Tournament Rules

1. All competitors must comply with Federal, Provincial, and Municipal Laws. If a competitor is charged and convicted for violating a Federal, Provincial, or Municipal law between the official start and end times of the tournament, that competitor will be disqualified from the tournament and may receive a life-time ban from the Dryden Walleye Masters Tournament.
2. STARTING POSITIONS and TIMES will be determined according how a team finished in the previous tournament, if their registration is received and paid in full by October 31, 2023. All other starting positions and times will be determined according to earliest date of paid entry. All entries, up to a maximum of one hundred and thirty five (135), received by 7:00 pm Friday June 14, 2024 will be eligible. Entries must be accompanied by payment in full (Canadian Funds).
3. Cancellations will be accepted up to and including Friday June 7, 2024 at 7:00 pm. The entry fee will be refunded, less a $25.00 administration fee. NO REFUNDS WILL BE ISSUED AFTER JUNE 7, 2024 at 7:00 pm.
4. Contestants under sixteen (16) years of age must have their parent/guardians’ written consent. One team member must be eighteen (18) years of age of older.
5. There must be a team of two (2) persons per boat. The same two (2) competitors who start the tournament must finish, except in the case of extreme and exceptional circumstance. Any replacements or substitutions in such circumstances shall be at the discretion of the Committee.  Where necessary the Committee will aid in finding a replacement.” 
6. The tournament boundaries shall be the waters accessible by the Wabigoon chain of lakes. Immediate disqualification will result if a team is deemed to be fishing outside the stated tournament boundaries.
7. Pre-tournament practice will cease at 3:00 pm on Friday June 14, 2024. All anglers must be off the water or docked by 3:00 pm Friday June 14, 2024 or face disqualification unless otherwise authorized by the committee.
8. Official fishing times as per trickle starts.
   Flights day one and day two:

Flight one – 7:00 am – 3:30 pm
Flight two – 7:15 am – 3:45 pm
Flight three – 7:30 am – 4:00 pm

9. Tournament officials will check each boat at the beginning of each day, and may check boats at any time during the tournament. Boats refusing to allow inspection by tournament officials will be disqualified from the entire tournament plus the following year.
10. Each boat will be assigned a numbered identification device, which must be affixed to both sides of the motor or a clearly visible place at all times.
11. All participants must wear life jackets approved P.F.D. while travelling faster than trolling or drifting speeds. P.F.Ds or life jackets must be worn when exiting boats and while on the dock for everyone’s safety. All boats equipped with a tethered Kill Switch must use it. Failure to wear a life jacket above trolling or drifting speed will result in a 1-pound penalty per violation. Failure to wear the Tether Switch will result in disqualification.
12. Aerated live wells are mandatory. The use of water treatment chemicals, which are legally available in Ontario, is recommended in live wells. All fish must be kept in live wells at all times.
13. Electronic boat to boat communication in any form is not allowed and will result in the offending teams’ disqualification from the tournament. Boats equipped with marine radios and contestants in possession of cellular phones or walkie-talkies must disclose such possession at the morning check-ins. Such communication devices shall ONLY be used in emergency situations.
14. Boats must not come into contact with another boat. The passing of objects between teams will result in tournament disqualification. All teams are to bring in their own fish. Teams must not tow another boat unless dangerous conditions exist. Only officials can tow. Obnoxious or disruptive behaviour to other anglers will result in disqualification from the tournament.
15. Any competitors observed stepping ashore without approval or accompaniment by a tournament official will be disqualified.
16. Any tournament contestant may submit a written protest to the Tournament Committee for consideration prior to 5:00 pm on Sunday June 16, 2024. The contestant will be required to provide $100.00 cash deposit with each protest. The deposit will only be refunded if the protest is upheld.
17. Competitors may be subjected to a lie detector test. Refusal to do so will result in immediate disqualification from 2024 and future Dryden Walleye Master tournaments. Failure of the lie detector test will result in immediate disqualification from the tournament.
18. The tournament slot size is eighteen (18.0) inches to (23) inches.
    • No fish may be presented for weigh in that measure between (18) and (23) inches. 
    • A total of four (4) walleye per day; two (2) over twenty-three (23) inches and two (2) under eighteen (18) inches is the maximum limit.
    • No fish under the slot size can be touching ANY PART of the eighteen (18) inch line on the Official’s measuring board.
    • Fish over (23) inches must be touching the (23) inch mark or go over.
    • Only two (2) twenty-three (23) inch walleye or over per day may be retained and two (2) walleye under the eighteen (18) inches may be retained and be presented for official weighing.
    • No more than four (4) fish may be retained in any live well at anytime.
    • Anglers may retain all four (4) fish under eighteen (18) inches.
    • Saugers are considered walleye and may be presented for weigh in as part of the four (4) fish daily limit for this tournament.
    • Any violation of rule 18 will result in immediate disqualification from the tournament.
19. Fish can be weighed-in at any time after 9:00 am during the tournament to reduce stressed caused by holding fish too long in live wells.
20. The determination of stressed or dead fish will be made at the live well before weighing. In the opinion of tournament officials:
    • Any fish not swimming upright will be considered stressed
    • Any fish not deemed capable of recovery will be considered dead.
    • Stressed fish will receive a penalty of sixteen (16) oz.
    • Dead fish will receive a 50% penalty of that fish’s total weight.
    • Any fish considered stressed at dockside or weigh-in shall automatically become the property of the tournament official and is counted as catch.

21. Stressed fish can win the “Big Fish Award” only after the sixteen (16) oz. penalty is applied. Dead fish are not eligible for the “Big Fish Award”.
22. Boats must check-in to tournament officials at appointed times. Boats that are past their scheduled check-in time will have their daily catch disqualified. FOR THE SAFETY OF EVERYONE, ALL CONTESTANTS MUST CHECK IN WITH TOURNAMENT OFFICIALS AT THE END OF EACH DAY REGARDLESS OF THE TIME. Any team failing to check in on either day will be disqualified from the tournament.
23. A tie for First Place will be broken by the team with the highest weight on the second day. A tie for Big Fish Cash Prize will result in the prize being split between the tying teams.
24. Tournament officials/committee members shall retain the right to decline entry into this tournament for any reason.
25. Any fish that appears to be altered in any way will be ineligible for weigh-in – whether it was your team who altered it or an angler who previously caught the fish at any other time prior to your catch. If you catch a fish that has been altered prior to catching it, the fish should be immediately released because you will not receive any weight for it.
26. Competitors who have been disqualified will be disqualified from the entire tournament and will not receive a refund of their entry fee and will also forfeit any prizes owing to the competitors.
27. The tournament directors retain the right to change these rules at their discretion. Final set of rules will be supplied at the Friday night rules meeting. At least one member of each team must attend the competitor’s official meeting “Rules and Registration Night” and remain in attendance for the entire meeting. Any team that does not have at least one member of the team in attendance at all times during the meeting will be disqualified. The “Rules and Registration Night” will take place at the Dryden Arena, on Friday June 14, 2024. The rules meeting will start promptly at 7:00 pm.
28. It is the role of the committee to provide an honest, sportsmanlike tournament.

“ALL DECISIONS OF THE TOURNAMENT JUDGES AND COMMITTEE ARE FINAL”