MWBA Tournament Rules

Click this link for the 2026 Tournament Rules

Our Tournament Rules are the bedrock of our competitive fishing. They establish a level playing field for all competitors, from Draws to awards bestowed at Annual Banquets. They require compliance with all applicable boating and fishing rules and regulations for the waters we fish. That includes compliance with Tournament Permits that a federal, state or tribal agency has issued to allow MWBA to conduct a Tournament on “their” waters.

On the Colorado River, we also comply with USCG and CDFW watercraft regulations. Those restrictions are summarized in our Facts Sheets (see below) for tournaments on the Colorado River, from Yuma to Lake Mohave.

In case you are wondering, the Arizona Game and Fish Commission and Department do not regulate (i.e. issue permits for) fishing tournaments. Riddle me that, Batman!

Facts Sheets & More About Tournament Rules

A day or two after the Meeting before a Tournament, Members receive an updated, lake-specific Tournament Facts Sheet via email. Each Facts Sheet summarizes crucial information for that specific Tournament. The sheets are useless if they aren’t read (osmosis isn’t a learning technique), but very helpful if you do. The same is true of the MWBA Tournament Rules (available for download at the top of this Page). Read the Rules; don’t guess about the legality of what you want to do. Violations result in a dreaded DQ.

It’s best to read Facts Sheets and Rules before Tournaments, to know what to do and what not to do. Waiting to read them if you did something wrong can be co$tly. MWBA doesn’t fine DQs (hmm, there’s an idea!), but your Entry and Side Pot fees are forfeited to the Club.

To be redundantly and abundantly clear, MWBA Members are responsible for reading the Facts Sheets and Tournament Rules. But, whether or not you have read them, 100% compliance is mandatory. Ignorance of the law, Tournament Rules and Facts Sheets excuses nothing and no one.

As noted above, Rule violations can result in disqualification from a Tournament (the infamous DQ) or even revocation of Membership. If a Rule violation is also a violation of law, the “lucky” angler(s) might also win citations from any of a variety of law enforcement agencies that patrol our lakes and all or parts of the Colorado River, including the Arizona Game and Fish Department, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Tribes and County Sheriffs. The comprehensive enforcement effort largely reflects unsafe boating practices.

We’ve had one DQ this year caused by an unintentional Off Limits violation. The learning opportunity resulted from a misunderstanding about how buoy lines define Off Limits. That topic is now addressed better in our Facts Sheets. Let’s all try hard not to have DQs, ever.