Mobile City Championship

51st Annual Mobile City Championship Tournament

2025 MBA Tournament Rules (Printable)

2025 TOURNAMENT RULES

1. Participants And Eligibility:
Each Mobile Bass Association club or tournament trail must submit an eligible roster to mjeremybass@yahoo.com by September 1st 2025. Only members submitted will be eligible to compete. All entry fees must be paid by 10-29-2025 @ 6:00 p.m. to be in the boat number draw. Signing up after that will get the next number after the draw.
2. Tournament Site And Times:
This year’s tournament will be held on Saturday, November 1, 2025 at Live Oak Landing. Blast off will be at first safe light. The Tournament Committee has decided there will be 3 flights of 25 boats or more depending on participation.
Must be at morning check in by 6:15 AM to be able to fish
******If you are late you will not be allowed to fish and there will be no refund.******
In the case of an accident or break down on the way to the launch site; you should call one of the members of the tournament committee and report the problem and the committee will make a decision about allowing that person to participate.
Boats will be blasting off 1 boat at a time. (See rule No. 7)
First Flight will weigh-in at 3:45 PM, Second flight at 4:00 PM and Third Flight at 4:15 PM
Entry Fee: $ 110.00 per man includes Lunker Pot and Launch must be paid by 10-29-2025 to be able to draw boat number.
3. Safety:
Safe boating conduct must be observed at all times by all participants. Each participant is required to wear a United States Coast Guard approved life preserver at any time the boat is on a plane. Each boat shall have all safety equipment in a functioning capacity as required by any State/Federal, U.S.C.G. Law(s), i.e. – running
State, County or Local authority, this shall be cause for immediate disqualification. lights, kill switch, throw cushion, etc. If a participant receives a citation from any USCG, Marine Police or any
4. Sportsmanship:
Participants are expected to follow high standards of sportsmanship, courtesy, safety and conservation. Any infraction of these sporting principles may be deemed as cause for disqualification. Drunkenness on the part of any participant during the tournament or weigh-in will not be tolerated, and shall be cause for immediate disqualification.
5. Tackle and Equipment:
Only artificial lures may be used. No live bait or prepared bait will be permitted with the exception of pork rinds, strips, etc. Only one spinning, spin casting, or bait casting rod and reel may be used at any one time. No trolling or jigger pole fishing is permitted.
6. Permitted Fishing Locations:
Fishing is permitted on any waters accessible by boat from tournament landing, unless designated off-limits by the tournament committee. Any waters which requires a participant to leave the boat in order to gain access, or use any other means other than the equipped outboard and trolling motor to gain access shall be deemed offlimits. No fishing is permitted within 50 yards of another participant’s boat, which was first anchored. No such anchored boat may allow any other participant(s) to fish in the 50 yard circle claimed by him or her. No “hole sitting” is allowed. Hole sitting is the practice of a none participant parked on a location to save it for a tournament participant. All angling is to be done from the boat only and everyone must stay in the boat at all times except in the case of a dire emergency or hazardous weather conditions.
2024 Off Limits Waters are: Little and Big Chippewa Lakes, Doctor’s Lake, Stimpson Lake, Smith’s Lake,
Green Lake, Bear Lake, Fishing Lake (above Hal’s), Hellcat Lake, Flag Lake, Johnson/Boykin Lake and Ciba Chute Lake. Also, no locking through any dams or fishing within 800 feet of any lock or dam. Any participants who fish the off limits waters or seen fishing the off limits areas will be disqualified.
7. Official Checkpoint:
The official checkpoint for check-in in the morning will be at the weigh stand on the South side of the Ramp. At check-in each participant will draw a key fob which will be their boat number for the day. At this time, a participant can pay for the optional Calcutta pot ($25) if they did not send with entry and be given 2nd key fob with your boat number on them to be used for check-in and weigh-in. All boats must check-in at the official checkpoint by 6:15am or be disqualified. All boats should stay in the idle area on the east side of the river( Landing side). Once it is determined it is safe to begin the tournament, boats will be released 1 at a time beginning with boat 1. All participants should wave their hands or flash their running lights when their number group is called and should idle out and stay at idle turning north or south idling until they have passed all other boats. No boat shall leave tournament site before official start signal.
Afternoon Self Check-in Process: Each participant is required to place one of the numbered key fobs on the peg board located on the weigh-in stage by your boat number as soon as you arrive back and must be before your designated weigh-in time. The other key fob is to be presented to the weigh master when weighing your fish. Boats in First Flight must check in by 3:45 pm. The Second Flight’s check in time will be 4:00 pm and the
third will be 4:15 pm and so forth. Any participant who has not checked in prior to official ending time shall be disqualified. In case of boat trouble, participant shall bring or send his fish to the tournament site by another participants’ boat, as long as the fish remain segregated, and are checked-in at the official check point on time. Absolutely no trailering of fish will be allowed. Fish brought in by land will not be weighed.
Every participant must notify a tournament committee member if he/she is not weighing in any fish. This will help in determining if all fishermen have been accounted for in case of boat trouble, etc. and will help in calculating the total weight for each club.
8. Scoring:
Scoring will be determined by the pounds and hundredths of pound method. The participant with the most weight shall be declared the winner, with subsequent places being determined in the same manner. Only 6 (Six) largemouth or spotted bass may be weighed-in by each participant. Only fish 12 (twelve) inches or longer may be weighed as determined on a “belly board”. Fish will be measured from tip of nose to tip of tail with mouth closed. Fish that appear to be mangled or altered will be weighed at the weigh master’s discretion. All fish weighed must have been caught in a sporting manner by that participant during official tournament hours. For each fish shorter than 12 inch minimum length presented to weigh master, the short fish, and the largest fish remaining, shall be culled. A courtesy check will be given for 1 fish per angler. The lunker shall be the single fish weighing the most pounds and hundredths, after deducting the dead fish penalty, if any. Lunker to be weighed shall be selected from the creel by the participant. The official individual weights of each of the team members from their respective MBA club shall be added together to determine the team champions. The team with the most combined total weight shall be declared the winner. Any participant presenting more than 6 (Six) fish to the weigh master will be disqualified. Dead Fish Penalty: any dead fish (as determined by the weigh master) weighed-in, will have a penalty of .25 pound per dead fish deducted from that participant’s total weight. This penalty will be applied to the lunker if the lunker is dead. All fish weighed-in shall become the property of the Mobile Bass Association.
9. Ties: In the event of a tie for any place, the participant with the largest fish in pounds and hundredths of pounds ( less dead fish penalty) in his/her creel shall be declared the winner.
10. Alcoholic Beverages: No alcoholic beverages or drugs may be consumed during tournament hours by any participant. Intoxication by any participant during the tournament or weigh-in will be grounds for disqualification.
11. Electronic Communications: No form of electronic communications (cellular phone, CB radio, text messages, etc.) may occur between participants during tournament hours except to seek assistance in case of an emergency; i.e., boat break down, illness, etc. Communications between participants, or any other individuals not participating, that report on fishing success, water conditions, successful lures, tactics, etc. is strictly forbidden and will be grounds for disqualification.
12. Protest: Any protest must be registered in writing, and signed by the protesting participant. It shall be presented to the tournament committee chairman no later than 15 minutes after the conclusion of the weigh-in, along with a $50 deposit. Deposit will be refunded only if the protest is upheld. If not the $50 will go into the general fund.

IN ALL MATTERS BROUGHT BEFORE THE TOURNAMENT COMMITTEE, THEIR DECISION SHALL BE FINAL. A polygraph test will be administered to the winner and randomly to the top five places and/or Lunker
GOOD LUCK TO EVERYONE IN THIS YEAR’S 51st ANNUAL CITY CHAMPIONSHIP.

Phone Numbers:
Jeremy Bass, Cell: 228-327-5941 (Main Contact)

Please keep a copy of the tournament rules in your boat to verify rules and to have the above contacts available in case of an emergency or problems which may occur during the tournament.

Other Contact Information:
Coast Guard Search & Rescue 251-441-6211

WEIGH IN SHEET MBA CHAMPIONSHIP 11-2-24 FINAL 1