• Mon.-Fri. 8:30am-5:00pm Sat. 9:00am-1:00pm Sun. Closed
  • 2905 CHEROKEE PARK RD. MORRISTOWN, TN 37814
  • (423) 587-5555
  • Mon.-Fri. 8:30am-5:00pm Sat. 9:00am-1:00pm Sun. Closed
  • 2905 CHEROKEE PARK RD. MORRISTOWN, TN 37814
  • (423) 587-5555

2021 Tournament Rules

2021 Season Rules and Regulations

Participation & Eligibility: 

The Morristown Marine Team Tournament Trail (MMTT) tournaments are open to all anglers regardless of race, sex, religion or national origin. Exceptions to this rule are FLW Tour Professional anglers, BASS Elite Series Professional anglers and Major League Fishing Professional anglers. Any contestant who has fished the BASS Elite Series, FLW Tour or MLF Series as a professional (co-anglers not included) within 6 (six) months prior to the date of entry to a MMTT event will be deemed ineligible to participate in that MMTT event. The only exception to this rule would be any angler who qualified for the BASS Classic via the BASS Team Championship Series. Anglers under the age of 18 may participate with the written consent of a parent or legal guardian. Anyone convicted of a felony within the past 36 months or currently on probation is ineligible to enter any MMTT event. Anyone who has been found guilty of cheating in any other local or national fishing tournament will not be allowed to compete in any MMTT event. MMTT reserves the right to reject a membership application or deny membership or tournament entry fees for any reason at any time. The MMTT Tournament Director and Tournament Committee will make all decisions regarding compliance with MMTT rules and regulations, and interpretation thereof. The Tournament Director also reserves the right to make additional reasonable rules for the tournament trail, if circumstances require such additions. Classic Eligibility: A team must register for all five (5) regular season tournaments to qualify for the 2-day Super Classic on Cherokee Lake. All tournaments MUST be paid for prior to blast off for that tournament. No anglers will be allowed to register for a tournament after blast-off. NO EXCEPTIONS. 

Sportsmanship: 

All anglers and spectators are expected to follow high standards of sportsmanship, courtesy, safetyand conservation. The use of alcohol or illegal drugs before or during any MMTT event is strictly prohibited. No contestant shall be allowed to have someone in another boat occupy a spot to hold it for themselves or any other contestant. Similarly, no contestants will be allowed to use another boat or contestant’s boat to assist in the location of fish during any MMTT event. No boat may fish waters within 50 feet of another contestant’s boat without the verbal consent of the boat first occupying the contested waters. Fighting will not be tolerated and may result in the disqualification of all parties involved. Any protests must be submitted in writing to the Tournament Director within fifteen (15) minutes of the scales closing. The MMTT Tournament Committee will have final say in all protests. Any MMTT member may be asked to take a polygraph test for any reason and at any time. Tournament winners and at least one (1) randomly selected team will be asked to take a polygraph at the weighin site prior to payout. The refusal of any member to take a polygraph test will forfeit the team’s entry/membership fees and any prize money and disqualify that team for the remainder of the tournament season. If it becomes necessary for the administration of a polygraph test at an offsite location, the Tournament Director has the right to hold ALL prizes and payouts pending the polygraph results. Prizes and payouts may be held up to two (2) weeks to allow for resolution of protests or extended polygraph testing. MMTT reserves the right to place media members or unbiased observers with any team on any boat during any MMTT event. Refusal of media members or observers will result in immediate disqualification. NO EXCEPTIONS. 

Cheating in any form will not be tolerated. Anyone who presents accusations or knowledge of cheating must be willing to file an affidavit with local law enforcement, as MMTT will prosecute cheaters to the maximum allowable by law. 

Teams: 

All MMTT events are team events. Teams must be declared prior to the first MMTT event of a calendar year. Each team will be allowed one (1) alternate per year, during the regular season only. All alternates must pay a $50.00 membership fee. No alternates will be allowed to fish the 2-day Super Classic on Cherokee Lake. No alternates may fish alone during the regular season. Members who choose to fish the MMTT as a single person team forfeit their right to use an alternate and may NOT add a partner at a later date. Single person teams are NOT eligible for BASS Team Championship points, per BASS rules. 

Fees: 

Each individual who participates in the MMTT will be required to pay an annual membership fee of $50.00. Membership fees are due prior to the member’s first event of the calendar year. Memberships expire December 31st, annually. Membership also includes BASS Team Championship Program Registration fee of $10.00. In order to participate in the BASS Team Championship tournament, each member must join BASS in addition to this BTC fee. 

Entry fee for each MMTT event will be $140.00 per event, with an optional $10.00 Big Fish Fee. $5.00 from each entry fee throughout the season will be held out and applied to the payout on the 2-day Super Classic on Cherokee Lake. All entry fees paid by credit card will incur a $5.00 service charge per transaction. There will be a $30.00 fee for returned checks and this team may not fish the event until all payments have been satisfied. All events are non-refundable. Forwarding entry fees from one tournament to a future tournament in the event an angler is unable to fish and has already paid for that event is not allowed. 

Teams may choose to pay for all five (5) regular season tournaments and the 2-day Super Classic plus membership fees up front, prior to the first tournament. If a team chooses this option and pays by credit card, there will be a $30.00 service fee for the transaction (Equivalent to $5.00 credit card fee for all tournaments). 

Payouts: 

All MMTT events will pay out based on one (1) place for every six (6) boats. 1st place is guaranteed. MMTT pays back in excess of 100% of its entry fees at the weigh-in site for all tournaments. There will be two (2) Big Fish payouts per tournament, Big Largemouth and Big Smallmouth. If no smallmouth are weighed, MMTT will pay two (2) Big Largemouth. All prizes and money will be paid out at the conclusion of each tournament weighin, provided there are no protests and no need for extended polygraph testing. All prizes and prize money may be held for up to two (2) weeks for protested finishes and/or extended polygraph testing. 

The Top Ten (10) Highest Finishing Skeeter/Yamaha Bonus payout will be as follows: 

Highest Finishing Skeeter Payout 
1st  $3,000.00 
2nd  $1,500.00 
3rd  $1,000.00 
4th  $800.00 
5th  $700.00 
6th  $500.00 
7th  $250.00 
8th  $200.00 
9th  $150.00 
10th  $100.00 

All Skeeter boats qualify for this payout. Boater MUST be the registered owner of the qualifying Skeeter boat and the registered owner must fish the entire tournament in their Skeeter boat to qualify. 

All MMTT events will also be sanctioned for Skeeter Real Money in 2021. Please read all rules and regulations, and register your qualifying product at: https://www.skeeterboats.com/About-Skeeter.php?content=sales_event 

Morristown Marine Bonus Bucks will be paid out in 2021 as follows: 

2021 Morristown Marine Bonus Bucks 

Highest Finishing New Boat  

(Purchased Jan. 1, 2019-present) 

Highest Finishing Pre-owned 

(Purchased Jan.1, 2019 to present) 

1st     $1,000.00  1st  $500.00 
2nd    $750.00  2nd   $250.00 

2021 2-Day Super Classic on Cherokee Lake will pay out one (1) place for every six (6) boats. 1st place is guaranteed $30,000.00 cash prize. Two (2) Big Fish payouts will be made at the Classic; Big Largemouth and Big Smallmouth. If no smallmouth are weighed, MMTT will pay two (2) Big Largemouth. All prize money will be paid out following weighin on Sunday, unless there are protests or a need for extended polygraph testing. Prizes and prize money may be held up to two (2) weeks for protested finishes or extended polygraphing. In addition, the firstsecond,  and third place teams in the season points will be awarded an additional $1,000.00 for 1st,  $750.00 for 2nd and $500.00 for 3rd. These prizes will be paid at the annual Classic Dinner Banquet, prior to the Classic tournament. 

Prize winners at all MMTT events are responsible for any and all taxes on prizes and/or prize money received. MMTT will mail U.S. Treasury form 1099 to each angler whose individual winnings total $600.00 or greater. 

Scoring & Points Format: 

A tournament limit shall consist of FIVE (5) bass. A limit may include Largemouth, Smallmouth and Kentucky (Spotted) bass ONLY. All culling must be done on the lake, NOT inside check-in or weigh-in areas. A team is allowed no MORE than SIX (6) fish in their live well at any time during the tournament day. Official length of bass will comply with state and local laws. If no minimum legal length is specified, the tournament director will assign a minimum length. Official measuring board will be Golden Rule. Fish will be measured with the mouth closed and tail fanned in. There will be a courtesy board available at all MMTT weighins, prior to entering the weighin area. If a team presents a fish for weighing that is under the minimum length, a short fish penalty will be applied. Short fish penalty eliminates the short fish AND the team’s largest fish from their daily limit. Fish that appear to be mangled, mashed, mauled or altered will be weighed at the discretion of tournament officials. 

Each team is allowed to weigh ONE (1) dead fish per event. If a team presents a dead fish for weighing, there will be a Fish Care Penalty assessed in the amount of ½ of a pound, 8 ounces. 

Points will be kept for the SIX (6) regular season tournaments. Each tournament winner will be awarded 300 points. Each place below 1st will receive 1 point less that the team finishing above them. If a team registers for a tournament, but does not weigh any fish, that team will be awarded 50 points. 

In the event of a tie, 1st place ties will be decided by a TWO (2) hour fish-off. The person who catches the heaviest amount of fish in this fish-off period will be considered the winner. All other ties will be decided by combining the payout for the tied places and split the money equally between tied teams. 

 Registration, Launch/Check-in & Off Limits Periods: 

Registration for each MMTT tournament will be taken at Morristown Marine on the Monday prior to a tournament date, in person or by phone, from 8:30 am to 5:00pm each day through Friday. All teams registering between 8:30 Monday morning and 5:00pm Friday evening will receive two (2) boat number draws and be given their choice of numbers. 

MMTT will also accept registrations on Saturday mornings at the boat ramp prior to blast off. Cash is preferred here, as our credit card machine runs on cell signal and it can become inaccessible. Teams registering on Saturday mornings will only be allowed one (1) number draw. 

Additionally, registrations will be taken at the following locations: 

Watts Bar– Friday March 5, 2021 from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm at Jerry’s Bait Shop. 815 S Gateway Ave, Rockwood, TN 37854. 

Norris Lake– Friday March 26, 2021 from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm at Lonas Young Park boat ramp. 694 West High Knob Rd, LaFollette, TN 37766 

South Holston– Friday May 14, 2021 from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm at Observation Knob Park boat ramp. 553 Knob Park Rd, Bristol, TN 37620 

All MMTT tournaments begin at Safe Light and flights will begin being due in at 3:00pm. All MMTT events blast off in flights of 50 boats. Starting position of each boat will be decided by number draw at the time of registration. Boats will need to line up in number order and listen to the tournament director’s instructions. When your boat number is called, raise your hand and idle slowly by the blast off boat’s starboard side with your live well lids open. All participants must pass the blast off boat at the official blast off point with both team members present at the start of the tournament. 

All teams must be back in by their flight’s due in time. Idle by the check-in boat, telling them your boat number for the day. At this point, you can NO LONGER FISH OR CULLTeams that have not passed the check-in boat will be penalized one (1) pound per minute late. After 15 minutes late, the team will be considered disqualified. You MUST weigh your fish BEFORE trailering your boat. NO EXCEPTIONS. Disqualification will occur and all points will be forfeited for that tournament. 

**Locking is permitted when possible (Watts Bar). It is the angler’s responsibility to work with the lock master to ensure timing and safety. MMTT is in no way involved with locking or assistance with teams who lock through, in any way. 

 Safety: 

MMTT Officials reserve the right to delay, shorten, lengthen, or cancel the start and weigh-in times of an official event due to inclement weather or other factors that may endanger the safety of the competitors. 

Safe boating conduct must be observed at all times. All boats must be at least 14 feet in length. Motors that exceed the boat’s horsepower ratings are not condoned by MMTT or its sponsors. All boats entered in MMTT events must have all required US Coast Guard safety equipment. Any time the outboard engine is engaged into gear, each person in the boat MUST be wearing the appropriately sized US Coast Guard approved life preserver and a functional kill switch must be attached to the driver. All boats in MMTT events must have functional, aerated live wells to maintain a live catch limit. 

Team members shall not exit the boat except in an emergency situation, i.e. sickness or severe weather. If any team member leaves the boat during the tournament day for any other reason, the tournament director must be notified prior to the contestant exiting the boat. NO EXCEPTIONS. Doing so may result in disqualification. In the event of a mechanical breakdown, ONE (1) team member may ride back to weighin ONLY with another boat, while the other team member stays with the disabled boat. Tournament director MUST be notified of this situation PRIOR to a team member leaving the boat. 

There are NO off-limits periods or official practice days for any MMTT events. 

Tackle & Equipment/Laws & Regulations: 

Only artificial lures, with the exception of pork trailers, may be used in MMTT events. All bass must be caught in a sporting manner, no snagging or grab hooking. 

Only 1 rod may be used at a time. 

Trolling is not allowed in any form during MMTT events. 

The strolling or Long Lining technique is not allowed in MMTT events. 

The Alabama Rig may be used in MMTT events, however, per TN state law, ONLY 3 HOOKS. 

All participants must abide by state laws and regulations. Any violation of these laws will subject the participant to disqualification and/or other disciplinary action at the discretion of tournament officials AND local law enforcement. 

**South Holston Lake: Participants must have the appropriate licenses to fish VA and/or TN waters. 

 Cell Phones: 

Cell phones, including text and email, cannot be used for locating or assisting others in locating fish. 

Jet Engines/Prop Tunnel Boats: 

Jet drive engines and/or tunnel hull boats, or boats modified to resemble the function of a jet tunnel or prop tunnel boat will NOT be allowed to participate in MMTT events. An unmodified boat is defined by having a prop driven outboard motor bolted directly to the boat’s transom OR a jack plate bolted directly to the boat’s transom and a prop driven outboard motor bolted directly to the jack plate. Tournament director has final decisions. NO EXCEPTIONS. 

Liability: 

By participating in any MMTT event, the boat owner agrees to carry a minimum of $100,000.00 per accident of Liability Insurance. By signing an official entry form OR paying an entry fee AND fishing a MMTT event, you (the angler) agree to all rules and regulations, and agree to assume all risks associated with the event, thereby releasing A&A Outdoors Inc.DBA ,Morristown Marine and the MMTT, its sponsors, director, committee and employees of any and all liability you may incur during a MMTT event. This includes, but is not limited to, damages, claims and expenses relating to injury of any persons, including yourself, and to damages incurred to any property, including your own, due to your participation in an MMTT event. 

Rules Interpretation: 

The tournament director and tournament committee will have the final decision regarding compliance with MMTT rules, state and local regulations and interpretation thereof. Infraction of any rules may result in disqualification and forfeiture of entry fee(s) and any applicable prizes. Tournament director and Committee reserve the right to make additional reasonable rules for the tournament trail IF circumstances require additional rulings. 

BASS Team Championship: 

We are excited to partner with BASS again in 2021 to participate in the BASS Team Championship event. Each MMTT membership fee includes a $10 participation fee for BASS Teach Championship (BTC). To be eligible for the BTC Tournament, each angler must also be a registered member of BASS. The $10 fee only qualifies you for BTC. Every year, in mid-December, BASS holds a tournament for the BTC sanctioned trails in the southeast. MMTT will send 1 team for every 25 registered teams. In 2020, MMTT qualified to send 13 teams. Read more about the BTC here: https://www.bassmaster.com/bass-team-championship  The anglers selected to fish the BTC event are determined by cumulative points totals throughout the regular season MMTT eventsAnglers must read and abide by all BASS and BTC rules. MMTT will track points and notify BASS of the qualified teams. Per BASS rules, all qualifiers must compete as a team. Therefore, if one team member cannot attend, that team forfeits their place in the BTC tournament and MMTT will forward their invitation to the next qualifying team. 

2021 MMTT Schedule 

Date  Lake  Ramp  1st Place 
March 6  Watts Bar Lake   Tom Fuller Park  $10,000.00 
March 27  Norris Lake  Lonas Young Park  $10,000.00 
April 10  Cherokee Lake  Boat Launch Rd.    $10,000.00 
April 24 Douglas Lake  Dandridge Bridge $10,000.00 
May 15 South Holston   Boat Launch Rd  $10,000.00 
October 21 Dandridge   Field of Dreams  Classic Banquet 
October 23-24 Cherokee Lake   Cherokee Dam   $30,000 

 

Tournament Director: Andy Cole 

Phone: 434-587-5555; 423-534-0923(Tournament Day Only)