The new No-Location/Information Rule is now final, after feedback and discussions between Bassmaster and Elite Series anglers. This topic has gotten a lot of attention during the 2017 Elite season and we figured fans would enjoy seeing the details. The information below was sent to Elite anglers today.
The following provisions and explanations of the “No-Location/No-Information” rules are effective immediately, and they supersede official announcements of the rule that were made in conjunction with the revealing of the Bassmaster Elite Series schedule in July.
No Location/Information Rule
- Once a qualified Elite angler learns the location of a future Elite event, regardless of the event date, he or she falls under these restrictions:
- 2018 qualified Elite Anglers cannot gather waypoints or fishing locations from any source that is not publicly available.
- Anglers cannot initiate or participate in any communication for the purpose of locating or catching bass on tournament waters with anyone except other 2018 Elite Series qualifiers.
- 2018 Elite qualifiers are not allowed to pre-fish on tournament waters with anyone who has knowledge of the tournament waters, unless the only knowledge was gained exclusively from that Elite angler.
- Example:
- Anglers may fish with a friend who has only been on that water with the angler and not anyone else.
- Example:
- 2018 Elite qualifiers are allowed to pre-fish with another 2018 Elite qualifier prior to the standard 28-day off-limits period.
Parents/Legal Guardians Exceptions and Special Exemptions
- Outside the 28-day off-limits period, Elite Anglers are allowed to be on tournament waters with immediate family members (spouse/significant other, father, mother or children 18 and younger) including an Elite angler captaining a high school team of which the child is a member.
- Anglers on the water with family members spelled out above cannot be on the water for the purposes of locating or catching bass to gain a competitive advantage on tournament waters.
- In emergency situations i.e. floods, etc., anglers, with notification of tournament officials, are allowed to be on tournament waters for rescue operations during off limits periods.
28-Day Off-Limits Rule
- The standard 28-day rule prior to any Elite event remains unchanged.
- Participating Elite anglers are allowed to talk to other Elite anglers until cuts are made for each event.
2018 Bassmaster Classic Off-Limits Period Begins Monday, January 1, 2018
- 2017 Elite anglers and 2018 Classic qualifiers cannot gather waypoints or locations, or initiate or participate in any communication for the purpose of locating or catching bass on Lake Hartwell.
- 2018 Classic qualifiers are not allowed to pre-fish on Lake Hartwell prior to January 1, 2018 with anyone who has knowledge of Lake Hartwell unless the only knowledge gained was from the Classic qualifier.
- 2018 Bassmaster Classic qualifiers are allowed to pre-fish with another 2018 Classic qualifier between now and January 1, 2018.