Official Tournament Rules

These rules govern All In Tournament Trail LLC (AITT) events. They are intended to provide a fair, safe, and professionally administered tournament experience. The rules in effect on the date of an event apply to that event. AITT may amend these rules when necessary for tournament operations and safety.

Quick Links

• Practice Rules
• Forward-Facing Sonar
• Registration
• Membership
• Team Rules
• Angler of the Year
• Championship Qualification
• Boat & Safety
• Fishing Rules
• Tournament Operations
• Postponement & Refund

Complete Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. Tournament Eligibility
3. Registration
4. Membership
5. Team Rules
6. Angler of the Year
7. Championship Qualification
8. Boat & Safety
9. Fishing Rules
10. Practice and Off-Limits Policy
11. Tournament Operations
12. Protests
13. Polygraph
14. Refund & Cancellation Policy
15. Media
16. Privacy

1. Introduction

Mission

AITT promotes competitive bass fishing through events that emphasize fair competition, responsible conduct, participant safety, and respect for the fisheries and communities that host each tournament.

Sportsmanship

Participants must conduct themselves professionally and comply with these rules, applicable law, posted lake and facility rules, and instructions from Tournament Officials. Unsportsmanlike conduct, cheating, harassment, threats, intentional interference with another participant, or conduct that harms AITT, its participants, sponsors, venues, or the sport may result in a penalty, disqualification, removal from an event, or loss of future eligibility.

Participants are responsible for the conduct of their team members and anyone operating or riding in their boat during an AITT event or official practice.

Authority of Tournament Directors

The Tournament Director is responsible for administering each event and has final authority over:

• Safety and weather decisions
• Launch timing, flights, check-in, and weigh-in procedures
• Interpretation and enforcement of these rules
• Penalties, protests, eligibility, and disqualifications
• Delays, postponements, cancellations, and rescheduling

The Tournament Director may impose a penalty proportionate to a violation when these rules do not state a specific penalty. Decisions of the Tournament Director are final unless AITT establishes a separate written review process. The AITT website is the official source for current tournament status and participant instructions.

Disqualification: A team or individual disqualified from a tournament will receive no AOY points for that event, including participation or minimum points. A disqualification will not count as a tournament appearance toward Championship eligibility. Disqualified entries are ineligible for all tournament payouts.

2. Tournament Eligibility

Open Participation

AITT regular-season tournaments require an active seasonal membership for every angler. A returning active member does not pay the membership fee again. A new angler purchases the required $40 seasonal membership during registration.

AITT may deny or revoke participation when necessary to protect safety, competitive integrity, legal compliance, or tournament operations.

Membership

Membership status is determined independently for each angler. An angler may register as a current member or purchase a seasonal membership during registration. If AITT cannot immediately confirm an angler's current membership, the registration may still be submitted while staff verify the participant. AITT may require the applicable membership purchase before participation is finalized.

Age Requirements

Participants who are sixteen (16) years of age or older may compete as a solo angler, subject to all registration, waiver, safety, licensing, and eligibility requirements.

A participant under eighteen (18) years of age must have a parent or legal guardian complete and sign all required registration acknowledgments, liability waivers, and participation approvals before the participant may compete.

The parent or legal guardian does not need to be Angler 1 or Angler 2. A minor may fish with another adult, including an adult teammate, but that adult may not replace the parent or legal guardian's signature unless they are the minor's legal guardian. A minor may not compete unless the parent or legal guardian has provided that signed consent.

A participant under sixteen (16) years of age may not compete as a solo angler and must compete with a parent, legal guardian, or another adult approved by the parent or legal guardian.

The accompanying adult is responsible for the minor participant's supervision, safety, compliance with tournament rules, and lawful operation of the boat.

All participants must also satisfy applicable state fishing-license, boater-education, vessel-operation, and waterbody requirements. When applicable law imposes a stricter age, licensing, supervision, or boat-operation requirement, the stricter legal requirement controls.

Team Eligibility

A team consists of two registered anglers. Both anglers share the team's tournament finish, payouts, and season points. Both anglers must have a current membership or purchase membership during registration. Each angler may select any available side pot.

Solo Anglers

A solo angler may enter as one registration and competes against the same tournament field under the same tournament, safety, and fishing rules. A solo angler with a current or newly purchased membership may select any available side pot.

3. Registration

Tournament Entry is required for every solo and team registration. Optional add-ons cannot be entered without Tournament Entry.

Online Registration

Early Online Registration is completed through the AITT website. The participant must select the tournament, provide all required angler and membership information, select eligible options, accept the required acknowledgment, review the registration total, and complete payment through the online payment process.

Online registration requires immediate successful payment. A draft, quote, payment attempt, browser message, or payment redirect does not constitute a confirmed registration.

Registration Availability

Online registration remains available while that tournament is open, capacity is available, and tournament staff have not closed registration. Staff may suspend or close registration when necessary. Once results are published, registration is closed and cannot be reopened through normal registration.

Immediate Online Payment

AITT stores an online registration as confirmed only after Square reports a successful card payment and AITT completes confirmation. Online registration may remain available during tournament-morning hours while staff have not closed registration. Tournament-morning walk-ups are handled at the registration table, where staff may accept cash or card payment.

Tournament-Morning Registration

Tournament-Morning Registration is a normal in-person registration period and is not late registration. It is conducted by the Tournament Director at the registration table and recorded on the official registration roster. It is not submitted through the public AITT registration page.

Tournament-morning operating hours are set by the Tournament Director and published with event instructions. Online registration remains available while the tournament lifecycle is open and closes when the Tournament Director suspends or closes registration, or when the tournament reaches Results Published.

Registration Confirmation

A registration is confirmed only when payment is verified and AITT or the Tournament Director completes the applicable registration workflow:

• Online: The online payment process verifies payment and AITT finalizes the registration.
• Tournament morning: The Tournament Director records the participant and payment method in the registration workflow and completes any required payment step.

Participants must review confirmation details and promptly report an error to a Tournament Official. A payment receipt alone does not replace the official tournament roster.

4. Membership

Seasonal membership is required for every angler.

Membership Benefits

Every registered angler has an active seasonal membership. Returning members do not purchase membership again, and new anglers purchase membership during registration. Membership is paid once per person per season. Online and walk-up registration offer only Current Member or Joining Today. AITT verifies current membership claims and may require the applicable membership purchase before participation is finalized when a claim cannot be confirmed immediately. Membership supports:

• Angler of the Year (AOY) points
• Championship qualification
• Bronze, Silver, or Gold payout pots
• Insurance Pot
• Other member opportunities published by AITT

Membership does not replace Tournament Entry. Bronze, Silver, and Gold are optional, mutually exclusive selections available to every registered angler; an eligible registration may choose no more than one. The Insurance Pot is also available to every registered angler.

Membership pricing or benefits may not be inferred beyond the current published registration choices. Any future member discount must be approved and published before it applies.

Insurance Pot

• Participation in the Insurance Pot is optional.
• Only entries that joined the Insurance Pot are eligible for its payouts.
• The Insurance Pot uses a true 1-in-5 payout, with a minimum of one paid place whenever there are Insurance Pot entries.
• Payouts begin with the first participating entry outside the Tournament Entry payout positions. Entries that did not join the Insurance Pot are skipped.
• The entire Insurance Pot is distributed. AITT retains none of the Insurance Pot, and every winning entry receives an equal payout, subject only to the one-cent adjustments required to distribute the exact total.
• One through nine (1–9) entries pay one place; ten through fourteen (10–14) pay two places; fifteen through nineteen (15–19) pay three places; twenty through twenty-four (20–24) pay four places; and twenty-five through twenty-nine (25–29) pay five places.
• One additional payout place is added for each additional group of five entries. Any positive number of Insurance Pot entries pays at least one place.

Learn more about the AITT Insurance Pot.

5. Team Rules

Championship Identity

Every registration establishes a Championship Identity.

Your Championship Identity determines where your tournament results, Angler of the Year (AOY) points, Championship qualification, and season awards are earned.

You may compete as either:

• An Established Team
• An Individual Angler

Established Team

An Established Team consists of two registered anglers.

Both anglers share:

• Tournament results
• AOY points
• Championship qualification
• Season awards

Fishing Without Your Partner

If your partner cannot attend a tournament, you may still compete alone.

To keep earning points for your Established Team:

• Register as a Team.
• List your established partner.
• Fish alone if necessary.

No substitute anglers are permitted.

Individual Anglers

An angler may register as an Individual instead of as a Team.

Tournament results, AOY points, and Championship qualification earned as an Individual belong only to that Individual Championship Identity.

New Team

Fishing with a different partner creates a new Team.

Results, AOY points, and Championship qualification do not transfer between different Teams or between Team and Individual Championship Identities.

Administrative Corrections

The Tournament Director may correct administrative, clerical, identity, payment, or mathematical errors.

Administrative corrections may not be used to change a Championship Identity or allow a prohibited substitution.

6. Angler of the Year

Angler of the Year (AOY) is a season-long points competition for registered anglers.

AOY Eligibility

To earn AOY points:

• Every registered team earns AOY points from its official finishing position at every regular-season tournament. A solo entry is treated as its own team for AOY purposes.
• The Competitive Record must physically launch and compete in the tournament.
• Paying an entry fee without physically competing does not earn AOY points.
• Team and Individual Championship Identities remain separate.
• AOY points do not transfer between different Teams or between Team and Individual Championship Identities.
• Substitute anglers are not permitted.

AOY Points

AOY points are calculated from the official tournament results after all penalties, corrections, protests, and disqualifications have been resolved.

Official tournament results remain unchanged when determining AOY points. Registered anglers are ranked in their original relative finishing order for the purpose of awarding AOY points.

Best Five of Eight

The regular season consists of eight scheduled tournaments.

Each registered Competitive Record's five highest tournament point totals determine its final AOY score.

The three lowest tournament totals, including tournaments not fished, are dropped from the final AOY calculation.

An eligible Competitive Record may compete in all eight tournaments and use its five highest point totals.

AOY Ties

If two or more eligible Competitive Records finish the regular season with the same final AOY point total, the tie is resolved first by the highest combined official weight from the five tournaments counted toward each final AOY score. If the teams remain tied, the higher finish in the most recent regular-season tournament where both teams competed wins the tie.

Because the regular season has eight tournaments and each eligible team must fish at least five, tied teams will have a shared tournament for the head-to-head comparison.

Official AOY Standings

AOY standings are unofficial until the applicable tournament results have been reviewed and the AOY points have been processed.

AITT may correct clerical, mathematical, identity, membership, or administrative errors discovered in published standings.

7. Championship Qualification

Championship qualification is earned by a registered team during the eight-tournament regular season. A solo entry is treated as its own team.

Five of Eight Participation Requirement

A registered team qualifies by physically competing in at least five of the eight regular-season tournaments.

Paying an entry fee, registering, or appearing on a tournament roster without the registered team physically launching and competing does not count as participation.

Championship Identity

Championship qualification belongs to the Competitive Record under which it was earned.

• Team qualification belongs to the established Team Championship Identity.
• Individual qualification belongs only to the Individual Championship Identity.
• Qualification does not transfer between different Teams.
• Qualification does not transfer between Team and Individual Championship Identities.
• Substitute anglers are not permitted.

Established Team Participation

When one established team partner cannot attend, the Team may continue earning participation credit by registering under the established Team Championship Identity and having the remaining partner compete alone.

The absent established partner may remain listed as part of the Team Championship Identity.

If the remaining angler instead registers as an Individual, participation credit from that tournament belongs only to the separate Individual Championship Identity.

Championship Field and Procedures

AITT will publish Championship dates, location, entry requirements, payout information, registration procedures, and any additional qualification requirements before the Championship.

Qualification does not guarantee participation when an otherwise eligible Competitive Record fails to complete the required Championship registration, payment, acknowledgment, or verification process.

Administrative Review

AITT may review and correct Championship qualification records when necessary to resolve a clerical, mathematical, identity, membership, administrative, or participation-record error.

Administrative corrections may not be used to transfer qualification between Competitive Records or permit a prohibited substitution.

8. Boat & Safety

Safety takes priority over competition. Each participant is responsible for operating safely and complying with federal, state, local, lake, marina, and facility requirements.

Required Safety Conduct

• Each occupant must wear a properly fitted, serviceable life jacket whenever the combustion engine is running or when directed by a Tournament Official.
• The boat operator must attach and use the engine emergency-stop kill switch whenever the combustion engine is running, when the boat is equipped with one.
• Each boat must carry all equipment required by the United States Coast Guard and applicable law.
• Boats must be operated at a safe speed and manner for the conditions.
• Participants must follow launch, navigation, restricted-area, and emergency instructions from Tournament Officials and public authorities.

Alcohol and Illegal Drugs

Possessing or consuming alcohol or illegal drugs during competition is prohibited. A participant impaired by alcohol, illegal drugs, or the misuse of medication may not compete. Violations may result in immediate disqualification and referral to the appropriate authority.

Emergencies and Unsafe Conditions

Participants must render reasonable aid when safe to do so and immediately notify emergency services and a Tournament Official of a serious incident. Safety assistance does not itself constitute outside fishing assistance.

The Tournament Director may delay, shorten, postpone, cancel, or reschedule an event because of lightning, severe storms, flooding, unsafe ramps or water, dense fog, government or marina closure, or any other unsafe condition. Wind gusts of 30 MPH or greater will normally result in a delay or postponement. AccuWeather and Weather Underground are primary human decision references; weather data does not make an automatic tournament decision.

9. Fishing Rules

Methods and Equipment

• Only artificial lures may be used during competition.
• An angler may fish with only one rod at a time.
• Trolling as a method of fishing is prohibited.
• Drones may not be used to locate fish, scout water, monitor competitors, or otherwise assist a participant during official practice or competition.
• Participants must comply with applicable fishing-license, length, limit, possession, and waterbody regulations.
• Forward-facing sonar\Perspective view is prohibited during official tournament competition.
• Forward-facing sonar\Perspective view may be used during legal practice periods unless another published event rule states otherwise.
• 360-degree imaging systems, such as Humminbird 360, that display a non-live snapshot or historical scan are permitted.

Why did AITT adopt this policy?

Fish Care, Dead Fish, Short Fish, and Big Bass

Participants must make every reasonable effort to keep fish alive and return them safely after weigh-in.

Short Fish

The tournament-wide minimums are:

• Largemouth Bass: 14 inches
• Smallmouth Bass: 14 inches
• Spotted Bass: no minimum

Any fish that does not meet the applicable tournament minimum will not be counted toward the tournament catch.

A short fish:

• Receives a one (1) pound penalty.
• Receives no tournament weight.
• Does not count toward the legal tournament limit.

Dead Fish

A one (1) pound penalty will be deducted for each legal fish presented dead at weigh-in.

Example:

• Gross catch weight: 18.42 pounds
• Legal dead fish: 2
• Dead-fish penalty: 2.00 pounds
• Official tournament weight: 16.42 pounds

Big Bass

Big Bass is an optional add-on to Tournament Entry and is not a standalone entry.

The Big Bass side pot pays two (2) places. Payout distribution is governed by the official payout schedule.

Only legal live fish are eligible for a Big Bass payout.

Any fish presented dead at weigh-in is not eligible for a Big Bass payout.

Bass Stack Competition Format

• Bass Stack applies only to tournaments designated as Bass Stack events.
• For designated Bass Stack events, this section replaces the general five-fish tournament limit with the cumulative-weight format below.
• Every legal bass officially weighed contributes to the competitor's cumulative tournament weight.
• A competitor may possess a maximum of three legal bass in the livewell at any one time.
• A competitor may replace (cull) any fish currently in the livewell with a larger legal bass before presenting fish for weigh-in.
• No more than three legal bass may be presented during any single weigh-in.
• Competitors may weigh fish as many times as desired during official tournament hours.
• Every official weigh-in becomes part of the competitor's cumulative tournament total.
• At the conclusion of tournament hours, competitors shall present any remaining legal fish in the livewell (up to three) for the final official weigh-in.
• Final placement is determined by cumulative official tournament weight after all penalties have been assessed.
• All other AITT tournament rules remain fully in effect during Bass Stack competitions.

Cell Phones and Communication

Cell phones may be carried for safety, emergency communication, official tournament communication, and lawful navigation or weather use. During competition, participants may not use a phone or other communication device to obtain fishing locations, fish-finding assistance, competitive information, or unauthorized outside assistance. Emergency and Tournament Official communications are always permitted.

10. Practice and Off-Limits Policy

OFF-LIMITS PERIOD AND OFFICIAL PRACTICE DAY

Tournament waters are off-limits beginning at 12:00 a.m. Monday immediately before each tournament. Each registered tournament entry—team or solo—is allowed one official practice day: either Friday or Saturday immediately before the tournament, but not both.

For a team entry, both anglers share the same single practice-day allowance. Practice by either team member, whether alone or together, counts as the team's official practice day. Team members may not divide the allowance by practicing on different days. Registration must be completed before the entry begins practice.

Changing boats, anglers, partners, or passengers does not create an additional practice day. A team or solo entry that practices on Friday may not return to practice on Saturday in another boat or with a different combination of anglers.

11. Tournament Operations

Boat Numbers and Flights

WeighFish and Tournament Officials control the tournament-day roster, boat numbers, flight assignments, and official check-in order. Participants must use their assigned number and flight and may not trade an assignment without Tournament Director approval.

Launch and Safe Light

Estimated Safe Light is the estimated official Fort Worth sunrise for the tournament date, using the America/Chicago time zone. It is a planning estimate, not a guaranteed launch time. Participants should be on the water and prepared to launch before the displayed estimate.

Tournament Officials determine final launch timing and may manually override the displayed estimate. No participant may begin fishing before the official start for the participant's flight.

Check-In and Late Arrival

Participants must follow the announced check-in method and be checked in by their assigned flight's official deadline.

A one (1) pound penalty will be assessed for each minute an individual or team is late checking in, up to fifteen (15) minutes.

Any individual or team arriving more than fifteen (15) minutes after its assigned check-in time will forfeit that day's catch and will not be permitted to weigh fish.

Tournament Officials will determine the official check-in time using the tournament's designated official timekeeping device.

Participants are responsible for knowing their assigned flight and check-in time.

Participants must never operate a vessel in an unsafe manner in an attempt to avoid a late penalty. Safety always takes precedence over tournament competition.

Weigh-In

• Participants must report in person and follow the official check-in and weigh-in sequence.
• Weigh-in order is based on official check-in.
• The tournament limit is five legal fish.
• A legal dead fish may be weighed subject to the one-pound penalty and is not eligible for Big Bass.
• WeighFish owns official scoring and results.
• Participants must comply with fish-handling and release instructions.
• Official results are published after weigh-in and required review.

12. Protests

A protest must:

• Be submitted in writing to the Tournament Director;
• Identify the protesting participant, the alleged violation, relevant facts, and available witnesses or evidence; and
• Be submitted promptly enough to permit a fair investigation before results are finalized.

The Tournament Director may interview participants and witnesses, inspect equipment and records, review available media or data, and take other reasonable steps to decide a protest. The Tournament Director's ruling, including any penalty or disqualification, is final.

13. Polygraph

When directed as part of an eligibility, rules, protest, or integrity investigation, a participant may be required to submit to a professionally administered polygraph examination at a reasonable time and location.

Failure or refusal to cooperate, failure to appear, intentional interference with the examination, or a result determined by AITT to be materially deceptive may result in withheld winnings, disqualification, forfeiture of points or prizes, suspension, or loss of future eligibility. AITT may consider the examination together with all other available evidence; it is not required to treat a polygraph as the sole basis for a decision.

14. Postponement & Refund Policy

Tournament registrations are final. If weather or other conditions prevent the tournament from being held as scheduled, the Tournament Director may postpone or reschedule it. Registrations will normally carry forward to the rescheduled date. Refunds are not ordinarily issued solely because an event is postponed or rescheduled.

15. Media

Participants may be photographed, filmed, livestreamed, or otherwise recorded during registration, official practice, launch, competition, weigh-in, awards, and related AITT activities. AITT may use those recordings and the participant's name, likeness, voice, boat, catch, and tournament results for news, results, archival, educational, and promotional purposes in any AITT media channel, subject to applicable law.

16. Privacy

AITT stores basic member information needed to administer tournaments, meet applicable tax purposes, and maintain membership history by season. Payments are processed by Square, a third-party payment provider. AITT does not store credit-card numbers, CVV codes, or other payment-card credentials.