NOWT Championship Information

The directors of the NOWT retain the right to change and or amend these rules/statements at their discretion without prior notification. The final approved NOWT championship rules and regulations will be posted on the website NOWT.ca under the NOWT championship section.

The NOWT, it’s promoters, employees, sponsors, organizers, hosts, Directors, Officers and affiliated organizations assisting the operations of any of the tournaments, their agents and/or agents and assigns are not responsible for any death, injury, damage, liability, fire, theft or loss that may result prior to, during or after the Tournaments howsoever caused. ALL COMPETITORS MUST SIGN THE ENTRY AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND THE WAIVER OF CLAIM, RELEASE AND INDEMNIFICATION AGREEMENT of the NOWT.

Championship competitors must be a minimum of eighteen (18) years of age unless they have the permission of their parents or guardians. All participants under the age of 18 will require a WAIVER OF CLAIM, RELEASE AND INDEMNIFICATION AGREEMENT signed by their parents or guardians.

2024 Princecraft-Mercury-Garmin NOWT Championship Qualified Teams

2024 NOWT Championship Host

The Dubreuilville Magpie Walleye Derby will host the Championship on June 13-15, 2024.

The DMWD will have spots set aside for Championship teams.
The championship teams will have to register and pay entry fees for the DMWD
The DMWD will draw for starting order once all championship teams have registered and a full field is achieved.
The Championship is within the regular tournament; essentially anglers competing in the championship will also have the opportunity to win the DMWD as well.

The board is committed to making this a successful event for both the anglers as well as our corporate sponsors; we will continue to explore opportunities to further develop the championship format in future years.

NOWT Championship Qualification Process

The championship will consist of a field made up of anglers qualifying from their previous years fishing. There will be 25 spots allocated based on the previous years Angler of the Year Points ranking with the potential of another 7 spots allocated based on sanctioned NOWT tournament victories. The qualification criteria are outlined below.

Qualification criteria for the 25 spots assigned based on the Angler of the Year points:

The field will be filled starting from the individual with the highest Angler of the Year ranking from the previous year and continuing down the rankings until the 25-boat field is filled.

Angler of the Year points calculation process and formula:

Anglers are awarded points at each of the seven events. Points gained from their top three tournaments will be used to determine NOWT angler of the year ranking.
The points system is calculated as follows (1 – (team placing / size of field)) x 100 ex. the first-place team of a 55-team event is as follows (1 – (1/55)) x 100 = 98.182 points. same example with 115 teams would be (1 – (1/115)) x 100 = 99.130 points.
10 bonus points will be given to each team that launches at least 1 day. This means a team finishing last will get 10 points for their participation. Disqualification from tournament due to rule violation results in 0 points.
Only points gained in the anglers top three finishes among the seven events will be used to determine the “Angler of the Year” points and ranking.
Should two or more anglers tie at the end of the year with “Angler of the Year” points the rankings will be determined by their fourth best event. If this does not break the tie the fifth tournament rank will be used and so on using all seven events. If this does not break the tie the anglers will be deemed to be ranked the same.

Qualifying anglers may choose to fish with another qualified angler or a partner of their choice.

In the event that two individuals tie for the 25^th and final NOWT championship spot based on the Angler of the Year rankings, both individuals will be eligible to fish the NOWT Championship together or separately.

If the tied individuals decide to fish separately, the Championship field will have an extra spot allocated based on Angler of the Year ranking.

Qualification criteria for the 7 Wildcard Spots based on sanctioned NOWT tournament victories:

These wildcard spots will be awarded to a team that places first in one of the 7 sanctioned NOWT events in the qualifying year.

The qualification requirements are outlined below:

First Place in one of the seven sanctioned NOWT events for the qualifying season.
Must fish a minimum of three sanctioned NOWT events in the qualifying season.
Only one championship entry will be awarded to the winning team.
If both anglers fish at least 3 sanctioned events in the qualifying season, they must either fish together as a team or only one of the anglers can fish the championship under the awarded spot with another unqualified angler.
If only one of the two members of the team competes in three sanctioned events the championship entry will be awarded only to the qualified angler. The qualified angler can then choose his or her partner according to NOWT championship rules.
If an angler qualifies for the championship both by winning a sanctioned event as well as earning enough points from the previous years AOY race to secure a top 25 spot, the angler will be required use the top 25 spot.

Notice of Championship Invitation

Anglers who have qualified for the championship will receive a formal invite from the NOWT board of directors the second week of October (email or phone call).

Anglers will have one week to submit their intention to fish the event and must supply the following information:

Both angler’s names and addresses
Copy of boat insurance
Copy of boat operators card(s) or number
Team bios and photos
Signed Photographic and video consent and release form
Championship anglers will be require to pay a $250 entry fee (80% of the entry fee will be used to supplement the prize pool for the championship.)

It is the Anglers responsibility to register with the host tournament immediately following their confirmation with the NOWT board to fish the event

It is the Angler responsibility to pay for any host tournament registration fees

Host Tournaments will be given advanced notice of qualified Championship competitors

Host tournaments will reserve 25 spots in the tournament for championship participants.

In the event that a team drops out of the championship with more than two weeks prior to the Championship event the NOWT reserves the right to fill the position with the next highest ranked individual on the previous years angler of the year ranking.

In the event that a team drops out of the championship with less than two weeks prior to the Championship event the NOWT reserves the right to not fill the spot.

NOWT Championship Rules

The event will run simultaneously with an NOWT event

Championship teams must abide by the rules of the NOWT sanctioned tournament

Championship teams will compete in both the championship as well as the NOWT sanctioned event

Championship teams are eligible for prizes in the championship as well as the NOWT sanctioned event

The championship winner will be determined by the team weighing the heaviest two-day weight

In the event that two teams tie with the same weight the following tie breaker procedure will be used:

Heaviest day 1 weight
Angler of the Year rank from previous year
Flip a Coin

Code of Conduct

Anglers attending the championship event will be representing the NOWT and it is expected that the anglers act in a professional manner.
NOWT Championship anglers are expected to be aware of and respect the rules of the individual tournament hosting the Championship. There are differences in rules among the six events so it is recommended that anglers take the time to carefully read the rules prior to participating.
We expect all Championship anglers to take the utmost care with their fish to ensure a safe return to the lake.
Maximum courtesy must be practiced at all times, particularly with regard to boating and fishing in the vicinity of non-competitors and competitors alike.
All competitors must practice safe boating at all times during practice and tournament fishing.
All competitors should demonstrate a respectful attitude toward host volunteers and officials, NOWT volunteers and officials and sponsors.
Violations in the NOWT code of conduct or an individual tournament violation may result in the immediate disqualification of the angler from the NOWT championship.
Any disqualification of an angler from the NOWT Championship will be made via a majority vote of the Board of Directors. These decisions are final and no reimbursement of any fees will be made.