Teams
Deposit	$250
Early entry fee	$450
On-site entry fee	$500

Qualifying events

• Saturday tournaments with Sunday reserved in case of inclement weather
• 100 teams
• Teams range from a captain and one team member to a captain and four team members
• Winners determined by heaviest accumulated weight of two stripers per team (28"-34" slot limit where legal)
• Highest-finishing team, of those teams that fish all four events in 2008, will receive free entries for 2009

1. Rule changes

• These rules will remain unchanged during the year 2008. Interpretation of these rules will be left exclusively to the tournament director. Decisions of the tournament director are final in all matters and are not subject to appeal. Each competitor agrees to report any rule violation to the tournament director immediately upon the discovery of the violation. Failure to report violations may be cause for disqualification. Protests must be made in writing within 30 minutes of the official check-in time of the final flight of each tournament day.

2. Participation

• Participation is open only to tournament members of FLW Outdoors. At least one member of each team must be 16 years of age or older. Any person participating in a tournament under the age of majority must have the signature of their parent or legal guardian in the provided space on the release of liability form.
• The term "captain" refers to the person FLW Outdoors has contact with in regards to the team.
• All team members must have in their possession a valid fishing license and must follow all applicable federal, state and local regulations and laws. Any violation of such regulations or laws may result in disqualification from the tournament.
• Each competitor must provide a signed liability release form before the start of competition. Release forms will be provided by FLW Outdoors.
• For Hydra-Sports, Scarab, Seaswirl, Triumph and Wellcraft boat owners (FLW Outdoors may reserve sponsor team spots in each qualifying tournament), entries will be accepted for all qualifying tournaments beginning 8 a.m. Central time, March 19, 2008.
• For all others, entries will be accepted for all qualifying tournaments beginning 8 a.m. Central time, March 20, 2008.
• Entry may be made by mail, phone or on the Internet at FLWOutdoors.com; do not make entry by more than one method.
• Each qualifying tournament will be limited to 100 boats. Entries received after a tournament has filled will be placed on a waiting list. Those placed on the waiting list and not accepted into the tournament will receive a full refund after the tournament. A completed entry form and the complete entry fee must be received no later than 6:15 p.m. the day prior to each tournament. Entry fees may be transferred or refunded if FLW Outdoors is notified at least three days prior to registration.
• • Teams are limited to a minimum of a captain and one team member and a maximum of a captain and four team members. All awards will be paid to the team captain. In the situation where the team captain is unable to compete, the team will be allowed to designate an alternate captain. The captain (or alternate captain) and at least one team member must be on board during competition hours.
• All events will be one-day, Saturday events, with Sunday reserved for inclement weather.
• The highest-finishing team, of those teams that fish all four events in 2008, will receive free entries for 2009.

Points standings
150 points will be awarded to the winning team of each tournament, 149 for 2nd, 148 for 3rd, etc. Participation points (for teams that do not present a catch for weigh-in) will equal points awarded for the weight of the last fish weighed in minus 50. In all events, tied positions will be resolved by dividing the prize money evenly among the tied positions. For year-end point standings, ties will be resolved by total weight.

3. Boat/motor contingency awards

• For each team eligible for contingency awards, the captain must provide boat and/or motor serial numbers to FLW Outdoors at the time of entry and a copy of title/registration or warranty cards prior to competition. In order to receive contingency awards, the qualifying boat and/or motor must be used in the competition. It is the responsibility of the team captain to notify FLW Outdoors of any changes in ownership. The decisions of the boat and motor companies will be final in all matters regarding contingency eligibility.

4. Pretournament practice

• There will be no official practice period or off-limits period prior to the captain's meeting for all qualifying tournaments.

5. Registration and captain's meeting

• Each captain (or a team member) must register in person at the designated site during the official registration hours of 4-6 p.m. local time the day before the tournament. The captain (or team member) registering between 6-6:15 p.m. will be charged a $25 late fee that will be donated to the FishAmerica Foundation. It is mandatory that each captain (or a team member) attends the captain's meeting that will be held at 6:30 p.m. local time the day before the tournament. The boat numbers will be determined by the order of registration on Friday (the first person to register is boat No. 1).

Competitor Membership
Competitor Members who cannot attend the captain’s meeting will be allowed to send someone who is 16 years of age or older to represent them at registration. Noncontestants can represent one person. Contestants can represent themselves and one other person. This representative must attend the captain’s meeting to record boat number, takeoff time, check-in time, off-limits areas, size and creel limits, etc.

6. Safety

• Safe boating must be observed at all times. Each team member is required to have a U.S. Coast Guard approved personal flotation device (Type 1 recommended) onboard. The tournament will not start under a U.S. Coast Guard "gale or storm warning." The safety of the participating vessel is ultimately the responsibility of the captain. At the discretion of the tournament director, tournament days may be shortened, postponed or canceled due to unsafe weather or water conditions. FLW Outdoors recommends that all boats used in the Wal-Mart FLW Striper Series have an EPIRB system ACR 406 stat 2 (manual or automatic) or equivalent model.
• All tournaments are captain’s choice. The participating captain has the discretion to determine whether the team’s craft is seaworthy for the existing conditions. The safety and conduct of the crew and the safety of the participating vessel is the captain’s responsibility. At the discretion of the tournament director, tournament days may be shortened, postponed or canceled due to unsafe weather or water conditions. FLW Outdoors recommends that all boats used in the Wal-Mart FLW Striper Series have an EPIRB system ACR 406 stat 2 (manual or automatic) or equivalent model.

7. Sportsmanship

• All team members are required to follow high standards of sportsmanship, courtesy and conservation and to conduct themselves in a manner that will be a credit to themselves, to FLW Outdoors, FLW Outdoors' sponsors, the sport of fishing and FLW Outdoors' efforts to promote the sport. Examples of conduct not complying with those standards include, but are not limited to, the following:
• Violation of, or failure to comply with, any of the official rules for the 2008 Wal-Mart FLW Striper Series.
• Consumption of alcoholic beverages or any kind of mind-altering substance during registration, captain's meeting or during tournament hours, extending through the awards presentation.
• Abuse of, or addiction to, mind-altering substances.
• Conviction of a felony within the past 36 months.
• Suspension/disqualification from any tournament or fishing organization.
• Any other words, conduct or actions reflecting unfavorably upon efforts to promote safety, sportsmanship, fair competition and compliance with the tournament rules, or which fail to comply with the standards set forth in the first sentence of paragraph 7.
• In case of any conduct not complying with the standards, FLW Outdoors shall have the right to refuse any application, or to deny a confirmed application, by returning the entry fee of a previously accepted application, or to disqualify a team.

8. Communication

• During tournament hours, contestants may not obtain or receive assistance from noncompetitors. The use of any mobile communication device is permitted except for the purpose of communicating fishing information. Boats shall not come together except in an emergency situation. In the case of an emergency, the tournament director must be notified, as soon as it is feasible, by radio (the official FLW Outdoors radio channel will be assigned at the captain's meeting) or telephone.

9. Boat regulations

• All boats must be a minimum of 18 feet in length, be seaworthy and have all required U.S. Coast Guard safety equipment.
• A fixed-mount or hand-held VHF radio is mandatory for all tournament vessels.
• Fuel may be carried only in factory-installed (built-in) fuel tanks. Any additional fuel used during the tournament day must be purchased from a retail facility open to the public.
• At the start of each event, FLW Outdoors will, at random, board and inspect a boat or boats for fishing licenses, storage lockers, etc. FLW Outdoors reserves the right to board any boat entered into the tournament at any time.

10. Legal fish

• All striped bass must be caught alive in a conventional sporting manner.
• No more than six lines may be in the water at any time.
• Size limits will comply with prevailing regulations, but in no case may be less than 28 inches or more than 34 inches to the fork, unless announced at the captain's meeting. FLW Outdoors reserves the right to change slot limits at any time.
• All striped bass submitted for weigh-in must be caught during the tournament day.
• Only artificial lures may be used, with the exception of pork trailers and Berkley Gulp! Baits and Gulp Alive!.
• Trolling is allowed.
• Arrays of bait, i.e., umbrella rigs, are limited to one bait with hooks.
• Contestants may not chum with live or dead bait after the balance deadline in or near areas planned to be fished during competition.
• No mutilated fish may be weighed. Mutilation is defined as any damage that impairs the fish's fighting ability. All decisions regarding mutilation will be made by FLW Outdoors tournament officials.
• Fish to be weighed must be presented by a team member.
• All fish presented for weigh-in will become the property of FLW Outdoors.

11. Permitted fishing locations

• Boats may fish or transport fish only in legal waters as designated by local, state or federal officials. Any waters designated as off limits" or "no fishing" by state, local or federal officials are off limits.
• Team members must leave and return to the official checkpoint by boat. The boat must remain in the water during the tournament day. No tournament boat may be loaded on the trailer before the weigh-in except with the permission of the tournament director.

12. Late penalty

• There will be only one official check-in point in the afternoon. Failure to check in at the check-in point will result in disqualification.
• Teams that are not at the official check-in area at the appointed time will be penalized 1 pound per minute, which will be deducted from the team's total weight. Any team more than 15 minutes late will lose credit for that day's weight.

13. Scoring

• In an effort to protect the population of striped bass and to reduce mortality, striper KeepAlive boxes or approved devices will be required equipment for every boat used in competition. Striper KeepAlive boxes will be available at registration to purchase or rent.
• Scoring will be determined by the pounds and ounces of up to two fish for each team. Teams possessing more than the tournament limit will have their catch disqualified.

14. Logo usage and television coverage

• Tobacco and/or alcohol logos may not be worn or displayed at any Wal-Mart FLW Striper Series events.
• During all qualifying events and Days 1 and 2 of competition at the championship, teams may wear any logos with the exception of alcohol or tobacco logos.
• On Day 3 of the championship, during tournament hours extending through the awards presentation, only Wal-Mart FLW Striper Series sponsor logos may be worn or displayed.
• On Day 3 of the championship, anglers who make the cut must wear shirts, rainsuits, PFDs and camera equipment supplied by FLW Outdoors.
• On Day 3 of the championship, competitors may not use tobacco products while fishing.
• Smoking is not allowed in the weigh-in line during all three days of competition.
• FLW Outdoors may, at its sole discretion, place a camera operator in a tournament boat on any day of competition.

15. Polygraph

• Each contestant agrees to submit, by their signature on the official tournament entry form, to a polygraph examination to be administered at a time/date determined by the tournament director upon the close of competition in each tournament and to abide by its conclusion. All examinations must be passed to receive weight credit or checks earned in an event. The determination of the meaning of the results will be made solely by FLW Outdoors. At least one member of the winning team will be given a polygraph examination at each tournament. All other polygraphs will be used at the tournament director’s discretion.

16. Insurance

• Liability insurance, with coverage in reasonable amounts, is required of all contestants in FLW Outdoors tournaments.

17. Captions

• The captions at the beginning of each paragraph are intended to facilitate convenience in referring to the various rules. The captions are not part of the substance of the paragraph and should not be used in construction of any paragraph or of this overall set of rules.