1. Getting Started A. The Western Canada Kayak Fishing Trail - WCKFT Freshwater Summer Slam is an online tournament run through Angler’s Atlas website and their mobile app MyCatch. B. Anyone can participate in the WCKFT and it is for all ages. Registration is currently only able to support individual registration. For those without a personal cell phone (such as children) the participant will need to submit through a parent’s account regardless of whether the parent is participating in the tournament or not. C. There is a $50 registration fee to enter the tournament. D. Catches must be submitted through the MyCatch app for judging anytime during that period. E. In order for catches to be sent properly, you must use the same login email and password for both the Angler’s Atlas website and the MyCatch app. F. All contestants must register for the tournament via this URL: https://www.anglersatlas.com/tournament/ G. You will receive an automatic email confirming that you have entered the tournament. You will receive a separate email confirming official entry once payment is received. H. Once accepted into the tournament, download the free MyCatch mobile app which is available for both iOS (Apple App Store) and Android (Google Play Store) and login to activate the tournament on the app again using the same login email and password that you used to register in the tournament. (https://www.anglersatlas.com/mycatch) I. Protecting anglers’ privacy is a priority, and any location data collected during the tournament will not be released to the public. Our promise to anglers is “Secret Fishing Spots Stay Secret”. See below for further details. 2. Catch Reporting Rules A. This event is catch and release only. Eligible species include: Rainbow Trout-10”min, Brook Trout-10”min, Brown Trout-10”min, Golden Trout-10”min, Tiger Trout-10”min, Cutthroat Trout-10”min, Lake Trout-14”min, Bull Trout-14”min, Steelhead Trout-14”min, Arctic Grayling-10”min, Kokanee-10”min, Northern Pike-24”min, Walleye-14”min, Sauger-10”min, Yellow Perch-6”min, Sunfish-6”min, Goldeye-8”min, Mooneye-8”min, Whitefish-10”min, Inconnu-14”min, Carp-14”min, Burbot-14”min, Suckers-10”min, Smallmouth Bass-10”min, Largemouth Bass-10”min and Bowfin-24”min. The tournament will be best of 5 of each of the target species. Recognize fish species using the information below: https://www.alberta.ca/alberta-game-fish-species.aspx http://www.albertafishingguide.com/fish B. In order to maintain a fair scoring system, scoring will be a points system based on length. Points are awarded as follows: 1. 10 points for the first fish of that species entered so long as it meets the minimum size requirements 2. 1 point for each additional fish of that species caught that meets minimum size (up to a total of 4 points) 3. 0.125 points for each additional ¼” of size over the minimum requirement. C. MyCatch Tournament Leaderboards report the length of each fish species caught, points will be determined separately by WCKFT organizers and can be found on the WCKFT Summer Slam Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/wckftss/ D. In order for each catch to qualify, a photograph of the fish on a measuring device must be taken using the MyCatch app (ie. photos cannot be uploaded from a photo gallery or other source). E. All contestants must have GPS/location services enabled on your cell phone for their catches to qualify. Your location data will be protected. For more information, see details below. F. All length-based prize categories require the use of a ‘bump board’ or other measuring device that clearly shows the length of the fish. The nose of the fish must be aligned with the start of the measuring device, with both the nose and the tail clearly visible in the photograph.The photo must be taken from a birds-eye view looking down on the fish. G. This is a pinched tail measurement tournament. NOT fork length. H. Fish must be placed on top of the measuring device. I. The fish must be measured belly-to-belly (the belly of the fish facing the belly of the person/angler holding the fish). The head of the fish must be on the left side of the photo, with the tail on the right. J. While the fish is being held on the ruler, a “scoring” photo must be taken of the fish which clearly shows the overall length of the fish. The HEAD and TAIL of the fish as well as the start of the bump board and past the end of the tail must be included and shown clearly. A photo that does not clearly show the overall length of the fish, including head and tail, on the ruler WILL NOT BE SCORED. More than one attempt to get a valid scoring photo is allowed. The app will prompt you to either accept the photo or retake a photo. K. There are to be no fingers placed in the gills or mouth of the fish. Any fingers in the gills or mouth of the fish will disqualify that fish. L. Blatant abuse to fish or the resource is reason for disqualification M. For species diversity categories, the photo must show the entire fish so it can be identified by tournament organizers. N. The app works out of cell range, and catches will synchronize with the server once the user opens the app when back in cell range, or via a wifi signal. Photos are date, time, and location stamped to the moment that they are taken. If the catches are not synced by the prizing deadline, they will not qualify for prizes. O. Catches that are submitted will be reviewed on a timely basis. Once the submissions are reviewed, they will be immediately visible on the appropriate Leaderboards. (Cellular service permitting) P. Identifiers are NOT required for this platform, all data will be uploaded with use of the MyCatch App for angler verification. Q. A great resource is the MyCatch video that shows how to complete an entry: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3x5Zx-1APcs 3. Tournament Location and Times A. The tournament is open to all of Western Canada including BC, AB, SK, MB, YT, NWT, NVT and all fish must be caught in Canadian Freshwater. B. The tournament runs from: May 15, 2021 to September 15, 2021 C. All catches made within the start and end times must be synchronized with the Angler’s Atlas server within the event times to qualify. 4. Awards & Prizes A. Proceeds from the tournament will be distributed as prizes in accordance with the prizing matrix as determined by WCKF organizers. Contact organizer Trevor Thompson for details ([email protected]) B. First place will also receive an Orion Cooler valued at over $500 donated by Jackson Kayak. Prizes will be awarded for positions 2-5 as well. C. A participant can only win one prize placing. D. Awards will be announced on Thursday, September 16th at 7:00 pm MST and winners will be contacted directly using the contact information provided in the tournament registration process. E. In the case of a tie, the tie break will go to the person with the highest number of fish reported. F. Tournament organizers reserve the right to adjust entries and all decisions by Tournament Organizers are final. 5. Other Rules A. All watercraft used in this event must be human powered the entire duration of the tournament. The watercraft must meet or exceed all federal and provincial watercraft safety regulations. B. By registering and participating in the tournament, all participants agree to abide by the rules and regulations they have received as set out in the WCKFT Tournament event rules. C. This tournament is catch and release ONLY. Harvesting fish will result in disqualification. The goal is to achieve a 0% mortality rate. D. Harvesting fish will result in disqualification. E. All participants must use barbless hooks only. For the purposes of interpreting this condition: i. A hook means a single, double, or triple pointed hook on a common shaft, and includes hooks and attached to a line or lure and: ii: Barbless hooks include hooks with barbs removed or hooks with pinched barbs lying flat against the shaft of the hook such that they are not functional. F. Anglers can only submit catches that they have caught themselves. This is an individual tournament, so you cannot enter as a partnership or team, and under no circumstances can you share fish with any other angler. G. All fish entered for this event must be caught via angling i.e. using hook, line, rod and reel. At no time will fish caught by non angling (i.e. use of traps, trap nets or cages) be allowed to be entered. H. Each contestant must have in their possession a valid fishing license for their respective jurisdiction or be exempt under regulations of their jurisdiction. I. Each contestant must conform to the fishing rules and regulations that are in place for the jurisdiction in which they are fishing. J. Promoters and organizers assisting in the tournament operation are not responsible for death, injury, damage, liability, theft, fire or any loss to any contestants. K. Any angler found to be cheating will be disqualified from the tournament. Angler’s Atlas and the WCFKT also reserves the right to ban anglers from competing in future events. L. In the event of disqualification, any entry fees will be forfeited and not refunded. M. All rules have loopholes. It is our intention 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 judgments. N. All questions or concerns relating to the rules of this tournament are to be referred to the Organizer or their designated Authorized Tournament Protest and Appeals Committee. Their decision will be final in all cases. No other person can be considered a spokesman for the rules during the tournament. The contact person for this event is Trevor Thomson and can be reached via email at: [email protected] O. Any contestant has the right to make a protest against another contestant by contacting an Organizer or an Authorized Tournament Protest and Appeals Committee through email and must be completed and presented within 1 hour of the close of the tournament. Their decision will be final in all cases. A $100.00 dollar protest fee may need to accompany the form. The fee will be returned if the protest is found to be valid. P. An infraction witnessed by a competitor can be reported to the Organizer or the Authorized Tournament Protest and Appeal Committee. In the event that an infraction is reported or a protest is entered, the Organizer or the Committee, appointed prior to the tournament; may convene. Q. To ensure the best chances of survival for the fish, all participants are required to handle fish safely. R. All Covid-19 Public Health orders and Gathering Restrictions at the time of the event must be followed by all participants S. All participants must wear a personal flotation device (PFD) at all times while on the water. T. All photo submissions may be used by MyCatch by Angler's Atlas for future use. 6. Data Privacy and Fisheries Research “Secret Fishing Spots Stay Secret” — This is our primary commitment to anglers who report their catches through MyCatch. So what does this mean in practice? A. Angler’s Atlas does not release MyCatch GPS data to the public. It is treated as confidential and is provided to fisheries researchers under strict conditions. B. Every research team we work with must sign a data sharing agreement that sets the terms of use for the data. C. Data is anonymized before it is provided to the researcher. D. Researchers agree not to share the data with anyone else. E. Researchers cannot use the data for any purpose other than the research specified in the agreement. F. Exact location data cannot be published as part of the scientific research. Instead, it has to be generalized to a larger region so the location cannot be reverse engineered. These data privacy rules are designed to protect our angler’s private data, to conserve the fisheries, and to make sure we maintain a trusting relationship with our anglers into the future. If anyone has any questions, please feel free to reach out to Angler’s Atlas President directly by email ([email protected]).