Iowa Fishing Tournaments

Beginning in 2008, all bass tournaments in June, July and August will end at 1:00 PM. Fisheries biologists across the state felt that holding fish in live wells during warm water conditions causes undue stress and higher latent mortality. This new rule will be enforced statewide.

Obtaining a Permit

A permit issued by the Department of Natural Resources is required to conduct a fishing tournament on public waters under the jurisdiction of the state. Fishing clinics and youth fishing days are excluded. Fishing tournament means any organized fishing event with six (6) or more boats or twelve (12) or more participants or where an entry fee is charged or prizes or other inducements awarded, except for waters of the Mississippi River where the number of boats shall be 20 or more and the number of participants shall be 40 or more.

A separate permit is needed for each tournament. Fill out the Fishing Tournament Permit Application (39K pdf) and send (by mail) the completed application to the Department of Natural Resources Area Management Fisheries Office in whose region the contest will be held.

Applications will not be accepted prior to July 1 of the year preceding the calendar year in which the tournament is scheduled. Permits are not transferable. Applications must be received by the area fisheries management biologist at least 30 days prior to the proposed event.

The permit must be in possession of the sponsor or their representative and be available at the contest site for Department representative during contest hours.

Guidelines

Approval of any tournament application is at the discretion of the fisheries management biologist. The DNR may impose special conditions not specifically covered herein for any fishing tournament if deemed necessary to protect the resource or to assure public safety. Special conditions may include, but are not limited to:

aerated live wells
release of live fish
fish measured to length and released from a boat
designated release areas
designated release persons
multiple weigh-ins when water temperatures exceed 70 degrees Fahrenheit
scheduled weigh-in no later than 1:00 PM
no weigh-in tournaments allowed for walleye, northern pike, and muskellunge in the months of June, July and August

Tournament size:

on lakes less than 100 surface acres - a 15 boat maximum
on lakes greater than 100 surface acres - a maximum of one boat per ten surface acres (Biologists may waive this rule for special events.)

The number of tournaments at any one access area during a given day may be restricted if deemed necessary to avoid congestion with the public or competing tournaments.