that every participant in FAN’s activities has a safe and enjoyable time. To
achieve such an environment requires participation and care from everyone. Each
person needs to understand and recognize that their participation in FAN, and
enjoyment of the activities associated with FAN, are at their sole risk, are not the
responsibility of FAN, and require that each person assume responsibility for their
safety as well as the safety of others. We don’t like to make this sound so “legal,” but it
is the only way we can make sure that everyone understands what is expected of them.
Therefore, please read the following statements carefully and indicate your
understanding, agreement, and assent by signature on membership/tournament entry
form.
- I understand that FAN’s activities may involve activities that include rigorous
physical exertion, skill, training, and due care. Such activities may include
boating, fishing, camping and other outdoor activities as well as transportation to
and from such activities. Many activities I and my family engage in with FAN may
involve risk of personal injury or death to any individual involved in such
2. 3. 4. 5. activities, and damages to or loss of property. I knowingly and willingly accept
those risks for myself and my family.
I agree to use due restraint, caution, and supervision in connection with my and
my family’s activities with FAN.
As to me and my family’s participation in any activity requiring physical fitness
and mental alertness, I certify that, as of the time of participation, any
participating family members will be in good health, free from injury, illness, or
other defect, physically fit, mentally alert, and free from the influence of alcohol,
medication or any other substance which might impair their ability to engage in
such activities.
I understand that, notwithstanding the direction or encouragement of any other
persons, I must utilize my own judgment in choosing whether to engage in, or
comply with, or allow my other family members to do so with respect to, any
suggested act or activity in any manner connected FAN.
I fully forever release, discharge, and hold harmless FAN and its agents and
other representatives (collectively the “representatives”) from any and all claims
and damages which I, or my family, heirs and assigns, may assert as a result of
injury or death to me and my family or others, or loss or damage to property,
incurred in connection with my and my family’s presence at, and activities
associated with, FAN, even if such claims or damages arise out of, or are
attributable directly or indirectly to, any act or omission of FAN and its agents
and other representatives. I further agree, for myself and my family, heirs and
assigns, to indemnify, hold harmless and defend FAN and its agents and
representatives against and from any and all claims and damages of every kind
for injury or death of any person or persons, including but not limited to myself
and my family, guests and invitees, and for damages to or loss of any property,
and all costs and expenses associated therewith, arising out of, or attributable
directly or indirectly to, any act or omission of me, or any of my family, guests or
invitees, in connection with my and my family’s presence at, and activities
associated with, any FAN events.
My signature on the membership/tournament entry form constitutes my knowledge
and agreement with all the foregoing and gives FAN and its agents and
representatives my and my family’s total and unconditional release from any and
all claims of liability or damage. This document shall continue to be valid and binding
upon me on an ongoing basis unless and until revoked in writing and delivered to
FAN and any such revocation shall not be effective for any time periods or events
prior to FAN’s receipt of written notice of revocation.
.