Muscle Shoals Songwriters Foundation

2024 Bass Fishing Tournament Rules

1.) Online Registration: All Anglers are required to register online. There is a $150 registration fee plus a 2.9% credit card processing fee (Total with credit card processing fee is $154.79). to participate in the Muscle Shoals Songwriters Foundation Bass Fishing Tournament. Registration ends on Thursday, July 11th, 2024 at Midnight CST. After you register, you will receive an email with details about your registration and pre-tournament meeting details. 

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2.) Cancellations OR Refunds: Absolutely no exchanges. If you need a registration refund, you will need to contact us at hello@mssongfest.com at least (3) days before the tournament date of Saturday, July 13th, 2024. If you do not contact us at least (3) days before the tournament, we will not process your refund. After July 11th, there will be absolutely no refunds for registration fee, unless noted by the Muscle Shoals Songwriters Foundation.

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3.) Participation Requirements: This is an open tournament. Participants 12 years or older must have an adult team member in order to participate.

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4.) Winner’s Payout: There is a guaranteed payout of $5,000 for the 1st place winner at a 100 boat minimum, with other winning placements as follows:

1st Place *100 Boat Minimum - $5,000 | *90 Boat Minimum- $4,500 | *80 Boat Minimum- $4,000 

2nd Place: $1,500
3rd Place: $500 

BIG FISH: $250

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5.) Day of Tournament Rules: Your Safety is our utmost first priority. Safe boating must be practiced at all times before, during, and after the tournament. Each angler is required to wear a safety vest (fully fastened) any time the boat engine is in operation. The tournament is rain or shine. In the event of severe inclement weather, the tournament will be rescheduled to a new date and all anglers will be notified. 

 

6.) Sportsmanship: Participants are expected to display good sportsmanship at all times. Unsportsmanlike conduct, including but not limited to cheating, verbal or physical abuse, or damage to property will result in immediate disqualification.

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7.) Boat Launch and Boat Numbers: Boat Numbers will be given based on the order of registration. We suggest all anglers who want an early boat number to register as soon as possible. On the day of the tournament, ALL anglers must LAUNCH and WEIGH-IN at the official checkpoint of McFarland Park located at 200 James M Spain Dr, Florence, AL 35630. WEIGH-IN will start at 3PM and 25 boats will go through every 15 minutes. 

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8.) Mandatory Pre-Tournament Meeting: We will have a mandatory pre-tournament meeting on Friday, July 12th at 6:30 PM at Marriott Shoals CONFERENCE CENTER at 10 Hightower Pl. Florence, AL 35630 inside Shoals Ballroom DE. *Please note, the conference center is located within walking distance on the right side of the Marriott Hotel. This is where all anglers will receive their boat number and meet the official tournament director. Again, this is a mandatory meeting, which means at least (1) Team Member Must Be Present.

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9.) Acceptance & Scoring: Only Largemouth, Spotted, and Smallmouth Bass are accepted species. The limit of fish will be three (3) per boat. You’re not allowed to weigh a dead fish as your biggest fish. The tournament director will do a quarter pound deduction per dead fish. Fish will need to be 15 inches straight across the board for every catch. Any short fish will not be weighed. Scoring will be determined by the pounds and hundredths of a pound of each angler’s catch during the tournament and the weigh-in will be hosted by a professional tournament director.

 

10.) Polygraph Test: Standard for most professional tournaments, for first place winner, there will be a mandatory polygraph test.

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11.) Late Weigh-In Penalty: For every minute you are late it will be 1 pound deduction. Any boat that is 15 minutes late to weigh-in will forfeit their catch.

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12.) Dispute Resolution: In case of disputes, the tournament director will make final decisions. Decisions made by the tournament director are final.

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13.) Photo & Videography: All photos and/or videos taken by the Muscle Shoals Songwriters Foundation team is property of our organization and may be used for media and/or promotional purposes.

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Additional: If you'd like to sponsor our tournament, please email lillian@mssongfest.com. Sponsorships close on June 30th.

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*This professional tournament is a charity event for the Muscle Shoals Songwriters Foundation, a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization. These official rules are subject to change at any time without notice. If you have any questions regarding the official tournament rules, please contact us at hello@mssongfest.com or Executive Director, Lillian Glanton at 256-497-7343 or lillian@mssongfest.com.