2026 Rules and Regulations
Official Chasin' Bass Singles Tournament rules and championship qualification information.
Championship Information
To qualify for the 2026 Championship, a contestant must fish a minimum of 2 events. The Championship tournament will be held on October 3rd and 4th on the Mississippi River - Pool 13 in Savanna, Illinois.
The tournament site will be the Savanna City Ramp, 1 Main Street, Savanna, IL. The mandatory pre-tournament meeting and drawing for starting positions for the championship will take place on October 3rd at 6:30 AM at the ramp site. Takeoff will be at first safe light after the meeting at the directors' discretion.
Championship entry fee: $125 for anglers who fished 2 events, $90 for 3 events, $70 for 5 events or more. Big Bass will be $20 for the event.
1. SAFETY:
Safe boating conduct must be observed at all times. Competitors are required to wear a Coast Guard
approved life preserver and have a kill switch attached to them whenever the combustion engine is operating.
Violation of this rule is grounds for disqualification.
2. SPORTSMANSHIP:
Tournament competitors are to adhere to high standards of sportsmanship, courtesy, and conservation.
Consumption of alcoholic beverages or illegal possession or use of a controlled substance during the tournament
or tournament functions, or any violation of state, marine, fishing conservation laws, will not be tolerated.
Any violation of these rules will be grounds for disqualification.
3. TACKLE AND EQUIPMENT:
Only artificial baits may be used. No live or prepared baits will be allowed.
Only one casting or spinning rod may be used at a time. Any competitor found to have in his or her possession
equipment or baits not allowed will be disqualified.
4. HORSEPOWER REGULATIONS:
Only boats and motors that are in compliance with the BIA horsepower rating will be allowed.
5. BASIC BOAT EQUIPMENT:
Each boat must have all required Coast Guard safety equipment.
In addition, each boat must have an adequate aerated livewell to maintain a five fish tournament limit.
6. PERMITTED FISHING LOCATIONS:
Fishing on tournament waters is permitted anywhere except those areas designated off limits on the day of the
tournament or within 50 yards of another competitor's first anchored boat. All angling must be done from the boat.
Contestants may not depart the boat to retrieve a fish. The boat must remain in legal tournament waters on tournament days.
Contestants must remain in their boat at all times except in the case of dire emergency.
7. OFFICIAL CHECK POINT:
There shall be only one official point for check out in the morning and check in for the afternoon.
8. SCORING:
Tournament standing and final winner shall be determined by the pound and fraction of the pound of each contestant's
catch during the day. Only largemouth and smallmouth bass will be weighed. All contestants are bound by the laws in the
state they are fishing in. All bass must be caught in a live and conventional manner. Any fish caught foul hooked will
not be weighed. At no time shall a participant have more than 5 fish in their possession. If in the event a participant
has more fish in their possession than the described limit, their largest fish will be released and not counted for that day's catch.
9. DEAD FISH PENALTY:
A penalty of one-half (1/2) pound will be deducted for each dead fish brought to the scale to be weighed.
No dead fish will be weighed for big bass.
10. ELIGIBILITY:
Participation is open to anglers of any sex who are members of Chasin' Bass.
Participants must be eighteen (18) years of age or older.
11. REGISTRATION:
Prior to each event there is a mandatory meeting at the time of registration.
An official Chasin' Bass entry form must be filled out and signed for this event.
12. PAIRINGS:
This is a singles tournament. The registered contestant is the only one allowed in the boat at any time during the event
except in the case of emergency. At that time the contestant must stop fishing and as soon as possible notify the director
of the emergency situation.
13. STARTING POSITIONS:
Starting positions will be drawn at the mandatory pre-tournament meeting.
14. PRE-TOURNAMENT PRACTICE:
Practice or scouting fish will be allowed up to the day of the tournament.
Contestants are not allowed on the water the day of the tournament until the start of the event.
15. NO WAKE ZONES:
All no wake zones are to be taken seriously unless the boat being passed is fishing, gives permission to pass,
is inoperable, or multiple boats need to pass at a different route to be taken.
16. SHORT FISH PENALTY:
Any fish presented for weigh-in by a contestant that fails to measure the minimum 14" size limit shall not be counted
for the day's totals, in addition the largest fish of that catch shall also be culled.
In the case of a slot limit, all fish must be in the legal limits for that body of water.
17. LATE PENALTY:
Competitors who have not arrived at the appointed time shall be penalized one pound for each minute they are late.
Any participant over 10 minutes late will lose credit for that day's catch.
18. TIES:
In the event of stringer ties, Big Bass breaks stringer ties.
In the event of Big Bass ties, largest stringer breaks big bass ties.
19. COMPLIANCE:
It shall be the sole responsibility of all entrants to comply with the said rules and regulations
of both the state of participation and Chasin' Bass singles tournaments.
20. RULINGS:
The Tournament Director shall reserve the right for rules interpretations and rulings thereof.
Furthermore, the tournament director reserves the right to change dates or sites of any given tournament.
Any protest must be filed in writing, signed by the protester, and filed within ten minutes of weigh-in.
The decision of tournament officials in all rulings shall be final.
Any and all contestants are subject to a truth verification exam (polygraph test) at the discretion of the
tournament director or official. Failure to take and successfully complete this test is reason for disqualification
and forfeit of all prizes from this event and all future Chasin' Bass events.