The TD oversees professional tournaments, ensuring angler safety, proper fish management, and positive community relations. The TD interprets and applies the rules fairly and consistently. All TD decisions (in event) are final.
Competitors grant the BAITFUEL Fishing Tour a perpetual, worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to reproduce, display, publish, and use their name, image, likeness, voice, and statements in promotional materials.
By electronic signature on the entry form, each competitor agrees to submit to truth verification testing if accused of rule violations.
GoPro cameras may be mounted in boats. Competitors assume responsibility for camera safety and operation. Excessive or wanton damage results in the angler being responsible for repair / replacement costs.
All anglers must be at least 16 years old. Anglers under 18 may only participate with someone over 19.
All documentation — including registration forms, waivers, proof of insurance, and boater's safety course — must be submitted prior to the first tournament. Failure results in disqualification without refund.
Registration opens September 2025. The opening window is reserved exclusively for returning 2025 BAITFUEL Fishing Tour teams; from October onward, registration is open to all. Registration is capped at 60 teams. Team numbers are assigned via random draw by BAITFUEL Admin and communicated via email.
Team starting identification numbers are placed exclusively on either side of the cowling. Teams may not compete without cowling markers. Each team receives one set at the first qualifying event; additional markers require one week's notice, and a third set is available if necessary.
Boats are inspected and registered at the designated boat-check area. Shore staff check for operational live wells, a kill switch, and 2 life jackets.
Events commence with a trickle start by "flight." Each flight consists of 13–20 teams depending on registrants. The first flight blasts off at 06:30 and checks in at 15:30; subsequent flights leave at 15-minute intervals. Flight orders change event-to-event for equity, and are communicated 24 hours prior via email or social channels.
At blast off, the TD calls each starting number once. Failure to maintain blast-off order or delaying blast-off results in being sent to the end of the flight's blast-off order at the TD's discretion. No team starts fishing until its starting number is called. Specific instructions modifying starting procedures are communicated at each event by the TD. Violations may be penalized.
The first name on registration is the team captain. In case of a team change before or during the season, the team captain retains registration / starting-position rights; the other member must withdraw.
Failure to comply results in disqualification from the tournament. Competitors challenging pre-fishing code violations may take image / video and / or follow the formal protest procedure; the TD / BAITFUEL Admin must be informed ASAP.
During 16:30–07:30 between championship days or back-to-back qualifier weekends, participants may not fish the tournament body of water. Failure results in disqualification.
The TD may delay, shorten, or cancel the start due to inclement weather or safety factors. Small-craft warnings issued by the Canadian Coast Guard will be adhered to. Tournament waters may be restricted anytime due to dangerous conditions at TD discretion.
If a qualifying tournament is canceled, the Q6 location is used back-to-back with Sunday as a replacement "Rain Date" (provided the area is available). If Tour Championship Day 1 is canceled, Day 2 serves as a one-day championship. If Day 2 is canceled after Day 1 completes, Day 1 results serve as final results. If both days are canceled, BAITFUEL Admin determines how to proceed.
Early weigh-in is offered in circumstances ruled upon by the TD. No early weigh-in on Tour Championship Day 2.
Only waters accessible by boat from tournament headquarters and in accordance with fish and wildlife regulations may be fished. No locking is permitted. Anglers are responsible for all necessary licenses. If a qualifier has defined boundaries, "cut off areas" are communicated at least 48 hours prior via email, website, and social media.
Cell and smartphones may only be used for global maps and weather, communicating with the TD for rules clarification, or emergencies. Using communication devices to obtain fishing information during tournament hours is strictly prohibited and will be penalized.
Only largemouth and smallmouth bass of any length are eligible for most events.
Only artificial lures are permitted at BAITFUEL Fishing Tour events. Trolling by motor is not permitted.
Competitors may be assigned a GoPro for qualifying events; top teams are assigned a GoPro for the Tour Championship. The GoPro acts as a human scrutineer. Competitors are responsible for ensuring the camera records and remains unobstructed throughout the tournament. Competitors must start recording prior to blast off and end recording when weigh-in starts. Any recording break / GoPro issue must be communicated to the TD immediately. Failure may result in penalty or disqualification.
Only four (4) fish of eligible species are permitted in livewells — and five (5) for Q1 & Q2 Bay of Quinte — while under main engine power. Any competitor caught culling dead fish back to the water or land is immediately disqualified. Culling dead fish is allowed provided competitors keep dead fish in a bag stored elsewhere in the boat. Dead fish in the livewell count toward the team's four (4) or five (5) limit.
When checking in, anglers must notify the TD of bagged dead fish not included in the limit, and any dead fish included in the bag to be weighed.
Bagged dead fish and weighed dead fish are the sole responsibility of the angler. BAITFUEL Fishing Tour staff provide a garbage bag for dead-fish transport.
Fish may not be punctured during culling by weigh scale or balance beam. Puncturing culling clips or weighted fin clips are strictly prohibited.
All fish suffering barotrauma must be fizzed by the angler prior to weighing in, to ensure successful release and educate on proper fish care. If the fish checker is unable to see evidence of fizzing for a fish clearly suffering barotrauma, the fish is weighed then transferred to a separate tub for angler fizzing.
Each team may request one (1) re-weigh for a bag; the weigh master has discretion. When a re-weigh occurs, the second (re-weigh) weight is recorded. No re-weighs on big fish. The weigh master may reweigh a bag at any time at discretion.
Teams are allowed to weigh-in one (1) big bass, weighed in before the fish bag. Dead fish are not eligible for the big bass category.
Further dead fish results in DISQUALIFICATION FROM THE REMAINDER OF THE TOURNAMENT SEASON — INCLUDING THE TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP. The dead-fish penalty applies for the 2-day Tour Championship; each team recommences from zero dead fish for the Tour Championship. Dead fish are the angler's responsibility and are not accepted by shore staff — failure to retain possession results in a 0.5 lb penalty determined by the TD. Shore staff provide bags at the scales for dead fish.
Cumulative points are recorded for each team throughout the qualifying series — e.g. 1st place = 100 points, 2nd = 99 points, and so on. Teams are ranked by total aggregate points regardless of the number of qualifying events fished. The top forty (40) teams in TOY standings after Q6 qualify for the Tour Championship.
Contingency programs are sponsor-funded, rewarding competitors based on predefined criteria. Participation is at the angler's discretion; it is the angler's responsibility to inform the series of qualification and meet the manufacturer's criteria. Anglers are often responsible for contacting the manufacturer for reward claims.
The top forty (40) teams in TOY standings qualify for the Tour Championship. Each qualifying team must pay $500 + $20 for Big Fish + HST for the two-day Tour Championship. Anglers are given time to trailer boats and meet for a Celebratory BBQ to qualify for the boat draw.
"Payout structure can/will be reflected by the number of teams competing during any given season." Payouts are made by cheque mailed via Canada Post — ensure a correct address at registration.
All contestants remain in their boats during tournament hours except when instructed at tournament headquarters. Participants may exit only for washroom facilities, and one team member must remain in the boat.
All teams are obligated to check in with the TD at the end of each qualifier. If a team must / chooses to leave early, it must check in with the TD by phone or in person prior to trailering the boat. If a team fails to contact the TD during the Tour Championship, it is disqualified and ineligible for the boat draw. Due to liability and the well-being of anglers, either failure results in disqualification for the remainder of the season.
All anglers must wear a personal floatation device (PFD) or lifejacket at all times while under internal combustion engine power during tournament hours. A self-inflating PFD is allowed while under engine power, but does not qualify as an approved floatation device unless worn — anglers must have a conventional PFD / lifejacket on board if removing an inflatable PFD.
All BAITFUEL Fishing Tour members are required to follow high standards of sportsmanship, courtesy, and conservation, and to conduct themselves in a manner crediting themselves, the organization, sponsors, and the sport of fishing. All contestants are obligated to adhere to tournament rules and procedures and to additional TD instructions.
Examples of non-compliant conduct:
Competitors can only make an official protest / dispute during tournament hours, by reporting to the TD (in person or voice call) before weigh-in concludes. An official protest must be substantiated by at least one (1) other team. Competitors request a protest form from BAITFUEL Fishing Tour Admin. The protest is communicated to, and only to, the TD. The Tour can suspend the final outcome up to 48 hours investigating allegations before determining the event outcome.
Final decisions are made by the TD and communicated by BAITFUEL Fishing Tour Admin.
The BAITFUEL Fishing Tour utilizes digital media — including the website, email, Facebook, and Instagram — for official announcements. Event specifics, including the site plan and parking, are posted on the website 72 hours prior to each event.
The BAITFUEL Fishing Tour reserves the right to amend the Rules & Regulations as deemed necessary.
