2023 Wknd Warriors Co. March Madness Classic

All Water Bodies in Saskatchewan 

March 4 - 19, 2023
Saskatchewan CFE # L18-22PW-OLT

Official Rules

General:

1. This is a Catch, Photo, Record tournament to be held in Saskatchewan Province wide where it is legal to fish. Refer to the map attached to this event for the official boundaries. The tournament will be run using the MyCatch mobile app, which is a property of Angler’s Atlas.

2. Abuse of tournament officials and volunteers will not be tolerated.

3. Angler's 15 and younger must be fishing with an adult.

4. The entry fee is $60.00 per Adult and $30 for Youth - for this event, youth is anyone 15 & under. 

5. Each contestant must have a valid Saskatchewan fishing license or otherwise be exempt from needing one.

6. Fish finders are allowed in the tournament.

7. Fishing is within the boundaries of the Province of Saskatchewan detailed in the attached event map only. It is the angler’s responsibility to know and understand the boundary for this event.

8. Anglers may record fish between 06:00:00 am Saturday March 4, 2023, to 6:00:00 pm Sunday March 19, 2023.

9. Once the tournament concludes, a full review process will begin between the Organizer and their team.  Results will not be confirmed, announced, or made public until the morning of Tuesday March 21st, and no cash prizes will be awarded or sent until after the winner’s announcement has been made.

10. This is a Catch, Photo, Release event for Northern Pike, Walleye and Burbot only ice fishing tournament, no other species will be permitted.

11.  Only fish caught by hook and line will be allowed. Tip ups are permitted for this ice fishing event. All participants must only use up to a maximum of 2 rods while ice fishing. All participants are required to follow the Saskatchewan sportfishing regulations.

12.  Everyone participating will need to create an Anglers Atlas account (free) first. To do this,please complete the following: https://www.anglersatlas.com/sign-up

13.  All registration and payment must be completed online at https://www.anglersatlas.com/event/696/2023-march-madness-saskatchewan-2023 on the March Madness event using a credit card or PayPal. You cannot pay via cash or eTransfer, and your spot is not reserved until payment has been received. Remember to use the same email and log in that you created your Angler’s Atlas account. You will receive an automatic email confirming that you have entered the tournament and that your payment has gone through. Note: there will be a 2 hour time delay to be able to enter fish if you enter the event while the event is live.

14. Following the registration process, angler’s need to download and use the free MyCatch app (available on both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store) to submit their fish for the tournament. If you need help with the registration process, please watch this short video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7o3PzcIoGo4 

15.  There will be no refunds, no exceptions. 

16.  During the tournament, anglers will submit all their fish via the MyCatch app (for a video showing you exactly how to do this, watch here: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqwbAFFQE-w&t=2s). You cannot submit fish for this event any other way, and the photos MUST be taken in the app.

Entering Fish:

17.  Measuring and Submitting Fish

1. If you measure your fish on a commercially produced bump board, 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.

○ The entire fish showing past the head and past the tail must be visible in the measurement photo.

2. If you measure your fish entry on a homemade bump board, the measurement rules are the same as above BUT you must provide a photo or your homemade bump board to the organizer to verify measurement accuracy. Unverified boards will NOT be accepted.

3. No tape measures or soft fabric tapes will be allowed for this event.

4. We highly encourage conservation and proper handling of all fish caught. Handle the fish quickly and as little as possible. Do not hold or support the fish by its gills, gill covers or eyes. A fish's eyes and gills can freeze when exposed to sub-zero temperatures. Whenever possible, keep the fish in the water while handling. Wet your boards/rulers prior to measuring fish in cold conditions to help prevent freezing the fish to the board, especially if you are using an Angler's Atlas, Judge or other aluminum/metal boards

5. All contestants must have GPS/location services enabled on your cell phone for their catches to qualify. Your location data will be protected

6. Fish must be recorded immediately after they’ve been caught.

7. This is a total length measurement tournament. NOT fork length. The total length of a fish is measured from the tip of the nose or jaw to the tip of the tail. The tail may be pinched to the width of the board or left unpinched.  

8. All submissions must include (must be submitted through the MyCatch app):

1. The Measurement Photo 

2. Optional for this event is to also include a Hero photo of the angler holding the fish

3. Also optional but highly encouraged for this event is a Release Video of the fish being released alive but there may be prizes for this.

4. The mouth of the fish is allowed to be closed, open, or anywhere in between, so long as the upper and/or lower jaw of the head of the fish is clearly touching the bump of the board at 0 cm and the fish submission meets all of the requirements outlined in this section. There are to be no fingers or equipment placed in the gills or mouth of the fish. Anything in the gills or mouth of the fish will disqualify that fish. 

5. Fish must be measured right-side-down (i.e., right side of the fish is touching the bump board) 

6. All applicants must have their fish submitted before 6:00:00 am on Monday March 20, 2023. It is the applicant’s duty to ensure they have full cell service and all fish are synced before the deadline. Any fish synced to the app after 6:00 am will not be judged. 

18.  Practice using the MyCatch app ahead of time

1. Watch all four videos available at this link to familiarize yourself with the app: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1Yp9OqZ6saBgaKklT5jh6DkuTbai3NeJ

2. Test the app before you go out on the ice (note: the app allows you to record fish for your own personal logbook while not in an active tournament. Some features will appear slightly different when you are not in an active event, so please make sure you watch the YouTube videos at the link above).

19.  MyCatch in poor reception areas

1. The app will work without WiFi or any or strong cell service. If you submit a fish without any or strong enough service, the app will tell you that the fish has been recorded, and that it will sync up to the server once you return to service. Every fish you log (whether in good service or not) will appear in your app’s Log View (2nd icon from the left at the bottom). If you have fish “awaiting sync,” it will indicate this here and be orange in color. The submissions will eventually come through on their own once you return to service, but you can help speed up the process by “manually syncing” those pending logs (see how here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YU-AwLc8OLY) once you’re in service. The logs are time/date/location stamped to the moment that they were taken, so even if the submission is delayed, the time on that submission will still be accurate.

20.  Missing pictures on the Leaderboard 

2. Fish DO NOT show up on any of the leaderboards until they have been approved by the Organizer’s Team, so don’t expect to see them reflected on the leaderboard immediately.  If you want to ensure that your fish was recorded successfully, check the Log View of your app (2nd icon from the left at the bottom). If your fish is there, it logged successfully.

3. All photo submissions may be used by MyCatch by Angler's Atlas and Wknd Warriors Co for future use. By entering this event, your name may be publicly visible. 

General Rules:

21.  Tournament Organizer

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

2. 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 March Madness Event Rules

3. The interpretation and enforcement of the rules is at the sole discretion of the Organizer, aided by their committee and Angler’s Atlas representatives.  The tournament Organizer may change rules or impose sanctions as they deem appropriate, including but not limited to disqualifications, forfeiture of prizes, and prohibition from competing in future tournaments.  All decisions made by the tournament Organizer are final.

4. 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.

5. Following the conclusion of the event, all fish in prize-winning positions will be reviewed and adjusted by the Organizer’s Team.  Following this review process, the results will be final.

6. The Organizer for this event can be reached at [email protected] 

22.  Sportsmanship

1. All participants are expected to follow high standards of sportsmanship, courtesy, safety, and conservation.  Any participant who displays poor sportsmanship, violates these rules, or brings unfavorable publicity to the sport of fishing could be disqualified. Encroachment is considered a sportsmanship rule.

23.  Inclement Weather/Cancelation

1. Keep mobile phones on throughout the tournament in order to receive communication from the Organizer in the event of postponement or cancellation.  Due to the nature of tournament fishing, no refunds will be issued. This is at the discretion of your tournament Organizer.

24.  Prizes - All Cash Prizes are GUARANTEED!

1. Adult - 1st Place Overall Longest Northern Pike wins $650

2. Adult - 2nd Place Overall Longest Northern Pike wins $250

3. Adult - 3rd Place Overall Longest Northern Pike wins $100 

4. Adult - 1st Place Overall Longest Walleye wins $650

5. Adult - 2nd Place Overall Longest Walleye wins $250

6. Adult - 3rd Place Overall Longest Walleye wins $100

7. Adult - 1st Place Overall Longest Burbot wins $650

8. Adult - 2nd Place Overall Longest Burbot wins $250

9. Adult - 3rd Place Overall Longest Burbot wins $100
   Youth Prizing will be announced prior to end of event.

25. All cash Prizes are based on a full field of 100 anglers. If the tournament doesn’t fill, the payouts above are a minimum and will be guaranteed. Prizes may be awarded through either E-transfer, cheque or entry fee refund.

27.  Tiebreakers

    1. Time of submission of the tied fish - First Fish Entered wins the tie break.

28. Laws and Regulations

    1. All federal, provincial, local laws and all fishing rules must be abided by.

    2. Failure to comply with any tournament rules subjects participants to disqualification and removal from the tournament, as determined by the tournament officials. The right to refuse sale and/or revoke a competition entry to anyone is hereby reserved.
       c. Fishing should occur in 7 Meters or less
       d. All fish must be released - no retention of any fish during the event.

29.  Cheating

    1. Each fish must be entered only once.

    2. All entries submitted through the app now have a unique, identifiable QR code attached to it. 

    3. All protests must be brought to the Organizer’s attention before the end of the tournament.

    4. Anyone caught breaking the law or disobeying the rules will be disqualified.

    5. Fish must be hooked and caught live in a conventional manner.  Fish cannot be snagged, netted, speared etc.

30.  Safety 

    1. Participants are responsible for their own safety, actions, and property at all times.

    2. This is an ice fishing event. Practice ice safety at all times! Fishing is only allowed on a minimum of at least 4 inches of ice. Only walk and fish where it is safe to do so. 

    3. Measure fish inside tents or ice shacks whenever possible, especially when temperatures dip below -10 degrees celsius

    4. Wet your boards/rulers prior to measuring fish in cold conditions to help prevent freezing the fish to the board, especially if you are using a Judge or other aluminum/metal boards and you intend on releasing the fish.

 

31.  Data Privacy and Fisheries Research on the MyCatch app

“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? See below:

1.  Angler’s Atlas does not release MyCatch GPS data (latitude and longitude) 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 must 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.

8. 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 angler’s into the future. If anyone has any questions, please feel free to reach out to Angler’s Atlas President directly via email ([email protected]).