The Fourth Annual Men's NetWork North American Fishing Tournament is underway! Are you ready?
On April 30 at 12:01 a.m. those plying North America's fresh waters and clear-blue mountain streams once again began casting their lines for a bit of fame, a modicum of fortune, and a fabulous grand prize-a $500 MasterCard or Visa gift card. If you haven’t registered yet, ten bucks gets you on board and participation is ridiculously simple (see rules below). All that's left once you register is to go fishing. What could be easier than that?
The Concept - Men from all over the United States and Canada are invited to participate in an Internet-based fishing tournament brought to you by the Men's NetWork from Lutheran Hour Ministries. The tournament began April 30, 2012 and will conclude September 2, 2012.
The Fish - There will be separate weekly prizes for the largest fish (by weight) caught in each of 10 different categories. There is also a prize given to the lucky guy who hauls in the "strangest non-fish thing" that week.
- Bass (Largemouth, Smallmouth, Spotted, or Kentucky)
- Walleye and Sauger
- Northern Pike and Musky
- Crappie
- Bluegill, Perch, Sunfish
- Trout (all except Lake Trout)
- Lake Trout
- Freshwater Salmon
- Freshwater Stripers
- Channel Cat
- All other Catfish
- Strangest non-fish thing caught
How Does This Work? RULES - READ THESE!
- You register for the tournament online. (Beginning April 2nd!)
- Registration is a one-time $10 fee for the entire tournament.
- Each registrant will receive a Men's NetWork cap and a specially designed lure.
- You can begin registering on April 2, or at least one week before you enter any fish in the tournament throughout the season.
- You go fishing as often as you want during the contest period.
- When you catch a fish you want to enter, you MUST take two clear pictures of the fish.
- Send one close-up with the fish on the scale so we can see the accurate weight.
- Send one with you and the fish.
- Be sure to RE-READ RULE #3 again.
- Complete the online entry form and submit your pictures to mensnetwork@lhm.org (available after May 1). Pictures may be digital or scanned but sent as a JPG. Follow the links that provide all of the information that gives us the following details:
- The kind of fish (in case we can't tell from the photo)
- Where it was caught (body of water and state/province)
- The lure or bait used
- The exact weight of the fish to the ounce (be honest!)
- Wait to see if yours is posted as the biggest fish in that category for that week.
- We'll update pictures and entries daily (Monday-Friday). Only the largest fish submitted for that week will be shown until we have a weekly winner. Your fish must be caught during the week you are submitting it (No old fish pix). Note: A "real" person has to do this, so be patient on Monday, as he has to go through each entry to determine the leader.
- The fishing "week" runs from Monday through Sunday.
- Prizes will be awarded in the following categories:
- Weekly (for the largest fish in each category each week)
- Men's NetWork Fishing Tournament T-shirt
- $10 Bass Pro Shops® gift card
(In the event you are a "repeat winner," additional "wins" will earn you an additional $10 gift card, but not another shirt.)
- End of the Summer
- Another $10 Bass Pro Shops gift card will go to fishermen with the largest fish in each category for the whole summer.
- Grand Prize
- All weekly winners (except for "strangest non-fish thing" category) will be placed in a drawing for the Grand Prize.
- Grand Prize is a $500 MasterCard/Visa gift card.
- IMPORTANT! Any ties will be broken based on who is wearing the Men's NetWork cap in the picture—no kidding! Beyond that, we'll break ties based on the first entry received at that weight.
Rules
- Fish may be caught in any freshwater lake, pond, river, or stream.
- This includes private farm ponds.
- This does not include "pay-to-fish" fish farms.
- All entries (fish size, fishing method, etc.) must conform to local rules.
- You may use "live" bait or artificial lures, as local regulations allow.
- Fish must be taken by pole and line. This rules out the following tactics:
- Trout lines
- Dynamite
- Electrical shock
- Noodling
- Jumping in and grabbing them
- Netting
- Hitting them over the head with pole, oar, or any other object
- Anything else you can think of that isn't pole and line
- You may not put foreign objects in the fish's mouth or any other part of his/her anatomy to add weight to the fish. This would include-but is not limited to-the following items:
- Fishing weights
- Lures
- Water, mud, beer, motor oil, or any other fluid
- Small children
- Anything that would add any weight to the fish
- You must weigh any fish you are entering on a scale that clearly differentiates pounds and ounces.
- The fishing tournament week begins on Monday and ends at midnight (local time) Sunday night. All entries for the previous week must be in by 11 a.m. Central Daylight Time Monday morning. (This 2012 revision is two hours later than previous years' rules; it gives fishermen in the Pacific and Mountain Time Zones two extra hours on Monday mornings to get their catch posted. Those of you in those time zones can thank John Hoppert for this suggestion!) Submissions arriving at the Men's NetWork after 11 a.m. CDT will be entered in the following week's contest. Again, please remember a "real guy" has to filter this stuff before it's posted, so be patient.
- To take advantage of the holiday weekend (and get one EXTRA day to fish), the tournament ends on Monday, September 3, at midnight, and the final week's catch must be submitted by 11 a.m. CDT on Tuesday, September 4.
- The Grand Prize winner will be notified no later than Friday, September 14, 2012.
- The winner is responsible for all applicable taxes.
Click here to register!
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