Feb 18

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Kayak Rules

by The Crew

February 18, 2023

Kayak Open Tournament Rules and Procedures (2024)

Section 1 Overview of Tour

  1. Elite ownership and officials reserve the right to determine field, open or deny entry and/or remove any participant(s) for any reason at any time deemed necessary by Elite ownership and tour officials.  Elite ownership and tour officials exclusively interpret all rules, formats, procedures and directives listed or delivered in person or by any electronic means. Participant(s) who for any reason refuse the taking of a polygraph or other truth detection test will not be eligible for any awards received or expected. Participant(s) that have previously refused to take or have failed a polygraph test with any organization will not be eligible to compete and will be removed immediately at the time of discovery by Elite ownership and its official(s).

  2. The following is the rules, procedures, formats and notes for the 2024 Elite Fishing Series tournament competitions and productions but specific to the Brecknell Elite Kayak Tour for the remainder of this document referred to as  BEKT. Additional event location, information, rules and procedures may be added or modified due to geographic, environmental, sponsor and or other tour considerations and delivered by updating to this page, email, verbally and or text message to the field of competitors.

  3. Headturners3, LLC. and the Elite Fishing Series ownership and BEKT officials reserve the right to deny entry to and or remove from any BEKT event or the entire series of events any participant(s) for any reason tour officials deem necessary in order to produce a safe, honest, fair and professional event with a focus on creating a level playing field for all.

  4. Headturners3, LLC ownership and BEKT officials have the exclusive right to interpret the following rules, procedures and directives as well as execute penalties as BEKT tour officials see fit based solely on their determination of the seriousness of the violation and/or rule infraction in question. Any breach of the letter and or spirit of the rules and procedures designed by BEKT officials and delivered to the field of participants will be grounds for penalty and could result in removal from an event and possible expulsion from the tour. Any participant(s) being removed from any BEKT competition will not be refunded any fees previously paid and will forfeit their right to winnings, awards or prizes previously won or anticipated. Participant(s) in a BEKT who for any reason cannot take and pass a polygraph test or have previously refused or failed a polygraph test with any other organization will not be eligible to compete and will be removed immediately at the time of discovery by tour and its official(s).

  5. A participant(s) in the BEKT tour and any BEKTevent must be in good physical health and can not have been prescribed or recommended by a physician to take any medication related to blackouts, seizures, fainting or other serious medical conditions that could place themselves or their fellow competitors as well as the tour in danger. A participant(s) having previously suffered from fainting, seizures or other serious medical conditions must be free from symptoms of same for a period of 365 days prior to signing up for a BEKT event in order to be considered for approval to compete.

  6. All participants must follow applicable federal, state and local regulations, laws and all tournament rules. Any violation of such regulations and laws and or other tournament rules may result in a penalty including but not limited to and any combination of the following. Dead fish(s) penalty, fishing time penalty, weight penalty against daily limit, disqualification from a tournament day, disqualification from the entire tournament, points deductions, disqualification from all future BEKT events, or any combination thereof as decided by BEKT officials.

  7. All federal, state and local required vessel insurance, titling, registration as well as a current fishing license must be enforce and current prior to participating in a BEKT event. 

  8. Participant(s) cannot consume or possess alcohol or drugs, other than their own current prescriptions (with exception of any medication for conditions listed in point 4 above which disqualifies the participant from participation) on a BEKT tournament day(s). Participant(s) cannot consume alcoholic beverages prior to a tournament day’s conclusion and prior to taking a requested polygraph or other truth verification test. Participant(s) being polygraphed will be notified immediately following the weigh in and should be close to the stage as conclusion of weigh in approaches. The BEKT tour officials will decide which participant(s) will be polygraphed without regard participant’s input or request as to who will be tested.

  9. The use of mobile communication devices such as cellular telephones, marine radios, walkie-talkies, CBs, pagers or any electronic device able to and for the purpose of disseminating and or receiving information pertaining to fishing or navigation with anyone other than the team mate paid and competing in the same BEKT event is prohibited. 

Section 2  Motors  - Waters - Weather

  1. All participant(s) in a BEKT event must paddle, peddle or use an electric motor (no gas motors permitted) similar in appearance to standard trolling motors, stock without modifications and a maximum factory rating of 3 HP – 70 lb max electric power or less. If an electric motor is used the participant(s) is responsible to ensure they comply with all state laws in regards to registration, titling, etc. prior to taking part in an BEKT event. Discovery of failure to properly register the kayak and motor in accordance with state law will result in disqualification of weight and forfeiture of winnings and awards from the event it was used.

  2. No ferrying from a motorized watercraft. 3HP – 70lb max electric power allowed.

  3. All kayaks must have a 360 degree navigational light in order to launch prior to official daylight time.

  4. Self inflatable life vest must be within reach of the participant(s) at all times while they are on the kayak. .

  5. All angling must be conducted from inside the kayak. No wading. 

  6. Participant(s) cannot leave their kayak to cast to, catch or land a fish. Participant(s) may and should leave their kayak and seek safe shelter in bad weather where danger may be imminent but must continue to follow all tournament rules and procedures during this period in regards to information sharing with non participants in the same event. Participant(s) may leave their kayak to pull it out of an area where tide has gone out but cannot pull or push their kayak into an area where the water has not come up enough to float the kayak.

  7. Participant(s) may not use any navigational or fish finder device that is not their own. 

  8. Participants must fish only waters open to public boating and fishing and must launch from public ramps and roadsides within the state where the event’s weigh in is taking place. No trespassing on any private property to launch and/or fish not open to the general public. 

  9. Should a scheduled day of competition be cancelled due to extreme weather or the eminent threat of same may cause officials to postpone, reschedule at their discretion a day or entire event. Notification to the field will go out as soon as the decision is made. 

  10. If no days of a scheduled event can take place, the event will be rescheduled.

Section 3 Tournaments - Fish

  1. BEKT events are open to the first 20 two angler teams paying their entry fee for the event(s). 

  2. Submitting your registration does not secure/guarantee your spot in an event, payment of a $200.00 entry fee does. An optional $100.00 Brecknell Big Red Bounty side entry will be offered at each event and will pay 100% of the total collected to the heaviest qualifying redfish of the tournament.  
  3. Anglers must stay within 200 yards of each other with the exception of a case where one team mate will launch on one side of a pond and the other on the opposite side so once they are finished fishing the can load both kayaks on one of the team mate’s vehicle and drive to the other team mate’s vehicle. However, in this case they must immediately make their way to one another after launch once conditions are safe and navigable light is present and prior to fishing.

  4. Participant(s) in a event can only use 1 rod with 1 line in the water at a time and must cast, flip or pitch their lure to the fish they catch. Only artificial lures and artificial scents like Gulp, Stank-Stik and others may be used. 

  5. All fish must be caught in a sporting manner. No snagging of fish, netting of fish or scooping of distressed surface fish is allowed. Multi lure rigs, like the Alabama rig are prohibited. Trolling as a method of fishing is prohibited. 

  6. No attempt can be made to alter the length or weight of any fish.  CLICK PIC OF FISH TAIL TO SEE MORE.

  7. A .50 pound penalty will be assessed for each dead fish. No culling of dead fish permitted. Icing fish even dead fish is prohibited. It is the participant(s) responsibility to keep control of their fish until it reaches the stage for weighing, any loss of control or intermixing of any fish with other participant(s) fish at tour staging tanks, etc. may result in all fish affected without control of the angler being deemed un-weighable.

  8. Failure to notify official and having a fish weighed with a hook, lure, jig or other object in its mouth, gullet or belly during the weighing process may incur dead fish penalty. 

Section 5 Sportsmanship - Penalties

 

  1. It is prohibited and against the law to enter any fish in a saltwater fishing tournament that have had the length or weight intentionally altered, that were taken unlawfully and or are fraudulently represented. Participant(s) doing such will be disqualified and face prosecution.

  2. Participant(s) are required to display the highest level of sportsmanship to each other, recreational or commercial anglers, crabbers, etc. sharing the waters. 

  3. Participant(s) must at all times exhibit courtesy and professionalism to their fellow competitors, tour officials and staff.

  4. Participant(s) in any BEKT event displaying poor sportsmanship or violating fishing, game or other norms in regards to inshore sport fishing will be subject to penalty and or expulsion from the tour.

  5. Failing to disclose receiving a citation received for a BEKT participant(s) actions to tour officials may result in immediate disqualification from the event and may include expulsion from the tour.

  6. Participant(s) may not use their kayak to limit passage or access to waters that are beyond their immediate position.

  7. Participant(s) knowingly attempting to circumvent state, federal or local law enforcement or similar in an attempt to avoid capture or issuance of a ticket either on land or water will be disqualified from future Elite Kayak Tour events.

Section 6 Participant Code of Conduct

  1. Participants in a BEKT event are frequently in the public eye and are considered role models by young people; therefore, it is imperative that tournament competitors demonstrate good sportsmanship in fishing. Sportsmanship is defined as fair play, respect for opponents and polite behavior while competing in the event and sport. Below are examples of unacceptable behavior by participant(s) and their families or affiliates in any BEKT event will be cause for immediate removal from event and possible expulsion from the tour without refund of entry fees or delivery of expected winnings, prizes and awards.

  2. Participant(s) in a BEKT event shall, at all times, conduct themselves in a professional manner that demonstrates integrity, honor and respect toward fellow competitors, tournament staff, ownership and the general public and does not reflect unfavorably on BEKT ownership, officials or sponsors. 

  3. Heated and loud public disagreements with BEKT officials, staff, other competitors, fans or volunteers is unsportsmanlike and unprofessional conduct.

  4. Public attacks against BEKT tour officials, staff, sponsors or staff through media outlets including social media forums like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc. on the integrity of BEKT decisions, calls, rules, penalties, etc. will be penalized.

  5. Any disqualification, suspension or other disciplinary action imposed by any tournament and/or fishing organization may result in rejection of a BEKT registration for participation.

  6. Participant(s) agree by their participation to be filmed, photographed, quoted and share their likeness with all Elite Fishing Series websites, social pages and television production for any purpose(s) the tour deems necessary.

  7. Any Participant(s) in a BEKT event violating any of the provisions of the Sportsmanship Rules or the Angler Code of Conduct may be subject to fines, forfeiture of tournament winnings, suspension from competition and possibly a permanent ban from all BEKT events and social website pages.

Section 7 Polygraph - Truth Detection

  1. Participant(s) in a event that feel they cannot take or pass a truth detection test, for any reason can not fish a BEKT event. Any participant(s) that have failed or refused to take a polygraph test on any tour or in any tournament will not be eligible to compete in a BEKT event. Participant(s) being prosecuted and pleading no contest thus refusing to defend in a court of law any charge associated with fishing violations not be eligible to compete in any BEKT event.

  2. A written protest must be submitted in writing with 15 minutes of the scales closing the day in which the possible violation took place. Should a polygraph or other truth detection test be needed to settle a protest, the angler protesting and the angler being protested may both be required to render to the tour the fee for the polygraph test. The winning angler will be reimbursed the test fee.

  3. Should no polygraph test be available the day of the protest, the event will continue as normal, under protest with the results, tournament placement, prizes, points and awards being retained by the tour until a test can be administered to settle dispute.

  4. Headturners3, LLC. and the BEKT act as brokers when hiring the truth detection administrator and has no influence on procedures, type of test, the amount of time or the results of the testing. As such all participant(s) in a BEKT event agree without contestation that all determinations by the licensed polygraph testing agent are just and final. 

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