Rules & Regulations

This page will provide you with the standard rules, regulations, and terms of agreement for all Walleyefest sanctioned events. You will find additional event items listed on the specific event page

2025 WALLEYEFEST EVENT OFFICIAL RULES & REGULATIONS

Eligibility:
1. EVERYONE in your boat, fishing party, group or otherwise, must be entered into the EVENT.
  - Having a person with you during the event who is not entered will result in immediate disqualification from the event.
  - Anglers entered in individual leaderboards may share a boat with multiple Anglers if all occupants are entered in the event.
  - Anglers fishing in individual leaderboards may fish from shore or boat.
2. RULES are for individual Leaderboards
3. All competitors must download and onboard in the derby.fish app prior to entering any event.
4. All competitors under age 18 must be always supervised during competition by either a parent or guardian, or an adult designee.
5. By registering for this event, you agree that you have read, understand, and agree to abide by the terms, conditions, and provisions set forth by WalleyeFest LLC and event specific rules on this rules page. WalleyeFest LLC terms and conditions are authoritative, taking precedence over all information presented in social media, oral presentations, and other information sources.
6. Any Angler under the age of 18 IS NOT eligible to compete in Adult leaderboards. Anyone under 18 years of age may ONLY compete in the youth divisions.
7. Cash prize winners are solely responsible for all applicable Federal, State, and Local taxes.
8. Winning a prize constitutes permission for WalleyeFest LLC. and its sponsors to use the prize winner’s Name, address (city & state only) voice, and/or likeness for purposes of advertising, promotion, and publicity for this WalleyeFest LLC sanctioned event without further compensation, unless prohibited by law.
RULES:
1. Entry ticket – Each participant may only purchase 1 adult ticket under their account. Adults may purchase youth tickets for people 17 years and younger. Tickets must be purchased before 11:59 PM the day before the derby starts in the DERBY.FISH app.
2. All prize winners are subject to a truth verification test. If any discrepancy is found, it will be an immediate disqualification from the current event, and lifetime ban from all future Walleyefest LLC events. Failure to comply with taking a truth verification test will result in forfeiture of award and entrant will be disqualified and banned from all future WalleyeFest LLC events.
3. All walleyes must be caught and entered during the allotted time of the specific WalleyeFest LLC event.
4. Individual bodies of water with boundaries are as follows:
  - Chautauqua Lake
    1. All Chautauqua Lake, Upper and Lower basins
    2. All other tributaries upstream 1 mile or the first impassible barrier whichever occurs first.
  - Lake Champlain
    1. NY waters of Lake Champlain only from the international border just north of Rouses Point, to the southernmost point south of Whitehall.
    2. All other tributaries upstream 1 mile or the first impassible barrier, whichever occurs first.
  - St Lawrence River
    1. Starting at the Tibbets Point light house in Cape Vincent, traveling downstream to the international line east or Massena.
    2. All other tributaries upstream 1 mile or the first impassible barrier, whichever occurs first.
  - Lake Ontario
    1. NY Waters only in Lake Ontario, and all NY water of the Niagara River below Niagara Falls.
    2. All other tributaries upstream 1 mile or the first impassible barrier, whichever occurs first.
    3. Lake Ontario ends at the Tibbets Point light house where a line extends due north from the lighthouse to the point it intersects with the international line.
  - Lake Erie
    1. NY waters only in Lake Erie and in the Niagara River downstream of Lake Erie and upstream of Niagara Falls.
    2. All other tributaries upstream 1 mile or the first impassible barrier, whichever occurs first.
  - Oneida Lake
    1. Oneida River upstream from Caughdenoy Dam
    2. Oneida River cut to Lock 23
    3. Chittenango Creek 1 mile upstream from Route 31 bridge
    4. Fish Creek downstream from East and West branch conversion
    5. East Barge Canal 1 mile east of Fish Creek
    6. All other tributaries upstream 1 mile or the first impassible barrier whichever occurs first.

All walleyes must be ALIVE at time of submission into the derby.fish app. The release video must clearly show the fish swimming away after being released. FAILURE TO DO SO WILL RESULT IN DISQUALIFICATION OF THE FISH.
All fish are measured virtually in the APP on a commercially made bump board with QUARTER INCH (.25) declination ONLY (a bump board has a right angle on the ZERO end that the fish's nose must BUMP against visibly in the picture)(nothing homemade may be used). All fish are measured to the NEAREST quarter of an inch (.25). If the tail breaks a (.25) Quarter inch line but doesn’t make it to the next quarter inch line, then the fish's length is rounded up to the next longest quarter inch increment.
- BUMP BOARD must be horizontal on a flat surface.
- BUMP BOARD must be orientated left to right. with the nose of the fish touching the bump board, mouth closed, and the left side of the body facing up.
- Tail pinched together, and length at the longest part of tail clearly visible in photo submission.
- There can be one (1) hand on fish at the wrist of the tail to pinch it together.
Entrants will have the ability to win a prize from any leader board they have entered. Entrants can only win one prize per leader board. Entrants can win prizes from the Main Leader Board (MLB), any Optional Leader Board (OLB) they enter.
Walleyefest Officials will review all photographic entries in the App, and accept or decline each fish. ALL prize winners are SUBJECT to a random truth verification test. Failure to consent will result in immediate disqualification and forfeiture of all prizes and a lifetime ban from any further WalleyeFest sanctioned derbies.
Decisions of the Walleyefest LLC event Officials will be final. Official protest must be registered with a WalleyeFest official within 1 hour of the end of the event in question. Cost of filing the protest is $100. If your protest is upheld the money will be returned to you along with a $250 reward from WalleyeFest LLC. If the protest is without merit the fee is non-refundable. This rule is in place to eliminate unfounded accusations, and to encourage Anglers to speak up if they know and can prove cheating has or is taking place.
WalleyeFest LLC may prohibit an entrant from participating in a WalleyeFest event, or winning a prize if, in its sole discretion, it determines that said entrant is attempting to undermine the legitimate operation of the WalleyeFest event by cheating, deception, or other unfair Angling practices, (including fish not caught during the 36 hour derby, or fish caught outside the stated event boundaries), or intending to annoy, abuse, threaten, or harass any other entrant or event employees or officials.

CAUTION:
1. Any attempt by a person to deliberately damage or undermine the legitimate operation of a WalleyeFest event may be in violation of criminal or civil laws and should such an attempt be made, WalleyeFest LLC. reserves the right to seek remedies and damages (including Attorney fees) from any such person to the fullest extent of the law, including criminal prosecution. WalleyeFest LLC's failure to enforce any term of these Official Rules shall not constitute a waiver of these provisions.
NO LIABILITY"
1. By participating, each entrant and the prize winner agrees to release, discharge, indemnify, and hold harmless WalleyeFest LLC, and sponsors, and each of their respective officers, directors, employees, representatives and agents (collectively the "released parties") from and against any claims made by an entrant, prize winner, or any third parties, related in any way to the operation of the WalleyeFest event as well as other claims, damages, or liability due to any injuries, damages or losses to any person (including death) or property of any kind resulting in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, from receipt, acceptance, possession, misuse or use of the prize or participation in this WalleyeFest event.