2019-20 Mississippi Fruit Jar Series Rules

Interpretation and enforcement of these rules shall be left exclusively at the discretion of the Tournament Committee. It is within the Tournament Committee's power to make a change where the safety or best interest of the contestants is a concern.

ELIGIBLE PARTICIPANTS: Participation is open to anyone. No membership fees are required, and there is no qualification that you be a registered user on Crappie.com.

**TEAMS: You may enter alone or with a partner of your choice. No more than three (3) persons will be allowed in the boat during tournament hours. The third person MUST be under the age of 18 at the beginning of the season.
Exception: In the event one team member REQUIRES assistance getting into a seated fishing position and performing normal fishing duties for the team another person can be in the boat to assist. Pole rules still pertain to the boat and only 2 competitors fishing at the same.

ALCOHOL: The consumption of alcoholic beverages is prohibited during tournament hours. The use of illicit/illegal drugs is also prohibited during tournament hours.

WEATHER: In the event of extreme weather or water conditions, the Tournament Committee shall have the right to postpone or cancel any tournament. Entry fees will be refunded in the event of a cancellation.

SAFETY EQUIPMENT: Teams must comply with ALL State Fishing and Boating Regulations. This includes, the mandatory use of P.F.D's while the main motor is above idle. All safety equipment required by law enforcement must be in the boat as required.

COMPENSATION: No one can be hired (such as a guide) or compensated in any way to fish with you or mark fishing spots for you prior to or during a tournament.


REGISTRATION: At least one member of each team is required to attend registration. Registration will be held the morning of the tournament at a pre-designated time and location that will be announced on the Fruit Jar Forum. All team members must be named at the time of registration to be counted as a participant.

BOAT INSPECTION: It is at the discretion of the Tournament Committee to perform random cooler and live well checks prior to a tournament. Failure to comply will result in disqualification and forfeiture of entry fees paid.

TOURNAMENT HOURS: Official start/stop times will be posted in advance on the Fruit Jar Forum by the Tournament Director. A team may be on their desired fishing spot prior to the official start time, but no hooks may be placed into the water until the official designated start time. All hooks must be out of the water at the official stop fish time.

ENTRY FEES: Entry fees will be eighty dollars ($80.00) per tournament. This will include the ten dollar ($10.00) entry fee for Big Fish. Two exceptions to this will be at Arkabutla in September, the entry will be $85 to cover the cost of the event permit and at Grenada in October, the entry fee will be $100 and will include shirts for each fisherman. There will be NO BACK-PAYMENT ALLOWED for any tournaments. A portion of each entry fee will be withheld and carried forward to the Championship Pot. Payouts will be based on one (1) place for every four (4) boats entered.

BIG FISH: A team may weigh one (1) big fish. The Big Fish payout will be one hundred percent (100%) to the single largest fish. In the event of outside sponsorship other places may be paid.

FISHING METHODS:
Pole Limits: Eight (8) poles maximum per boat for teams. The eight (8) pole maximum applies at ALL lakes, not just COE lakes. A single man team may use up to eight (8) poles on lakes with no pole limits.
Bait: Live or artificial bait is allowed. No more than two hooks per pole are allowed.

PRE-FISHING: Pre-fishing is allowed until dark the evening prior to the tournament. Tournament waters are then off limits until you launch and wait for official start fish time the morning of the tournament. The use of underwater cameras is prohibited.

OVERALL POINTS RULE: Overall points will be recorded for the year with the top six (6) individual points leaders being recognized at the Championship Tournament. Points will be calculated with the 100 point system. Points will be rewarded on place finished in tournament. One time during each season a team may have a guest fist in one members place and that member get his or her points for that tournamnet. In any tournament a single fishing member may name someone as their partner and fish alone and both gets points for that tournament, must be done at registration.

WEIGH-INS: The official weigh-in location and weigh-in line cut-off time will be announced by the Tournament Director along with the start/stop times on the Fruit Jar Forum. Anyone presenting after the cut-off time will be penalized with a five pound (5lb.) deduction in total weight. Official time will be represented by the time on the official's cell phone.
Each team will weight their seven (7) heaviest fish. Fish must be of legal size for the lake that you are fishing. Fish do not have to be alive to be weighed, but absolutely no ice is to be placed in the weigh-in basket. Any suspicious fish may be removed at the Tournament Committees discretion. FISH WILL ONLY BE WEIGHED ONCE!!! If you have a discrepancy regarding your weight, it MUST be addressed before your fish leave the scales.

WINNERS AND TIES: Winners will be announced and pay-outs made after all teams have weighed in. In the event of a tie, the monies for the two (2) positions in question will be added together and divided equally among the tied teams.

CHAMPIONSHIP QUALIFICATIONS: any person that has accumulated a total of fifty (300) points and fished a minimum of 2 tournaments during the regular Fruit Jar Season qualifies to fish in the Championship. This rule applies to both members of the team.

2019-2020 MS FRUIT JAR SERIES
TOURNAMENT OFFICIALS

DIRECTOR GENERAL: Rees Guide (John Beshears) - He will be responsible for calling the official weigh-in line cut-off time and assessing any penalties, and verify the official weights. In the event of extreme weather/water conditions it will be his duty to postpone or cancel an event. In the event that a dispute arises, his ruling will stand with no appeal.

TOURNAMENT DIRECTORS: Tim Howell and BigBlue (Kevin Stockbridge). Their Duties will be to assist with the setting of official times for start/stop fishing, weigh-in location, weigh-in line cut-off time, and assist with registration as needed. For setting the lakes and dates for the tournaments, and obtaining any required permits by said lakes. They are responsible for certifying and weighing the fish at each tournament. They will assist in the registering each team and collecting the entry fees, recording the weights, calculating payouts, and keeping up with each participant's points tally throughout the season.

Contact Info:
ReesGuide (John Beshears): 662-458-8925BigBlue (Kevin Stockbridge): 901-826-1011
Tim Howell: (662) 251-5625