This is a Lake Fork Lure Co. bait tournament. You fish exclusively with approved Lake Fork Lure Co. baits, plus the specific third-party systems listed below.

Approved baits

• Any soft plastic or hard bait currently made by Lake Fork Lure Co. The current lineup is at lakeforklures.com.
• Any soft plastic or hard bait made under the legacy brands Lake Fork Trophy Lures, M-Pack Lures or Mark Pack’s Lake Fork Lures.
• Discontinued and older baits from these brands are eligible when tournament officials can reasonably verify them as authentic.

Third-party lures, with a Lake Fork trailer

• Spinnerbaits, bladed jigs and ChatterBait-style lures, buzzbaits, jigs, underspins and jigheads are allowed only when rigged with an approved Lake Fork Lure Co. or legacy-brand soft plastic as the trailer.
• The Lake Fork soft plastic must be physically attached and actively fished as part of the presentation. Attaching one only to satisfy the rule does not make an otherwise prohibited lure legal.

Hollow-body frogs

• Third-party hollow-body frogs are allowed only when rigged and fished with an official Lake Fork Lure Co. Frog Tail Hook.

Terminal tackle and rigging

• Standard terminal tackle is allowed with approved baits: hooks, weights and sinkers, swivels, snaps, split rings, pegs and stops, and other standard rigging parts that are not a bait or lure on their own.
• You may trim or modify approved soft plastics for normal fishing as long as the bait is still identifiable as an approved product. You may not combine them with a prohibited soft plastic, hard bait, trailer or other fish-attracting component.

If it is not listed as permitted, it is prohibited unless the Tournament Director approves it before you use it. If you are unsure about a bait or rig, get approval before the tournament.

Inspections and penalties

• Officials may inspect any bait, lure, rig, tackle or equipment at any time during competition or weigh-in.
• Using a prohibited bait or rig can mean disqualification of the affected fish or weight, forfeiture of an hourly prize or other award, or disqualification from the tournament.
• The Tournament Director has final authority on lure eligibility, rule interpretation and penalties.

• The tournament is designed primarily for amateurs. You are not eligible if you have fished 3 or more tournaments with an entry fee over $1,000 in the past 12 months, or if you have been paid to guide on any lake, on or off the water, in the past 120 days.
• Carry a valid fishing license, or an official email confirmation with its expiration date, for the tournament lake. Have it on your person during tournament hours and show it at weigh-in.
• Every person in a boat must be a paid contestant. No one else may ride in a competitor’s boat during tournament hours.
• Contestants under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or adult with written parental permission.
• Your entry form and full entry fee must be received before you fish. Officials may refuse any entry, and may refuse anyone disqualified from a prior tournament.
• All state and federal laws, and all state, Coast Guard and federal Parks & Wildlife regulations, apply at all times.
• No alcohol may be consumed, and no alcohol containers may be in your boat, during official tournament hours. That lasts until you have finished fishing and completed your boat inspection and polygraph for that day.
• Breaking any rule can mean disqualification from this and future tournaments. If contestants fishing together are found in violation, all bass they caught are disqualified.

• Tournament hours are 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. each day. Official start and stop times come from the official radio station.
• No casting before the official 7 a.m. clock. You may launch from any launch site on Lake Fork.
• The lake is off limits from 8 p.m. before each tournament day until 7 a.m. on that day.
• No fishing within 50 yards of a marina gas pump.
• The tournament runs regardless of weather. If conditions threaten safety, use caution.
• Emergency announcements and hourly results are broadcast on the official radio station. Bring a portable radio in your boat.

• Bass must be caught on artificial bait by casting. No trolling with the big motor.
• Use one rod at a time. Other rods may be in the boat as substitutes.
• Bank fishing is permitted.
• Electronic tracking devices, such as implanted microchips, may not be used to locate fish. Depth finders and graph charts are the only exception.
• The Official Lure Rules apply to everything you throw.

• Only largemouth, smallmouth and Kentucky spotted bass (black bass) are weighed in.
• Bass must be alive, in a weigh-in bag with water, and never on ice.
• One bass per contestant per tournament hour, and one bass per weigh-in bag. You may not have more than three bass in possession at any time during tournament hours.
• The contestant who caught the bass must weigh it in, with the fish in their physical possession in the weigh-in line.
• Bring your boat and your partner or partners to the weigh-in site. Trailering is permitted.
• Lake Fork is a slot lake. The length limit is posted on the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department website, and the official measuring board is the CHECK-IT-STIK.
• This is a mandatory catch and release tournament. Weighed bass become tournament property and are released alive if possible, and all bass must be released into tournament waters when the tournament is officially over each day.
• Artificially weighed or preserved bass mean disqualification and possible prosecution under federal law. Any questionable entry can be inspected by a marine biologist or similarly qualified expert from the state Parks & Wildlife Department.
• Keep your trash in your boat and dispose of it properly.

These are mandatory.

• Any remote-steered outboard needs a working emergency ignition cut-off (kill switch) attached to the operator whenever the main engine is in use. Kill switches are not required on hand-operated engines unless the engine came with one.
• The boat operator must show proof of valid registration.
• US Coast Guard approved life jackets are required for each person in the boat, and must be worn and fastened whenever the main engine is in use.
• No boat may have a motor with more horsepower than the approved Coast Guard maximum.

• By signing the entry form or taking part, every contestant agrees to take a polygraph examination. Tests are random, given after each official tournament hour, and must be passed.
• Contestants who placed in an hour, their partners and their boats must stay at the official site until that hour’s winners are declared official. Anyone not present is automatically disqualified.
• A contestant found intoxicated or on illegal drugs, or who refuses the polygraph, is disqualified from this and all future tournaments. Possession of any illegal substance means disqualification and prosecution.
• By entering, you consent to boarding and inspection of your boat by tournament officials at any time. Inspections can cover your boat registration, Coast Guard horsepower rating plate, live well, rod boxes, closed storage, tackle boxes, life jackets and all required safety equipment.

• All decisions of the Tournament Director are final.
• Protests must be submitted to the Tournament Director in writing within 15 minutes of the designated weigh-in.