2024 Jim Dolan Memorial Tournament Western Region Rules
All fish entered must be caught in public waterways (i.e., hooked, fought, and landed) from a kayak in the states of California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico. All states in the Pacific and Mountain Times Zones are fair game. Fishing must be done without the aid of a professional guide or powerboat (mothership). Rule Update - A maximum of 3hp internal combustion engine or electrical propulsion is permitted on your kayak. All fishing must use methods deemed legal by the state in which they were caught. Only one fishing rod may be used at one time.

Photographs using a digital camera or smartphone camera will be used to provide evidence of fish size based on length through the iAngler Tournament platform.

Photo must be the whole fish taken from directly above the fish, with the mouth closed. Any fish submitted with mouth open will result in a 1” penalty.

If any of the pictures are blurry due to operator or climate they will be disqualified. It will be up to the tournament committee if accepted.

Fish must be facing to the left on the measuring board with dorsal fin to the top.

You are allowed to have one hand in the picture to pinch the tail to get the overall length.

You must use a measuring board and not a flexible tape. Measuring board increments must be clearly marked (no “fat marks”). Approved measuring boards are the Hawg Trough and Ketch Boards or their equivalent. If you have a question regarding whether your particular measuring board will work, ask.

The fish and measuring device should be on a flat surface. Having a measuring trough to assist makes taking good pictures much easier. The measuring board must be under the fish. Fish bigger than your measuring board will need to be measured with a tape measure UNDERNEATH the fish and the entire fish MUST be visible in the photo. Judging of fish will be at the discretion the tournament director and assistant tournament directors. All Decisions are final. (Remember this is a fundraiser for a great cause which is supposed to be for fun and not an ultra-competitive type of tournament).

Dates to enter fish will begin Saturday, September 6, 2024, and end at 4:00 PM CST Sunday, September 22, 2024.

The Jim Dolan Memorial Tournament covers the following species:

Fresh Water Species
Black Bass Only – Large Mouth, Small Mouth, Spotted Bass – The participants longest 5 bass will be scored, and the longest 5 fish stringer will be the winner.

Freshwater - The longest 5 fish will be used.

Anglers may enter both freshwater and saltwater if they wish or enter only one category. They do not have to enter both.

No out of season, undersized or oversized fish may be entered. This includes proper measurement for all fish that have a minimum size. For fish that have a minimum inch or max size they need to be measured with an attempt to keep the mouth closed. Fish that appear short will be disqualified. If your fish is borderline short, measure properly with mouth closed so there is evidence the fish is legal.

The Jim Dolan Memorial Tournament Western Region marker must be visible in every picture submitted.

This is a catch, photo and release tournament which spans across state lines and jurisdictions.  Due to the various size restrictions involved, all fish of the tournament target species will be allowed.  Minimum and maximum size limits do not apply.  Please take care in properly handling and releasing the fish as the purpose behind this style of tournament is conservation of the resource.
This accomplishes two things.  It creates a level playing field among participants fishing under varying size restrictions and does not hold the tournament judges responsible for knowing the rules and regulations of each and every jurisdiction across the country.

Prizes will be awarded to the top three overall finishers for each tournament. Prizes to be determined.

Any questions about rules please email Captain Jim Drowns at events@heroesonthewater.org.