2022 Township of Sables-Spanish Rivers (TSSR) Fishing Tournament

August 26 - September 5, 2022

Event Rules

1. Getting Started

1. The Township of Sables-Spanish Rivers (TSSR) Fishing Tournament is an online tournament run through Angler’s Atlas website and their mobile app MyCatch.

2. Anyone can participate in the Township of Sables-Spanish Rivers (TSSR) Fishing Tournament and it is for all ages. Registration is currently only able to support individual registration. For those participants sharing a mobile device, participants must login to their own account to submit their catches through the manage accounts feature.

3. There is a $30.00 registration fee for adults and a $15.00 fee for Youth (15 & under) to enter the tournament.

4. Catches must be submitted through the MyCatch app for approval.

5. 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.

6. All contestants must register for the tournament via this URL: https://www.anglersatlas.com/tournament/604/2022-township-of-sablesspanish-rivers-tssr-fishing-tournament-2022

7. You will receive an automatic email confirming that you have entered the tournament and that your payment has gone through.

8. 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 using the same login email and password that you used to register in the tournament.

9. By participating in this event your name may be publicly visible.

10. 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.

11. A great resource to refer to is our How To Register For A Tournament video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7o3PzcIoGo4&t=8s

2. Catch Reporting Rules

1. This event is for the following species: Largemouth/Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike and Walleye 

2. 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). 

3. 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.

4. This is a total length measurement tournament. NOT fork length. See pic for reference. The total length of a fish is measured from the tip of the nose or jaw to the tip of the tail with the tail pinched.

5. The nose of the fish must be at the start or zero mark on all measuring devices and the total length is taken where the longest length of the tail crosses the measurements on the measuring device.

6. The photo must be taken from a birds-eye view looking down on the fish. 

7. All fish must be measured with the right side down (the right side of the fish must be facing down or touching the board) and the left side of the fish facing upwards.   

8. 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 must be visible in the measurement photo. We must also see past the head and tail in the photo - do not cut off the head in the photo.

9. 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. Homemade bumpboards must have a solid edge or "bump" for the fish to be set against and it must line up with the 0 mark on the tape. Unverified boards will NOT be accepted.

10. If you measure your fish using a tape measure, the measurement rules are as follows. The fish nose and the start of the tape must be aligned by placing both against a solid edge. The fish's 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. Do not use fabric or flexible measuring tapes.

11. Soft measuring tapes are not allowed for this event.

12. Tournament organizers reserve the right to adjust entries.

13. Where a fish is not aligned with the zero mark, the Catch Approval team will decide the length to be attributed. 

14. 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. All catches will be approved to the last physical line on a measuring device. If it extends past a mark but there are no physical lines to confirm the true length, the last mark it crosses will be used.

15. The mouth is allowed to be open, closed, or anywhere in between, so long as the fish meets the other above requirements 

16. 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. This rule applies to the Measurement photo only (not the hero or release video)

17. A second photo, often called the Hero Shot, may be submitted and is optional for this event. 
    

18. You will also be prompted to submit a live video release of the fish. This is also optional for this event but there will be a prize for the best release video chosen by the organizers.

19. 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.

20. Catches that are submitted will be reviewed for approval at least once per day during the week. Our Catch Approval Team made up of trained biology students will be reviewing and approving all fish. 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.

21. IMPORTANT: Arguing against or trying to attribute reason as to why any of the above rules could not be followed will have ZERO bearing on the ruling of a rejected fish. “It was cold/windy” or “My buddy can verify...” will not be considered, and NO exceptions will be made. It is on the angler to review their photo thoroughly and submit an acceptable photo based on the above rules.

22. A great resource is the MyCatch video that shows how to complete an entry: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqwbAFFQE-w

3. Tournament Location and Times

1. Tournament boundaries are based on the legal fishing areas with the limits of the Township of Sables-Spanish Rivers, however an additional 20km buffer zone has been established to these boundaries to include neighbouring communities such as  the Town of Spanish, Township of Baldwin-McKerrow, Town of Espanola, Sagamok Anishawbek First Nation, Serpent River First Nation, and Little Current. Please reference the tournament boundary map to ensure you're fishing within the designated area for your catch to qualify.

2. The tournament runs from:

Friday, August 26, 2022 starting at 6:00:00 am through to

Monday, September 5, 2022 at 6:00:00  pm 

3. All catches made within the start and end times must be synchronized with the Angler’s Atlas server within the event times to qualify. A great resource to refer to on how to manually sync your catches if needed is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YU-AwLc8OLY&t=4s

4. At the discretion of the tournament director, tournament days may be shortened, postponed or canceled due to unsafe weather or water conditions.

4. Awards &  Prizes

1. Proceeds from the tournament will be distributed as prizes in accordance with the prizing categories below. Prize payouts will be adjusted if the event does not fill to the expected number of participants - see 4B

Adult 1st Place Longest Largemouth/Smallmouth Bass wins 23.3% of adult prize money pool

Adult 2nd Place Longest Largemouth/Smallmouth Bass wins 10% of adult prize money pool

Adult 1st Place Longest Northern Pike wins 23.3% of adult prize money pool

Adult 2nd Place Longest Northern Pike wins 10% of adult prize money pool

Adult 1st Place Longest Walleye wins 23.3% of adult prize money pool

Adult 2nd Place Longest Walleye wins 10% of adult prize money pool

Youth 1st Place Longest Largemouth/Smallmouth Bass wins 23.3% of youth prize money pool

Youth 2nd Place Longest Largemouth/Smallmouth Bass wins 10% of youth prize money pool

Youth 1st Place Longest Northern Pike wins 23.3% of youth prize money pool

Youth 2nd Place Longest Northern Pike wins 10% of youth prize money pool

Youth 1st Place Longest Walleye wins 23.3% of youth prize money pool

Youth 2nd Place Longest Walleye wins 10% of youth prize money pool

Best Video Release of a fish - prize TBD
Other prizes will be added as they become available such as "hidden Length" etc.....

If there are no entries for one species, the money will be added to the other species for awarding.

2. Prize amounts are based on a full field of 75 anglers. If the tournament doesn’t fill, the payout percentages for each paid position will remain the same and will be adjusted accordingly. Cash prizes may be awarded through either E-transfer, cheque or entry fee refund. 

3. A participant can only win one prize placing per species.

4. Awards will be announced on or by September 8th after all entries have been reviewed and anglers will be contacted directly using the contact information provided in the tournament registration process.

5. In the case of a tie, the tie break will go to the person with the highest number of fish reported. If a tie still exists, the tie break will be the time of the first fish recorded.

6. Anglers have up to 60 days to claim their prize. Anglers that do not claim their prize within this period forfeit their prize

5. Other Rules

1. 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 Township of Sables-Spanish Rivers (TSSR) Fishing Tournament event rules. 

2. To ensure the best chances of survival for released fish, all participants are to handle fish safely. Blatant abuse to fish or the resource is reason for disqualification.

3. 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.

4. This is a team event. Anglers should only submit catches that they have caught as a team. One team member should enter all fish for the team.

5. 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. Usage of a landing net to land a hooked fish is allowed.

6. Each contestant must have in their possession a valid fishing license for their respective jurisdiction or be exempt under regulations of their jurisdiction.

7. Each contestant must conform to the fishing rules and regulations that are in place for the jurisdiction in which they are fishing. You must follow all regulations pertaining to possession limits.

8. Promoters and organizers assisting in the tournament operation are not responsible for death, injury, damage, liability, theft, fire or any loss to any contestants.

9. 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.

10. In the event of disqualification, any paid entry fees will be forfeited and not refunded.

11. 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.

12. All questions or concerns relating to the rules of this tournament are to be referred to the Organizer or their designated 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 Angler's Atlas Catch Approval team and can be reached by email at [email protected] (please include the name of the event in your email).

13. Any contestant has the right to make a protest against another contestant by contacting an 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 $100.00 dollar protest fee may need to accompany the protest. The fee will be returned if the protest is found to be valid.

14. All participants must follow boating safety regulations in your jurisdiction.

15. All photo and video 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?

1. 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.

2. Every research team we work with must sign a data sharing agreement that sets the terms of use for the data.

3. Data is anonymized before it is provided to the researcher.

4. Researchers agree not to share the data with anyone else.

5. Researchers cannot use the data for any purpose other than the research specified in the agreement. 

6. 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. 

7. Angler’s Atlas may release data to a law enforcement agency if compelled to do so under court order.

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]).