Rules

2025 Tournament Rules

Tobin Lake Walleye Championship

WARNING!

Anyone caught breaking the rules of this tournament will be disqualified from this and all future Tobin Lake Walleye Championship Tournaments.

1. ELIGIBILITY

All persons 18 years or older are eligible to enter. Anglers under 18 years must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

2. WAIVER

Promoters and organizations assisting in the tournament operation, their agencies and agents are not responsible for death, injury, damage liability, theft, fire, or any loss to any entrants. Each entrant, upon signing an entry form, will in effect be signing a waiver.

3. REQUIREMENTS

A. Each contestant will be in possession of a valid Saskatchewan fishing licence.
B. Each entrant will be required to have a U.S. Coast Guard or Canadian approved personal floatation device and will be urged to wear it at all times.
C. All contestants are required to observe Canadian rules and regulations concerning safe boating.
D. All boats will be required to meet U.S. Coast Guard or Canadian safety regulations.
E. All boats must carry a state or provincial registration in accordance with the regulations of the boat owners home state or province.
F. Live wells must be used by all teams. These live wells must be aerated to retain live fish.
G. Electronic and electrical depth finders, thermometers, oxygen meters, etc. are allowed.
H. Underwater cameras are allowed.

4. TOURNAMENT BOUNDARIES

All waters of Tobin Lake except the river portion. No one may fish west of the first marker buoy past the #2 and 3 signs. Several buoys may be in place to establish the boundary line.

5. REQUIRED ACTIVITIES

A. At least one team member is required to attend the pre-tournament meeting on Thursday, July 10, 2025. Registration is at 4:00pm and supper is at 6:00pm. The Rules Meeting will follow at 7:00pm.
B. All contestants are required to cooperate with members of the press for interviews and photographs.

6. PROTESTS

A. Any contestant has the right to make a protest against another contestant. A protest form will be available from the tournament chairman and must be filled out and presented to the chairman within one (1) hour of the close of the fishing day.
B. A $150.00 protest fee will be required to accompany any formal protest. The fee will be returned if the protest is found to be valid by the protest committee.
C. Any contestant involved with the protest must be on call for three hours following the end of the fishing day.

7. PRIZES

A. All prizes will be based on the most length during the two days of the tournament.
B. Prizes will be made on a team basis.
C. In case of a tie, the winner will be determined by the greatest length taken on the final day subject to final checks by officials.
D. Payout of prizes is based on a 100-boat field.
E. Big fish “time of measure” will be recorded. In the event of a tie, the first fish measured will be awarded the prize.

8. MEASUREMENT

A. There will be a mobile measuring docks at predetermined areas on the lake. All fish will be measured in metric (cm).
B. When bringing in fish to measure, all live wells must be OPEN with Pumps turned off. NO Fin Weights attached to the fish you are presenting to be measured and you must declare how many fish to be measured. Stand back from your live wells. Tournament Officials will inspect the fish. If the fish is declared GREEN, it can be measured and released. If the fish is declared RED, it will be measured and
released. It will be allowed 60 seconds to swim away on its own power.
C. There will be no reworking for the fish at this time. If the fish is belly up, showing signs of struggle, distress or having difficulty returning to the water or if it floats back up within 60 seconds, the fish will be disqualified and the team will receive a “ZERO (0)” measure for that fish.

D. Each team will be responsible for their own catch. Under no circumstances may anyone other than the contestants handle or touch the catch until presented for measurement.
E. A team member will be present for the measurement. Each team will receive a copy of their measurement ticket each time a fish is measured. The measurement tickets are to be initialed by a team member.
F. Mobile docks will have bumper pads to prevent marking boats. You are at your own risk using the mobile docks.
G. Any team measuring in a protected slot will be penalized as follows:
a) Zero (0) weight for all fish that day
b) Should the Ministry of Environment deem the fish to be a protected slot fish, the Team will be disqualified.
H. Any verbal abuse of the measurement officials will result in disqualification of the team.

9. FISHING HOURS AND STARTING

A. The fishing day will begin at 7:00am and end at 4:00pm, Friday and Saturday. All boats must be inspected before they will be allowed to leave in their respective flights.

B. 8 hours of fishing time is allowed for each flight. Contestants who return late will be penalized 5% of their total measurement for each minute late and will be disqualified from any large walleye prize. After 5 minutes, the day’s total measurement will be disqualified.
C. Boats will be leaving in four flights, in a numerical trickle start. The flights and numerical order will alternate each day.
D. All boats must pass the check boats when leaving and returning from flights or check in by phone before leaving the lake.

10. BOAT IDENTIFICATION AND SECURITY

A. All contestant boats will be identified with 2 coloured decals. Team numbers will be assigned when applicants are notified of their acceptance.
B. If an emergency exists, patrol boat personnel will be clearly marked for easy identification.
C. Boats may be inspected before and during the tournament. Officials will be checking boats at the launch area and patrol boats will be patrolling the fishing area.

11. FISHING

A. Only Walleye, Sauger and Saugeye will be included in official totals.
B. Only those fish caught on a barbless hook and line in a normal manner are accepted.
C. Each fisherman will be allowed to have only one line in the water at a time. Spare rods and equipment may be carried in the boat. More than two (2) lines in the water, as witnessed by a patrol boat or committee member, will result in disqualification.
D. Live bait and artificial bait and lures are allowed. Electronic and electric lures prohibited. NO LIVE MINNOWS ALLOWED.
E. Only FIVE (5) fish per day will be measured and only ONE (1) of these may exceed 70 cm and four (4) must be under 55 cm (tail pinched measurement)
F. A contestant must not leave the boat to land a fish, untangle equipment or for any other reason during the fishing day.

G. No more than three (3) fish may be in your boat at one time. If a team has more than three (3) fish in your boat at one time, then the team will receive zero (0) measurement for all fish that day.
H. Entrants will conduct themselves as true sportsmen when fishing near another boat. No boat may touch another boat.
I. Any team not abiding by the Saskatchewan angling regulations will be disqualified.
J. No contestants will be allowed to fish after 2:00pm on the day before the tournament.
K. A team may not fish to replace a disqualified fish.
L. All rods rigged for fishing in the boats must be rigged with barbless hooks. Should barbed hooks be discovered by a patrol boat or committee member, that team will be immediately disqualified. This includes on-the-water checks as well as checks at the measurement docks. Failure to allow this inspection will result in disqualification.

12. OTHER PRIZES

A. Contingency prizes may be made available by contributors, supporters and other parties.
B. Rules for these prizes may be stipulated by those offering the prize.
C. Only live and releasable fish will qualify for any big fish award.

13. MISCELLANEOUS

A. If one of the team members drops out before the tournament, the member may be replaced by the choice of the remaining team member. The committee must be notified in writing of the change before the tournament.
B. If an entire team drops out it will be filled by the tournament committee and not the choice of the team that drops out. The entry fee will be returned ONLY if the team withdraws before May 31, 2024 AND their spot can be filled by another team. Once submitted, any other entry fees will be returned only at the discretion of the tournament committee.
C. The organizing committee may at any time, before, during or after the event change the event format if so required.
D. Cell phones are permitted in the boats.
E. If a team is disqualified from the tournament, they will lose their grandfathering for the following year’s tournament.
F. The tournament committee reserves the right to cancel the days fishing if it is deemed unsafe to be on the water.

14. “SPIRIT OF THE RULE”

All rules have “loopholes”. It is the intention of the organizers to provide an honest, sportsmanlike tournament. In the interest of good sportsmanship, contestants are reminded that the “spirit of the rule” will prevail in all judgement cases and the decisions of the committee are final.

Fishing Day Details

Fishing Times – Friday
First Flight	Teams 1 – 25	7:00am to 3:00pm
Second Flight	Teams 26 – 50	7:20am to 3:20pm
Third Flight	Teams 51 – 75	7:40am to 3:40pm
Fourth Flight	Teams 76 – 100	8:00am to 4:00pm

TRICKLE START IN NUMERICAL ORDER (past check-in boat)

First Flight – Teams 1 – 25
Second Flight – Teams 26 – 50
Third Flight – Teams 51 – 75
Fourth Flight – Teams 76 – 100

Fishing Times – Saturday
First Flight	Teams 100 – 76	7:00am to 3:00pm
Second Flight	Teams 75 – 51	7:20am to 3:20pm
Third Flight	Teams 50 – 26	7:40am to 3:40pm
Fourth Flight	Teams 25 – 1	8:00am to 4:00pm