2025 KING GEORGE FISHING DERBY OFFICIAL RULES
The King George Fishing Derby, hereby known as the Derby, will be held September 27th and 28th, 2025.
Registration Fees for the 2025 King George Fishing Derby are: $70/Adult, $20/Junior. Fees are non-refundable.
VIP registration fee is $100 and includes adult registration, a King George Derby shirt, a FISH307 boat sticker, and an entry into the Big Catch Side Pot.
ALL OCCUPANTS of a boat must be registered for the Derby to participate.
To be eligible for the Junior Division of the Derby, an angler must be under 16 years of age when the derby ends on Sunday.
Event check-in/Late Registration will take place on Friday, September 26th until 8 PM, at FISH307, 814 Goggins Road, Lake George, NY.
In-person registration will also be available on Saturday and Sunday (September 27th and 28th) at FISH307. Times for these dates are “To Be Determined” and will be posted on the FISH307 website and on social media.
Awards and Closing Ceremony will also take place at FISH307 on Sunday, September 28th, at 4 PM.
Derby entrants must comply with all State and Local regulations and laws: NYSDEC, LGPC, etc. A valid NYS Fishing License is required for anglers 16 years of age or older. Any entrant found to be in violation will be subject to disqualification without a refund.
*Disclaimer, Prize fund as shown in table is an estimate based on 100 entries.
*Prize money is Subject to change according to participants entered.
The Big Catch Side Pot- will be an optional $20 entry into a side competition for biggest Bass (largemouth or smallmouth) and biggest Lake Trout/ Salmon. The funds put into the side pot pool will be split evenly 50/50 between these two sections. First place for these two categories will each receive half of the total side pot. You must be registered for the derby to be able to participate in the big catch side pot.
Each Derby entrant will be eligible for only one major prize, not including raffles or other prize drawings such as the big catch side pot.
All entrants in the Derby must be present at the awards ceremony at 4 PM on Sunday to win door prizes, including drawings, unless in another tournament and approved by staff.
No person directly associated with the King George Fishing Derby, or a member of the Derby committee supervising the Derby will be eligible for prizes.
Entry Tracking
The https://webprotournamentmanager.com/ app will be used to track entries.
Location
Competitive fishing is allowed only on Lake George. Photos of fish caught outside of eligible water boundaries will be denied.
Check-in and Start/End Times
Tournament competitors must check-in, in person, at FISH307, 814 Goggins Road, Lake George, on Friday, September 26th between 4-8 PM.
Permitted fishing hours: Saturday 6 AM-6 PM, and Sunday 6 AM-2 PM.
Competitors may place their watercraft in the water, occupy them, shove off, and then stage (float, drift, or anchor) in Lake George until the official start time at which time they may proceed underway.
Pre-fishing is any activity that takes place on Lake George including fishing, scouting, and graphing. Anglers must be off the water, and cease any pre-fishing activities by 3 PM, Friday, September 26th.
During practice and competition, anglers are not allowed to make changes to the waterway, and it must be utilized how it’s naturally presented. This includes but is not limited to adding, cutting, or removing trees/ brush, digging/ filling ditches, adding or removing rocks and purposely adding or removing vegetation.
A competitor must access the water from or across publicly accessible areas. Additionally, anglers may not cast into, or otherwise obtain access to, off-limits areas in Lake George. (Example: Posted/restricted spawning areas or other refuges)
Measurement
The only acceptable measuring device is the official King George Derby Yard Stick, distributed at the event check-in. This is the only acceptable measurement device for the 2025 King George Fishing Derby. The King George Derby Yard Stick may not be altered and should be kept free of mud or other debris so the measurement can be clearly read in photos.
Competitors are prohibited from deliberately flexing or deforming the King George Derby Yard Stick with pressure or reshaping it.
Any modification of the King George Derby Yard Stick that results in a misrepresentation of a fish’s actual length is grounds for a competitor’s disqualification from the event and may result in subsequent sanctions and penalties.
Photo Standards
A. Digital photographs of each fish submitted to judges for scoring must meet these criteria:
B. Photos that competitors submit for scoring must be of fish caught from Lake George.
1) Unique – Each digital photo submitted in each Event must be of a different fish. The Judge will deny subsequent
digital photos of the same fish submitted by the Competitor in an Event.
2) Position/Visible/Legible – Each photo must be in focus and clear enough for a judge to:
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• Confirm fish positioned facing left, dorsal fin up (belly down), tail to the right.
• Verify the King George Derby Yard Stick and Competitor’s Wristband. The inability of the judge to verify will result in the denial of the photo submission.
• Verify the fish’s condition.
• Verify the fish’s length. The judge will score fish at the greatest length of which he is certain.
• Verify whether the fish’s jaw or lip is in contact with the King George Derby Yard Stick tip. The inability of the judge to verify will result in a minimum penalty of 1 inch and may result in denial of the photo submission at the judge’s discretion.
• The entire fish, from its mouth/jaw to the end of its caudal (tail) fin must be visible in photos (Except where it is allowed to be covered by competitor’s hand). In addition, at least one visible one-inch increment of the King George Derby Yard Stick must be clearly visible to make an accurate length determination (Example. If the fish is 17.75 and the 17 is covered, the 18สน mark must be clearly visible). If either end of the fish is covered or cropped off, the photo may be denied at the judge’s discretion.
C. Centered – Camera lens positioned directly over the center of the fish’s body, which contributes to accurate measurement by judges. Photos taken at a low angle to obscure an open mouth may be denied or penalized at the judge’s discretion.
D. First-generation – Each digital photo must be a first-generation image (not a photo of or screenshot of another photo) Violation will result in denial of the photo submission.
E. Identifiable – Official King George Derby Yard Stick and King George Derby Entry Form above, below, or beside the fish (not laying on top of the fish), unless placed on the Competitor’s hand or arm).
NOTE: Only the official King George Derby Yard Stick is acceptable for photo submission. No hand-drawn images, codes written on hands, or forms from other series are permitted. Other series identifiers may be used if the Official King George Derby entry form, wristband, and yardstick are also clearly visible. Violation will result in denial of the photo submission.
F. Hand Position – It is recommended to take the photo with hand as close to centered on the fish as possible.
G. A closed mouth is required for uniformity of measurement and to validate contact with the King George Derby Yard Stick
tip. If a judge considers the mouth to be open (even if it is structurally unable to close) a one-half inch penalty will be
assessed. In addition, if the mouth is opened excessively to make the fish appear longer, the entire fish may be denied.
Fish
There will be four categories of fish eligible for prizes, with an Adult Division for all four species: Lake Trout, Landlocked Salmon, Largemouth Bass, and Smallmouth Bass; and a Junior Division for two species: Lake Trout and Bass.
I. Fish may not appear to be dead, mutilated, frozen, mangled, or otherwise damaged, or it appears to have been mashed, mauled, or otherwise altered.
J. The same fish may not be entered more than once, even if caught on separate days.
K. Each fish entered in the Derby will require a witness of the catch that is also registered in the Derby. A signed affidavit verifying the catch will be required for both the angler and the witness at weigh-in.
L. A photo of the angler and fish on or near the water must be taken immediately after catching the fish, to be submitted before 2 PM on Sunday, September 17 to be considered for prizes. The photo must show the provided yard stick and the participant’s wristband must also be clearly shown.
NOTE: This determination will be made by the judge and will only be considered for review through submission of a formal dispute.
Scoring
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A. Fish length is determined by its caudal fin (tail fin) touching or crossing the King George Derby Yard Stick quarter inch. If it falls short of a 1/4-inch factory mark, the length is rounded to the next lower 1/4-inch mark that the caudal fin touches or crosses. In reviewing photographs, judges will visualize as accurately as possible where a 1/4-inch factory mark would be if it extended the entire width of a board and use that imaginary line to determine a fish’s length. Entire caudal fin lifted away and out of contact with the board will result in denial of the photo submission.
B. If any portion of a fish caudal (tail) fin extends off the edge of a King George Derby Yard Stick surface, the score will be determined by the highest 1/4-inch measurement reached or crossed by the portion of caudal on the King George Derby Yard Stick. Any portion of the caudal fin extending off the edge of a King George Derby Yard Stick is not considered in scoring. Alignment aids and attachments to a King George Derby Yard Stick will not be considered part of a measuring surface when determining a fish’s length.
C. If a judge denies a competitor’s photo after the end-of-competition, it may be automatically replaced by a previously submitted and auto-culled photo; however, no Competitor may submit a replacement photo after the end-of-competition time.
D. Winners in each category for the Derby will be based on the length of entered fish. Tie breaker will be determined by time of entry.
E. King George Derby judges apply the following scoring criteria to adjust measurements, approve or deny photos, and penalize photos by deducting points (length) or disqualifying a competitor.
Emergencies and Cancelations
A. Tournament Director and/or Director of Tournament Operations has the right to postpone or cancel the start of an official tournament day because of adverse weather conditions or other factors that jeopardize the Competitors’ safety. Tournament waters may also be restricted at any time because of severe weather.
B. In the event of weather emergencies that pose an imminent threat to Competitors, the Tournament Director and/or Director of Tournament Operations may terminate competition before the scheduled end-of-competition time. An early termination announcement with an adjusted end-of-competition time will be broadcast to Competitors via email and group text messaging. It will also be posted on the APP site and social media sites. The announcement will also specify an adjusted report-in time and location. If safe to do so, upon receiving the notification, the competitor should make his way to the specified location at that time. The competitor is required to stop fishing as soon as he receives the early termination announcement. No photos of fish caught after the adjusted end-of-competition time may be submitted for scoring. However, to accommodate those seeking shelter immediately, the competitor has up to 15 minutes after the adjusted end time to submit a photo of any fish caught before the adjusted end-of-competition time/photo submission deadline.
C. In the event of an emergency, the Competitor should call 911 first and then notify tournament officials as soon as possible.
Competitor Conduct
Competitors participating in the King George Fishing Derby event must observe the applicable rules for the Competition and must always conduct themselves in a manner that reflects favorably on the sport of fishing, and derby sponsors. Competitors are expected to follow high standards of sportsmanship, courtesy, integrity, safety, and conservation in support of the sport of fishing, especially when in the vicinity of non-competitors who may be on Lake George. Any Competitor who violates these principles, intentionally violates King George Fishing Derby Competition Rules or regulations (attempts to commit fraud) or behaves in ways that reflect unfavorably the derby sponsors’ efforts to promote fisheries conservation, clean waters, and courtesy, may forfeit competition winnings, face suspension from future King George Fishing Derby competitions, be permanently banned from competition, or any combination thereof deemed appropriate.
Unavailability and Force Majeure
Derby sponsors will use reasonable efforts to hold the Event; however, under no circumstances will sponsors be held responsible for unavailability caused by circumstances beyond their control, including flood, fire, hurricanes, earthquakes, or other “acts of God,” acts of government, civil unrest, acts of terror, strikes or labor problems nor will any Event Registration be canceled, altered or amended once the Event has commenced on the basis of circumstances beyond the sponsor’s reasonable control.
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A. A polygraph (lie detector) examination for winners may be required upon the request of the Judges. Any entrant failing to comply with the request will be disqualified from the Derby; the Judges may also disqualify an entrant based on the results of the examination.
B. Any Derby entrant found importing fish from another body of water, misrepresenting a fish’s length, attempting to alter a fish’s length or manipulate the fish in any manner to achieve a change in length will be disqualified, without refund.
C. All fish entered in the Derby will be inspected by the Judges and their rulings will be considered final. Fish must be fresh (not frozen) when entered, and it is recommended that fish be entered as soon as possible after being caught to avoid scrutiny.
D. Each Derby entrant agrees to hold the King George Fishing Derby Committee, The Lake George Chamber of Commerce, The Town of Lake George, the Village of Lake George, and all King George Fishing Derby sponsors, their agents, employees, and volunteers harmless from any liability of any nature for any injuries and/or damage suffered by the contestant in conjunction with the King George Fishing Derby.
E. Prize winners shall permit the King George Fishing Derby unlimited use of his or her name and photos for marketing and publicity purposes. Winners shall be responsible for paying all applicable taxes.
(Failure to comply with any rule or requirement may result in disqualification from the event and forfeiture of all entitlements of the event)