Ultimate Panfish League – Rochester

Ultimate Panfish League – Rochester

“The Ultimate Panfish League provides something for both the competitive angler and recreational angler.” — Matt Johnson

The Ultimate Panfish League – Rochester is an event for locals to join in some semi-competitive fishing fun. Individuals compete with others seeking panfish in a 100% payback league that is fun for all ages. No “year-round” standings and no obligations, this is an event-by-event league.

“…A league that consists of Crappies and Sunfish… The Ultimate Panfish League!!!”

***ALL RULES AND REGULATIONS OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA MUST BE OBSERVED AT ALL TIMES

– Format
All fishermen will compete on an individual basis (no teams)
Max. of 30 anglers per event (first paid 30 anglers) for open water events (30 legally without DNR permit)
Max. of 50 anglers per event (first paid 50 anglers) for ice water events (150 legally without DNR permit)
Dates and lakes will be listed prior to each season (see News and Schedule)
Catch & Release is encouraged (all fish should be kept alive until weigh-in)
No fishing is allowed with non-registered anglers (unless approved by a league official).
Ice fishing electronics including flashers, underwater cameras and depth finders are permitted as long as they are legal within the state of Minnesota.
All ages are welcome to fish in UPLR
Two rods per participant may be use during UPLR ice events
One rod per participant may be use during UPLR open water events (unless on boarder waters)
No spearing of fish is allowed; neither is bow-fishing

– Times
Fishing Events (evenings): 6:00pm – 8:30pm (Registration at 5:45 & Weigh-in at 8:30) – (unless indicated otherwise)
Fishing Events (mornings): 8:00am – 11:30pm (Registration at 7:45 & Weigh-in at 11:30) – (unless indicated otherwise)
If you are late to an event, you must contact a league official (call or stop by their fishing location) to register prior to fishing.
You may choose to weigh your catch prior to the official end of the tournament, but any remaining time will be forfeited.
Event times may be adjusted according to sunrise and sunset timeframes.

– Weigh-in
The weigh-in location will be announced during the registration period just prior to the start of the event. It will likely be near the registration area (boat ramp, public access, central meeting spot on the lake, etc…) It will be atop the ice or near the shoreline for those who wish to release their fish .
Any late participants will be penalized (every minute late will result in a 1oz reduction from your total weight. If you’re more than 15 minutes late than you’re disqualified)
Participants should be at the designated weigh-in location with their fish ready to weigh at the time when the event ends.
UPLR recommends each contestant to use a 5 gallon pail ½+ full of water or an Ice Well to store fish prior to weigh-in. Livewells or floating crappie baskets are options for open water events
Dead-fish penalty will be based on over-all participant observation. If it appears that the fish were caught prior to the event (i.e.: frozen fish from the day before, obvious over-discoloration, etc), than that participant will be immediately disqualified with-out reimbursement.
After all fish have been weighted and winner(s) have been determined, you should make every attempt to release all healthy fish if you choose to do so. Any fish that is showing signs of stress or fatigue must be harvested. UPLR promotes catch and release of all healthy fish.

– Limits (6 fish total limit per participant) which includes…
3 Crappie (per participant); any white or black crappies
3 Sunfish (per participant); any hybrid including bluegill, green sunfish, pumpkinseeds, rock bass, warmouth, etc…
Culling is allowed as long as you are under the possession limit and within Minnesota laws (However, if you’re caught throwing back dead fish you will be disqualified, no exceptions)
You may keep a full limit of crappie and sunfish if you would like to take fish home for a meal or whatnot, that is fine, but all MN regulations still apply though and it’s still a 6 fish limit (3 per specie) at weigh-in
All special regulations regarding size and length limits for the particular body of water must be followed at all times
Absolutely no sharing (giving or receiving) fish

– Scoring
Heaviest total weight wins (crappie and sunfish weighed all together)
Scale is accuate to 0.002 lb(s)
Tie breaker: which ever participant has the largest crappie (weight) will win the tie breaker, and if that’s still a tie then it will go to the largest sunfish (weight). If no winner is determined, we’ll weight the 2nd biggest crappie, then sunfish, and so on…

– Fishable Waters
Ice fishing events may have restrictions based on ice conditions and certain bodies of water. Any restrictions will be noted well in advance. Safety comes first.
Open water events may have restrictions based on man made structures like bridges, dams, dikes, etc, or natural structure like a river inlet.
For updates, see News and Schedule
– Pre-Fishing
Pre-fishing is allowed, but no fish are allowed in your immediate possession (boat, ice shack, etc) at the start of the tournament
You’re allowed to setup your shack and drill holes prior to the start of an event
Everybody that pre-fishes is subject to inspection prior to the start of the event

– Pictures
Pictures will be taken throughout UPLR events.
All pictures become property of UPLR and may be posted on our website.
If you take pictures during any UPLR event and would like the published, please email them to us.

– Mystery Lake
The Mystery Lake will be chosen by league officials at least 12 hours prior to the start of the event. The lake and details will posted in News and Schedule
Criteria for choosing the Mystery Lake will be determined by several factors including: safeness of ice, current hot bite, number of participants pre-registered, and weather. Email us if you have any suggestions.
Mystery Lake will be in the immediate Rochester area and it may or may not be at an existing event location. (If a Mystery Lake location is outside the Rochester area (30+ miles), this will be noted well in advance and the event will likely be on a weekend.)
If the Mystery Lake is held on a private lake, only UPLR participants will have permission to that private lake for the scheduled day of the UPLR event.
A Mystery Marina event will be held at a boat harbor marina on the Mississippi River. Boats are allowed, but are restricted to any boundaries that might be specified. Marina dock fishing will only be allowed if permission is granted by the marina personnel. League officials will communicate boundaries and permissions prior to the start of each Mystery Marina event.

– Optional Big Fish Prize
Only those that have paid (during registration) to enter the optional fish prize are eligible.
Pertains to any specie of fish that is legal to catch and keep (in season) for that particular body of water (ex: Trout, Catfish, Bass, Pike, Carp, Crappie, Sunfish, Perch, Walleye, Sucker, etc…)
Only 1 big fish can be weighed per contestant (you choose your heaviest)
If you’d like to release the big fish, please find a league official immediately after catching a legit big fish contender and it will be weigh, recorded, and released.
We will not be having the optional big fish challenge for Sucker Run events since they are a “Big Fish” contest already
If the big fish is a sunfish or crappie, the fish may also be included in with your total weight score
Scale is accurate to 0.002 lb(s)
In the event of a tie, the longest fish wins. If still tied, the pot will be split among those involved in the tie.

– Ice Shacks (Ice)
Permanent and portable ice shelters are allowed as long as they are licensed and legal in the state of Minnesota.
Any number of registered participants can fish from the same ice shelter; however, no sharing fish.

– Boats (Open Water)
Boats of any kind and size (canoes, rafts, float tubes, paddle-boats) are allowed in UPLR events licensed and legal in the state of Minnesota.
Boat fishing is allowed during all open water events including Sucker Run events. The boat must be operated within the guidelines indicated for each given body of water (electric motors only, no wake, etc.)
If specific boundaries have been specified, all boats must remain within the boundaries at all times.
Any number of registered participants can fish from the same boat; however, no sharing fish.
Shore fishing is allowed during all open water events as long as you remain on public fishing grounds and within the boundaries.

– Safety / Liability
UPLR is not responsible and cannot be held liable for unsafe ice or accidents of any kind. Using caution on the ice is the responsibility of each participant.
If a UPLR event (Mystery Lake) is held on a private lake, nobody (including the owner of that lake or the person/business that granted us permission) can be held liable for any accidents or injuries.

– Environmental Awareness
UPLR strives for a clean and healthy environment and encourages participants to pick up any litter they may encounter at an event.
Anybody caught leaving trash behind will be disqualified with-out reimbursement.

– Distance Constraints
Participants must respect other participants and non league anglers. No fishing within 15 yards of another individual will be allowed unless invited by the person to do so.

– Foster Arends
UPLR encourages all contestants fishing Foster Arends to purchase a trout stamp.
Any contestant that wishes to weight a trout for the optional big fish prize must possess a trout stamp.
If you wish to release a trout (encouraged), it must be weighed immediately after catching it. All trout weighted after 8:30 must be harvested due to their low mortality/survival stamina.

– Chester Woods (Bear Creek Reservoir)
Chester Woods Park has a mandatory vehicle entry fee – $5.00 daily or $25.00 annually.
Chester Woods has special minimum size/length/possession limits:
-Bluegill: Minimum size limit 7″ (Nov 1 – April 30), Possession limit 10
-Largemouth Bass: Minimum size limit 15″
Gasoline motors are prohibited, but, electric trolling motors may be used.
Anybody caught with illegal fish will be disqualified without reimbursement

– Sucker Run Events
All sucker run events are “Big Fish Only” styled. You will only keep your single largest sucker and bring it to weigh-ins.
$10 per entry with 100% payback. Payouts will be determined by the number of registered participants (see payouts below)
We will not be having the optional $1 big fish challenge for Sucker Run events.
Eligible fish are as follows: Bigmouth Buffalo – Smallmouth Buffalo – Highfin Caprsucker – Quillback Carpsucker – River Carpsucker – Golden Redhorse – Greater Redhorse – River Redhorse – Shorthead Redhorse – Silver Redhorse – White Sucker
-No Freshwater Drum (Sheepshead), Black Buffalo(rare), Grass Carp, Common Carp, Goldfish, Lake Sturgeon, Shovelnose Sturgeon, Northern Hog Sucker(rare), Blue Sucker(rare), Longnose Sucker(rare), Spotted Sucker(rare), Black Redhorse(rare) are eligible. You won’t likely catch any of the rare species, but please return them to the water immediately if you do.
-Simple Hint: Carp have barbels (whiskers) near their mouth; suckers don’t.
A trout stamp is required if your fishing an area that is a designated trout stream.

All fish should be kept alive so they can be released after weigh-ins (if you choose to do so). I recommend 5 gal pails full of fresh water, ice wells, live wells, or large fish baskets. If you must use a stringer, hook them through the bottom of the mouth/jaw up and out the sucker/mouth (not harming the gills). Transport in fresh water.

– Cancellation / Postponement Policy
UPLR events are prone to postponement if ice conditions are deemed unsafe by league officials. Events may also be postponed if the weather conditions are unsafe (extreme heat/cold, lightning, extreme wind/rain, etc).
An event may also be canceled due to lack of participants.

– Legal Consent
UPLR was verified legal and granted permission to Willow Creek, Foster Arends, Lake Zumbro, Chester Woods, and KR7 by written permission from Olmsted County Sheriff – Steven Borchardt
UPLR rules and regulations verified legal by DNR Lake City Area Fisheries Manager – Kevin Stauffer
UPLR verified legal and granted permission to Chester Woods Park and county access points on Lake Zumbro by Olmsted County Park Superintendent – Jim Foot, and Park & Natural Resource Specialist – Josh Drilling
UPLR verified legal and granted permission to Willow Creek, Foster Arends, and KR7 by Assistant Superintendent of Rochester Parks & Recreation – Denny Stotz
UPLR has been approved by Rochester area Conservation Officers, Dean Olson & Mitch Boyum

– Pay-outs will depend on how many participants fish each event.

– Pay-outs are on an individual event basis. No over-all season standings pay-out. Points and standings don’t carry over to the next event.

– All payout percentages will be rounded down to the nearest dollar. Any/all leftover money will be awarded to the 1st place finisher.

– In the event no fish are weighted or no winner(s) are determined, all money will be refunded to each participant.

– 100% Pay-Out per event (UPLR is completely non-profit)

– Sponsor donated product(s) will be distributed on a basis in which the sponsors and league officials agree on

– Pay-out for having 35-50 participants

1st Place = 50%
2nd Place = 20%
3rd Place = 15%
4th Place = 10%
5th Place = 5%
– Pay-out for having 25-34 participants

1st Place = 50%
2nd Place = 25%
3rd Place = 15%
4th Place = 10%
– Pay-out for having 10-24 participants

1st Place = 60%
2nd Place = 30%
3rd Place = 10%
– Pay-out for having less than 10 participants
1st Place = 70%
2nd Place = 30%
– Optional big fish prize
100% of the optional big fish pot