Lake Superior Salmon Classic Fishing Tournament

1.      All people in the boat/charter must have a valid ticket in possession for the contest. Tickets are $25.00 each. Officials may ask contestants to show their ticket at any time. Each boat will have a color tag ID for contest.  

2.      Tickets will be sold for fishing in the tournament until Noon on Sunday, July 16th, 2023.

3.      All contestants must be standing in line to weigh their fish by the designated quitting times listed in Item 5 below. Contestants must have a valid tournament ticket in hand to present to the weigh station official.

4.      A fin will be clipped at the time of official weigh-in. 

5.      The LSSC is a two-day fishing tournament on Lake Superior.  All fish must be caught in Minnesota waters ONLY.   1st day runs from 4:00 am to 6:00 pm.  2nd day runs from 4:00 am to 2:00 pm.  All fish prizes will be awarded on 7/16/2023 at 2:00 pm. 

6.      Official clock is located inside the Silver Bay Marina Building.

7.     All boats must leave from the SB Marina. Air horn will designate start and stop times. Tournament officials have the right to inspect watercraft and/or coolers at any time. 

8.    Official Channel is VHF Channel 11. You may hail tournament official on this channel.

9.     No boat may come in physical contact with another boat or shore. This will result in disqualification, unless authorized by tournament officials. 

10.     All tournament watercraft and trailers will be inspected inside & out before launching into and upon leaving tournament waters for the presence of invasive species. All bilges and live wells must be drained, and boats & trailers made free of all vegetation & exotic species. Vegetation and exotic species must be disposed of in a proper location.

11.     The tournament officials have the right to cancel the derby at any time they judge the fishing conditions too dangerous for safe conduct of the derby. If it is cancelled, the fish prizes will be awarded in a drawing from registered ticket stubs.

12.      Three largest fish divisions (King-Coho-Lake Trout). Contestants may enter one fish per division but can replace it with a larger fish. Only whole, non-gutted fish may be entered. 

13.      Fish identification determinations are based upon the DNR Fishing Synopsis regulations manual. Disputed fish may be stored in a cooler at the weigh-in site & will be identified by a tournament official. See identification info at: http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/fish/index/html

     a. King Salmon—spots on both upper & lower parts (lobes) of tail. Small oval black spots on back. Black lower gums. Anal fin rays 14-19. 

b. Coho Salmon—spots only on back & upper half (lobe) of tail. Spots small & round to oval. Variously gray lower gums, 

dusky white mouth. Gill cover reddish. Loses many scales when boated. Anal fin rays | 1-15.

c. Lake Trout—tail fin forked (v-notched hind margin). Predominantly gray head with many small light spots. Pelvic and anal fins may have some white leading edges. Anal fin rays 8-10. 

    d. NOTE: (May NOT Keep): Rainbow Trout / Steelhead—brown or black spots (not red), especially profuse on the tail and adipose fins. Caudal fin broad but not long, moderately forked 8-12 principal rays. Head blunt, jaw short, prominent white mouth—does not extend past the eye. Distinct dark spots on dorsal fin. Square-shaped tail fin with radiating pattern of spots.

14.       In the event of a tie, the earliest weigh-in shall be determined the winner. The first weigh in receives first prize; second receives second and so on.

15.      All protests must be accompanied by a $100 cash deposit and must register in writing to tournament officials no later than ten minutes after the last fish has been weighed in. If protest is upheld, the deposit is refunded, if not, deposit if forfeited.

16.  All photographs and records become the property of Lake Superior Salmon Classic and contestants hereby consent to their use by LSSC. 

17.      Rules and prizes are subject to change. All prizes must be accepted as presented. The official rules and prize list will be available during the marina derby weekend and online afterward. All decisions made by tournament officials are final.