Iowa Walleye Anglers Championship Series Rules and Registration
- Tyler Dilley
- 9 hours ago
- 10 min read
Updated: 5 hours ago
IWAC presented by The Clear Lake Fishing Club
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ENTRY Forms
IWAC 1 Day Events:
Spring Classic:
RULES PDF
E-Tournament Fishing App
Mission statement
To provide a fun, competitive walleye tournament circuit in the state of Iowa, all while growing the Walleye Classic, Club membership, and promoting youth into the sport of Walleye fishing.
Entry Fee’s
Registration Cost: The total entry fee for all single-day tournaments is $110.00 per team.
Big Fish Side Pot: This total includes a mandatory $10.00 side pot for the "Big Fish" competition.
Late Registration Fee: A $50.00 late fee will be applied to any entry received after the Monday prior to the event.
Postmark Exception: The late fee will not be applied if an entry is postmarked by the Friday before the Monday prior to the event.
Late Fee Allocation: Late fee funds will not be added to the tournament pot; instead, they will be utilized to fund the club's Kids Day event.
Base Entry Allocation: The remaining $100.00 (from timely entries) constitutes the primary tournament pot.
Primary Payout Structure: The tournament will pay out 80% of the purse pot to The Top 20% of the field.
Primary Tournament Tie-Breaker (Weight): In the event of a tie in total weigh the primary tie-breaker will be the team's single biggest fish.
Total Bag Tie Protocol: If the teams' entire bags match exactly, the prize money for the two tied places will be combined and split evenly among the tied teams.
Team of the Year Points: In the event of a total bag tie, Team of the Year points will be awarded to both teams, reflecting the points for the highest tied place.
Big Fish Payout: 100% of the Big Fish side pot will be awarded to the team weighing in the single heaviest walleye of the event.
Big Fish Side Pot Tie-Breaker: In the event of a tie for the heaviest fish in the side pot, the pot will be split evenly between the tied teams.
Tournament Registration, Fees, and Payouts
Mandatory Clear Lake Fishing Club Membership: membership is $20 per angler. Family membership is $20. Qualifying Family members are limited to your spouse or dependants under the age of 21
Registration Cost: The total entry fee for all single-day tournaments is $110.00 per team. This includes $100 to the primary pot and $10 to the mandatory big fish side pot.
Mandatory Big Fish Side Pot: The registration total includes the mandatory $10.00 side pot for the general "Big Fish" competition.
Trail Team Optional Side Pot: Trail teams have the option to enter an additional $25.00 side pot.This sidepot can be won by being the highest placing team entered in the side pot
This specific pot is 100% payback.
Standard rules apply, including the even split in the event of a tie.
In the event of a tie on total weight big fish will be the tie breaker
CASH ONLY paid at Check in on the day of the tournament.
Non-Trail Team Buy-In: Non-trail teams may buy into the Trail Team Optional Side Pot for $50.00.
This specific pot is 100% payback.
Standard rules apply, including the even split in the event of a tie.
CASH ONLY paid at Check in on the day of the tournament.
Late Registration Fee: A $50.00 late fee applies to any entry received after the Monday prior to the event, unless postmarked by the preceding Friday.
Late Fee Allocation: Late fee funds are not added to the tournament pot and are instead used to fund the club's Kids Day event.
Refund Policy: Entry fees are generally not refundable, though requests may be considered on a case-by-case basis by the Board of Directors.
Primary Payout Structure: The tournament pays out 80% of the $100 (pot / registration fee) to the top 20% of the field.
Tie-Breakers:
Primary Tournament: Total weight ties are broken by the team's single heaviest fish.
Total Bag Tie: If entire bags match exactly, prize money for the two tied places is combined and split evenly.
Team of the Year Points: In a total bag tie, both teams receive points for the highest tied place.
Big Fish Side Pots: Ties for the heaviest fish in any side pot result in an even split of that pot.
Team of the Year (TOY) Qualifications and Substitution
Team Registration: Trail teams must register as a 2 or 3 person formal team. Points earned will follow that specific team throughout the championship series.
Substitution Policy: Each trail team is permitted one (1) substitution for the duration of the series.
Example: If John and Jim register as a team and Jim is unable to attend an event, George may substitute for Jim. All points earned during that event will follow the original "John and Jim" team for the remainder of the season.
Three-Person Teams: In the event of a three-person team registration, you may fish with any two of the three members or utilize the one allowed substitution for the third member.
New Team Formation: If a new team is formed from existing members (e.g., John and George), points earned will only follow the newly formed team. Previous points earned by any other team configurations will not carry over to the new team.
Scoring Events: The Spring Clear Lake Walleye Classic will be scored as 2 single-day events. Trail teams can earn up to 100 points per day of the two-day event. The Team of the Year standings are calculated based on a team's best 5 out of 6 tournament day scores in the series. If you fish all 6 days you MAY throw out one tournament day.
Mandatory Participation: To qualify for the TOY title, teams must compete in three (3) single-day events and the spring Clear Lake Walleye Classic (two-day event).
Points System: Points are awarded on a 100-point scale, determined by the percentage of the field a team outperforms in each event.
Small Field (30 Boats):
Boat 1 (Winner): Outperforms 100% of the field, receiving 100 points.
Boat 15: Outperforms 50% of the field, receiving 50 points.
Boat 30 (Last Place): Outperforms only themselves, receiving approximately 3 points.
Large Field (100 Boats):
Boat 1 (Winner): Receives 100 points.
Boat 20: Outperforms 80% of the field, receiving 80 points.
Boat 50: Outperforms 50% of the field, receiving 50 points.
Total Bag Tie: If teams have an identical total bag weight, both teams receive points for the highest tied place.
Best 5 of 6: Standings are calculated using your best 5 tournament scores out of the 6 series events.
Mandatory Events: To be eligible for these points toward the final TOY title, teams must compete in three single-day events and the Spring Walleye Classic (two-day event).
The Clear Lake Spring Walleye Classic is a mandatory event for the IWAC series.
Registration: Participants must register for this specific tournament using its unique entry form.
Scoring for IWAC: Each day of the two-day classic is treated as an individual scorable event for the IWAC series, meaning trail teams can earn points for each day (up to 100 points per day).
Tournament Winner: While weights are separated for series points, the overall winner of the Spring Walleye Classic is determined by the combined weight from both days.
Rules: All standard rules for the Spring Classic apply to this event.
Team of the Year (TOY) Eligibility: To qualify for the Team of the Year title, teams are required to compete in the Spring Walleye Classic along with three other single-day events
Team of the Year (TOY) Prizes and Qualifications
National Championship Spot: The TOY will receive a guaranteed spot at the Cabela's/Bass Pro National Team Championship, provided they have paid their TWF (The Walleye Federation) membership dues.
Cash prize: TBA
Trophies: The title will include official Team of the Year trophies.
Qualification Recap: To be eligible for these prizes, teams must register as a formal trail team and compete in at least three single-day events and one two-day event, with scoring based on their best 5 out of 6 tournament days.
Article: National Team Championship (NTC) Qualification
Registration Requirements: Teams must register as a 2-person team for the TWF.
Three-Person Team Protocol: Teams registered with three members must designate which two members are qualifying through the TWF prior to the first qualifier of the year.
First Slot Allocation: The first guaranteed spot is awarded to the Team of the Year (TOY).
Second Slot Allocation: The second spot is awarded to the highest-placing TWF team at the Clear Lake Fishing Club Spring Walleye Classic.
Remaining Slots: All other available NTC slots are awarded to trail teams based on their final ranking in the Team of the Year standings.
Membership Requirement: To claim an awarded spot, the team must have paid their TWF (The Walleye Federation) membership dues specifically through the Clear Lake Fishing Club.
Eligibility Recap: To be eligible for these qualifications, teams must be registered as a formal trail team and meet all participation requirements, including competing in three single-day events and one two-day event.
IWAC RULES SHEET
1. All State laws must be followed during tournament hours.2. Life Jackets must be worn at all times when above trolling speeds.3. 3 lines per angler, 6 lines max per boat. Teams must have the 3rd line purchased along with their Iowa Fishing License. 4. In the event of severe weather contestants are to use their best judgement to safely exit the lake.
5. Contestants must use tournament approved restrooms will be TBA per location
6. Contestants are not allowed on any docks, piers, hoists. other than tournament approved docks
7. Cellphones are for emergencies, app use, and work related calls. Not for relaying fishing information. CLFC reserves the right to check phones of contestants, deleted calls, messages and edited photos. Refusal by any contestant will be taken as an admission of guilt and will result in disqualification.
9. Fish measuring for CPR- Fish head left, Tail right, belly to belly, this is the standard practice. All photos must comply with this standard. The nose of the fish must be touching the bump portion of the Judge Ruler. Mouth Closed Tail pinched.
10. Judge rulers 33” are the standard for the CLFC tournaments. Photos submitted on a non judge ruler will be disqualified. Judge rulers will be inspected for any sort of tampering and marked approved for tournament use.
11. 14 inch minimum put your 5 best fish on the card. Fish will round UP to the nearest ¼ inch. For example a 15 1/8th fish counts as 15 1/4. You will be allowed an unlimited number of submissions to the app. The app will auto cull your best 5 fish. The slot does not apply to the CPR format. You may use fish in the slot. Once photographed they MUST be immediately released. A release video is mandatory! Our tournament permit does not allow any fish to be brought in or brought home. Livewells must be empty upon arrival to weigh in.
12. E-tournament fishing will be the standard app going forward.
13. Pre fishing will end at Sunset the day prior to the event
14. A mandatory rules meeting will be held the morning of the tournament
15. All entrants 16 or older must have valid Iowa Fishing license
16. We will send off in numerical order starting and in reverse order Sunday for two day events. -Trail Teams that sign up for all of the events will be drawn prior to the first event for season long boat numbers, teams fishing single events will be drawn at random for boat numbers, teams signing up after the late fee will be added to the end of the list as they come in. Teams out of order will be sent to the back of the line and take off last.
17. Boats must meet the 14’ minimum and 25’ maximum, they must not exceed the manufacturers maximum Horsepower rating.
18. All boats will be inspected prior to each day. Boats must comply with all IA DNR regulations.
19. Prizes are contingent upon the number of entrants, pay out advertised is based on a full 100 boat field. Pay out is 80% of the pot to the top 20% of the field. Prizes will be awarded by the total team weight per event. Each team will put in $10 as part of the entry fee, and big fish will be paid out each day.
20. All boats must be off plane and in close proximity to the weigh-in / launch site. Up to 5 min late will result in the loss of half of the day's weight. Anything beyond that will result in disqualification.
21. Teams who do not check in after a day's fishing will be disqualified.
22. Non qualifying photos and lengths entered to the app will not be corrected. You are responsible for your measurements and photos. If there is an issue we will accept your 6th fish on the list in place of the fish that will be thrown out.
23. No drugs or alcohol allowed during tournament hours.
24. No Binoculars allowed in boats during tournament hours.
25. Anglers, board members and officers will conduct themselves in a sportsman like manner.
26. Tournament boats have a 50ft boundary, crowding, or moving in on another tournament boat where they are obviously fishing will be treated severely by the tournament director. Planer Boards must be kept within 50 ft of each side of the boat.
27. Contestants must sign up as a two or three person team, paying yearly membership to the Clear Lake Fishing Club
28. NTC teams paying $40 dues per angler to the TWF can qualify for a spot at the Cabelas / Bass Pro national team Championship by being the highest placing TWF member.
29. CLFC has a ZERO tolerance policy for cheating. Any attempt to gain a competitive advantage, cheat, or tarnish the reputation of the CLFC will not be tolerated and result in a lifetime ban from any and all CLFC events.
30. Contesting a team- if a team in question is contested by a party of 5 other teams CLFC board members and officers will meet in private with the contesting teams, evidence must be presented at that time. Hearsay is not evidence. Severity of punishment will be decided upon by CLFC board members, officers, and the tournament director. This may result in checking of cell phones, polygraph testing, disqualification, or banishment. Cheating in a fishing tournament is punishable by law. IWAC WILL HAVE A 5 Board member committee.
31. Have fun and make memories, that’s what this whole thing is about!