2024 Township of Sables-Spanish Rivers (TSSR) Fishing Tournament

August 16 - September 2, 2024

Event Rules

1. General Information

1. This is a length-based fishing tournament to be held in the Township of Sables-Spanish Rivers (TSSR). Refer to the map attached to this event for the official boundaries. 

2. The tournament will be run through the MyCatch mobile app.

3. Anyone can participate in the 2024 Township of Sables-Spanish Rivers (TSSR) Fishing Tournament and it is for all ages. Each registration applies to a single individual. For those participants sharing a mobile device, participants must login to their own account to submit their catches through the manage accounts feature.

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

5. Anglers 15 and younger must be fishing with an adult.

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

7. Anglers may record fish between 6:00:00 am Friday August 16, 2024, to 6:00:00 pm Monday September 2, 2024.

8. Refer to your mobile phones 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.

2.Getting Started

1. 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.

2. Anglers will need to download and use the free MyCatch app (available on both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store) to submit their fish entries for the tournament. For first time users, you must set up your account first. To do this, please complete the following: https://www.anglersatlas.com/sign-up If you previously have had the app, we suggest doing a check to see if there are updates or simply reload the app.   

3. Anglers must then also register for the tournament online at https://www.anglersatlas.com/event/813/2024-township-of-sablesspanish-rivers-tssr-fishing-tournament-2024  If you need help with the registration process, please watch this short video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7o3PzcIoGo4  

4. You will receive an automatic email confirming that you have entered the event. 

5. Practice using the MyCatch app ahead of time

1. Watch all three 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 fishing (note: the app allows you to record fish for your own personal logbook while not in an active event. 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).

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

7. Protecting anglers’ privacy is a priority, and any location data collected during the event will not be released to the public. Our promise to anglers is “Secret Fishing Spots Stay Secret”. See below for further details.  

3. Catch Reporting Rules

1. This length based event is catch and release only and is for the following species: Smallmouth Bass/Largemouth Bass, Lake Trout, Northern Pike and Walleye - all fish must be released. 

2. Recognize fish species using the following information: https://files.ontario.ca/environment-and-energy/fishing/198234.pdf

3. 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). Our app now tags each entry with a unique, identifiable QR code. 

4. 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 section 8 below for details. 

5. Each fish must be entered only once.

6. Fish should be entered as soon as possible after catching and catches must be recorded at the fishing site.

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. This is a total length measurement tournament. NOT fork length. See pic below 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 naturally pinched. The tail may be pinched to the width of a board or left unpinched.

9. 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. If a fish is longer than the angler's bump board, the longest measurement on the board will be counted. 

10. 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.. 

11. 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 or at 0 cm and the fish submission meets all of the requirements outlined in this section. 

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

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

13. 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. 

14. If you measure your fish entry on a commercially produced bumpboard, these rules must be followed:

1. The nose of the fish must be visibly touching the bump end of the board, 

2. The fish must be placed on top of the board and 

3. 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. 

4. Expandable (sliding) bump boards will not be permitted.

15. If you measure your fish entry on a homemade bumpboard, these rules must be followed:

1. The measurement rules are the same as above.

2. You must provide a photo to the organizer of the empty board to verify proof of measurement accuracy, which includes a measuring tape alongside the bumpboard measurements for verification. This photo must be sent to [email protected]. 

3. 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. 

4. Unverified boards will NOT be accepted

16. If you measure your fish using a tape measure, these rules must be followed:

1. The fish nose and the start of the tape must be aligned by placing both against a solid edge. 

2. The fish's nose must be aligned with the zero mark on the tape, 

3. The tape measure must be beside the fish, not on top of the fish. 

4. The fish cannot be on top of the tape measure or cover it in any way

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

6. *Rapala roll out tapes will be treated as a tape measure*

17. Soft/Flexible/Fabric measuring tapes and Sliding/Expandable Bump boards are not allowed for this event.(except if fish measured on the sliding boards are under 19” or at the point where the device is to be slid out for longer measurements)

18. Tournament organizers reserve the right to adjust entries. They also have the right to ask for a picture sent to them of your measuring device.

19. If an entry submission comes in where a measuring rule is not followed, such as the nose is not touching the bump or at the zero mark, the fish may still be approved but a length penalty will be applied. A penalty of 2.5 cm or 1 inch will be applied to the observable length of the fish at the discretion of the Organizer. If multiple rules are broken, multiples of length penalties may be applied. The entry may also be rejected.

20. A photo that does not clearly show the overall length of the fish, including head and tail, on the measuring device may not be scored for length. 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. 

21. During the entry process, a second photo, called the Hero Shot, consisting of the angler holding the fish, will be prompted in the entry procedure and is optional but encouraged for this event.

22. You will also be prompted with a third option which is a video of the release of your fish and this is also optional but encouraged for this event. 

23. During the event, 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. 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.

24.  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.

25. 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. 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.

26.  A great resource is the MyCatch video that shows how to complete an entry: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fS65wMakQHA

4. Tournament Location and Times

1. Tournament boundaries are the legal fishing areas within the limits of the Township of Sables-Spanish Rivers and includes the neighboring Townships of Sheddon, Cadeau, Boon, Shibananing, Dunlop,Baldwin, Merrit, and Mongowin. See the map attached to this event

2. The tournament runs from:

Saturday, August 16, 2024 starting at 6:00 am through to

Monday, September 2, 2024 at 6:00 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. Any fish synced to the app after 6:00 pm on September 2, 2024 will not be judged. It is the applicant’s duty to ensure they have full cell service and all fish are synced before the deadline.

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

5. Awards &  Prizes

1. Prizes - Prizes for the tournament will be distributed in accordance with the prizing categories below.

Adult 1st Place Longest Largemouth/Smallmouth Bass - wins 18% of adult prize money pool

Adult 2nd Place Longest Largemouth/Smallmouth Bass - wins 7% of adult prize money pool

Adult 1st Place Longest Northern Pike - wins 18% of adult prize money pool

Adult 2nd Place Longest Northern Pike - wins 7% of adult prize money pool

Adult 1st Place Longest Walleye - wins 18% of adult prize money pool

Adult 2nd Place Longest Walleye - wins 7% of adult prize money pool

Adult 1st Place Longest Lake Trout - wins 18% of adult prize money pool

Adult 2nd Place Longest Lake Trout - wins 7% of adult prize money pool

Youth 1st Place Longest Largemouth/Smallmouth Bass - wins 18% of youth prize money pool

Youth 2nd Place Longest Largemouth/Smallmouth Bass - wins 7% of youth prize money pool

Youth 1st Place Longest Northern Pike - wins 18% of youth prize money pool

Youth 2nd Place Longest Northern Pike - wins 7% of youth prize money pool

Youth 1st Place Longest Walleye - wins 18% of youth prize money pool

Youth 2nd Place Longest Walleye - wins 7% of youth prize money pool

Youth 1st Place Longest Lake Trout - wins 18% of youth prize money pool

Youth 2nd Place Longest Lake Trout - wins 7% 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 6th after all entries have been reviewed and anglers will be contacted directly using the contact information provided in the tournament registration process.

5. Cash prizes may be awarded through e-transfer, PayPal, or mailed check

6. In the case of a tie, the tie break will go to the person who entered the tied fish first. If a tie still exists, the tie break will go to the person with the highest number of fish reported.

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

6. General Rules

1. By registering and participating in the 2024 Township of Sables-Spanish Rivers (TSSR) Fishing Tournament, all participants agree to abide by the rules and regulations they have received as set out in these tournament event rules. 

2. This tournament is catch and release ONLY. Harvesting fish will result in disqualification. The goal is to achieve a 0% mortality rate.

3. 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. Fish cannot be snagged, netted, speared etc. Usage of a landing net to land a hooked fish is allowed.

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

5. Each contestant must conform to the general sport fishing rules and regulations that are in place for the jurisdiction in which they are fishing.  

6. All federal, provincial and local laws must be abided by. 

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

8. All questions or concerns relating to the rules of this tournament are to be referred to the Organizer. Their decision will be final in all cases. No other person can be considered a spokesman for the rules during the tournament. The contact for this event is The MyCatch Approval team and can be reached by email at [email protected] (please include the name of the event in your email). 

9. 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. 

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

11. Any angler found to be cheating, breaking the law or disobeying the rules will be disqualified from the tournament. 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. Angler’s Atlas also reserves the right to ban anglers from competing in future events. 

12. 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. 

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

14. 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. 

15. 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. 

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

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

18. All photo and video submissions may be used by MyCatch by Angler's Atlas and the State of Oregon for future use.

7. Proper Fish Handling

The following are not rules - they are simply a reference to best practices of handling fish. 

1. We highly encourage conservation and the proper handling of all fish caught. To ensure the best chances of survival for all released fish, all participants are to handle fish safely.

2. Whenever feasible, keep the fish in the water while handling as long as possible

3. Cut the line as close to the hook as possible if a swallowed hook can’t be easily removed

4. Have the camera ready prior to landing fish to minimize air exposure 

5. Hold large fish horizontally and support its body to avoid damage to the internal organs

6. Do not hold or support the fish by its gills, gill covers or eyes.

7. Use wet hands when handling a fish. Handle the fish quickly and as little as possible. 

8. When releasing a fish, never throw it into the water.

8.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.