Rules
Integrity Statement
1. Each LCI Champlain Basin Derby participant must submit to a polygraph (lie-detector) examination upon request of LCI Derby Officials, or he/she shall be disqualified. Based on the results of this examination, the Lake Champlain International Board of Directors reserves the right to disqualify the contestant. In the event LCI Derby Officials disqualify a contestant, any and all fish which were offered by that contestant during the LCI Champlain Basin Derby shall also be disallowed. Further, any contestant who has ever been disqualified by LCI Derby Officials shall be permanently barred from participation in any and all future fishing derbies promoted by Lake Champlain International, Inc.
Registration
2. To fish in any portion of the LCI Champlain Basin Derby, each contestant must purchase a valid registration according to the timetables set forth in Rule #’s 3 through 5 below. Registrations must be purchased either directly from Lake Champlain International through one of the LCI Derbies Retail Registration Outlets, mail, phone, facsimile or on the web at www.mychamplain.net. Each contestant must also be licensed in the state where fishing.
3. It is possible to register as a family for the LCI Champlain Basin Derby, if and only if that family has purchased a family registration for the LCI Father’s Day Fishing Derby presented by Yamaha. A family consists of registrant, spouse and their legally dependent children seventeen (17) years of age or younger at time of the LCI Father's Day Fishing Derby presented by Yamaha opening. Only one registration form will be issued per family. Each registered family member is eligible to win prizes.
4. Registrations may be purchased by telephone, (802) 879-3466, as well, using a credit card, at any time through March 6, 2024. Registrations may also be purchased at www.mychamplain.net on an ongoing basis up to and including March 6, 2024. In all cases, a one-day waiting period will apply for registrations purchased after the LCI Champlain Basin Derby has commenced (next rule).
5. Since it is required that a participant be registered at least one (1) day prior to fishing, any registration purchased will not become valid until one day after the date of purchase. For example, a participant who purchases his or her registration on a Saturday may not begin fishing in the LCI Champlain Basin Derby until Sunday. If the waiting period as described has not lapsed, the fish will not be accepted as a valid entry. “Purchase date” will mean the credit card purchase date (if by telephone or web).
6. LCI Champlain Basin Derby registration forms are not transferable. They must be presented on each occasion a fish is offered, and they may not be honored or replaced if lost. Any number of fish may be offered by each contestant using the same registration form.
7. Requests for refund due to duplicate registration purchase will be considered only if made in writing, and postmarked on or before March 15, 2024.
8. A $10.00 fee may be charged for any requested duplicate registrations due to loss or theft.
Registering the Fish
9. Per state law, it is illegal to transport live fish to the weigh station. Please check the website for the latest results to determine whether or not you would like to bring a fish in to be weighed at a weigh station.
10. Contestants must complete and sign a weigh-in form furnished by the Lake Champlain International Board of Directors at the weigh station.
Only official weigh-in forms transmitted to LCI Derby Headquarters from weigh stations will be accepted.
11. A contestant who registers for both the LCI Champlain Basin Derby and the LCI Father’s Day Fishing Derby presented by Yamaha on or before June 19, 2023 may have their fish entered into both contests simultaneously on June 17, 18 and/or 19.
However, to do so, he or she must follow all of the rules of both LCI Champlain Basin Derby and the LCI Father’s Day Fishing Derby presented by Yamaha — including the registered affirming witness rule — and weigh the fish during published hours at one of the weigh stations serving the LCI Father’s Day Fishing Derby presented by Yamaha.
12. The contestant is responsible for the accuracy of the information about his/her entered fish as it is transcribed on the official weigh-in form. Once the contestant has affixed his/her signature to the weigh-in form, he/she relinquishes all rights to challenge the accuracy of the data.
13. Weigh-in data as transcribed, and signed to, on the official weigh-in form at the weigh station will not be considered final until all entered information has been transmitted to LCI Derby Headquarters and reviewed, subjected to biological feasibility scrutiny, and accepted by LCI Derby Officials. The signature of a weigh-in attendant on an official weigh-in form does not in and of itself constitute the final determination concerning any entry.
Boundaries/Hours
14. The boundaries of the LCI Champlain Basin Derby shall include all PUBLIC legal waters within the United States area of the Lake Champlain Basin. Privately owned ponds, even if they are not posted, do not qualify and are not legal waters for the purposes of the LCI Champlain Basin Derby. All anglers must submit the name of the waters where the fish was caught. All entries will be verified before prizes are determined. For a map of the Lake Champlain Basin Boundaries, please see Map A.
15. Weigh station hours will be the normal business hours of each weigh station. It will be up to the individual proprietors to set those hours.
16. All fish entered in the LCI Champlain Basin Derby must be caught upon hook and line, and retrieved by rod and reel, within the boundaries of the tournament (Rule #14).
17. Any angler found importing fish from a body of water outside of tournament boundaries, misrepresenting a fish's weight, attempting to alter a fish's weight or manipulate the fish in any manner to achieve a change in weight will be subject to legal proceedings.
18. The same angler must cast and hook, or, in the case of a trolled release, fight, and bring the fish to net unaided by any other person. No other person may touch any part of the tackle during the playing of the fish, or give aid other than taking the leader for landing purposes.
Condition of Fish
19. All fish must be whole, fresh and never have been frozen. No gaffed, snagged or foul hooked fish will be accepted for entry. All fish entered may be marked for identification purposes, and may at the sole discretion of the LCI Derby Officials become the property of the Lake Champlain International Board of Directors.
20. Part of fishing is bringing home a tasty, hard-earned meal. The Champlain Basin Derby is not a catch and release derby. Please remember, it is illegal to transport live fish. As sports men and women, we all share a common conservation ethic; please keep an eye on the scoreboard and only enter appropriately sized fish.
Eligible Species & Sizes
21. The eligible species for the LCI Champlain Basin Derby are as follows. All species are only eligible within their respective, legal seasons. Please see your state law book for season dates.
Bowfin
Brook Trout
Brown Trout
Carp
Channel Catfish
Lake Trout
Landlocked Salmon
Largemouth Bass
Northern Pike
Rainbow Trout
Sheepshead
Smallmouth Bass
Walleye
White Perch
Yellow Perch
22. All Fish and Wildlife laws of the applicable state where fishing shall be followed during the LCI Champlain Basin Derby. Fish which do not conform to all Fish and Wildlife laws of the applicable state shall be disqualified. Due to concern for the conservation of all fish species, the following minimum lengths have been established:
Bowfin – 23”
Brook Trout – 12”
Brown Trout – 19”
Carp – 26”
Channel Catfish – 26”
Lake Trout – 28”
Landlocked Salmon – 21”
Largemouth Bass – 16”
Northern Pike – 32”
Rainbow Trout – 18”
Sheepshead – 22”
Smallmouth bass – 17”
Walleye – 25”
White Perch – 12”
Yellow Perch – 12”
Prizewinner Determination
23. Prizes will be determined based on ranking the weights within the individual species. The top three (3) heaviest fish within each eligible species will receive a cash prize. Winners will be determined once all entries have been received after the end of the contest at 11:59 p.m. on March 31, 2024.
24. Contestants may enter any number of fish. This does not increase your chances of winning. Only the largest fish should be weighed in.
25. It is the responsibility of the prize-winner to collect his/her prize(s). Prizes, or parts thereof, not claimed by April 30, 2024 will become the property of the Lake Champlain International Board of Directors.
Tax Liability
26. All tax liability is the burden of the recipient of the prize. Additionally, in accordance with state and federal authorities, Lake Champlain International may be required to collect taxes before prizes can be presented.
Miscellaneous
27. Lake Champlain International Board members and staff and their immediate families, sponsors, and volunteers involved in the daily operation of the LCI Champlain Basin Derby, are not eligible to participate.
28. All contestants agree to give the Lake Champlain International Board of Directors full rights for promotional or commercial purposes to any photograph or video of themselves taken by the Lake Champlain International Board of Directors or its duly authorized agents.
29. In the event that the tournament draws fewer than 750 participants, at its sole discretion the Lake Champlain International Board of Directors may decide to award prizes on a reduced-value basis.
30. Each contestant agrees to hold the Lake Champlain International Board of Directors, sponsors, their agents, officials and volunteers harmless from any liability of any nature for any injuries and/or damage suffered by the contestant in conjunction with the LCI Champlain Basin Derby.
31. The decision of the LCI Derby Officials is final. In the event of a tie, the first fish weighed in will be declared the winner. All prize winners will be posted online by Friday, April 12, 2024. Participants who wish to contest posted prize standings must do so prior to noon on Monday, April 15, 2024. Assuming no challenges, all results shall be considered final and Derby Officials shall award the prizes to the winners subsequent to April 15, 2024. LCI Derby Officials reserve the right to delay finalizing results in the event that additional time is needed to resolve any and all contestations.
Remember: Cumulative points mean nothing in the LCI Champlain Basin Derby. There is no reason to hold for weigh-in any more than your best catch of the day. Please keep abreast of current standings throughout the event by checking www.mychamplain.net, checking with your nearest weigh station, or by calling LCI Derby Headquarters at (802) 879-3466. Help us in conservation. Thank you.
Anglers participating in any LCI Derbies event are expected to conduct themselves in a sportsmanlike manner, and abide by the tournament rules.