I've never seen ramps be an issue in any rule set. Here the applicable rule would be "navigable tournament waters accessible by boat and available to the public." If one was going to protest this, then the tournament director(s) would have to decide if that area is considered accessible by boat since it sounds like you can't get through that culvert from the main lake (I have no idea, don't know the area). Tournament rules used to simply say "connected to the main lake, etc.," but that was changed since some guys were fishing backwaters that were just "connected" to the lake by a small drain or something and there was no way to get to it by boat, but it was "connected" and often completely private property. If there is a way to get a boat through that culvert, then I say they are good, they just got lucky and found a ramp back there so they didn't have to pull a plug or something to get through. Sounds like a tough day, congrats to the winner.

People get upset about outside of the box thinkers in fishing

THIS....

- Yeppers

Agreed

I think the argument wasn't the ramp, it was accessing a place that, at the current level, isn't accessible from any public ramps on the main lake, which is in fact against BC rules. Just what I am hearing.

If this is the case then why was no formal protest made? Maybe whatever rule you are referring to is not specific enough?

There were other boat(s) in there that went through the culvert but it required a smaller boat. The guys that launched over there didn't break any written rule.

Yea I don't know. I remember a year or two ago on the Red River, the team that probably would have won it got DQ'd because they accessed an area (from a public ramp) that wasn't accessible from the main river due to water level. I think this may be the same sort of deal (allegedly). Certainly not accusing, just stating what the arguments were. I have a tin rig so accessing difficult places is my thing, however if the competitors put in at a private ramp that was not public, and the area was not accessible due to the lake level, then I would say that it absolutely a problem.

Sounds like area was accessible at the lake level so that is not a rule violation

Correct, I don't think every brand of bass boat could fit in that pipe. A smaller one it no problem unless you lower the power poles...

It was accessible. My buddy was one of the boats that got in there from main lake. Had to take off the motor cowling, console graphs, lower the power poles, and fill both livewells full.

“It was accessible. My buddy was one of the boats that got in there from main lake. Had to take off the motor cowling, console graphs, lower the power poles, and fill both livewells full.”





Wow was it worth his time????

I mean that's not that big of a hassle but no. They only caught slots.