Tournament Rules
ARIZONA KAYAK BASS NATION
Official Tournament Rules - 2027 Season
Version 1.8
AAPPLICATION, AUTHORITY AND EVENT INFORMATION
A.1 These rules govern Arizona Kayak Bass Nation tournaments unless the published event information establishes a specific exception, additional requirement, or special format for that event.
A.2 The Tournament Director (TD) has primary responsibility for day-to-day interpretation and enforcement. The Board may appoint judges, a Rules Committee, or other event officials to assist. A Board-approved appeal procedure applies where these rules expressly provide one.
A.3 Published event information, the electronic Captains Meeting, and official written notices may establish tournament waters, legal launch sites, boundaries, times, identifiers, deadlines, off-limits areas, safety instructions, or other operational requirements. Competitors are responsible for knowing and following them.
A.4 Arizona Kayak Bass Nation may amend these rules between events. A material competition change will be communicated before it takes effect. An event-specific instruction controls over a general rule only when the instruction clearly states the exception.
BDEFINITIONS
B.1 "Competition day" means the period established in the event information for that day of competition.
B.2 "First Launch" means the earliest time a competitor may leave the immediate launch or staging area and proceed onto tournament water for competition. Competitors may place their vessel into the water before First Launch when necessary to clear the ramp or allow other boaters and competitors to launch, but must remain inside any established buoy line. If no buoy line is present, competitors must remain within a reasonable distance of the launch and may not use the early launch to advance toward fishing areas before First Launch.
B.3 "First Cast" or "Lines In" means the earliest time a competitor may begin fishing.
B.4 "Lines Out" means the time at which all fishing must stop. A fish hooked before Lines Out may be landed and submitted only if the event information or tournament platform permits it.
B.5 "Official Practice" means the seven-day practice period immediately preceding the first competition day. Unless event-specific information states otherwise, Official Practice begins at safe light on the seventh calendar day before the first competition day and ends at the announced Official Practice cutoff on the day before competition.
B.6 "Publicly available information" means information available to the general public without selective access, private invitation, payment to a guide, or direct solicitation of a person for event-specific fishing information.
1RULES, REPORTING AND PENALTIES
1.1 Competitors must comply with these rules, event instructions, and all applicable federal, state, tribal, local, park, marina, property-access, fishing, and boating requirements.
1.2 A competitor who observes a material rule violation must report it to the TD or designated official promptly. A formal protest is governed by Section 17.
1.3 Available penalties include reduction of competition time; loss of one or more fish; loss of a competition day; event disqualification; forfeiture of event awards; reduction or loss of season points; suspension; or removal from future club competition when authorized by the club's governing documents.
1.4 Arizona Kayak Bass Nation does not use monetary fines as a standard tournament penalty. When a rule states that a violation will result in disqualification or another mandatory penalty, that stated penalty must be applied once the violation is established. For violations without a stated mandatory penalty, the TD or Rules Committee should apply a penalty proportionate to the violation, taking into account intent, competitive advantage, safety, prior notice, and any stated scoring consequence.
1.5 Suspected criminal conduct, wildlife violations, threats, or other unlawful activity may be referred to the appropriate authority. Tournament discipline is independent of any action or inaction by law enforcement.
2PARTICIPANTS, ELIGIBILITY AND REGISTRATION
2.1 Unless the event information states otherwise, participation is open to competitors who are at least 16 years old and satisfy Arizona Kayak Bass Nation membership and any applicable B.A.S.S. Nation eligibility requirements.
2.2 A competitor who is a minor under applicable law must provide the parent or legal guardian authorization and release required by Arizona Kayak Bass Nation before competing.
2.3 Arizona Kayak Bass Nation competitions will use TourneyX, or another Board-approved tournament platform if announced. Each competitor is responsible for maintaining a working account and device capable of completing required tournament functions.
2.4 Registration deadlines, entry fees, refund and transfer policies, field limits, wait-list procedures, and any required pre-event administrative steps will be stated in the registration listing or event information rather than fixed in this season rulebook.
2.5 The club may collect tax information or other administrative documents when required by law or by the organization's adopted financial procedures.
3OFF-LIMITS, PRACTICE AND COMPETITION
3.1 Official tournament waters, legal launches, boundaries, restricted areas, and any event-specific Off-Limits period will be announced for each event.
3.2 Unless event-specific information states otherwise, regular-season events have no separate Off-Limits period. Official Practice begins at safe light on the seventh calendar day before the first competition day and ends at the announced Official Practice cutoff on the day before competition. Special events or championships may establish different Off-Limits or Official Practice periods in the published event information.
3.3 During Official Practice, a competitor may practice alone, with another registered competitor, or with an immediate family member, including a spouse/significant other, parent, or child. The competitor may not solicit or receive waypoints, fishing locations, or other non-public fishing information from the family member. Pre-fishing with any other non-competitor is prohibited.
3.4 A camera or media crew present during Official Practice must receive advance TD approval and may not fish, operate scanning electronics for the competitor, provide waypoints, or otherwise assist the competitor in learning tournament water.
3.5 After Lines Out on Day 1 of a multi-day event, a competitor may not remain on tournament water to scout or locate fish before the next competition day. The competitor must stop fishing and proceed safely to a legal take-out location.
3.6 Official Practice and competition must be conducted from a vessel that complies with Section 8. A motorized vessel must satisfy all registration, numbering, and operating requirements applicable to the water being fished.
3.7 Drone use for photography, video, social media, sponsor content, or other content creation is permitted during Official Practice and competition, provided the use is lawful, safe, and does not interfere with another competitor or the public. Neither a competitor nor anyone acting on a competitor’s behalf may use a drone for the purpose of locating fish, identifying productive fishing areas, scouting structure or cover, tracking other competitors, locating access routes, or otherwise obtaining information intended to provide a competitive advantage. A separate camera or media crew remains subject to Rule 3.4 during Official Practice.
3.8 Once the announced Official Practice cutoff has passed, equipment testing on tournament water is prohibited unless the TD authorizes it.
3.9 Competitors must possess all licenses, permits, registrations, and access permissions required for the areas they enter during Official Practice and competition.
3.10 Competitors must report material rule violations as provided in Sections 1 and 17. Knowingly concealing a violation, directing another person to violate a rule, or providing false verification to an official may itself be penalized.
3.11 Competitors must return to a legal launch or take-out location within one hour after Lines Out. Returning to a legal launch or take-out location does not satisfy the mandatory in-person checkout requirement in Rule 3.12. Competitors must separately complete checkout at the designated awards location by the announced checkout deadline. This return requirement is separate from any fish-submission deadline. The Tournament Director may modify or suspend the one-hour return requirement when safety, emergency conditions, access restrictions, or other circumstances make compliance unreasonable or unsafe.
3.12 Every competitor who launches for an event must personally check out at the designated awards location with the Tournament Director or a tournament official specifically named in the event information or Captains Meeting, by the announced checkout deadline. Competitors must locate a designated official and confirm that their checkout has been recorded. Merely arriving at the awards location or checking out through another competitor does not satisfy this requirement. Failure to complete the required checkout will result in a mandatory 2.5-inch deduction from the competitor's final aggregate tournament score, assessed once per event and not against an individual fish. In an emergency or other exceptional circumstance, the Tournament Director may authorize an alternate checkout procedure; the competitor must make contact as soon as reasonably practical. Competitors are not required to remain for the awards ceremony after completing checkout, but are strongly encouraged to stay and support fellow anglers.
4SOLICITATION OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION
4.1 From the beginning of any announced Official Practice period through the conclusion of the event, a competitor may not purchase, barter for, solicit, or intentionally receive private, non-public information from any person for the purpose of locating or catching fish on tournament waters.
4.2 During the 21 days before an event, a competitor may not use or communicate with a guide or guide service, directly or indirectly, for private event-specific fishing locations, waypoints, or fish-catching information concerning tournament waters. Publicly available material is permitted.
4.3 A website, message group, social-media page, server, or other source created or operated for selective access by an individual or limited group is not a publicly available source merely because it is internet-based.
4.4 If a multi-day event uses a field cut, a competitor eliminated by the cut is no longer an active competitor and may not be solicited by remaining competitors for prohibited fishing information after the cut is established.
4.5 Direct verbal communication between active competitors on the water is allowed. Communication after Lines Out is also allowed unless an event-specific multi-day rule restricts it.
4.6 During tournament hours, a mobile phone, radio, messaging service, or other device may not be used to exchange fishing locations, strategy, techniques, fish activity, or similar competitive information with competitors or non-competitors. Devices may be used for TourneyX or tournament administration, safety, emergencies, ride coordination, ordinary public social-media posting that does not seek or receive competitive information, and urgent work or family matters.
4.7 Questions about rules or suspected violations should be directed to the TD or designated tournament official rather than resolved by competitors on the water.
5CAPTAINS MEETING
5.1 A Captains Meeting will be provided electronically for each tournament. The meeting may be a recorded video, written/visual briefing, live online briefing, or another electronic format designated by the club.
5.2 Each competitor is responsible for watching or reviewing the entire Captains Meeting before competition begins and for knowing every instruction, clarification, and event-specific rule presented in it.
5.3 Arizona Kayak Bass Nation is not required to monitor, verify, or document whether an individual competitor watched the Captains Meeting. Failure to watch or review it does not excuse a rule violation, missed deadline, boundary violation, or failure to follow an event instruction.
6SAFETY
6.1 Safe vessel operation is required at all times. During Official Practice and competition, each competitor must wear a properly fastened, chest-type U.S. Coast Guard-approved personal flotation device while on tournament water. The PFD must be visible and worn over the outermost clothing layer. Belt-style inflatable PFDs are not allowed.
6.2 Each vessel must be equipped with an audible emergency whistle and a 360-degree white light or installed lighting visible from all directions. Required lighting must be used whenever required by law or event instructions. A visibility flag is recommended, and a two-way safety radio is permitted.
6.3 Competitors are encouraged to perform a vessel, PFD, battery, propulsion, lighting, and communications safety check before each competition day.
6.4 The TD may delay, shorten, suspend, relocate, or cancel competition because of unsafe weather, water, fire, access conditions, or other circumstances affecting safety or fairness. A competitor remains responsible for making a prudent personal decision about conditions at that competitor's location, but may not fish during a club-ordered suspension or cancellation.
6.5 A competitor may leave the vessel to seek immediate safe shelter when imminent danger exists, including lightning, severe wind, fire, medical emergency, or another serious hazard.
6.6 Competitors must exercise sound judgment around lightning, excessive wind, other boat traffic, hunters, swimmers, low visibility, and similar hazards.
6.7 In a life-threatening or serious emergency, call 911 or the appropriate emergency authority first, then notify the TD or event official as soon as practical.
6.8 Every competitor is strongly encouraged to carry at least one paddle in the vessel at all times, even when using pedal or electric propulsion. This is a recommendation rather than a mandatory equipment requirement, but anglers should treat it as an important safety backup.
7ANGLER CONDUCT AND SPORTSMANSHIP
7.1 Competitors must uphold high standards of sportsmanship, courtesy, safety, honesty, and conservation. Conduct that materially threatens safety, fairness, or tournament integrity may be penalized.
7.2 Alcohol, illegal drugs, or any substance that impairs safe vehicle or vessel operation may not be used during Official Practice or competition. Alcoholic beverages and illegal or otherwise prohibited drugs may not be carried aboard the competition vessel during Official Practice or competition. Lawfully prescribed or over-the-counter medication is permitted when used as directed and without unsafe impairment.
7.3 Competitors must show reasonable courtesy to other competitors and non-competitors and must comply with applicable fishing, boating, access, and resource-protection laws.
7.4 Prohibited conduct includes cheating; falsifying a fish submission or evidence; knowingly giving false information to officials; threats; physical abuse; harassment; discriminatory or degrading abuse directed at another person; vandalism; intentional interference with another competitor; directing a third party to hold or block water; or comparable conduct that undermines the event.
7.5 Good-faith disagreement with a ruling, including respectful criticism or discussion outside the event, is not by itself misconduct. Abuse, threats, knowingly false accusations, harassment, or attempts to intimidate officials or competitors remain prohibited. Rule disputes must be handled through the protest and appeal procedures when a formal remedy is sought.
7.6 A sanction imposed by another fishing organization does not automatically disqualify a competitor. The Board may consider verified underlying conduct if that conduct would independently violate Arizona Kayak Bass Nation rules or governing documents.
7.7 Arizona Kayak Bass Nation does not adopt a general rule disqualifying a person solely because of addiction status, a prior felony conviction, or an undefined "moral turpitude" standard. Conduct occurring in connection with the club remains subject to these rules and applicable law.
7.8 Competitors are responsible for the conduct of a friend, family member, media person, or other third party when the competitor directs, coordinates, or knowingly uses that person to gain a competitive advantage or interfere with another angler.
8KAYAK, VESSEL, PROPULSION AND ELECTRONICS
8.1 Permitted propulsion is by paddle, pedal, push pole, or electric motor. Gasoline or other internal-combustion propulsion is prohibited.
8.2 An electric motor must be safely attached and may not exceed the manufacturer-labeled equivalent of 3 horsepower or 155 pounds of thrust. Only one electric propulsion motor may be attached during Official Practice and competition, and a spare propulsion motor may not be carried on the vessel.
8.3 A manufactured dual-prop electric unit operated from a single power source is treated as one motor if it is designed and sold by the manufacturer as a single unit.
8.4 Motorized vessels must satisfy all registration, numbering, lighting, and operating rules that apply to the tournament water.
8.5 Each competitor's kayak is limited to one live transducer during Official Practice and competition.
8.6 An eligible vessel must be at least 9 feet and no more than 18 feet long and must be a manufacturer-produced kayak, modular kayak, inflatable kayak, stand-up paddle board, canoe, or other substantially similar personal fishing vessel approved by the TD before competition.
8.7 A manufacturer-produced catamaran-style personal fishing vessel may be eligible if it otherwise complies with these rules. Homemade craft, sailboats, jon boats, pirogues, coracles, rowboats, dinghies, float tubes, inflatable rafts, rigid inflatable boats, conventional pontoon boats, pontoon-style pond boats, and similar non-qualifying craft are prohibited.
8.8 Manual and motorized anchor systems are permitted.
8.9 Mother-shipping, tethering/holding, or transportation coordination with a non-competitor is prohibited unless approved by the TD or required by an emergency.
8.10 By entering, a competitor agrees that tournament officials may inspect the vessel, motor, electronics, measuring board, PFD, lighting, or other competition equipment before, during, or after the event.
9TACKLE AND FISHING METHODS
9.1 Eligible bass must be caught alive, in a conventional sporting manner, by the registered competitor from the competitor's eligible vessel.
9.2 All lures, rigs, hooks, and tackle must comply with the laws governing the water being fished.
9.3 Only artificial lures may be used, except for lawful manufactured pork trailers and biodegradable artificial soft baits.
9.4 Umbrella-style rigs, including Alabama-type rigs, and double-fluke style rigs are allowed only to the extent they comply with applicable law.
9.5 Only one rod may be actively fishing at any time. A cast or presentation must be completed before another rod or lure is placed into active use.
9.6 Trolling as a fishing method is prohibited. Drifting with wind or current and long-line presentations that do not use vessel propulsion to pull the lure are permitted.
9.7 A bass caught while sight fishing must be hooked inside the mouth to be eligible.
9.8 Fish may not be retained on stringers. A fish-gripping device may be used temporarily to hold a fish in the water while preparing for measurement and photography, provided the fish is handled lawfully and humanely.
10PERMITTED FISHING LOCATIONS, LAUNCHES AND ACCESS
10.1 Each event will publish legal tournament waters, boundaries, legal launch locations, restricted areas, and any special access rules. Using an unauthorized launch or fishing outside the published official tournament waters or boundaries will result in event disqualification.
10.2 After launching at a legal launch, a competitor may not exit the vessel to advance the vessel into new competition water unless portaging is expressly allowed. Paddle, pedal, motor, and push pole may be used while the competitor remains in the vessel.
10.3 If the vessel becomes fully immobilized because it has bottomed out, forward travel by floating vessel has ended. The competitor may leave the vessel only as necessary to reorient or return it to connected legal water, not to drag or carry it across dry land to reach otherwise disconnected competition water.
10.4 Portaging is prohibited unless the event information expressly permits it. When portaging within a streambed is allowed, competitors may not leave the legal streambed to cross surrounding property unless the event information and applicable law expressly allow it. A violation of this access restriction will result in event disqualification.
10.5 Competitors are responsible for confirming that a launch is on the legal launch list and for paying all required access, ramp, park, or permit fees.
10.6 Unless an event states otherwise, a competitor may use more than one legal launch during a competition day and may take out at a different legal launch. Ride coordination and vehicle shuttling are permitted.
10.7 Competitors may fish any part of tournament water lawfully open to the public except an area designated off-limits, no-boats, keep-out, restricted, no-trespassing, no-fishing, or similarly closed by the club, a property owner, or a governmental authority.
10.8 Fishing must be conducted from inside the vessel unless an event rule expressly states otherwise. A competitor may reach an arm into the water to land a legally hooked fish.
10.9 A competitor may not leave the vessel to land a fish, measure or photograph a fish, submit a fish, or make fishing water more accessible unless expressly authorized. A vessel may be beached when necessary to safely measure and photograph a fish, provided the competitor does not use that action to access otherwise ineligible water.
10.10 Cutting trees, bushes, or logs; digging trenches or ditches; removing barricades; or materially altering the shoreline or access path to create fishing access is prohibited and will result in event disqualification.
10.11 A vessel may not be tethered to navigation buoys or safety signs.
10.12 Cables, ropes, chains, winches, block-and-tackle systems, or similar devices may not be used to pull or maneuver a vessel into otherwise inaccessible fishing water. A violation will result in event disqualification.
10.13 A competitor may not use a vessel, fishing line, marker, another person, or any other object to block fishing water or prevent reasonable access by another competitor. A violation will result in event disqualification.
11SCORING
11.1 Scoring uses Catch, Photograph, and Release (CPR) and is based on verified fish length measured in quarter-inch increments.
11.2 Each competitor will use the unique event identifier or identifier code designated for that tournament.
11.3 Unless an event states otherwise, the competitor's five longest verified eligible bass for each competition day constitute the daily limit and the applicable event total will be calculated from those daily scores according to the event format.
11.4 Measurements are rounded down to the next lower quarter-inch mark.
11.5 Eligible species are black bass species lawfully present in the tournament water, including largemouth, smallmouth, spotted, Guadalupe, shoal, and lawful hybrids, unless the event information narrows the eligible species.
11.6 All fish must measure a minimum of 12 inches. The mouth must be completely closed for measurement. If the mouth is not completely closed, the deductions in Section 14 apply. Any fish measuring less than 12 inches after applicable deductions will not be scored.
11.7 A fish may contribute only once to an angler's scored tournament total. A fish submitted on an earlier day but not retained in that day's scored five may be scored if legally caught again on a later competition day and documented with a new legal submission.
12MEASURING DEVICE
12.1 Approved measuring devices are current KETCH Products measuring boards and the YakAttack Leaderboard unless the Board publishes an additional approved device before an event.
12.2 Each competitor must provide and maintain an approved measuring device in readable, unaltered condition. The fence, measurement marks, and board surface must remain functional and visible.
12.3 Tournament officials may inspect a measuring device before, during, or after competition.
12.4 A fish submitted on an unauthorized, materially modified, or otherwise illegal measuring device will not be scored. Deliberate use of a deceptive or altered device may result in event disqualification.
13. PHOTO CRITERIA:
a. These rules are established to ensure fish submissions are scored accurately. Failure to comply with these criteria may result in disqualification, disqualification of the catch, or a reduction of length.
b. Fish photos must be submitted through TourneyX unless the Tournament Director announces an alternate submission method. If a technical or connectivity issue prevents normal submission, the angler must retain the original/raw photo, notify the Tournament Director or designated tournament judge as soon as practical, and follow any alternate submission instructions provided for the event.
c. Each fish photo must meet the following criteria to avoid penalties or disqualification:
i. The entire fish, from the tip of the lip to the end of the tail, must be clearly visible on an approved measuring device.
ii. The assigned unique identifier code must be completely visible and legible in the photograph and must not lie on, rest on, cover, or obscure any portion of the fish.
iii. The photo must be an overhead shot (not taken at an angle).
iv. The fish must be clear of any holding devices, including fishing lures or hooks.
v. The lip, eye, and tail end must not be obstructed, even by your hand or identifier. Pinching and holding the tail is permitted, provided no portion of the fish is covered. Tournament officials must clearly see the tip of the tail and the measuring board markings with no obstructions. A covered eye can result in disqualification of the catch, requiring submission of a better legal photo.
d. If the fish has a glossy or damaged eye or appears to be dead or has other odd markings, the angler must record a video showing the fish on an approved measuring device, identifying the area(s) of concern, and then placing the fish back into the water, showing it swimming away alive.
i. Anglers are encouraged to take a release video of every fish, beginning with the fish on the measuring board, showing the identifier, and then the fish actively swimming away.
e. Hands and fingers must not be in the gill plate. (Inadvertent situations where minimal amount of the finger or hand touch are subject to the judge’s interpretation)
f. Only the original/raw photo is acceptable. Screenshots, crops, duplicates, and edited photos will be disqualified.
g. A submitted fish will count only once toward an angler’s aggregate score for the tournament.
h. If a fish submitted on Day 1 is culled and does not appear in an angler's Top 5 fish, that fish can be caught again and counted toward the Day 2 total, provided the catch is in complete accordance with Section 11.
i. Any questionable issues with a fish should be immediately brought to the attention of the Tournament Director or designated tournament judge.
j. The quality of the photo and video submitted is the angler’s responsibility.
** Criteria above to be met to avoid possible penalty or disqualification **
IMPORTANT — IDENTIFIER PLACEMENT: The tournament identifier must be visible and legible in the photo but must not be placed on, rest on, cover, or obscure any portion of the fish.
14. FISH SUBMISSION SCORING DEDUCTIONS:
a. Mouth not completely closed: 1.00” deduction.
b. Lip or tail not touching the board: No score
c. Identifier lying on, resting on, covering, or obscuring any portion of the fish: No score
d. Measurements are rounded down to the next 1/4-inch mark. (No score if below the minimum length.)
e. Inadvertent situations where a minimal amount of the finger or hand touches or crosses are subject to the judge’s interpretation.
15TIES
15.1 A placement tie is broken by comparing each tied competitor's longest scored fish, then second-longest, third-longest, fourth-longest, and fifth-longest fish until the tie is broken.
15.2 If the tied limits remain identical, the next tiebreaker is the TourneyX submission time of each competitor's longest scored fish, then the submission time of the next-longest fish as necessary. If no tiebreaker resolves the tie, the affected cash award will be divided equally and each competitor will receive the points assigned to the tied place.
15.3 Arizona Kayak Bass Nation will use the same published tiebreaker process for its State Championship unless the State Championship event information announces a special tie procedure in advance; there is no automatic sudden-death fish-off.
15.4 A Big Bass tie is broken by each angler's next-largest legal fish from the event, continuing as needed. If still tied, the earliest submission time of the tied Big Bass determines the winner.
16RULE-INVESTIGATION / CREDIBILITY PROCEDURE
16.1 Arizona Kayak Bass Nation does not require a polygraph or other credibility-assessment test as a condition of competition or as the default method for resolving a rules allegation.
16.2 The TD, Rules Committee, or Board may evaluate original photographs and video, tournament-platform records, witness statements, maps or GPS records voluntarily provided or otherwise lawfully available, equipment inspections, admissions, and other relevant evidence. Competitors are expected to cooperate with reasonable tournament investigations.
16.3 The absence of a polygraph does not limit the club's authority to impose discipline when reliable evidence establishes a violation under the applicable standard adopted by the Board.
17PROTESTS, RULINGS AND APPEALS
17.1 A competitor must report a suspected material rule violation promptly to the TD or designated official. Reports should identify the conduct, approximate time/location, applicable rule if known, and available evidence.
17.2 A Scoring/Judging Protest is a dispute involving fish scoring, CPR judging, deductions, no-score decisions, or calculation of posted tournament results. It must be submitted within 30 minutes after results are announced or posted as final-pending-protest.
17.3 A Rules Violation Protest is an allegation that a competitor violated a tournament rule other than a dispute over the judging of a submitted fish. It must be filed as soon as practical and no later than 24 hours after Lines Out on the day of the alleged violation, unless the facts could not reasonably have been discovered by then.
17.4 The TD or Rules Committee will make the initial ruling and may impose an authorized penalty. A copy or summary of a formal protest and the ruling will be made available to the affected competitor.
17.5 An affected competitor may appeal a material ruling or penalty in writing within 48 hours after notice of the ruling. The Board or a Board-appointed panel of at least three disinterested persons will decide the appeal. A person directly involved in the dispute must recuse from the appeal decision.
17.6 A competitor who admits the underlying violation may appeal the penalty only when the applicable rule permits penalty discretion. A mandatory penalty expressly stated in these rules is not subject to reduction once the violation is established. The Board may allow review of another issue for good cause.
18STATE CHAMPIONSHIP AND BASSMASTER QUALIFICATION
18.1 The Arizona Kayak Bass Nation State Championship will use these rules, its event information, and any additional requirement necessary for recognition by B.A.S.S. Nation or the Bassmaster Kayak program.
18.2 National qualification percentages, minimum field sizes, roll-down provisions, duplicate-qualification procedures, eligibility requirements, and championship formats may change from year to year. Arizona Kayak Bass Nation will publish the current B.A.S.S. qualification criteria applicable to that season before the State Championship rather than hard-coding a national qualification formula into this rulebook.
19TAXES, PAYOUTS AND AWARDS
19.1 Competitors are responsible for federal, state, and local taxes arising from cash, merchandise, or other awards. Arizona Kayak Bass Nation may collect tax forms, report awards, or withhold amounts when required by law.
19.2 Event payouts, Big Bass awards, contingency awards, sponsor awards, and season points are governed by the published event or season payout/points policy.
20WAIVER, RELEASE AND PARTICIPATION DOCUMENTS
20.1 Participation is conditioned on completing the applicable Arizona Kayak Bass Nation waiver/release, minor authorization, emergency-contact information, and any other participation document required for the event.
20.2 The club's existing attorney-reviewed waiver/release is maintained as a separate legal document and is not reproduced or replaced by this competition rulebook.
21ANNUAL REVIEW AND SEVERABILITY
21.1 Before each season and before the State Championship, the Board should compare the then-current Bassmaster Kayak Series and B.A.S.S. Nation requirements with these rules and decide whether any update is appropriate.
21.2 If any provision of these rules is determined to be invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions continue in effect to the extent permitted by law and the club's governing documents.
