Mountain Aire Mechanical/Trout Unlimited 2024 Frostbite Fish Off Tournament February 9th & 10th, 2024

The Frostbite Fish Off is a fundraising tournament that offers teams of two anglers the chance to compete for great prizes while raising money for restoration efforts on the Pueblo Tailwater and youth outreach programs in the area.  The "Beat Drawing" takes place Friday, February 9th from 6-8pm and tournament fishing starts promptly Saturday morning at 9am and concludes at 5pm.  The banquet dinner and awards ceremony will be held Saturday evening from 6-9pm.

Competitors - Please read the complete rules at the bottom of this page before purchasing a competitor ticket.  The "Competitor" ticket price ($500) is for a TEAM of two anglers.

General format and timeline:
Each team will fish four different beats(randomly selected at the Beat Drawing), for 90 minutes each beat, on Saturday, February 10th. Teams have 30 minutes to travel from one beat to the next and there is an hour break for lunch (lunch included with entry). The lunch break takes place from 12:30 to 1:30, between fishing the 2nd and 3rd beats.  Teams receive entry to the dinner banquet/awards ceremony immediately following the end of tournament play Saturday.

Prizes valued at nearly $4,000 will be awarded for 1st through 5th place, largest rainbow trout, largest brown trout and largest sucker.  There will be a maximum of 20 teams allowed to compete.  Winners are determined by totaling the length (to the 1/4") of the two, largest trout caught from each beat. (maximum of 8 trout scored total)  If you are interested in competing, please read the complete rules for the tournament listed below before registering.  If you have any remaining questions, you can use the "Contact Event Organizer" tab.  

Volunteers:
Volunteer tickets are free of charge BUT limited in number.  Most volunteers act as a beat controller for a specific beat and are required to be present through all four fishing sessions on Saturday and be present at the Beat Drawing on Friday evening.  The general time requirement for volunteers is 6-8pm on Friday, February 9, and 8 to 5:30 on Saturday, February 10th.  Volunteers are also required to attend a one hour training session prior to the event.  Lunch is provided to volunteers on Saturday and volunteers are invited to the dinner banquet/award ceremony Saturday evening. 

Guest tickets are available for purchase if you wish to bring a guest to the dinner/awards ceremony.  There will be a silent auction held during the banquet with lots of great fishing gear and local services available for bidding.

Complete Rules: 

TEAM RULES

• Teams are limited to one professional (fly fishing guide, shop employee, fly fishing industry professional that has worked full OR part-time in the past two years)
• Any standard method of fly fishing is acceptable, (i.e.), nymphing (strike indicator, lead weights, 3 flies maximum), dry fly, Euro nymphing, streamers.
• One fly rod and fly reel, not more than twelve feet in length may be used at one time. Tenkara rods up to 12 feet in length are also acceptable.
• Only one competitor may fish at a time – only one line in the water at any one time.
• Rods may be rigged and ready to fish prior to competition.
• Competitors may have spare rods and reels and are responsible for carrying and protecting their own equipment.
• Team members should stay together during competition but if they want/need to scout their beat competitors must inform the controller of their intentions. 

FLY LINES and LEADERS

• Any factory made, floating, sinking, or sink tip line may be used.

• A single leader may be used of any length.
• Leaders may be knotted or knotless, tapered or level. 

COMPETITION FLIES

• Competitors may use floating, weighted or sinking artificial flies.
• Each fly must be tied on a single hook, without limit as to size.
• A maximum of three flies are permitted on one line at one time.
• Fly Floatant or Sink It is permitted.
• No scent, smell or attractant type substance may be applied to flies.  Violation of this rule will result in immediate disqualification from the tournament. 

LANDING NETS

• The material of the landing net must be of a non-abrasive material and preferably of knotless construction.
• Landing nets must not exceed 60 inches overall length, when fully extended. 

DURATION OF EVENTS

• There will be four (4) separate 1.5-hour sessions for the event.
• Morning Sessions 9:00a-10:30a and 11:00a-12:30p  
• Lunch (12:30-1:30) will be provided at the CPW Parking Lot near Pond 5, east of Goodnight Barn (aka Litvak Parking Lot)
• Afternoon Sessions 1:30p-3:00p and 3:30p-5:00p 

VENUES AND BEAT DRAWINGS

• The two (2) morning and two (2) afternoon sessions will be randomly drawn by a team member on the evening prior to the tournament.  Beats may not be traded
• Every team will fish 2 different beats in lower and upper sections.
• If a team representative is not present, beats will be drawn for the team by a member of the tournament committee. 

FISHING THE BEATS

• Competition waters will be divided into upper and lower sections with ten (10) beats in each.
• Beats will be established with the prime objective of providing all competitors with equal fishing opportunities. 
• All beats will be clearly defined and may not be altered in any way.
• A competitor may only cast and fish their flies within the marked boundaries of their beat and must remain within the boundries of the beat during the session. 

• Only one competitor may fish at any one time.  Teammates may net each other’s fish.

• If the angler in the adjacent beat does not object, a competitor has a maximum of ten minutes to play and land a fish that was hooked in their beat and has moved upstream or downstream into the adjacent beat.
• In the event non-contestants interfere with fishing opportunity in the assigned beat, the Sector Judge may reassign the team to the alternate beat, when requested by the team.
• Reassignment is the sole discretion of the Sector Judge.
• In the event of a beat reassignment, the team will be given 15 minutes to relocate and fish out the remaining time, for a total of 1.5 hours. 

PROHIBITIONS  

Competitors …..

•  … or agents of competitors may NOT fish competition waters within 5 day of the competition (Pueblo Dam to Pueblo Blvd) - practice may take place on any water downstream of Pueblo Blvd.

• … may not use binoculars or visual aid devices beyond polarized sunglasses.
• … may not request advice or accept material help related to fishing from anyone during a competitive session, including controllers and sector judges.
• … may not receive spotting assistance from anyone other than their teammate. 

CONTEST SUPERVISION

SECTOR JUDGES

There will be at least 2 Sector Judges for both the Lower and Upper Sections. The arrangements for ensuring that Sector Judges are knowledgeable, competent and conversant with the contest rules is the responsibility of the FFO Committee.  Rules, and any modifications, are to be reviewed and approved by the FFO Committee.

Duties & Responsibilities

• The proper conduct of competition within their assigned sector.
• Supervision of the controllers to ensure that they are keeping accurate records and are enforcing the observance of the competition rules.
• Assist controllers in rule interpretation if there is any doubt about a possible infraction of the rules.
• Supervise the recording of suspected infractions of the Rules and reporting them to the FFO Committee.
• Ensure that all observers do not provide material assistance to competitors.
• Review the measurement and record keeping made by Controllers.
• Other duties may be assigned to by the FFO Committee.

 

BEAT CONTROLLERS
There will be a Controller for each beat. The arrangements for ensuring that beat controllers are knowledgeable, competent and conversant with the contest rules are the responsibility of the FFO Committee. 

Duties & Responsibilities

• Accurately record the details of each eligible fish, including the length to nearest 1/4 inch and the time of landing using form provided during training.
• Text results of each session to Sector Judge immediately after conclusion of each session.
• Hand in final scoring sheets to Sector Judge following morning and afternoon sessions.
• Warn competitors of any breach of the Rules that appear probable.
• Record any infraction of the Rules and report this information to the Sector Judge
• Help coordinate fishing efforts of competitors and non-competitors within beat.

 

Penalty for Infraction of Rules

• Officials will only provide one warning for any infraction of the rules. 
• Any fish caught while breaking a rule will not be scored – warnings included.
• If the same infraction is repeated at any time throughout the competition the competitor will be disqualified from the current session.

• Lack of sportsmanship towards non competing fishermen, other competitors or teams, or officials may result in disqualification.

• Infractions will be communicated through Sector Judges to ensure uniform enforcement of rules throughout the day.
• Any action by competitors or officials, which would produce fraudulent or biased results, may result in disqualifications. 

ELLIGIBLE FISH

• All species of trout at least 10 inches in length qualify to be measured. For measuring purposes, the length will be from the tip of the nose to tip of the tail in inches
• Only fish “fair hooked” in the mouth area, i.e. in front of the rear edge of the gill cover are eligible.  No “Foul Hooked” or snagged fish will be measured.
• If a competitor wishes a fish to be scored, he must land it in a net, remove the hook and pass the fish to the controller for measurement and recording.
• After measurement the angler or his partner must revive the fish and release it, taking care not to damage the fish.
• If a competitor decides that a fish is ineligible or is undersized, he is not required to net it, but must release it into the water, taking care not to cause unnecessary damage to the fish.
• A fish hooked during a competition session is eligible if landed within ten (10) minutes of the end of that session.
• In the event of the loss of a fish by a Controller before measurement, the team and Controller will agree on an estimated length rounded up to the nearest inch. 

SCORING

• Fish will be measured and rounded up to the nearest ¼ inch – 10 inch minimum.
• Scores will be kept for each team and individual competitor. 
• The two (2) longest fish per session/beat will be scored and the total length of not more than eight (8) fish will determine the tournament awards.
• Ties for positions between individuals or teams will be broken as follows:  1^st tie breaker - longest fish; 2^nd tie breaker – 2nd longest fish; 3^rd tie breaker – 3^rd longest fish. 

PERMITS REQUIRED

A one day or annual Colorado State Park Pass will be required for the tournament and will be the responsibility of each team to purchase.  One pass per team will be provided for the Nature & Wildlife Discovery Center which provides the best access to the bottom seven beats.

 

AWARDS and PRIZES

• First, second and third place team prizes will be awarded the following prizes:
• First place -                  $1600 gear package/team
• Second place –            $1000 gear package/team
• Third place -               $500 gear package/team
• Fourth and fifth place teams will be awarded:
• Fourth Place -               $200 – ($100 fly shop gift cards/angler)
• Fifth Place -                   $100 – ($50 fly shop gift cards/angler)
• Additional awards will be presented for:
• Largest Rainbow/Cutbow Trout - $100 fly shop gift card + plaque/painting
• Largest Brown Trout – $100 fly shop gift card + plaque/painting
• Largest Sucker – Case of PBR or $25 fly shop gift card if under 21 years of age