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ATLANTIC ANGLERS CHALLENGE
TOURNAMENT RULES
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1. Getting Started
A. Atlantic Anglers Challenge is an online tournament run through Angler’s Atlas website and the mobile app MyCatch.
B. This is an individual event, not a team event.
C. There is a $25 registration fee to enter the tournament.
D. Participants must be logged into the same account they registered for the tournament with when they submit catches through MyCatch the app.
E. All catches must be submitted through the MyCatch app and cannot be loaded from the photo gallery.
F. All contestants must register for the tournament via this URL:
https://www.anglersatlas.com/tournament/507/atlantic-anglers-challenge-2021
G. You will receive an automatic email confirming that you have entered the tournament and that your payment has gone through.
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. You must use the same login email and password that you used to register in the tournament. (https://www.anglersatlas.com/mycatch)
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.
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2. Catch Reporting Rules
A. Although we encourage catch and release, harvesting is permissible where fishing regulations allow it.
B. This event is open to all species that can legally be angled.
C. 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).
D. 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.
E. If you measure your fish entry on a commercially produced bumpboard, the measurement rules are as follows. The nose of the fish must be visibly touching the bump end of the board, the fish must be placed on top of the board and the entire fish showing the head and tail and past the tail must be visible in the measurement photo.
F. If you measure your fish entry on a homemade bumpboard, the measurement rules are the same as above BUT you must provide a photo to the organizer of the empty board to verify proof of measurement accuracy. Unverified boards will NOT be accepted.
G. If you measure your fish using a tape measure, the measurement rules are as follows. The fish nose must be aligned with the zero mark on the tape, the fish cannot be on top of the tape measure or cover it in any way, and the entire fish showing the head and tail and past the tail must be visible in the measurement photo.
H. The photo must be taken from a birds-eye view looking down on the fish.
I. 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.
J. The mouth is allowed to be open, closed, or anywhere in between, so long as the fish meets the other above requirements.
K. There are to be no fingers placed in the gills of the fish. Any fingers in the gills of the fish will disqualify that fish.
L. For species diversity categories, the photo must show the entire fish so it can be identified by tournament organizers.
M. 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.
N. Catches that are submitted will be reviewed for approval at least once per day during the week. Once the submissions are reviewed and approved, they appear immediately on the appropriate leaderboard(s). DO NOT EXPECT to see entries show up immediately after you log them.
O. A great resource is the MyCatch video that shows how to complete an entry: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqwbAFFQE-w&list=PL1Yp9OqZ6saBgaKklT5jh6DkuTbai3NeJ&index=1

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3. Tournament Location and Times
A. Tournament boundaries are anywhere within the provinces of New Brusnwick, Nova Scotia, PEI and Newfoundland and Labrador, including salt water.
B. The tournament runs from: Thursday, July 1 at 6:00 am to September 6 at 6:00 pm Atlantic Standard Time.
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.
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4. Awards & Prizes
A. Proceeds from the tournament will be distributed as prizes in accordance with the prizing categories below.
- Most Species caught = $200
- 2nd most species caught = $100
- 3rd most species caught = $50
- Longest Striped Bass = $200
- Longest Smallmouth Bass = $200
- Longest Largemouth Bass = $200
- Longest Chain Pickerel = $200
- Longest Yellow Perch = $200
- Longest Brook Trout = $200
- Longest Cod = $200
- Plus 10 weekly prizes for weekly challenges as announced through the Atlantic Anglers Challenge Facebook page.

B. A participant can only win one weekly prize and one longest fish prize.
C. Awards will be announced Friday September 10th. Winning anglers will be contacted directly using the contact information provided in the tournament registration process.
D. In the case of a tie, the tie break will go to the person who caught their fish first.
E. Other prizes may be added to this list as they become available.
F. Tournament organizers reserve the right to adjust entries.
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5. Other Rules
A. 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 Atlantic Anglers Challenge Event Rules.
B. 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. Anglers are free to fish alone or with other tournament or non-tournament anglers, but each registered angler may only enter their own fish on their own app.
C. 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.
D. Each contestant must have in their possession a valid fishing license for their respective jurisdiction or be exempt under regulations within their jurisdiction. Example, in some jurisdictions a salt water license is not required.
E. Each contestant must conform to the fishing rules and regulations that are in place for the jurisdiction in which they are fishing.
F. Promoters and organizers assisting in the tournament operation are not responsible for death, injury, damage, liability, theft, fire or any loss to any contestants.
G. Any angler found to be cheating will be disqualified from the tournament. Angler’s Atlas also reserves the right to ban anglers from competing in future events.
H. In the event of disqualification, any paid entry fees will be forfeited and not refunded.
I. All rules have loopholes. It is our intention to provide an honest sportsmanlike tournament. In the interest of good sportsmanship, contestants are reminded the spirit of the rule will prevail in all judgments.
J. All questions or concerns relating to the rules of this tournament are to be referred to the tournament Organizer. Their decision will be final in all cases. No other person can be considered a spokesman for the rules during the tournament. The Organizer for this event is Shayna Hamilton and can be reached by email at [email protected]
K. Any contestant has the right to make a protest against another contestant by contacting the Organizer 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 dollar protest fee may need to accompany the protest. The fee will be returned if the protest is found to be valid.
L. To ensure the best chances of survival of all fish, all participants are to handle fish safely. Blatant abuse to fish or the resource is reason for disqualification
M. All COVID-19 Public Health orders and Gathering Restrictions at the time of the event must be followed by all participants
N. All photo submissions may be used by MyCatch by Angler's Atlas for future use.
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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]).
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