The FAN 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.
1. INTERPRETATION & ENFORCEMENT • Interpretation and enforcement of these
rules will be left exclusively to the tournament director. Decisions of the
tournament director are final in all matters and are 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 participate 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.
2. ARTICIPATION 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 in their
possession 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 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. Each
team will consist of two eligible contestants and one boat captain. No student
boat captains. No boats with less than two student anglers will be allowed. If a
situation arises where a student fails to 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 are required to
fish the event until 10:30am. IT IS YOUR RESONSIBILITY TO CHECK IN BEFORE
WEIGH IN TIME IF YOU ARE NOT WEIGHING IN. METHOD OF COMMUNICATION
WILL BE PROVIDED PRIOR TO EACH TOURNAMENT.
3. 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.
1. Top 10% of Qualifying Events.
2. The top 50% of qualifying anglers based on their total points.
4. 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.
5. OFF-LIMITS, PRACTICE AND COMPETITION • The lake will be off limits for
student anglers and boat captains from the Sunday evening at sunset until am
check in tournament day. Contestants and coaches may not enter tournament
waters to locate bass or potential fishing waters or sightseeing during off limits
period. Testing equipment on tournament waters after the start of the
pretournament meeting is permitted 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 devises 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.
6. REGISTRATION AND CHECK-IN • Registration and payment deadline will be the
Wednesday, three days prior to the tournament. IT IS YOUR RESONSIBILITY TO
CHECK IN BEFORE WEIGH IN TIME IF YOU ARE NOT WEIGHING IN. METHOD OF
COMMUNICATION WILL BE PROVIDED PRIOR TO EACH TOURNAMENT.
7. TOURNAMENT AWARDS • FAN will recognize and award trophies and prizes for
the first, second and third place team, and 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.
8. SAFETY • Safe boating must be observed at all times. Each contestant and coach
are 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 manufacturerrecommended 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 observed at all
times 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.
9. 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 and our
sponsors, the school or club the team is representing, the sport of fishing and
FAN efforts 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 2022/23 High
School Fishing season.
• Consumption and/or possession of alcoholic beverages or any kind of mindaltering substance during registration, the pretournament 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.
10.BOAT OPERATION & CAPTAIN RULE • To qualify as a boat captain you must be
at least 19 years and old 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 provide assistance, 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 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
in the past 30 days on tournament waters. Boat captains, coaches, parents
and/or participating student anglers are prohibited from fishing with guides 30
days prior to ANY event.
11.BOAT AND HORSEPOWER REGULATION • All boats must be a minimum of 16
feet in length and must be equipped with console steering wheel for steering,
inboard or outboard. 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 factoryinstalled 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.
12.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. 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.
13.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 PowerPole 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.
14.CHECKPOINTS • 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
RESONSIBILITY TO CHECK IN BEFORE WEIGH IN TIME IF YOU ARE NOT
WEIGHING IN. METHOD OF COMMUNICATION WILL BE PROVIDED PRIOR TO
EACH TOURNAMENT.
15.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.
16.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 in early, FAN will take possession of the fish, and the anglers can return to
fish to complete their limit.
17.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 to the top 6
places and 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 3 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 as until 10:30am and turn in key tag before leaving to
be eligible for tournament points.
AOY will be determined by way of points from the 3-qualifying tournaments.
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 setup by the FAN staff.
18.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.
19.ALCOHOL AND TOBACCO • During all days of competition any and 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.
20.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.
21.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.
1. 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 activities,
and damages to or loss of property. I knowingly and willingly accept those risks
for myself and my family.
2. I agree to use due restraint, caution, and supervision in connection with my and
my family’s activities with FAN.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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