2026 Kickerfish Icebreaker Elite Series – RULES

Format and eligibility

  • Two-person team competition Catch, Photo, Video release format.
  • Heaviest total team weight for daily maximum of five (5) walleye determines standings for each event.
  • Three 1-day Qualifier tournaments, one 2-day Championship, and one 1-day B-side Open will comprise the 2026 season.
  • All competitors must have on their person a valid Manitoba Fishing License or Treaty Card.
  • All competitors are equal and will abide by Manitoba Sportfishing regulations and specifically all rules put in place for the Icebreaker Elite Series.
  • At minimum one team member must be eighteen (18) years of age or over. Youth competitors will be permitted with written consent/signed waiver from a parent/guardian.

Entry

  • $1200/team season entry fee (averages to $300/team per event).
  • Entry to the Series is limited to the Teams who earned Qualifying Tour Cards during the 2025 season.
  • Teams are entering for the entire Icebreaker Elite Series – 3 Qualifiers and Championship Weekend. Individual events are not open to the public aside from the B-Side Open on March 29, 2026.

Series Schedule

  • Q1 on the Red River – January 18, 2026
  • Q2 at Warner Road – February 8, 2026
  • Q3 at Balsam Bay – March 1, 2026
  • Series Championship – March 28-29, 2026
  • B-Side Open – March 29, 2026

QUALIFIER EVENT Rules

Logistics

  • Tournament fishing hours will be from 8:00am to 4:00pm. All times are based on GPS.
  • Take-off will be a trickle start beginning at 7:45am through each event’s assigned Starting Checkpoint. All teams must pass through the checkpoint to receive their Official Bumpboard and CPR Kit.
  • End-time will be at 4:00pm –  we will not be accepting any more catch submissions once end-time hits.

Teams must then return to the End-time Checkpoint (same as Starting Checkpoint) so safe arrival and return of Official Bumpboard can be noted.

  • At least one Team Member must attend the Online Rules Meeting before each Qualifier Event. The meeting will take place the evening before at 8:15pm via virtual media (Streamyard). Meeting links will be sent out to all competing anglers that day. Some of the events will have the option to attend the Rules Meeting in person. Locations to be announced.

Pre-fishing

  • Pre-fishing (practice) will cease at 6:00pm the preceding day before an event. No teams shall travel tournament waters or actively fish after this time until take-off time the following morning. Persons travelling to and from accommodations/property on tournament waters after pre-fishing has ceased must only do so for the purpose of commuting and not to actively locate fish or conditions.

Boundaries

  • Q1 on the Red River will take place on the Red River from Lockport Dam to the south and up to but not north of the mouths of the river at Lake Winnipeg. All creeks and tributaries of the Red River accessible without crossing land from the Starting Checkpoint and not entering onto Lake Winnipeg are inbounds for the tournament. See attached map.
  • Q2, Q3, and Championship Weekend events will take place on Lake Winnipeg. All waters and tributaries of the Lake Winnipeg South Basin accessible without crossing land from the Starting Checkpoint are inbounds for each tournament.
  • For all events: During tournament hours Teams may not leave the body of water the competition is taking place on (example: driving via roadway to access another area). Teams may only be permitted to leave the body of water with approval from the Tournament Director and only via exiting at the Starting Checkpoint (example: to use washroom facilities, retrieve parts or equipment). Teams will have equipment/vehicles re-inspected prior to them returning to the tournament water. EXCEPTION: Q1 will permit vehicles to leave the river and enter the river at official assigned checkpoints. Details at Q1 Rules Meeting

Equipment and CPR Items

  • Tournament officials will conduct equipment inspections at the Starting Checkpoint prior to take-off time primarily to ensure that no walleye are in possession.
  • Teams will receive an Official Bumpboard (Judge Tournament ruler) as they go through the Starting Checkpoint line. Each bumpboard will have a serial number and will be marked with a strip of colour-coded tape placed perpendicular to the bump and another strip of colour-coded tape placed over the 35″-36″ mark.
  • Teams will also receive an Official CPR Kit consisting of a set of tags (numbered laminated squares).
  • Teams must have their own cellphones with cameras on their person. 
  • Teams may travel on tournament waters via any wheel, track, or ski vehicle they prefer
    (i.e. trucks, SXS, snowmobile, SnoBear, etc.).
  • The use of all commercially sold ice fishing electronics is permitted including forward-facing sonar, underwater cameras, and flashers.
  • Only fish caught by angling hook and line in a normal manner will be permitted for submission. The use of hookset triggers (example: Jaw-Jacker, I-Fish Pro) and auto-jigging mechanisms are permitted. 
  • Teams may use any manner of portable shelter. These must be with you and available at equipment inspection. The use of hard-sided permanent shelters and wheelhouses are also permitted provided that these are present at equipment inspection. Entering any shelter during tournament hours that was not inspected is strictly not allowed and will result in team disqualification of that day’s weight.
  • Teams may use any manner of ice hole auger. Chainsaws, firearms, and other methods aside from specific ice drilling equipment is not permitted. The drilling of sight holes (ice openings significantly larger than the diameter of your auger flite) is not permitted.

Fishing

  • Team members and their rods/tip-ups must keep within a 100-foot radius of one another at all times during tournament hours.
  • Teams will be respectful and sportsmanlike in regard to other competitors and property on tournament waters. A 100-foot radius shall be respected between teams during the competition. The overlapping of grids or deadsticks is not permitted.
  • Teams may not pass fish or items to one another.
  • Competitors are permitted to use two (2) lines in the water per person.
  • Only walleye (hereafter designated as ‘fish’) are permitted for inclusion in each team’s bag limit. All other species caught must be released safely back to the water immediately.
  • Fish shall not be altered or purposefully deformed in any way.
  • Care for the well-being of any/all fish caught during the tournament shall be of the utmost priority of each competitor.

Scoring Process

  • Catch, Photo, Video Release format competition
  • All fish must measure a minimum of eighteen (18) inches to qualify for submission. Fish under 18” are not eligible for scoring. Fish cannot be rounded up to reach the minimum length.
  • Teams may send as many submissions/catches as they want to improve their Daily Team Bag Weight. Each individual fish/catch may only be submitted once.
  • Step 1 – Hero photo will be taken with the fish’s head in an angler’s right hand with the fish’s left side facing the camera. Entire fish must be in frame, angler’s face must be in frame, fish tag must be placed on the fish’s body on the left side and visible in the photo.
  • Step 2 – Measurement photo will be taken with the fish laying flat on its right side, head placed against the bump of the ruler (0″) with its mouth closed (see Judging below). Tail may be pinched to achieve maximum length. Angler may hold the fish in place for the photo. Entire ruler must be in frame and serial tag must be visible in the photo (photo taken from above the bump). Camera person may take the photo from either the fish’s dorsal side or belly side (photo will be rotated by the weighmaster after if need be).
  • Step 3 – Release Video will commence from the same framing and fish position that the measurement photo was taken. Fish will then be taken off the ruler and tail-held in the water to assist with recuperation. Fish will swim away under its own power. Video may end once angler is no longer physically touching the fish and the fish has swum away down the hole.
  • Step 4 – Submit photos/video to the Tournament Director via Whats App. Hero photo, measurement photo, and Release Video should be sent at the same time/one after another.

Judging

  • Official Icebreaker Elite Series Length-to-Weight Conversion Chart published here will be used to calculate Daily Team Bag Weight.
  • Official recording of Daily Team Bag Weight shall be in pounds and two decimal point places.
  • Measurements surpassing a quarter inch line will round up to the very next quarter inch line for scoring purposes. The final determination for this will be the sole discretion of the Tournament Director.
  • Penalties or disqualification of individual fish may be levied if all required photo and release video conditions are not adhered to.
  • Quarter inch (0.25”) penalty: No Fish Tag visible in one or more of a Hero, Measurement, OR Release Video set (max one quarter inch penalty per fish). Repeated offenses may result in Daily Team Bag Weight being disqualified.
  • Half inch (0.50″) penalty: Mouth open in Measurement Photo with discernible advantage (discretion of the Weighmaster. Judging process will be explained at Rules Meeting); Angle integrity violation (difficulty determining if fish is touching the bump).
  • Individual fish disqualification:
    • Release Video – none submitted; unsuccessful release (dead or stressed fish)
    • Measurement Photo – none submitted; photo missing serial number and/or end of ruler; wrong side of fish facing camera; fish not touching bump
    • Hero Photo – none submitted; wrong side of fish facing camera, entire fish not in frame
  • Fish may not be scored again the same day once it has already been scored (ie: a fish is legitimately caught again by the same team). The determination of this is the sole discretion of the Weighmaster.
  • Daily Team Bag Weight will be disqualified if a team’s assigned Judge ruler is not returned at the end of the day’s fishing or is examined to have been altered. $100 replacement fee charged to the team will apply.
  • Scoring headquarters will be located on-site on the same body of water of the event. Each tournament will be officiated by the Tournament Director. All measurements and weights declared by Tournament Director are final.

Safety

  • Competitors are not permitted to consume alcohol directly before and during tournament hours.
  • Emergency contact number will be provided at each event’s Rules Meeting.
  • All teams must adhere to safe ice fishing practices while participating in each event.

Alternate Anglers

  • Teams may employ the use of an alternate or substitute angler for their team in situations where someone on the team is not able to attend an event. The Alternate cannot be a current angler on the Icebreaker Elite Series. The Alternate must sign the same waiver form as all competitors do prior to them competing. Fair distribution of any applicable prizes and/or costs are the sole responsibility of said team employing an Alternate.

Prize and Points Structure

  • Each Qualifier Event Prize Pool will be awarded based on heaviest Daily Team Bag Weight with the top weight winning first place. Cash Prize placing spots will descend to the fifth (5th) best finishing team TBA:
    • 1st Place – $
    • 2nd Place – $
    • 3rd Place – $
    • 4th Place – $
    • 5th Place – $
  • Prize Package placing spots will descend from 6th Place to 10th Place TBA
  • Tiebreaker Rule – In the event of a tie (same exact official weight), the higher placing team will be determined by the next longest fish scored by each team on that day. If still tied, then the higher placing team will be determined by each team’s next longest scored fish and so on until the tie is broken. Teams will combine award values of placings and split the award evenly if the tiebreaker rule cannot break the tie.
  • Each Qualifier Event will have a Big Fish Award given to the team who scores the heaviest fish of each tournament TBA
  • Tiebreaker Rule – In the event of a tie (same exact official measurement/weight), the higher placing fish will be determined by the next longest fish scored by each team on that day. If still tied, then the higher placing fish will be determined by the third longest fish and so on until the tie is broken. Teams will split the Big Fish Award if tiebreaker rule cannot break the tie.
  • Prizes will be awarded on a team basis and must be accepted as awarded.
  • The Tournament Directors reserve the right to adjust the stated prize structure accordingly in relation to the actual size of the total field of entrants.
  • Points will be awarded to each team based on their finish in the standings after each Qualifying Event as follows:
    • 1st Place – 100pts
    • 2nd Place – 99pts
    • 3rd Place – 98 pts
    • and so on…..
  • Teams scoring zero (0.00lbs) will be considered tied for last place and will be awarded the same points that correspond with the total number of teams (example: if there are 40 teams then points awarded for all teams scoring zero would be 61). Teams not in attendance at an event will still be awarded points one less than the total number of teams. In the above example this would be 60 points.
  • Tiebreaker Rule – In the event of a tie in the point standings, the team with the higher placing finish during any tournament of the current season will take the higher placing in the standings.

Protests

  • Any protests of contravention of rules must be submitted in writing (hand-written, text message, or email) directly to the Tournament Director accompanied with $250 deposit as soon as possible on the same day of competition. Deposit will be refunded if allegations are found to be justified and result in a change in the final standings.

Other

  • Upon filling out the entry/waiver form and/or paying the entry fee, competitors are permitting the use of their name and image on all media coverage relating to the promotion and reporting of the Icebreaker Elite Series. Competitors also free the organizers, volunteers, sponsors, and other agents involved in the above-named event of any responsibility for death, injury, damage, theft, or related loss as a result of participating in the Icebreaker Elite Series howsoever caused.
  • Tournament Directors reserve the right to delay, shorten, or cancel any tournaments in the case of severe weather or unsafe conditions.
  • Competitors who have been disqualified will not be entitled to a refund of their entry fee.
  • It is the goal of the organizing team to oversee fair and sportsmanlike competitive events. In all cases the ‘spirit of the rule’ will apply.

IES SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP Rules

These are the same as Qualifier Event Rules with the following format:

Eligibility based on 40 teams

  • The Top 20 teams in the Points Standings will qualify to compete at the Series Championship on Day 1.
  • The Top 10 teams after Day 1 will go on to compete on Day 2 of the Series Championship carrying over their Day 1 Team Bag Weight.
  • The Series Championship Prize Pool will be awarded based on heaviest accumulated 2-day Total Team Bag Weight with the top weight winning first place. Cash Prize placing spots will descend to the tenth (10th) best finishing team TBA:
    • 1st Place – $
    • 2nd Place – $
    • 3rd Place – $
    • 4th Place – $
    • 5th Place – $
    • 6th Place – $
    • 7th Place – $
    • 8th Place – $
    • 9th Place – $
    • 10th Place – $
  • The Series Championship will take place on Lake Winnipeg at Warner Road with Day 1 on March 28, 2026 and Day 2 on March 29, 2026.
  • Alternates may be used, but a name must be declared to the Elite Series Director at the conclusion of the last Qualifier Event. This angler can be deployed in the event of one team member being unable to compete. Alternate cannot be a current Icebreaker Elite Series angler.

B-SIDE OPEN Tournament Rules

These are the same as Qualifier Event Rules with the following format:

Eligibility based on 40 teams

  • The bottom 20 placing teams in the Points Standings will be eligible to compete in the B-Side Open no entry fee.
  • The bottom 10 placing teams after Day 1 of the Series Championship will be eligible to compete in the B-Side Open no entry fee.
  • Any teams from the public may enter to compete in the B-Side Open by paying a $300 entry fee.
  • The B-Side Open Prize Pool will be awarded based on heaviest Daily Team Bag Weight with the top weight winning first place. Cash Prizes and Prize Package placing spots TBD
  • 1-day tournament taking place on Lake Winnipeg at Warner Road on March 29, 2026.

Icebreaker Elite Series 2027 TOUR CARDS

Based on 35 teams

  • The Top 20 Teams in the Points Standings after the three Qualifying Events automatically earn their Tour Cards for 2027 (eligible to enter the Icebreaker Elite Series).
  • The Top 15 Teams* in the B-Side Open final standings earn Tour Cards for 2027.
  • 2026 Icebreaker Elite Series teams who are eligible to compete in the B-Side Open may elect to compete with new partners for the purpose of the new teams qualifying for a 2027 Tour Card. The new partner would be required to pay an entry fee for their half ($150).
  • A waiting list, determined by the B-Side Open final standings, will be utilized to replace declined Tour Cards or to grant an increased number of teams for 2026 (example: 16th place Team in the 2026 B-Side Open will be approached first to accept a 2027 Tour Card in the event that there is an opening).
  • Tour Cards are awarded to Teams and not individual anglers. In the event of a split between team members only one Tour Card remains eligible. Should an amicable solution not be possible between both parties, the Tour Card will be forfeited.