is proud to present

The 2023 Erie PA Sport Fishing Association

“Spring Trout Challenge”

Sunday April 16th, 2023

No Captains meeting.

Weigh-ins will be held starting at 2:30PM.
Sloppy Duck Restaurant at 726 West Bayfront Parkway, Erie, PA 16507

90% of all entry fees will be paid back in cash prizes

Fish both the 2023 Spring & Fall Trout Challenges for the
2023 EPSFA Trout Cup and a $500 bonus

For more information or to enter visit https://epsfa.com/tournaments/

www.epsfa.com

Questions? Call Paul at (814) 566-4995

2023 Spring Trout Challenge Rules:

1. 1. A minimum of two team members must belong to EPSFA and be in good standing at the time of the competition. Individuals that have had their memberships terminated or suspended by the EPSFA are unable to compete in this event. Teams that compete with a suspended or terminated member will be disqualified without refund.
   2. Entry fee: A $250.00 entry fee must be paid prior to the start of the tournament. Big Fish entry of $10.00 per team is included and will be paid out in full. Big fish will be determined by weight (ties will be split). Online Payment is due by 11:59 pm Friday, April 14th, 2023. Payments must be made online at https://epsfa.com/tournaments/ . No online entries will be accepted after April 14th, 2023. There will be no refunds (unless cancelled due to weather). The EPSFA retains 10% to pay for the processing and administration fees.
   3. An optional $250 cash only “double down” Calcutta is also available. This is 100% cash payback Calcutta. You must “RSVP” on https://epsfa.com/tournaments/ by 11:59 pm Friday April 14^th, 2023. The “Double down” cash payment is due at the weigh-in. Any “RSVP” not paid at the weigh-in is cause for disqualification. There will be no refunds (unless canceled due to weather). The Calcutta will be paid out in the same top 20% of the field format as the main entry. (see #4) The more teams we have in the Calcutta, the more places are paid in the Calcutta.
   4. This is a 90% payback tournament. The EPSFA retains 10% to pay for processing and administration fees. The remaining entry fees will be paid out in the form of checks. The top 20% of paid entries will earn a check with a limit of 10 checks distributed. Example: 16-20 boats pay 4 places, 21-25 boats pay 5 places, 26-30 boats pay 6 places, 31-35 boats pay 7 places, 36-40 boats pay 8 places, 41-45 boats pay 9 places, and 46 boats and up pay 10 places.
   5. In lieu of a captain’s meeting for collecting disclaimers. Each team must fill out their disclaimer form completely, take a picture of the disclaimer and send it to tournament director Paul Olszewski at 814-566-4995. The picture must be received and readable prior to start fishing time of 7:00AM.  Bring the paper disclaimer form to the weigh-in for Paul to collect.
   6. Random boat checks: (morning and afternoon): May be randomly conducted by EPSFA officials the day of the tournament. Random coolers may be collected by EPSFA officials upon returning to listed departure point on disclaimer. They will be sealed and transported to the weigh-in location by EPSFA officials. Any team refusing the random boat/cooler check will be automatically disqualified for refusal.
   7. Start Time: No fishing lines may enter the water until 7:00 AM. The EPSFA will use satellite time (from GPS or cell phones) when determining start and end times. Planer boards can be deployed, and electronics used prior to 7:00AM.  There is no stop fishing time. Coolers must be in the weigh-in line by 3:00pm at the Sloppy Duck Restaurant or that team’s catch is disqualified for the day.
   8. This is a trolling tournament only.
   9. Points will be awarded as follows: 10 points per fish and 1 point per pound
   10. Fish must be 15” or larger for this tournament. Squeeze the tail to get longest measurement. Short fish will be disqualified, and your team will be assessed a 10-point penalty.
   11. A maximum of 6 legal fish: steelhead, brown trout, or salmon (no Lake Trout) can be brought to the weigh in.  There will be a 25-point penalty for bringing more than 6 fish to weigh-in. Tournament boats can keep their legal limit of trout per licensed angler if they choose to do so.  Teams can choose to let fish go if they are unharmed.
   12. The maximum rods allowed to be fished in this event will be (9) if there are (3) licensed anglers on board. At no time will teams be allowed to place more than (9) rods in the water at one time. However, you will only be allowed (3) lines per licensed angler, if there are less than (3) licensed anglers on board. PA Fish and Boat Commission rules apply to this event. A valid PA license and applicable permits are required.
   13. This is a “open Communication” tournament. Teams can use cell phones, VHF radios or any other form of communication for this event.  All participating boats must be equipped with an operational VHF radio.  Tournament control will operate on Channel 88. All teams must monitor channel 88 until 7:00am, in case of delays or changes.  All boats are required to monitor channel 16, except when directed to Channel 88 for communication.  After being directed to channel 88, all teams must return to channel 16.
   14. Bad Weather: If there is a delay announced at 6:00 am, the next announcement will take place at 7:00 am and so on until teams are released from port, or that day’s tournament is cancelled. If that day’s tournament cannot begin by 10:00am due to weather, it will be cancelled.  In the event of questionable weather or rough water conditions, the Captain will ultimately be responsible for making the Team’s decision whether to fish that day or not
   15. In case of boat failure, and a tow is required. The towed team’s day’s catch, and one team member, may be transferred to another team’s boat to make the weigh-in deadline. However, the tournament committee (or tournament director Paul @ (814) 566-4995) must be notified on channel 16 or via cell phone in advance, prior to ship to ship contact. The towed team’s cooler must still be inline by 3:00pm, no exceptions.
   16. All contestants must fish from a boat. All boats must have a registered length of or larger, have a working marine radio, and all necessary US Coast Guard approved safety devices on board.
   17. All teams must depart from any Pennsylvania port. All teams MUST return to their original departure point, with their entire cooler of fish. There will be no exception to this rule. (unless seeking shelter from inclement weather or dangerous seas).
   18. Fishing is prohibited outside of Pennsylvania waters. If you are caught fishing outside of the PA water boundaries, your catch will be disqualified.
   19. No fishing in tributaries is permitted. (Including Walnut Creek basin)
   20. Weigh in and award ceremony will be held at Sloppy Duck Restaurant at 726 West Bayfront Parkway, Erie, PA 16507. Weigh-ins will begin at 2:30 pm. Cooler must be in line by 3:00pm or your catch will be disqualified. The day’s catch must not leave the boat under any circumstance until the day’s fishing is over (exception rule 15) and the boat is docked or trailered. At least one team member must remain with the day’s catch until it has been weighed in. All coolers brought to the scale shall be free of foreign objects, loose ice cubes and water. Block ice, bag ice or frozen containers is acceptable.  A 25-point reduction penalty will be assessed against teams that violate this rule.  It is the Captains responsibility to ensure that fish are free of ice or any foreign objects prior to being brought to the weigh in.  Fish will be checked for any foreign objects or ice in mouth.
   21. Big Fish Overall: All teams must mark their big fish. Largest fish by weight will be used in case of a tie.
   22. Anyone caught cheating or in violation of these rules will be disqualified. No entry fees will be returned, and that Captain may be banned from any future EPSFA fishing competitions.  Furthermore, anyone caught cheating in EPSFA tournaments, or any other fishing related competitions will be banned from entering any EPSFA events.
   23. All protests must be made within 15 minutes after the last team has weighed in and voiced to a member of the EPSFA rules committee or Tournament Director. Protests must be accompanied by a $100 fee.  Protests are only refundable if the protest is won by the protesting Team.
   24. All decisions made by the tournament director or rules committee are final. It is the intention of the supporters to provide an honest, sportsmanlike event. In the interest of good sportsmanship, contestants are reminded that the “spirit of the rule” will prevail in all judgement cases. Competitors may be disqualified for any violation of the tournament rules, with no refund of entry fee.
   25. All points leaders must be willing to submit to a polygraph examination. All winning fish may be tested for time in possession. All fish weighed in must remain in a designated area until the winners have been determined and the coolers have been released.
   26. Misconduct: Any inappropriate, improper, or abusive conduct by any participant towards any tournament official, volunteer, or fellow participants shall be deemed a violation of the rules and may be subject to disqualification as determined by the tournament committee.
   27. Liability: Every reasonable precaution will be taken by the tournament committee to protect persons and property during the contest. However, neither the sponsors mentioned, nor tournament committee, judges, officers, directors, volunteers or employees of the same are responsible for the safety of persons or property of participants regarding accidents, theft, fire, vandalism, drowning or any other cause. The tournament committee is not responsible for emergency assistance.  All participants further understand and agree to hold harmless members and aforementioned groups and individuals by signing the liability disclaimer before the tournament begins.
   28. Fish disposal and drop off: Any teams that don’t want all or part of their catch, they will be accepted by the EPSFA. Any fish found deposited into dumpsters, marinas, or other areas where they will be deemed as unsightly or as trash may lead to prosecution. Those individuals will be excluded from future tournaments being held by the EPSFA.

   2/03/2023

“2023 EPSFA Trout Cup”

The Trout Cup champion will be decided by combining your points from both the spring and fall Trout Challenge events!

Awards:  The winning team will be awarded the Trout Cup Trophy and $500.00 check donated by the EPSFA.
Rules: 

• Fish both spring and fall Trout Series events and you are eligible. No entry fee required.
• The team’s name must be the same for both trout tournaments. The captain or two team members must be the same for both events. You can fish on a different boat.
• All team members must be in good standing with the EPSFA at time of competition.
• If you are disqualified from any of our events, you will be disqualified from this event as well.
• Combined total points from both spring and fall Trout Cup events will determine the winner.
• Tie breaker will be your overall finish in the Fall Trout Cup.

Rules and Disclaimer form:

https://epsfa.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/EPSFA-2023-Spring-Trout-Challenge.pdf