Leading Edge Tournament Series 2004!!

[ChuckN]

L.E.T.S. Go Fishing!!
Leading Edge Tournament Series 2004
Official Rules and Information
L.E.T.S. is a league format event in which teams of 2 anglers compete for points. This is a multi-species
tournament series which allows for a wide variety of fishing options.
League Size- 15 teams
Teams- 2 people must sign up to be league members.
Teams may use substitutes, but at least 1 registered
team member must participate.
Cost- League fees for 2004 will be $300 per team. All
fees will go towards event pay-outs, overall champion
payouts, Saturday night meals for all teams, and any
league expenses. The first 15 teams to send in their
dues will be allowed into the league. Last year’s
participants are allowed to register first.
Registration will begin FEBRUARY 1st
Pay-out Schedule(based on a 15 team league):
Individual event pay-outs
1st place - $200
2nd place -$150
3rd place - $75
4th place - $50
5th place- $50

Season championship pay-outs
1st place - $500
2nd place - $300
3rd place - $200
4th place - $150
5th place - $100
6th place - $100
7th place - $100
8th place - $50
Events- Each event will be a 2 day tournament.
Saturday's event will run from 10 a.m. until 7:00
p.m., Sunday will be from sunrise to 2-3pm. Each day
will have a 1 hour break 4 hours into the event. This
will allow for a lunch break as well as scoring of
fish caught during the first half. The one hour break
will ONLY be waived in the case of fishing large lakes
(acreage would be up for discussion) or extreme
conditions that may be detrimental to the fish, such
as high water or air temps. The waive can only be
implemented if 2/3 teams vote for it before the event
begins.

Dates and locations:
June 5-6: Cass Lake, Cass Lake, MN
June 26-27: Le Homme Dieu chain, Alexandria, MN
July 24-25: Bemidji (Mystery) Lake, Bemidji, MN
August 28-29: Pokegama Lake, Grand Rapids, MN

Lodging- To keep in the spirit of sharing
information, fellowship and camaraderie, we encourage
teams to camp or stay in the same general area. The following are suggested headquarters and Saturday night meal sites:

-Cass Lake and Bemidji Mystery events- team member “Clueless” has welcomed all teams to camp at his residence in Bemidji, MN. It is a short commute to Cass Lake for that event also.

-Le Homme Dieu- Team member “Ron B” has offered teams can camp at his residence in Alexandria, MN.

-Pokegama Lake- Headquarters to be determined. Further details will be available.

To hold your reservation, payment must be received no
later than FEBRUARY 10th.
Mail a deposit of $50 per person to-
Dennis Steele
826 Stoughton Avenue
Chaska, MN 55318

General Rules- L.E.T.S. prides itself as being a
catch-and-release league. Taking some fish for the pan
is ok, but selective harvest is strongly recommended.
1) All rules and regulations of the State of Minnesota
must be observed at all times. There will also be a
boat and trailer inspection for aquatic vegetation
prior to teams launching their boat.
2) A cell phone or marine band radio must be in the
boat at all times. This is necessary for safety and to
contact other teams for large fish verification.
3) Teams must respect other teams. No fishing within
30 yards of another team will be allowed unless
invited by said team to do so. Non league boats must
also be respected at all times.
4) Check-in: There will be a meeting of all team members one hour prior to the start of each event to inspect boats and hold a league meeting (possible discussion and voting). A watch synchronization will take place each morning. Check-in times will be strictly enforced for meetings and weigh-ins.
5) There will be a staggered start. Teams will draw
for starting position before each event. Boats will
then leave the starting point in 5 second intervals
with the last team being the starter boat. After the
break, this order will be reversed. On the second day,
order of start will be determined by total points,
having the lowest scoring team go first, highest last.
In case of a tie, the first days' starting order will
be used. This order will be maintained after the
second days' break.
6) Scoring- The scoring system will be based on weight
converted to points. There will also be points awarded
for attendance.
Point values- 1 lb of fish = 1 pt (Across the board
for all species)
Attendance= 2 points per event
Walleye= Minimum size = 12 inches
Pike= Minimum size = 20 inches
LM/SM Bass= Minimum size = 12 inches
Sunfish= Minimum size = 7 inches
Crappie= Minimum size = 9 inches
Perch = Minimum size = 9 inches
Lake Trout= Minimum size = 16 inches
Muskie= Any legal fish will be worth 25 points
One bonus point will be awarded for each Pike,
Walleye, Bass combination brought in for a maximum
bonus of 3 points.
A running point total will be kept towards an end of
the year league champion. These points will be based
on order of finish. 1st place will receive 15 points,
second 14, and so on plus attendance points. Ties will
be determined by largest fish caught. End of year
ties for score points winner will be determined by
total weight calculated for the year.
7) Limits- Each team will be allowed one persons'
legal limit per day.
8) Lifejackets- The wearing of lifejackets while teams
boat is under power of main engine is strongly
encouraged.
9) Live wells- All boats must have a live well or
other means such as a cooler with an aerator capable
of keeping fish alive. Stringers and fish baskets will
not be allowed.
10) Fishable waters- Any water that can be accessed by
boat without having to pull, push or drag the boat
will be deemed tournament water. The use of a
push-pole, oar or paddle will be allowed.
11) All teams must remain in their boat except in case of
emergency, or at breaks and weigh-ins.
12) Fishing in Minnesota presents a wide range of
weather conditions that anglers must face. Events will
only be cancelled in the event of lightning. The event
will not be completely cancelled, only postponed until
the lightning has passed. In event of lightning, all
boats must return to the starting area within 1/2 hour
from time lightning is spotted by league president.
This will allow ample time for teams to reach safety.
Teams failing to report in will loose all points for
that day except under conditions where teams must take
immediate cover and unable to make it back to the
starting point. Teams will be contacted by cell phone
or marine band radio if a postponement is called.
13) All rules and scoring decisions will be made by
league president and are final. In the event of a
rules violation or conflict by the league president,
the league vice president will make the call. Any
rules changes will be announced prior to each event.
14.) All on the water verification will be done using
published formulas to decide weight. All formulas will
be posted prior to the first event.
15.) Short fish penalty. Any fish more than 1/4" under
prescribed length will be thrown out including 50% of
teams largest fish. This rule shall also apply with a
slot fish violation.
16.) Impose 30% weight penalty for any published rule
violation.
17.) Random drawing for a complete bag check at weigh-ins.
Every fish in the bag gets measured on the official
stick. No one knows until they come to the scales if
they are going to be measured or not. This doesn't
mean that a measurement on any other fish or bag can
not be requested at any time.

To register for L.E.T.S. Go Fishing or for any
questions you may have, please contact either:
Chuck Nordahl “ChuckN”
L.E.T.S. League President
[email protected]

Paul Waldowski
L.E.T.S League Vice-President
[email protected]

Dennis Steele
L.E.T.S League Treasurer
[email protected]

Here are some photos from the 2003 season!
http://www.mnriverguidedfishing.com/LETSStatewide.html

[This message has been edited by ChuckN (edited 03-30-2004).]

[ChuckN]

Ok, folks, don't forget that sign up starts February 10th! Get your RSVP money into Dennis to save your team's spot! It's a minimal fee for fishing great lakes, learning new fishing tactics and meeting new FishingMinnesota members!

Hope to see some new faces this year!