Team Series Rules

VA Elite70 Tournament Trail

2026 Team Series Rules

PARTICIPANTS AND ELIGIBILITY:

Open to all individuals, male or female, aged 18 and older. Those under 18 years of age must have written permission from a parent or legal guardian or be fishing with that parent or guardian.  VA Elite 70 Tournament Trail (VA Elite60, LLC) reserves the right to reject any entries which we feel are not in the best interest of the tournament. All participants must sign the release of liability and acknowledgement of rules, prior to the first tournament, to be eligible to compete. 

REGISTRATION:

All registered anglers/teams, in good standing, from the 2025 season will have an automatic berth and the first right of refusal into the 2026 season. Once the field is set, interested individuals/teams will be added to waiting list which will be reviewed by a five-member membership committee. The membership committee will be responsible for filling any remaining spots.

ENTRY FEES:

Entry fees for the VA Elite 70 Team Series Tournament Trail will be $400 per team per tournament plus a onetime $150 membership fee ($75 each member). The total costs for the six tournaments in the 2026 season will be $2,550. All individuals must pay for all tournaments upfront by the deadlines set forth below. Failure to do so will result in disqualification from the trail and to-date paid entry fees will be reimbursed.

PAYMENT DEADLINES:

$500 will be due at the time of registration. The remaining balance will be due by the 2nd Friday in February of the following year. Payments can be accepted by cash, check, PayPal, Venmo, or credit card. There may be an additional charge if paying by any method other than check or cash. There will be a $50 fee charged on all checks returned for insufficient funds. 

OFF LIMITS:

All tournament waters will remain off limits from 12:01AM the Monday preceding the tournament until 30 minutes before sunrise on the official day of practice. The tournament waters will again go off limits 30 minutes after sunset on the official day(s) of practice until tournament take off time Saturday, the morning of the tournament. Off limits may change at the discretion of the Tournament Director due to weather and other extenuating circumstances.

SOLICITING INFORMATION:

No competitor may solicit information from anyone who has been on the tournament waters during the off-limit periods. Competitors may not have the assistance of any non-competitor for the purpose of location or catching fish during the official practice day. Any competitor found guilty of violating the off-limits period will have their catch disqualified.

OFFICIAL PRACTICE:

During the official Practice Period, Team Series anglers must fish alone, with their team partner or fish with another Team Series angler. Official practice days are set to be the day before Friday, of the tournament unless noted below.

In 2026, official practice, only at the Chowan River and Smith Mountain Lake, will be one and a half days. Anglers may put their boats in the water at 12pm, Noon on Thursday to start practicing. Please keep in mind, there will be an off-limits period starting 30 minutes after sunset of Thursday until 30 minutes prior to sunrise on Friday. 

PERMITTED FISHING LOCATIONS: 

Only that water open to ALL public fishing will be considered waters. Waters deemed off limits by authorities or tournament officials should be treated like a wall. No boats of casting behind that boundary while fishing. All angling must be done from the boat. On the Chick/James River tournament, the Pits in the back of Chippokes and casting over any dams (concrete or earthen) and Cornelieus Creek are off limits. In addition, there is no fishing at the Chickahominy Dam. You are not allowed to cast pass the dock at Rockahock. See diagram in Tournament HQ) If you feel that the area you are fishing may fall into these areas, discuss with the tournament director prior to the tournament for further clarification.

USE OF DRONES:

The use of drones to scout tournament waters are strictly prohibited, beginning with the start of the off-limits period, extending through practice and competition days.

MEDIA REPRESENTATIVE:

If you are planning to use Media/Social Media representative to film during official practice, the Tournament Director needs to be made aware and approve the request by the weekend preceding the tournament. The Media Person cannot fish, lend any knowledge of the body of water, or assist the angler in locating, patterning or aiding of the angler in way other than filming the day. Media representatives are not allowed on official tournament days.

PAYOUT:

Prize money will be awarded following the weigh in at each tournament. One place will be paid out per five teams entered. Winners are responsible for all taxes on any monies or prizes won. 

LAUNCH SEQUENCE:

Starting positions will be randomly assigned the Monday night preceding each tournament (Facebook live). Those boat numbers will be posted to vaelite70.com and Facebook/Instagram. 

SAFETY:

Safe boating conduct must always be observed. Each competitor is required to wear a Coast Guard approved personal flotation device, securely fastened, at all times while the boat is being propelled by the combustion engine (this includes both official practice days and tournament days). Furthermore, a kill switch must be fastened to the driver any time the combustion engine is propelling the boat. Failure to do so is grounds for disqualification of the day’s catch. Any boat equipped with a motor that exceeds the horsepower rating of the boat according to the manufacturer is prohibited from being used in the VA Elite 70 Tournament Trail. Running lights must be operational and turned on at the blast-off of each tournament. Each competitor's boat must be equipped with a live well system capable of keeping a tournament limit of bass alive. 

INCLEMENT WEATHER POLICY:

In the event of inclement weather or the threat of Inclement weather we will always put safety first. We will be as transparent and provide as much time as possible to any changes to the scheduled tournament/location. In the event that the start time needs to be pushed back (fog, thunderstorm, etc..) we will adjust the weigh in times to maximize fishing times. If there is an option to allow for a remote launch location the Tournament Director may allow you to launch at another launch location on that same body of water. Lastly, if the event must be cancelled, we will do our best to reschedule for a time that suits most of our anglers or offer a refund on said event. 

Trailering Policy/Remote Launch Policy:

At the sole discretion of the Tournament Director an alternative launch location MAY be deemed necessary based on weather or other factors. This is different than putting in at different launch location and motoring over for launch at the official launch location. 

If we need to do this, we will make sure to give as much notice as possible so that you can plan for this safety accommodation. Essentially you and your patner would be allowed to drive (truck and boat) from the original launch location at blast off, to another pre-determined public ramp on that body of water. Those remote locations will be manned by members of the tournament staff that will ensure that all anglers are accounted for. 

Example, if we are fishing the Chowan River out of Edenton, and they are calling for high winds blowing down the sound throughout the day, we would allow those individuals/teams to trailer from the Edenton Launch facility to another pre-determined ramp(s) on the sound. They would leave when their blast off number is called. They would have to be back at the official launch facility by their flights check in time. Late penalties would still apply. 

SPORTSMANSHIP:

Each contestant is expected to follow high standards of sportsmanship, courtesy, and conservation. NO COMPETITOR MAY FISH WITHIN 50 YARDS OF ANY OTHER BOAT WHICH IS ANCHORED (Anchor or PowerPole/Talons/Raptors/etc.) WITH THE TROLLING MOTOR UP, FURTHERMORE NO COMPETITOR MAY FISH WITHIN 25 YARDS OF ANY OTHER BOAT WITHOUT THE OTHER BOATER'S PERMISSION. PERMISSION MAY NOT BE GRANTED TO ANY COMPETITOR AT THE EXCLUSION OF ANY OTHER COMPETITOR. No hole sitting by a non- competitor or by another competitor, to aid a tournament participant will be allowed. Violators will have their catch disqualified.

TACKLE AND FISHING METHODS:

Only artificial baits may be used. No live or cut bait is permitted (pork baits are permitted). All bass must be caught alive in a legal and sporting manner. No snagging. Each competitor may only use 1 rod at a time. No more than 1 line in the water at a time per angler. Trolling with the combustion motor is not permitted. No competitor may leave the boat to land or catch fish.

ELECTRONICS:

There will no limit to the use of 360 or forward-facing technology in practice or during the tournament.

STATE AND FEDERAL REGULATIONS:

All participants are expected to abide by all state and federal laws and game regulations. Any angler who intentionally violates a law or regulation in an attempt to gain an unfair advantage will have their catch disqualified. In the case of multiple governing authorities, the strictest law is applicable. Any participant who consumes, or is under the influence of alcoholic beverages, stimulants or depressants during any VA Elite 70 Tournament function will have their catch disqualified. (Prescribed medications taken per doctor's instructions are excluded.)

FISH SIZE & LIMITS:

A limit of 5 bass (largemouth, smallmouth, spotted bass) may be weighed in. 12” Minimum length (Chick/James), 12” Minimum length (Potomac after June 16th 15” before) and 14” Minimum length (Buggs Island, Smith Mountain Lake, Chowan River and Lake Gaston). Lengths will be measured with mouth closed. A short fish brought to the scales will not be weighed, and will result in a 1- pound penalty. Dead fish will be penalized .5 (1/2) pound. The dead fish penalty will also apply to any fish weighed as a Big Fish if that fish is dead. All culling must be done at the time the 6th fish is caught; no competitor may continue fishing with more than the tournament limit in the live well at any time during the tournament. You may not cull a dead fish. 

SCORING:

Points will be awarded based on the individuals finishing position. The winning angler will receive 200 points, 2nd Place will receive 199, 3rd Place 198, etc... Teams present at the tournament not weighing fish will receive one less point than the last place angler weighing in fish. Teams not showing up will receive 0 (zero) points.

Tournament Ties: In case of a tie, the prizes/points will be divided equally between the participants equally. Big fish is NOT a tie breaker.

The Team that accumulates the most points in the regular season tournaments will be crowned the VA Elite 70 Team Series Points Champions. For winning the points, that team will receive FREE entry into the following season. If there is a tie for the end of the year points, the Championship will go to the team with the highest total weight over the regular season tournaments.

2 DAY CHAMPIONSHIP:

This non-points tournament will start on Friday with the full field competing on day one and day two. The $400 Championship entry will be included in entry fees at the beginning of the year. Everyone that is an active member is eligible to participate. There are no minimum events that need to be fished or end of the year standings. Off limits will be Monday-Wednesday of the preceding week. Thursday is the official practice day and Day one is Friday. 

SUBSTITUTES

Each team is allowed the use of a substitute for 2 events (substitutes can be used for the 2 Day Championship). The substitute you select for the first event is the same person you are allowed to use as a substitute in the second event. No exceptions. A team member may fish solo at an event if necessary. Substitutes will need to pay the $35 membership fee and will be required to sign the 2026 waivers. Substitutes will also adhere to the no information/solicitation rule along with not being on the water during the off limits period. The team will be responsible for letting the Tournament Director know as soon as possible if a sub will be used.  

EMERGENCIES:

Competitors shall remain in the boat at all times during the tournament, except in the event of sickness or brief excursions for "nature calling", severe storms or other such hazards. It is permitted for a competitor to leave the boat for marina services. Competitors may leave the boat to dislodge it, but only to return the boat in the direction it came from. Leaving the boat to advance it is not permitted. (In falling water conditions, a competitor may leave the boat to advance it only to return from water they accessed without leaving the boat.) If for any reason the competitor decides to leave the tournament waters early, that angler shall bear full responsibility for notifying a tournament official. In case of a breakdown, a competitor may return with fish by another tournament boat. 

LATE PENALTY:

Competitors who are not checked in by the check-in deadline will be penalized at a rate of 1 pound per minute, up to 15 minutes at which time their catch will be disqualified. Late penalties will be deducted from total weight.

PROTEST AND POLYGRAPH TEST:

Any protest must be submitted in writing to the tournament director within 15 minutes of the close of the weigh-in. The VA Elite 70 Tournament Trail reserves the right to give a polygraph test to any participant at any time. This test does not have to be administered on site and may be set up by the tournament director at his discretion. All participants agree to abide by the results of any polygraph.

Each contestant agrees to submit, by signature on the Va Elite 60, LLC Waiver Form, to a polygraph examination and to abide by its conclusion. Failure to pass an examination will result in disqualification from the tournament. 

LIABILITY INSURANCE:

All members must carry a minimum of $300,000 of liability insurance on any boat they use during any VA Elite 70 Tournament event. Failure to do so or reporting false information will result in disqualification of catch. 

VIOLATION OF RULES AND DISQUALIFICATIONS:

The violation of a tournament rule by any angler may result in weight loss, the loss of weight up to a particular time in the tournament day (eligible for a restart), loss of weight for the entire day, disqualification for the entire tournament or, in an extreme circumstance, ineligibility to participate in future VA Elite 70 Tournament events. If an angler is disqualified from a tournament their weight will be recorded as 0 lb. If the director feels that their violation was a willful attempt to gain an unfair advantage or to intentionally cheat, then the director has the right to refuse entry from that angler in the future.

Each competitor agrees to report to the Tournament Director immediately any violation or infraction of any tournament rules. Failure to report violations or suggestions to another competitor that they violated these rules, may cause for disqualification OFFICIAL PROTESTS MUST BE FILED IN WRITING by the witness within 15 minutes of the check-in time of the final flight of each tournament day.

RULES INTERPRETATION and ENFORCEMENT:

These rules will remain unchanged during the 2026 Season. Interpretation of these rules will be left to the Tournament Director. Infractions of any rule may result in disqualification of catch, tournament, or season.