Tournament Rules

Tournament Rules*

Tournament Rules Revision History can be found here.

A word on Sportsmanship

All contestants 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 the COCC, the COCC sponsors, the sport of fishing and the COCC efforts to promote the sport.

Examples of conduct not complying with those standards include, but are not limited to, the following:

Violation of, or failure to comply with, any of the official rules found at www.ohiocatfish.com.

Consumption and/or possession of alcoholic beverages or any mind-altering substance during registration, the pretournament meeting or during tournament hours extending through the weigh-in procedure.

Suspension/disqualification 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 the paragraph above.

In case of any conduct not complying with the standards, COCC shall have the right to refuse any entry, or to deny an entry by returning the entry fee, or to disqualify a contestant.

General Rules

1. Please see tournament schedule for all tournament dates and times.

2. Payout is determined based on number of entries. (See Payout Chart for Details)

3. ANYONE CAUGHT CHEATING WILL BE SUBJECT TO DISQUAULIFICATION WITHOUT A REFUND OF ENTRY FEE!

4. All local, state and federal laws must be followed.

5. All boats/live wells are to be checked and tagged at check in.

6. Baskets or live wells only, no stringers with the exception of fish over 26”. 2lb deduction for any fish on a stringer under 26”.

7. Boats will be released randomly based on check in registration number. Bank fisherman will be released as a group at the start of the tournament. Boats must launch from Home Rd. Ramp per our city permit.

8. Entry fee will be $30.00 per team. (See Payout Chart for Details)

9. 2 persons maximum per team. Teams consist of 1 or 2 people.

10. Should a person fish by themselves, they are required to pay the full team entry.

11. Fishing is allowed from boat or land and in lake waters accessible by boat. Fishing is permitted up to, but not beyond one mile north of the St Rt 42 Bridge.

12. No fishing is allowed within 50 yds of another fisherman, even if that fisherman is not participating in the tournament. This applies to both boat and shore fisherman.

13. 3 poles are allowed per person. One of those 3 being for backup purposes. Only two poles in the water per person at any one time.

14. Per team, there is a 8 fish limit with only 1 channel cat 28” and over allowed and only 1 flathead cat 35” and over allowed. 15 inch minimum. Fish not falling within these guidelines will not be weighed and a 2 pound deduction will be assessed.

15. Chumming, Trot Lines, Bank Lines, Jug Lines are NOT permitted. Rod and Reel Only!

16. Weigh in times are as listed on the tournament schedule and there will be a penalty of 2lb for every 5 minutes you are late. If after 10 minutes, you are not in the weigh in line, you are disqualified.

17. Any fish brought to weigh in that are dead are not weighed and you will be penalized 5lb per dead fish.

18. All fish are to be released following the tournament.

19. If more than 8 fish are brought to weigh in, you will receive a 2lb deduction for every fish over the 8 fish limit.

20. In case of tie, there will be a coin toss, unless the two teams decide to split the money.

21. Any protest must be made within 20 minutes of the final fish being weighed.

22. Winner is subject to Polygraph test by Sheriffs Department.

23. Everyone must sign a release form that they understand the rules prior to the start of the tournament.

24. All photos taken for the tournament can be used by the Central Ohio Catfish Club or any sponsors.

25. Official tournament time will be kept by the COCC directors, Please make sure to syncronize your timekeeping method with the tournament directors.

26. Fishing is done at your own risk, the COCC, its directors and its sponsors cannot be held liable for damage to person or property.

Invitational Qualifying Rules

1. Both members of your team needs to place in the top five (total weight) of a qualifying tournament or fish in at least four regular season tournaments.

2. At the invitational tournament, there will be a $50.00 entry fee per team, 65% will be paid to first place, 25% to second place, and 10% to third place (based on total weight).

3. There will be an optional big fish pot of $10 per person.

4. The regular season rules listed above also apply at the invitational tournament.

5. Both participants on a team must have qualified for the invitational tournament. You do not necessarly have to fish with the partner you qualified with.

*Tournament rules are subject to change. Explanation of rule changes will be posted and highlighted on ohiocatfish.com and all participants will be informed of any changes prior to the start of each tournament.

If you have any questions, please contact Mike Hall (killernuts@ohiocatfish.com) or Kevin Sayers (Time2Fish@ohiocatfish.com).

Tournament Rules Revision History can be found here.

Central Ohio Catfish Club

If you fish for catfish, you're already part of the club!