rules

ANGLERS IN ACTION TOURNAMENT TRAIL: 2026 SEASON – OFFICIAL RULES

To preserve the integrity of the Anglers in Action Tournament Trail and our anglers, any contestant receiving a prize may be subject to a polygraph and/or cvsa exam prior to receiving a prize at each event. Contestants must pass the polygraph and/or cvsa exam at the tournament site to receive prize money, awards, and points for the event. The refusal of any winner to voluntarily submit to a polygraph and/or cvsa exam automatically disqualifies any winner from being eligible to receive any prize money, awards, points for the event, and any other offered prize and/or award. All decisions regarding compliance with Anglers in Action rules and the interpretation of these rules shall be made by the Tournament Director(s) at his/her sole and absolute discretion, and the Tournament Director(s) reserve the right to make additional reasonable rules for the conduct of its tournaments if circumstances require. The Tournament Director(s) shall have the sole and absolute right to refuse any application or deny a confirmed application by returning the entry fee of a previously accepted application or disqualifying a contestant. Any contestant knowingly violating an Anglers in Action rule may face disqualification from any & all future tournaments.
ONLINE RULES WILL TAKE PRECEDENCE OVER ALL WRITTEN/PRINTED RULES. ANGLERS IN ACTION RESERVES THE RIGHT TO HAVE AN OBSERVER/CAMERA BOAT FOLLOW A COMPETITOR’S BOAT OR PLACE AN OBSERVER IN A COMPETITOR(S) BOAT AT ANY QUALIFYING EVENT OR THE TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS. REFUSAL OF THIS WILL RESULT IN DISQUALIFICATION.

ELIGIBILITY:
All individuals, 18 years of age or older with a paid entry fee and a current paid membership to Anglers in Action Tournament Trail is eligible to fish. A
parent or legal guardian must accompany anyone under 18 years of age. A team may consist of one (1) angler per boat or two (2) anglers per boat. Anglers in
Action reserves the right to reject any entry that is not in the best interest of the tournament.

MEMBERSHIP FEE / ENTRY FEE:
There will be an annual membership fee of $50.00 per angler for the 2026 season. Membership fee expires after the 2026 Anglers in Action Tournament of Champions.
Entry fee is $305.00 per qualifying event per team. $5 from each entry will go towards the tournament Release Boat, to ensure the bass are returned alive & healthy back to the tournament waters. Entries will be accepted by mail, online, or may be paid at the ramp the morning of each tournament. Take off positions are determined by order of deposit/paid entry. Paid entry fees or deposits may be transferred with Anglers in Action approval. No refunds.

BIG BASS:
$10 from each entry fee will go towards the Big Bass payout. There will be two (2) Big Bass places paid at each qualifying tournament, with 70% of the
pot going to 1st place Big Bass and 30% of the pot going to 2nd place Big Bass. (Example Big Bass payout on a 150 boat field: 1st: $1,050 – 2nd: $450)

PAYBACK:
$10,000 guaranteed to first place at every Anglers In Action qualifying tournament in 2026, regardless the number of entries. Anglers in Action will pay
back one (1) place for every six (6) teams entered at all qualifying tournaments.

CHECK-IN and PRE-MEETING:
One team member must check in the morning of the tournament. A pre-meeting will take place on the water approximately five (5) minutes prior to the official start time. Idle by live well checks will take place at any time either on or off the water.

POINTS:
Each team will receive 25 show up points. Points will start at 200 for 1st place and descend 1 point for each place dropped. Each team will also receive 1
point for each pound of bass weighed in, and will be rounded to the nearest whole number.
POINTS WILL BE BASED ON YOUR BEST 3 TOURNAMENTS.

DIVISIONS OFFERED IN 2026: Once you have chosen your Division and fished your first tournament in that Division, you cannot switch to another. Teams can fish more than one Division throughout the year though.
* Lake of the Ozarks Division: March 14th / April 12th / May 3rd
* Table Rock Division: February 28th / March 22nd / May  2nd
* Grand Lake Division: March 1st / April 26th / May 30th
* Open Division: Choose when & where you fish from the 2026 Anglers in Action schedule. Points will be based on your best 3 tournaments.

HOW TO QUALIFY FOR THE 2026 ANGLERS IN ACTION TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS:
The top 45% of all teams in points in each division will qualify for the 2026 Anglers in Action Tournament of Champions (teams must fish a minimum of 3 tournaments in their division to be eligible to qualify) SunLine 5 Alive: After the 45% cutline in each division, the next 5 teams in line will be open for eligibility if a team in the top 45% is unable to fish.  (Staff boat will have a qualification exemption, if not already qualified, and lead take-off and return early each day of the event to help with weigh-in procedures) Boat numbers at the 2026 AiA Tournament of Champions will be determined by a computer generated random draw and reversed the 2nd day of competition.

PARTICIPATION and ALTERNATES:
Each team will be allowed to use one alternate per division and fish solo once per division if need be. You cannot use an alternate for the 2026 Anglers in Action Tournament of Champions. With Director’s approval, you could fish with another qualified angler.

SCORING / CULLING:
Largemouth, Smallmouth, Meanmouth, & Kentucky (spotted) bass will be scored.
Minimum Length:
Table Rock Lake: All fish must be a minimum of 15 inches in length
Lake of the Ozarks: All largemouth/smallmouth must be a minimum of 15 inches in length, all kentucky/spotted bass must be a minimum of 12 inches in length
Grand Lake: All fish must be a minimum of 14 inches in length

There will be a five (5) fish limit at all lakes. A short fish will result in a one (1) pound penalty plus the loss of the fish. A dead fish will result in a one (1) pound penalty per fish. If the dead fish is weighed in for Big Bass, the (1) pound will be deducted from that fish. No more than five (5) fish are allowed in a live well at any time, unless it is during the culling process. Anyone bringing more than five (5) fish to the bump tub will not be allowed to weigh in any fish. All fish must be brought to the scales in an Anglers in Action weigh-in bag. Culling of dead bass is prohibited.

SAFETY and SPORTSMANSHIP:
Safe boating must be observed at all times. Life jackets and kill switches must be used any time the combustion motor is running above an idle. All contestants are required to follow the highest degree of sportsmanship, courtesy, and conservation. At the discretion of the Tournament Director, tournament days may be shortened or cancelled due to unsafe weather or water conditions. During competition hours, no alcoholic beverages, marijuana (recreational or prescribed), controlled substances  or medication (other than those purchased over-the-counter or prescribed by a licensed physician) are to be consumed by participants or allowed in participants boat. Contestants must leave and return to official checkpoint by boat. No tournament boat may be loaded on the trailer before weigh-in except with the permission of the Tournament Director.

LATE PENALTY:
Anglers must check-in to the designated check-in site by official designated time. Failure to do so will result in a one pound penalty per minute late, up to ten (10) minutes, then disqualification.

TIES:
(Tie for Overall Results): All ties will be broken in this order; 1) Big Bass, 2) Most Fish Weighed In, 3) Earliest Entry Into Tournament.
(Tie for Big Bass): All ties will be broken in this order; 1) Total Weight, 2) Earliest Entry Into Tournament.
(Tie for Standings): All ties will be broken in this order; 1) Total Accumulated Weight, 2) Big Bass.

TACKLE and EQUIPMENT:
Only artificial lures and baits may be used. All bass must be caught alive on a rod and reel. Only one rod and reel is allowed to be used at any time by any one angler. Snagging bass off of spawning beds is prohibited. All bass caught off of spawning beds must be hooked inside the mouth.
Alabama Rigs are allowed. You cannot have more than 3 hooked baits on an Alabama Rig during any Anglers in Action event at Lake of the Ozarks or Table Rock Lake.
A max of 5 hooked baits is allowed at Grand Lake. If an angler/competitor is found to have violated this rule, they will be immediately disqualified and any winnings forfeited.

BOATS and MOTORS:
Any boat, 14 feet or longer, meeting B.I.A. and Coast Guard requirements with a functional kill switch and functional bilge pump and properly aerated live well will be accepted. No over-powered boats.

LOCATIONS:
Fishing is permitted anywhere on the tournament waters available to the public and accessible by boat, except areas designated as “off limits” or “no
fishing” by the Corp of Engineers, local, state, or federal officials. You cannot fish within 50 yards of a contestant’s anchored boat with trolling motor up, without
their approval. Contestants may not depart the boat to land fish or to make the boat more accessible to fishing waters. Any additional off limits will be announced at
the pre-meeting prior to take-off. There are no off-limit days.

INSURANCE:
Boat owners must have at least $100,000 of Boating Liability Insurance. Proof of insurance may be asked for at any time and may be a question on the polygraph and/or cvsa exam.

SPECIAL SITUATIONS:
Breakdown: In the event of a boat breakdown, the team may transfer their fish to another contestant’s boat for transport to the weigh-in site, meeting the following
conditions; The fish must be placed in a segregated live-well. One member of the breakdown team must accompany those fish at all times to the weigh-in site. The
team broken down must stop fishing from the time of transfer.
Early Departure: Any team departing prior to weigh in from the tournament lake, must contact the tournament director or appointed staff member. Failure to do so
may result in the loss of any points earned at that tournament.
Sharing of Information: Use of a location sharing app, such as Snapchat, Life360, or any similar app or device that tracks/shares your location, to give other competitors/anglers access to your location, is strictly prohibited during any Anglers in Action event. Texting or messaging other competitors/anglers through these apps during an Anglers in Action event is strictly prohibited. If an angler/competitor is found to have violated this rule, they will be immediately disqualified and any winnings forfeited. We encourage all contestants to have a cell phone in their boat for emergency use only.
Assistance/Cell Phones: During official hours of competition, contestants may not purchase, barter, give, or request information on locating or catching fish to/
from anyone other than their team member they are fishing with that day. Contestants may not participate in the practice of “hole-sitting.” The use of mobile
communication devices such as cellular phones, marine radios, walkie-talkies, CBs, etc. to communicate fishing information during tournament hours is strictly
prohibited. We encourage all contestants to have a cell phone in their boat for emergency use only.
Baiting Holes/Brushpiles: Any contestant KNOWINGLY baiting a specific hole/brush pile prior to fishing an Anglers in Action tournament, or KNOWINGLY
having an outside source bait a specific hole/brush pile prior to fishing an Anglers in Action tournament, to gain an edge on the competition day, may face
disqualification from that event and any future Anglers in Action events.

PROTEST:
All protests must be submitted in writing to the Tournament Director within (10) minutes of the official closing of the scales. The appointed Tournament Advisory Board will handle all protests. The decision of the Tournament Director shall be final in all matters.

ATTENTION:
By contestant(s) signature on an entry form and/or participation in any Midwest Fish Tournaments LLC. event, contestant(s) agree that they have read all tournament rules and liability release below, and agree to abide by all rules, regulations, releases and tournament official’s decisions. The following participant agreement, waiver and release covers all Midwest Fish Tournaments, LLC., Anglers in Action Tournament Trail, Marie’s Memorial Bass Challenge, or any tournament hosted or ran by Midwest Fish Tournaments, LLC. In addition, I acknowledge that I have read, understand, and accept all the rules related to the tournament(s) and waive and release Midwest Fish Tournaments, LLC., Anglers in Action Tournament Trail, all other contestants, sponsors and their agents, all tournament officials, all weigh-in stations (including their property, staff, owners, and employees, from any and all claims of personal injuries, accidents, or death that may occur either on or off the water, as well as, any damaged, lost, or stolen property incurred in connection with a Midwest Fish Tournaments, LLC., Anglers in Action Tournament Trail, Marie’s Memorial Bass Challenge, or any tournament hosted or ran by Midwest Fish Tournaments, LLC. I understand that boat and liability insurance are my responsibility. By including my email address on the entry form I am agreeing to opt in to receiving information from Midwest Fish Tournaments, LLC. I hereby grant permission to Midwest Fish Tournaments, LLC., sponsors and their agents; and all tournament officials the right to publicize, video tape, photograph and /or broadcast my name, character, likeness or voice and the fact that I was a participant and/or winner, and all other matters incidental thereto. I agree that I am not entitled to receive any royalties or other compensation in connection with such use.
If I place for any prize I understand that I am responsible for paying all local, state and federal taxes, title, license and registration as a result of my participation in
any event ran by Midwest Fish Tournaments, LLC. I agree that any contestant, if absent from signing an entry form, understands all statements, rules and regulations and has given the signee the express permission to sign on his/her behalf. Contestant ratifies and approves entry in the event(s) made on his/her behalf by another and agrees thereby to be bound by all the rules of the tournament(s) by signature and/or participation in the tournament(s). My signature on an entry form and/or participation in any Midwest Fish Tournament, LLC. event reflects that I have read this entire document, understand it completely, understand it affects my legal rights, and agree to be bound by its terms.

KNOWLEDGE OF THESE RULES IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF EACH CONTESTANT:
Failure to read these rules or ignorance of them is no excuse. The Director reserves the right to reject any entry if he feels that it is not in the best interest of the Anglers in Action Tournament Trail. Any announcements made by the Director at the tournament site take precedent over written rules. Failure of a polygraph and/or cvsa exam in any Anglers in Action tournament or failure of a polygraph and/or cvsa exam in any other fishing tournament not related to Anglers in Action may result in disqualification from any and all future Anglers in Action tournaments. The decision of the Tournament Director shall be final in all matters.