Know before you launch

Rules & Safety

The OKHSF rulebook, condensed to what anglers and captains need on tournament day. The official PDF always wins.

This is a summary. Read the full rulebook — the tournament director has sole authority and decisions are final.

Eligibility & teams

High School Division: grades 9–12. One 7th or 8th grader may fish on a high school team.
Junior Division: 8th grade and below (Owasso fields 6th–8th).
A team is two student anglers plus one adult boat captain. Owasso captains must be 19 or older. Three people in the boat at all times — fishing alone is never allowed.
Every angler needs a current SAF membership and an OKHSF membership. Minors need a parent/guardian signature on the entry & release form.
Carry proof of school enrollment and a fishing license if the law requires one (16+). Random checks happen.
Substitute partners are allowed for emergencies but must be approved by the tournament director in advance.

Everyone on board wears a fastened USCG-approved chest-type PFD whenever the combustion engine is running and in gear — from boat check to weigh-in.
Kill switch attached to the driver any time the big motor is running.
When on plane: everyone seated in manufacturer-recommended seating, driver behind the wheel. No pedestal seats.
Students never drive when the combustion engine is running.
In dangerous weather, get off the water and seek shelter. The captain is responsible for the team's safety at all times.

Legal species: largemouth, smallmouth, spotted, and redeye bass only.
Limit: 5 bass per team (or the lower state/lake limit). Cull to 5 immediately when a sixth is caught.
Minimum length: 12 inches unless the state, lake, or tournament sets a longer limit.
Sight-caught bass must be hooked inside the mouth and shown to the captain immediately.
Use the aerated livewell. Keep fish alive.
Once fish are presented at weigh-in, the catch is final — no going back to the boat.
Daily winner: heaviest total weight. One-day tiebreaker: heaviest single fish.

Late to check-in: 1 lb per minute. More than 15 minutes late = day's weight disqualified.
Dead bass: 8 oz penalty each.
Short fish: 1 lb penalty each.
Over the limit: 2 lb penalty per extra bass.
Fish weighed with culling clips attached: 4 oz per clip.
Failing to return the key fob: zero points for the event, possible DQ from the next one.

1st place = 500 points, 2nd = 499, 3rd = 498, and so on.
Teams that don't weigh a fish receive 20 points less than the last team that did.
Report any scoring discrepancy to OKHSfishing@gmail.com before the next tournament starts. After that, points are locked.
To qualify for the two-day OKHSF Championship, fish at least two regular-season events (Northern, Southern, or both). The SAF State Championship counts as one.
Angler of the Year and the OKHSF Championship winner earn berths to the SAF National Championship / Junior World Finals.

No one on the water after 6:00 PM the day before a tournament (unless on-site registration is held).
Championship waters are off-limits Monday–Thursday of championship week.
Within 10 days of an event: no buying or trading fishing information or GPS spots, no hiring guides, no drones, no markers, brush, or chum.
Practice only with SAF-member contestants, your own captain, or immediate family.
Group chats and closed Facebook groups are not 'public sources' — don't share or receive spots through them.

Register online before 11:59 PM the Thursday prior. Late entries until 10 PM Saturday or one hour before check-in — with a $20 late fee.
Both anglers and the captain must check in. More than 15 minutes late without notice can mean disqualification.
The pre-tournament meeting is mandatory. Miss it without approval and you don't fish.
Alcohol, drugs, and unsportsmanlike conduct = disqualification. The tournament director's decisions are final.
Protests must be in writing within 30 minutes of the final flight's check-in.

Tournament morning