FAAM CATFISH SHOWDOWN FULL RULES

Format and eligibility

Two-person team one-day accumulated length bag tournament.
Catch, Photo, Video release format competition
All competitors must possess and have on their person a valid Manitoba Fishing License or Treaty Card.
All competitors are equal and will abide by Manitoba Sportfishing regulations and specifically all rules put in place for the FAAM Catfish Showdown.
At minimum one team member must be eighteen (18) years of age or over. Youth competitors will be permitted with written consent from a parent/guardian.

Entry

$300 entry fee per team, all fees must be paid before 8am on September 13^th
Boat numbers/starting order will be assigned as entries are received and paid. Official notification of such via email from Tournament Directors will be sent once funds are received.
Entries will continue to be received until the online rules meeting on Friday, September 12^th at 8:15pm via Zoom. The Zoom link will be sent to all Captains on or before Thursday September 11^th at 8pm.

Logistics

The date of the event will be Saturday September 13th, 2025.
Tournament fishing hours will be from 8:15am to 4:15pm. All times are based on GPS.
- Take-off will be a number ordered trickle start called out from the public dock. Boats taking off before being called will be disqualified. Boats missing their call must wait until all boats in the field (or their flight if applicable) have taken off before leaving.
Pre-fishing will cease at 6:00pm on Friday, September 12, 2025. No boat shall travel tournament waters or actively fish after this time until take-off time the following morning. Persons travelling to and from accommodations/property on the river after pre-fishing has ceased must only do so for the purpose of commuting and not to actively locate fish or conditions.
Boat inspections at the Selkirk Park boat launch will commence at 7:00am.
Online rules meeting will take place on Friday September 12, 2025 at 8:15pm on Zoom. Mandatory attendance from at least one team member is required by logging in and leaving a comment with your team member names and boat number.

Boundaries

The competition will take place on the Red River from end of cement pier (see boundary map provided) to the south and up to Mouth of Netley Creek at End of Main.

Boat Inspection

Tournament volunteers will conduct boat inspections at the Selkirk Park boat launch prior to each boat entering the water and record each boat as completed.
Failure to have boat recorded as ‘Inspected’ before taking off will result in disqualification.
Volunteers will check for: appropriate Personal Floatation Device for each team member; ensuring livewells are empty of water.
Teams will receive an Official FAAM Catfish Tournament ruler during morning boat inspection. Each ruler will have a serial number and will be marked.
Teams will receive an Official Fish Tag Set of numbers during morning boat inspection. Ten laminated squares numbered 1-25.

Boats and equipment

Canoes, houseboats, kayaks and other similar personal or cumbersome watercraft are not permitted.
Tournament Directors reserve the right to refuse entry or disallow use of any boat, motor, or equipment deemed unsafe, unsuitable, or contravening of tournament rules.
Competitor boats must not come into contact with any other boats on the water whether they be other competitors or not. The passing of items from one boat to another will result in disqualification.
Boats will be respectful and sportsmanlike in regards to other competitors and property on tournament waters. A twenty-five (25) foot radius shall be respected between boats during the competition.
Electronic boat to boat communication is prohibited during tournament hours.

Safety

Competitors are not permitted to consume alcohol directly before and during tournament hours.
Competitors are required to wear approved Personal Floatation Devices whenever the boat is on plane or travelling beyond trolling or drifting speed.
Emergency contact number listed below.
All teams must adhere to safe boating practices while participating in the tournament.
For the purpose of accounting the safe return of all competitors, all boats are required to check-in at the conclusion of tournament hours. Failure to do so will result in disqualification.
Competitors are strictly not permitted to step ashore/off their boat at any time during tournament hours other than at Selkirk Park boat launch. In the case of lightning or other severe dangerous weather, competitors can seek safety at the nearest shoreline as necessary.

Fishing

Only fish caught by angling hook and line in a normal manner will be permitted for inclusion in bag limit.
Competitors are permitted to use only one (1) line in the water per person at a time.
Only Channel Catfish (hereafter designated as ‘fish‘) are permitted for submission. All other species caught must be released safely back to the water immediately.
Fish shall not be altered or purposefully deformed in any way.
All care for the well-being of any/all fish caught during the tournament shall be of the utmost priority of each competitor.
The use of sonar (fish/depth finders) is permitted including ‘Live’ technology.
Boats must return to the Selkirk Park boat launch area and ‘check-in’ with the Tournament Directors. Check-in process will involve a Tournament Official calling out your boat number to confirm that you have checked-in. Official FAAM Catfish Rulers and fish tags must be handed in to the Tournament Official at this time in order to complete check-in.
Late boats will be penalized half an inch per minute up to 5 minutes, beyond which they will not be eligible to weigh-in that day’s bag (disqualification).
Boats who do not complete Check-in process will not be eligible for scoring.

Scoring

Catch, Photo, Video Release format competition
All fish must measure a minimum of 30” to qualify. Fish under 30” are not eligible for scoring. All qualifying fish at the 30” mark will score.
Hero photo will be taken with the fish’s head in an angler’s right hand with the fish’s left side facing the camera. Entire fish must be in frame, angler’s face must be in frame, fish tag must be placed on the fish’s left side and visible in the photo.
Measurement photo will be taken with the fish laying flat on its right side, head placed against the bump of the ruler (0″) with its mouth closed (see Judging below). Tail may be pinched to achieve maximum length. Angler may hold the fish in place for the photo. Serial tag must be visible in the photo. There should be no part of the ruler visible between the fish’s mouth and the bump. Camera person may take the photo from either the fish’s dorsal side or belly side (photo can be rotated by the weighmaster after).
Teams will submit each catch via WhatsApp to the provided phone number to qualify for scoring. The team with the longest accumulated length will finish at the top of the standings.
A maximum of ten (10) catfish may comprise each team’s accumulated length. Teams may upgrade their best ten throughout the competition. Weighmaster will inform you of your smallest fish once maximum has been reached.

Judging

Official recording of Team Accumulated Length shall be in inches.
Measurements must touch the next quarter inch line to score that length. Otherwise the score will be rounded down to the previous quarter inch line. The final determination for this will be the sole discretion of the Weighmaster.
Penalties or disqualification of individual fish may be levied if the required photos and release video conditions are not adhered to.
Weighmaster may request team re-send a different photo if the measurement photo is unclear or very blurry.
Quarter inch (0.25”) penalty: No Fish Tag visible in one or more of a Hero, Measurement (max one quarter inch penalty per fish)
Half inch (0.50″) penalty: Mouth open in Measurement Photo with discernible advantage (discretion of the Weighmaster)
Individual fish disqualification:
- Measurement Photo – none submitted; photo missing serial tag; wrong side of fish facing camera; fish not touching bump. If measurement photo is ultimately unreadable by the weighmaster.
- Hero Photo – none submitted; wrong side of fish facing camera, entire fish not in frame
- Same fish submitted for scoring by same team. Individual fish may only be scored once doesn’t matter if it was legally caught again. No two catfish have identical markings.
The scoring headquarters will be located at the Selkirk Park boat launch Shelter 4 and will be officiated by the Official Weighmaster.
All measurements and weights declared by the Weighmaster are final.

Awards

The Prize Pool will be awarded based on longest total team accumulated length with the top length winning first place.
All cash prize placing spots in the Prize Pool will be broken down by proportional percentage of the prize pot.
Tiebreaker Rule – In the event of a tie (same exact official length), the higher placing team will be determined by each team’s longest scored fish of the tournament. If still tied, then the higher placing team will be determined by each team’s next longest scored fish and so on until the tie is broken. Teams will combine award values of placings and split the award evenly if the tiebreaker rule cannot break the tie.
The Big Fish Prize Pool will be going to the team who score the longest fish.
Tiebreaker Rule for Big Fish– In the event of a tie (same exact official measurement), the higher placing fish will be determined by the next longest fish scored by each team on that day. If still tied, then the higher placing fish will be determined by the third longest fish and so on until the tie is broken. Teams will split the Big Fish Award if tiebreaker rule cannot break the tie.
Prizes will be awarded on a team basis and must be accepted as awarded.
The Tournament Directors reserve the right to adjust the stated prize structure accordingly in relation to the actual size of the total field of entrants.

Other

Each team must register for the tournament by emailing filling out the registration form on the FAAM website and paying the $300 entry fee.
Upon registering, competitors are permitting the use of their name and image on all media coverage relating to the promotion and reporting of the FAAM Catfish Showdown. Competitors also free the organizers, volunteers, sponsors, and other agents involved in the above-named event of any responsibility for death, injury, damage, theft, or related loss as a result of participating in the FAAM Catfish Showdown, howsoever caused.
Tournament Directors reserve the right to delay, shorten, or cancel the tournament in the case of severe weather or unsafe conditions.
Competitors who have been disqualified will not be entitled to a refund of their entry fee.
All Competitors must return the Catfish Showdown rulers at the conclusion of the tournament (by 5pm on the day of the tournament). Any teams that do not return the ruler will have all fish disqualified and they need to pay a $100 replacement cost.
Any protests of contravention of rules must be submitted directly to the Tournament Directors accompanied with $200 cash before the completion of judging. Fee will be refunded if allegations are found to be justified and result in a change in the final standings.
It is the goal of the Tournament Directors to organize a fair and sportsmanlike competitive event, in all cases the ‘spirit of the rule’ will apply.

Tournament Director – Jennifer Trotman- 204-298-4062, Alan Alli 204-794-5648

Weigh Master – Regan Aranzanso- 204-795-6322