Rules and Regulations

 

5riverslogoforwebRULES:

  • Two person teams with a guide assigned per wild trout waters. No professionals or guides allowed.
  • Fly fishing only. Catch and release. Tackle is limited to fly rods, fly lines and artificial flies with barbless hooks.
  • Only wild trout will count. The guides may, at their sole discretion, reject any trout they believe to be a hatchery trout.
  • Waters fished are the designated wild trout sections of each of the following rivers: Hat Creek: the 3.2 miles from PH 2 to the Fish Barrier; Fall River: from the confluence with the Tule River to the Spring Creek Bridge; the Pit River: from Lake Britton Dam to Pit 3 PH; the McCloud River: from McCloud Dam to the downstream end of the Nature Conservancy property; and the upper Sacramento River: from the Box Canyon dam until it becomes Lake Shasta. Tributaries are not considered parts of the wild trout sections.
  • There will be three full contest days with the requirement that each of the five rivers are fished for at least a half-day. The final half-day will be a free day to rest or fish non-tournament waters. 
  • The teams will have six hours on the water each day. Movement between waters is not included in the six hour total.
  • Starting river and guide will be assigned to each team by random drawing at the opening dinner Wednesday evening. 
  • Guides are scorekeepers and only trout actually measured by or visually confirmed by the guide count towards the team’s total. Each guide will carry a scorecard for the team they guide. The guides will report totals to the judges each night.
  • The length of trout is the fork length: nose to base of ‘V’ in tail.
  • Guides and teams will meet at 7:30am breakfast each morning to plan their day. Teams fishing the McCloud and Upper Sac will leave earlier in the morning.
  • CalTrout staff at the Circle 7 Ranch will serve as the communication and coordination center during the contest. 
  • All Fish and Game Laws and all Motor Vehicle laws must be obeyed.
  • In the event of disputes and disagreements, the opinion of the judges will be final.
  • The grand prize will be the team who catches the greatest total inches of fish from all rivers. At least one fish must be caught from each river to qualify for this prize. That team will have their names and total inches of fish engraved on the perpetual trophy at CalTrout’s SF headquarters. 2nd and 3rd place prizes will also be awarded in this category.
  • Team prizes will also be awarded for most fish caught overall and an individual prize will be awarded for the largest fish caught.

THE SCHEDULE:

  • Thursday, 10/17/24: 6:30PM: Dinner at Circle 7 Ranch, followed by draw for river rotation and guides and Cal Trout presentation on conservation projects on our area waters.
  • Friday, Saturday, Sunday: Breakfast at 7:30 AM, Fish from 8AM until 5PM, Dinner at 6:30 PM with awards presentation on Sunday night.
  • Monday, 10/21/24: Breakfast followed by fishing on your own if you wish. Check out at noon.

PRIZES:

We are assembling a great list of prizes to be announced soon! The two members of the winning team will also have their names engraved on the 5 Rivers Challenge perpetual trophy. Each participant will receive a gift bag with fishing-related accessories and a tournament t-shirt.

LIABILITY RELEASE:

You will be required to sign a liability release with California Trout to compete. You will also be required to have a valid California Fishing License.

ENTRY FEE:

$6,000 per team. This includes four nights lodging, all meals and beverages at Circle 7 Ranch, three days of guided fishing, gift bags, world-class photography/videography, and winning team prizes for 1st through 3rd place. DOES NOT include guide or facility gratuities.

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