June 19, 2023

2023 Cajun 8 Rules and Regulations

by Cajun Bowfishing

READ CAREFULLY

These rules will be strictly enforced!

No alcohol or drugs permitted during tournament hours. Offenses will be determined by law enforcement and will result in immediate disqualification.

All disqualifications will result in complete forfeit of entry fee and potential prizes.

Each team participant must have proper state(s) fishing license.

Each boat must have proper registration.

Each participant is responsible for knowing the laws of the state you plan to fish. Each state’s laws are different and must be examined on a state-by-state basis.

The winner of the CAJUN 8 LIMITED tournament will be decided based on total weight of heaviest 8 fish shot during tournament hours. Fish can be any legal species that are not deemed sport fish. Teams are responsible to have their heaviest 8 fish separated before weighing in to aid in time efficiency. Cajun 8 will provide a culling section upon arrival to the weigh in.

Sport fish include catfish, bass, crappie, paddlefish, sunfish, perch, trout, salmon, and pike. Any questionable fish will be determined by Indiana Conservation Officers.

There will be a GUARANTEED $2000 BIG FISH cash pot. The winner of the big fish pot will be the team that enters the heaviest fish during the tournament weigh in. The cash prize will be awarded to the team captain of the team that shoots the biggest fish. Team distribution is subject to each team. This can be any legal species that is not deemed a sport fish.

There will also be prizes for The Big 5 fish. 5 categories, including Biggest Asian Carp, Biggest Grass Carp, Biggest Buffalo Carp, Biggest Common Carp, and Biggest Gar will each have a winner in its own category. The current leader for each category will be on display and if you have a fish that you think will overtake the current leader, please have it separated in your boat for single fish weigh in. Fish entered in the Big 5, do not have to be included in your 8 fish tournament weight. (IE. If you shoot 8 bighead carp all over 30 lbs, but you also shoot a 15 lb gar, the gar can be entered in the Biggest Gar category and the 8 bigheads can be entered into your total tournament weight.)

The Big Fish cash pot winner, by default, will also win its corresponding category in the Big 5.

All fish must be taken from a boat, no wading, walking the bank, or swimming for safety reasons.

The boat/vehicle combination that leaves the tournament must be the same boat/vehicle combination that returns to weigh in. Boat/vehicle combination will be noted at check-in.

Tournament host and sponsors are not responsible for any accidents or lost property.

Teams may have up to 4 persons. Only registered team members may be on the boat while on the water. Any additional boat passenger must be pre-approved by the tournament committee, have a reason to be onboard (videographer, photographer, etc.), and cannot participate in any fishing activities (shooting, gaffing, spotlighting, driving, etc.)

All team members must be present at team registration and at team weigh in. By registering, participants acknowledge and accept all tournament rules and regulations.

Boundaries include all public waters connected to a public boat launch.

Registration ends at 11:59 PM CST on August 10, 2023. Any team not registered at this point will be rejected.

All teams MUST be on site and checked in no later than 4pm CST on August 12th, 2023. The Captain's meeting will take place at 5:00pm CST and boats will be released at 5:30pm CST.

Weigh in will begin at 6:00 am CST on August 13th, 2023.

Check-in will end at 7:00 am CST sharp on August 13, 2023. All teams must be in line to check in by 7:00 am CST. Any team that is not in line to be checked in by 7:00 am CST will be disqualified from the tournament. No exceptions.

No sport/game fish can be shot during tournament competition.

Each boat must have proper safety equipment. Including proper running lights, fire extinguisher, horn/whistle, life jacket for each person on the boat, one throwable life preserver, and minimum 20’ of rope. Each person on the boat must wear a coast guard approved life jacket any time the boat is on plane. It is suggested that at least one cell phone is on board at all times. Local emergency phone numbers will be available at tournament registration.

Scouting is allowed. No bows, arrows, nets, gigs, or gaffs are allowed in any boat 24 hours prior to the start of the tournament. Violators will be disqualified.

All fish weighed must be shot with a bow and arrow. At least one arrow hole must be producible on each fish.

No nets or gigs will be allowed in any boats. Single hook gaffs are allowed for landing shot fish.

No baiting, chumming, shocking, or flashing fish.

Any violation of state or federal law will result in immediate disqualification.

Any tournament participant may be subject to a random lie detection test. Team captains of the top 3 placing teams and Big Fish winner will be subject to a lie detection test.

Each team may only weight fish that were shot by members of their team in the allotted time of the tournament. No teaming up and no transferring fish from one boat to another. Violators will result in disqualification of both teams.

All teams will use Cajun Barrels for weigh in. Weigh in procedure will be supervised by Cajun Tournament Staff.

Fish disposal is available at weigh in. All fish shot during the tournament will be accepted in the provided fish disposal.

Any accusation of cheating or law-breaking must be presented with a $200 protest fee and evidence of the violation. Evidence of violation must be in the form of video, photo, or proof of citation. Upon review of the evidence of the violation, if the tournament committee concludes cheating or law-breaking has occurred, the accused team will be disqualified and the team making the accusation will be returned the protest fee. If it is decided that the accused team has not cheated or broken any laws, the protest fee will be forfeited.

All participants will respect the rights of non-participants on or around the public waters on which the tournament is to be held. Please be courteous and polite to all people encountered. If the tournament committee is notified of disorderly conduct from any team, that team will be disqualified at the discretion of the tournament committee.

All decisions of the Cajun Tournament Committee will be final.

Indiana Conservation Officers will be on site and conducting Random Boat Inspections and providing answers to questions of local laws and regulations.

Failure to comply with tournament rules will result in disqualification.

The Cajun tournament committee reserves the right to change and enforce the rules and regulations as they deem necessary to provide and preserve a safe tournament experience. They reserve the right to deny or disqualify any team at any time for any reason they see fit.

Any physical altercations (fighting) during tournament hours will result in immediate disqualification and banishment from future Cajun Bowfishing events.

Any team involved in poor sportsmanship (cursing, arguing, yelling, etc.) or inappropriate behavior with be either warned or disqualified at the tournament committee’s discretion.

Teams must be respectful of other teams on the water. No crowding, harassing, or “owning a spot” while on the water.

In the case of a tie, the winner will be the team with the heaviest single fish. If both teams have the same weight big fish, the winner will be the team with the heaviest 2 fish, or 3 fish, and so on until one team has a higher weight. If all fish weigh the same, the team that arrived to weigh in first will be the winner.

Cajun Bowfishing reserves the right to use any and all photos, videos, and tournament paraphernalia for future branding, advertisement, and marketing.

Cajun Bowfishing is offering a Cajun Individual Bonus for anyone using Cajun bowfishing equipment during The CAJUN 8 LIMITED tournament. The Cajun Bonus will only be paid out to the top 3 places of the tournament, with a maximum of $2,000.00 per team. To be eligible for the Cajun Bonus, you must be shooting either a Cajun Sucker Punch Bow, Cajun Shore Runner Bow, Cajun Bowfishing Fish Stick Pro and/or a Cajun Winch Pro, Cajun Winch, Cajun Hybrid Reel, and Spin Doctor Reel. The bonus is based on $250 per bow, up to 4 bows and $250 per reel, up to 4 reels. The equipment must be checked pretournament to be eligible for the bonus. If each member of your 4 person team is shooting a Sucker Punch/Shore Runner/Fish Stick Hybrid combination, your team could earn an additional $2000.00 if you place in the top 3 of the CAJUN 8 LIMITED tournament. Failure to provide the Cajun equipment upon initial check-in will forfeit your ability to earn the Cajun Individual Bonus.

No passing is allowed in the Parking Lot of the tournament grounds other than organized by a tournament official. Unauthorized passing will result in team disqualification.

Cajun Bowfishing reserves the right to take measurements and photos of any fish entered into the tournament for possible displays and mounts. The fish that wins the Big Fish Pot may become property of Cajun Bowfishing.

Parking will be assigned by zones depending on order of registration. Each team will be assigned to a zone and must leave their vehicle/boat in their parked position from registration to departure. If you need to leave the tournament grounds during registration hours, please arrange to have a non-trailered passenger vehicle for transportation.