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Bucky Houdmann Memorial Invitational Fishing Tournament 2019
Saturday, June 22, 2019

Bucky Houdmann Memorial Invitational Fishing Tournament

2019 Tournament Rules

This is an “INVITATIONAL TOURNAMENT”.  Each team and/or individual will be allowed to enter the BHMIFT only by invitation from BHMIFT “Registration Officials”.  Anyone who has entered tournament without an invitation will result in the entire team being disqualified and all entry fees and/or other monies paid shall not be refunded.  PLEASE MAKE SURE THAT YOU HAVE COMPLETED YOUR REGISTRATION FORM IN ITS ENTIRETY TO PREVENT ANY CONFUSSION AS TO YOUR ENVOLVEMENT IN THIS INVITATIONAL TOURNAMENT.  Any questions, please contact BHMIFT “Registration Officials” Scot Deason at (361) 774-0054 or Ben Huser at (361) 449-7670.  The Registration Officials reserve the right to refuse entry into the BHMIFT, with or without cause, at its sole discretion.  

By participating, the entrant hereby releases, indemnifies and agrees to hold harmless, any directors, members and other persons affiliated with The Bucky Houdmann Memorial Invitational Fishing Tournament and/or Live Oak County Area Go-Texan, Inc., from any claim, damages, lawsuits and other liability of any nature including but not limited to personal injury, death or property damage resulting directly or indirectly from participants activities related to The Bucky Houdmann Memorial Invitational Fishing Tournament.

Tournament Registration is to be completed and submitted by 7:00 p.m. Friday, June 21, 2019.  Click here to download the Registration Form.  Registration Officials reserve the right to accept and extend time period for registration.

All entries received prior to June 1, 2019, will receive an official BHMIFT shirt.  All entries received after June 1, 2019 will be given a shirt on a first-come, first-serve basis.

PARTICIPATION

  1. Each angler must have met all financial obligations to BHMIFT for tournament entry fees and for non-fishing guest fees.
  2. Teams may have a maximum of four (4) anglers on one (1) boat with a minimum of no less than two (2) anglers per boat.
  3. All team members are required to leave and fish from one boat.
  4. Fishing fees are $250.00 per person, minimum of $750.00 per boat.  Non-fishing guest fees for the entire event will be $150.00.
  5. A Team captain must be designated for each team.
  6. Each angler must have received an invitation and/or clearance from BHMIFT “Registration Officials”.
  7. Non-fishing guests are NOT allowed in contestants boats anytime during tournament hours.
  8. Each contestant is responsible for the assembly of their own team.  Please consider and put your team together prior to registration. 

TOURNAMENT OFFICIALS

The Tournament Officials are Scot Deason and Karri Simmons.  The Tournament Officials have the right to disqualify and remove from competition any of the contestants for failure to comply and abide by tournament rules and regulations.

REGULATIONS

  1. All anglers must adhere to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Fishing and Boating Rules and Regulations during the tournament. 
  2. All contestants must have a valid fishing license with saltwater stamp and are required to follow all applicable Federal, State and Local Regulations and laws.
  3. The actual fishing day is Saturday, June 22, 2019. Teams are not required to check in on Saturday morning prior to fishing, although breakfast and sack lunches will be provided to all fisherman at the “COC” pavilion.  Teams may depart from an origination point of their choice at any time on that morning.
  4. FISHING TIME STARTS AT 6:00 A.M.  Anglers shall not begin fishing or have a line in the water prior to 6:00 a.m. on Saturday.
  5. Each angler shall not fish with more than one pole. You may have more than one rod per angler on the boat, but you cannot fish with more than one at a time.
  6. Wade fishing is allowed.
  7. Live, dead or artificial bait is allowed.
  8. A 50 yard buffer zone between boats is to be maintained.

WEIGH-IN RULES

  1. Tournament fishing will take place from 6:00 a.m. Saturday until check-in time from 12:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. at the Port Mansfield COC Pavilion.
  2. All fish must be sorted prior to entering the designated check-in area.
  3. The weigh Master will not help team separate fish for competition.
  4. Any one fish CAN NOT be counted in more than one category.
  5. Any fish or stringer of fish that leads during the weigh-in time shall temporarily become the property of BHMIFT Tournament Officials and shall remain at check-in until tournament results are final.
  6. All fish submitted for entry and weigh-in must be in edible condition.
  7. All fish to be weighed in must come from the boats live well or ice chest.
  8. The fish weighed in cannot be altered in any way.  Tails cannot be cut, nothing can be stuffed in them. Fish must be fresh from day of fishing only.  Tournament Officials have the right to gut and examine fish.  Any fish that is found with any kind of undigested and/or other un-natural weighted material will be disqualified.
  9. Teams will be allowed to weigh in one time only.
  10. Any fish that does not meet any applicable State, Federal or Tournament Regulation limits at weigh station will be disqualified and removed from team stringer or from the heaviest fish division.

PROTESTS AND POLYGRAPHS

Any contestant who wishes to report a violation of BHMIFT rules or regulations shall notify one of the Tournament Officials.  The contestant reporting the alleged violation shall put the incident in writing, detailing the specific rule and/or regulation which has been violated and shall deliver the written protest to Tournament Officials prior to 6:00 p.m. on Saturday June 22, 2019. Any reported violation not made in conformity with these requirements will not be considered.  The decision of the Tournament Officials will be final in all cases.

Each contestant, by signing the registration form and by participating in the tournament, agrees to submit to a polygraph test if deemed necessary by Tournament Officials.    Failure to pass a polygraph test will be grounds for disqualification from the tournament and exclusion from any trophies, titles awards or prizes.  Any contestant who elects not to take polygraph examination shall be automatically disqualified.  Any contestant that fails a polygraph test or elects not to take polygraph test will not be entitled to any refund of entry fees or other monies paid and may be barred from future BHMIFT from this date forward.  For clarification of a “passing” grade on a polygraph test, the term “non-deceptive” is the term used for person passing a polygraph test.

RED AND BLUE DIVISION

Each divisions will compete independently of the other.  It is our intention to make this a fair and fun tournament for all. The two division will be as follows:

  1. RED DIVISION:  Any team that has at least one member that is a “fishing guide”, guide for hire, currently possess a captains license or has in the past obtained a captains license shall be deemed a “Red” team.
  2. BLUE DIVISION:  All members shall have never been either a fishing guide, guide for hire or obtained a captains license in the past.

PRIZES, FISH CATEGORIES, SIZE AND LIMITS

BHMIFT definition of slot fish is as follows: 

  • Speckled Trout slot fish is under 25” 
  • Red Fish slot fish is between 20” - 28”.

Prizes will be awarded in both Red and Blue Divisions as to the following:

  1. Heaviest combined stringer of five (5) BHMIFT slot Speckled Trout and three (3) BHMIFT slot Red Fish.
  • 1stplace                $ 2,500.00
  • 2ndplace              $ 2,000.00
  • 3rdplace               $ 1,500.00
  1. Heaviest single Speckled Trout within the BHMIFT slot size - $ 500.00
  2. Heaviest single Red Fish within the BHMIFT slot size - $ 500.00

CALCUTTA RULES:

Please understand that we are all here to have some fun and raise scholarship funds for the students of George West and Three Rivers Independent School Districts.  There is a 60/40 split of the proceeds generated from the Calcutta.  60% will be given back to the fishing participants via a 50/30/20 split for 1st-2nd-3rdplace. 40% will go to the scholarship fund.

Anyone can participate in the BHMIFT Calcutta.  Please understand that whoever the person is that is the “Buyer” of a team will be the person that receives payment from the tournament and the “Buyer” will also be the one that receives the tax statement from Live Oak County Area Go Texan, Inc.  LOCAGT will only cut one check per team for the calcutta proceeds.  Any split between buyer, the team or any other person is the buyers sole responsibility.  EXCEPTION:  If a “Buyer” is a team member of the team that is entitled to proceeds from placing in the tournament and if requested by “Buyer”, Live Oak County Area Go Texan, Inc. will cut no more than four (4) checks to the team members on the winning boat. Each check to include money for the calcutta percentage along with the prize money for placing in the tournament both added together.