Tournament hours are Tuesday April 9th from 8:00 am central to 4:00 pm central. Hours are the same on Wednesday April 10th, 8:00 am central to 4:00 pm central. Fishing boundary is anywhere on the Rainy River and Lake of the Woods navigable by boat and accessed FROM the Rainy River. EXCEPTIONS: No tributaries of the Rainy River are eligible. No Canadian water is eligible. Example: 4 mile bay and Lake of the Woods outside the gap if you drive there by boat from the Rainy River. Prizes for top 3 longest walleyes overall for both days and longest sturgeon overall for both days. We have a bonus prize for longest non-walleye/sturgeon caught and entered on the FishDonkey app. This is meant to be a fun tournament!  You can only win one prize per species. 

This year, we will have a hidden leaderboard! 

MAKE SURE YOU READ INSTRUCTIONS ON MEASURING FISH. THERE IS A PENALTY FOR MEASURING WITH THE MOUTH OPEN!

FishDonkey App

All registration and payment must be completed using the app.  The FishDonkey App will be used to photo document fish and will generate live leaderboards. The leaderboards will update throughout the event as fish are submitted.  All entries will be considered unofficial until verified.

Measuring & Photo Documenting

• All photos must be taken through the FishDonkey app and measurements must be on a valid measuring board.
• Fish should be recorded immediately and measurements noted by length.
• All submissions must include at least two photographs:  1) A pic of you holding the fish 2) A pic of the fish on the measuring board.
• Close the fish’s mouth. The nose should touch the bump of the measuring board (the belly is facing you). This photo needs to include the entire fish on the board.  
• If the fish tail is touching the graduation line on the board then that is the exact measurement.  If the tail crosses a graduation line, round up ¼”.
• All participants must have their fish submitted before the end of the tournament.
• Entries with an open mouth will receive a deduction penalty of 1″, as an open mouth can extend the length of the fish.  
• Extra large fish are difficult to measure with a bump board and photographs.  For example, sturgeon can be measured more accurately by using video. Bump the nose of the fish against a vertical surface and use a commercial measuring tape to measure the fish.  Video from nose to tail, covering the complete length of the fish.

Practice the FishDonkey App ahead of time

Watch a 1 minute tutorial on How to Enter a Fish

Test the app before you get out on the water.  

1.  Download the app

2. Join “Practice Entering a Fish”

Here’s a video on How to Measure a Fish

FishDonkey in poor reception areas

The app will work without the internet.  Open the app before heading out to poorly covered areas.  Tap on the name of the tourney.  Once you see the button ‘Enter a Fish’, head out and fish away.  Fish should be entered as normal in bad reception areas.  Your Digital Livewell® (fish icon) will show you if there are fish waiting for an internet connection to get pushed into the leaderboard.  When you get back to a well connected area, open your Digital Livewell®  and leave that screen open/active until all fish are “Received”. If your pictures are missing from the leaderboard, this is what you need to do.  Until your pictures are received, do not delete or alter the photos on your phone, as the software will not accept your photos as originals.

Missing pictures on the leaderboard?

Open your Digital Livewell (fish icon) when you get back to an area with good reception.  Leave that screen open until all fish are “Received”.  Never delete anything from your Digital Livewell.

Measuring Boards

All measuring devices must be commercially made.  You are required to have a board with a 90 degree bend which marks 0, and at least ¼” lines.  No handmade measuring boards, stickers, or tape measures allowed.  No sliding, retractable, or foldable measuring devices are allowed unless approved by the tournament director.  If your measurement is not clearly readable in your submission photo, it may not be accepted, or could be penalized. 

Extra large fish are difficult to measure with a bump board and photographs.  For example, sturgeon can be measured more accurately by using video.  Bump the nose of the fish against a vertical surface and use a commercial measuring tape to measure the fish.  Video from nose to tail, covering the complete length of the fish.

Tournament Director

Your Tournament Director is Bret Amundson. If you need to reach your director, their contact info is in the “ i “ Info icon within your tournament in the app.  

The interpretation and enforcement of the rules is at the sole discretion of the director.  The tournament director may change rules or impose sanctions as they deem appropriate, including but not limited to: disqualifications, forfeiture of prizes, and prohibition from competing in future tournaments.  All decisions made by the tournament director are final.

Sportsmanship

All participants are expected to follow high standards of sportsmanship, courtesy, safety and conservation. Any participant who displays poor sportsmanship, violates these rules or brings unfavorable publicity to the sport of fishing could be disqualified. Encroachment is considered a sportsmanship rule.

Body of Water

Participants must fish in the area specified for the event. Fishing has to be legal and in public waters only: no private ponds, streams, lakes or rivers. Participants may fish in any water that is open to public fishing. Tournament boundary is the Rainy River from the Franz Jevne access to any part of Lake of the Woods accessible via the Rainy River. Example: You have to launch on the Rainy River and navigate out to the Lake to be within boundaries. Tributaries of the Rainy River are NOT open to the tournament. Canadian waters are also NOT open to the tournament.

Inclement Weather/Cancelation

Keep your phones on throughout the tournament in order to receive communication from the director in the event of postponement or cancelation.  Due to the nature of tournament fishing, no refunds will be issued.  This is at the discretion of your tournament director. 

Tiebreakers

The tournament director will consider options for determining a tie, which could be 1) time of entry  2) the exact measurement instead of the ¼” measurement 3) the next largest fish submitted by each angler.  A tie could also result in shared prizes. 

Claiming Prizes

Prizes must be claimed at River Bend Resort. We will have a prize ceremony on 4/10 at 6pm. Winners are asked to be there for photos. If winner cannot be there, prizes will be held until 4/11 to be picked up. Otherwise winner forfeits prize. 

It is the responsibility of the tournament director to disburse all prizes.  

From our terms and conditions, you have agreed to the following.  

”FishDonkey makes no representations or warranties regarding the Service or the quality, features, conditions, rules, prizes, results, or other aspects of any tournament ORGANIZED THROUGH, OR hosted on, the Site. AS BETWEEN FISHDONKEY AND THE TOURNAMENT ORGANIZER, THE TOURNAMENT ORGANIZER IS SOLELY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE RESULTS AND CONSEQUENCES OF THE TOURNAMENTS THEY ORGANIZE AND HOST USING THE SITE AND SERVICES.”   

As stated above, FishDonkey is not in any way responsible, but if you believe there is a problem with your tournament director or if something seems suspicious such as not paying out the funds or prizes, please contact FishDonkey and let us know ASAP. 

Laws and Regulations

All federal, state, and local laws and all fishing and boating rules must be abided by.

Failure to comply with any tournament rules subjects participants to disqualification and removal from the competition, as determined by the tournament officials. The right to refuse sale and/or revoke a competition ticket to anyone is hereby reserved.

Cheating

• All protests must be brought to the director’s attention before the end of the event.
• Anyone caught breaking the law or disobeying the rules will be disqualified.
• Fish must be hooked and caught live in a conventional manner.  Fish cannot be snagged, netted, speared, etc.
• Participants may be required to take polygraph exams as part of the tournament requirements. If deception is detected or the participant refuses to take the exam, the prize will be forfeited and the participant will be disqualified. Anglers taking a polygraph examination may be responsible for any and all costs incurred.

Safety

Participants are responsible for their own safety, actions, and property at all times.

Questions?

If there are any questions about the rules, ask the tournament director.

Click here to watch: How To Measure Without A Bump Board.