Rules

All non-Native American participants 16 years or older must possess a North Dakota fishing license. Native American participants 16 years or older fishing within the exterior boundaries of the reservation must possess a tribal fishing license.

All current North Dakota Game & Fish Department and Three Affiliated Tribes Game and Fish regulations must be followed.

Sponsors, promoters, and organizations assisting in the tournament are not responsible for death, injury, damage, liability, theft, fire, or any loss to any entrants.

All participants must have life jackets on while traveling above trolling speed.

Teams may catch 10 fish and weigh 6 fish. Culling is NOT allowed. Once you have kept 10 fish you are done fishing and must weigh in.

Patrol boat checkers will randomly board boats to check fish. Non-compliance results in disqualification.

No fish other than walleye, sauger, or saugeye are allowed in boats. Minimum fish length is 14 inches.

A team consists of no more than three (3) anglers per boat.

Each angler is allowed two lines in the water at a time. Spare rods and equipment may be carried in the boat.

A contestant must not leave the boat to land a fish or to untangle lines or lures. Anglers may only leave the boat in case of dangerous weather.

Because fish mortality increases significantly in deep water, contestants are urged to refrain from fishing depths greater than 25–30 feet unless willing to keep (harvest) all fish caught.

All boats must check in at the New Town Marina for ANS inspection the morning of the tournament.

All anglers must be in the same vehicle at the time of inspection and boat launch. Teams take off in two flights:

• Flight 1: Boats 1–54 must be in the water by 7:15 a.m. with a shotgun start at 7:30 a.m. A designated lead boat will signal your start.
• Flight 2: Boats 55–108 must be in the water by 7:45 a.m. with a shotgun start at 8:00 a.m. A designated lead boat will signal your start.

Flight 1 boats must be back at the Marina and checked in with a volunteer at the ramp by 2:30 p.m.; Flight 2 by 3:00 p.m. Five (5) minutes late = 10% dockage of total weight; more than five minutes late = disqualified from weigh-in. Official weigh-in will follow.

Prizes are based on most weight (pounds) during the tournament.

Prizes are awarded on a team basis.

In case of a tie, the tiebreaker is the biggest fish weighed; if neither team has a big fish, the tiebreaker is the team with the earliest team entry number.

In case of inclement weather, the tournament will be held Wednesday, July 15, 2026.

Team substitutions may be made up to the day of the tournament.