Format and eligibility

  • Two-person team heaviest two-day accumulated bag tournament.
  • Catch, Photo, Video release format competition
  • All competitors must possess and 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 Pine Falls Walleye Challenge.
  • At minimum one team member must be eighteen (18) years of age or over. Youth competitors will be permitted with written consent from a parent/guardian.

Entry

  • $600 per team entry fee.
  • Boat numbers/starting order will be assigned as entries are received and paid. Official notification of such via email from Tournament Directors will be sent once funds are received.
  • Entries will continue to be received until the online rules meeting on Friday, October 10 at 8:15pm

Logistics

  • The date of the event will be Saturday October 10 and Sunday October 11, 2026
  • Tournament fishing hours will be from 8:00am to 4:00pm. All times are based on GPS.
  • In the case of fifty (50) or more boats entered in the competition, the field will be divided in half as needed to form two separate flights. Tournament hours will change as follows:
    • Flight 1 – 8:00am to 4:00pm
    • Flight 2 – 8:15am to 4:15pm
    • Take-off will be a number ordered trickle start called out over a public address system. Boats taking off before being called will be disqualified. Boats missing their call must wait until all boats in the field (or their flight if applicable) have taken off before leaving.
  • Pre-fishing will cease at 6:00pm on Friday, October 10, 2026. No boat 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 the river after pre-fishing has ceased must only do so for the purpose of commuting and not to actively locate fish or monitor conditions.
  • Boat inspections at the Pine Falls boat launch will commence at 6:30am.
  • Online rules meeting will take place on Friday October 10, 2026 at 8:15pm via webinar. Meeting link will be sent to all competitors. Mandatory attendance from at least one team member is required by logging in to the broadcast and leaving a comment with your team member names and boat number.

Boundaries

  • The competition will take place on the Winnipeg River downstream of the Powerview Dam. Inbounds is all boat accessible waters from the Pine Falls boat launch starting area up to the Powerview Dam upstream and up to the tournament boundary on Lake Winnipeg downstream as specified in the illustration below.
  • Boats are not permitted to trailer to other sections of the lake.

Boat Inspection

  • Tournament volunteers will conduct boat inspections at the Pine Falls boat launch prior to each boat entering the water and will flag and record each boat as completed.
  • Failure to have boat recorded as ‘Inspected’ before taking off will result in disqualification.
  • Volunteers will check for: appropriate Personal Floatation Device for each team member; ensuring livewells are empty of fish and water; properly affixed boat number cowl stickers.
  • Teams will receive an official Kickerfish Judge tournament ruler and an official set of ‘numbered fish photo tags’ during each day’s morning boat inspection.

Boats and equipment

  • Canoes, houseboats, kayaks and other similar personal or cumbersome watercraft are not permitted.
  • Tournament Directors reserve the right to refuse entry or disallow use of any boat, motor, or equipment deemed unsafe, unsuitable, or contravening of tournament rules.
  • Competitor boats must not come into contact with any other boats on the water whether they be other competitors or not. The passing of items from one boat to another will result in disqualification.
  • Boats will be respectful and sportsmanlike in regards to other competitors and property on tournament waters. A twenty-five (25) foot radius shall be respected between boats during the competition.
  • Marine radios, cellphones, and other communication devices are to be declared at inspection and are only to be used in the case of an emergency during tournament hours. Electronic boat to boat communication is prohibited during tournament hours.

Safety

  • Competitors are not permitted to consume alcohol directly before and during tournament hours.
  • Competitors are required to wear approved Personal Floatation Devices whenever the boat is on plane or travelling beyond trolling or drifting speed.
  • Emergency contact number listed below.
  • All teams must adhere to safe boating practices while participating in the tournament.
  • For the purpose of accounting the safe return of all competitors, all boats are required to check-in at the conclusion of tournament hours. Failure to do so may affect further participation in this event in the following year.
  • Competitors are strictly not permitted to step ashore/off their boat at any time during tournament hours other than at the Pine Falls boat launch. In the case of lightning or other severe dangerous weather, competitors can seek safety at the nearest shoreline as necessary.

Fishing

  • Only fish caught by angling hook and line in a normal manner will be permitted for inclusion in bag limit.
  • Competitors are permitted to use only one (1) line in the water per person at a time.
  • Only walleye, sauger, and saugeye (hereafter designated as ‘fish‘) are permitted for inclusion in team 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.
  • All care for the well-being of any/all fish caught during the tournament shall be of the utmost priority of each competitor.
  • The use of sonar (fish/depth finders) is permitted including ‘Live’ technology.
  • Boats must return to the Pine Falls boat launch area and ‘check-in’ with the Check-in Boat on or before their respective check-in time. Check-in process will involve a Tournament Official calling out your boat number to confirm that you have checked-in. Official Kickerfish Rulers must be handed in to the Tournament Official at the dock in order to complete check-in.
  • Late boats will be penalized half a pound (8oz) per minute up to 5 minutes, beyond which they will not be eligible to weigh-in that day’s bag (disqualification).
  • Boats who do not complete Check-in process will not be eligible for scoring that day.

Scoring

  • Catch, Photo, Video Release format competition
  • All fish must measure a minimum of 35cm to qualify. Fish under 35cm are not eligible for scoring. All qualifying fish at the 35cm mark will score at 13.75″.
  • 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 left side and visible in the photo.
  • 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. 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 can be rotated by the weighmaster after).
  • 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, fish tag removed, 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 healthily. Fish may be held in a landing net in the water at any point in the scoring process for the purpose of aiding recuperation/health of the fish. At no point may a qualifying 45cm or greater fish be placed in a live well as per MB regulations.
  • Report your qualifying fish by submitting your three required photos/video via your Team’s private chat with the Weighmaster on WhatsApp.
  • Teams may submit for scoring any number of fish that result in an upgrade in their score (culling of your smallest fish). The Weighmaster will notify you of accepted submissions, levied penalties, feedback on your photos/video, and keep you up to date on the length of your smallest fish.
  • Teams may not score the same fish twice on the same day of competition.
  • A maximum of five (5) qualifying fish will comprise each team’s Daily Team Bag Weight.

Judging

  • Official Kickerfish Walleye Length-to-Weight Conversion Chart published here will be used to calculate Daily Team Bag Weight. A paper copy of the conversion chart will be provided to each team at Day 1 boat inspection for reference.
  • Official recording of Daily Team Bag Weight shall be in pounds and two decimal point places.
  • Measurements that do not touch the next quarter inch line will round down to the previous quarter inch line that the fish clearly touches. The final determination for this will be the sole discretion of the Weighmaster.
  • Penalties or disqualification of individual fish may be levied if the required photos and release video conditions are not adhered to.
  • One inch (1.00”) penalty: No Fish Tag visible in one or more of a Hero, Measurement, OR Release Video set (max one quarter inch penalty per fish)
  • One inch (1.00″) penalty: Mouth open in Measurement Photo with discernible advantage (discretion of the Weighmaster. Judging process will be explained at Rules Meeting)
  • Individual fish disqualification:
    • Release Video – none submitted; unsuccessful release (dead or stressed fish); not starting from fish on the ruler
    • Measurement Photo – none submitted; photo missing ruler serial tag; 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
  • The scoring headquarters will be located at the Pine Falls boat launch and will be officiated by the Official Weighmaster.
  • All teams will be given a bag receipt with all of your fish lengths at the end of each day’s competition. Your score will not be final until you ‘thumbs up’ the receipt acknowledging you concur with the scores. No appeals or reviews will be done after this.
  • All measurements and weights declared by the Weighmaster are final.

Awards

  • The Main Prize Pool will be awarded based on highest total team bag weight with the top weight winning first place. Prize placing spots will descend to the tenth (10th) best finishing team for a field at or beyond twenty (20) teams.
  • All prize placing spots in the Main Prize Pool will be cash awards broken down by proportional percentage of the prize pot.
  • Tiebreaker Rule – In the event of a tie (same exact official weight), the higher placing team will be determined by each team’s longest scored fish of the tournament. 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.
  • The Big Fish Prize Pool will be a total of one award going to the team who weighs the heaviest fish of the tournament.
  • 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 in the tournament. 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.

Code of Conduct

  • All competitors and officials will conduct themselves in a sportsmanlike, respectful, and ethical manner at all times during the tournament.
  • No aggressive behaviour or inappropriate language toward other competitors, officials, spectators, or volunteers will be tolerated and can result in tournament disqualification and future tournament eligibility.
  • This code of conduct extends to comments made or posted on Kickerfish social media platforms including but not limited to the Kickerfish Facebook page, Instagram account, YouTube channel, and website.

Other

  • Each team must register for the tournament by filling out the entry form online at kickerfish.ca
  • Upon filling out the entry/waiver form, competitors are permitting the use of their name and image on all media coverage relating to the promotion and reporting of the Pine Falls Walleye Challenge. 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 Pine Falls Walleye Challenge howsoever caused.
  • Tournament Directors reserve the right to delay, shorten, or cancel the tournament 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.
  • Any protests of contravention of rules must be submitted directly to the Tournament Organizers accompanied with $200 cash before the completion of weigh-ins. Fee will be refunded if allegations are found to be justified and result in a change in the final standings.
  • It is the goal of the Tournament Directors to organize a fair and sportsmanlike competitive event, in all cases the ‘spirit of the rule’ will apply.

TOURNAMENT DIRECTOR CONTACT            Call or Text ERIC LABAUPA 204-995-6583