All rules stated below will remain in effect for the 2026 Kayak Attack Redfish Series. All decisions made by the tournament director and/or tournament officials will be final in all matters. The tournament director and/or the tournament officials can make a change when the safety of a contestant is in question or by a unanimous decision by the tournament committee. Any changes to the rules will be posted on the website WWW.KAYAKATTACKSERIES.COM. Warnings, penalties and disqualifications will be determined by the tournament officials. A signature on one set of rules and regulations is applicable for any and all Gulf Coast Tournament Association events and may be used as an acknowledgment for such. Each participant (contestant) must read and acknowledge the following rules and indicate so by signing an online release.

1. Applicable Laws: Federal, State and Local laws shall be obeyed by contestants at all times. Contestants choosing to fish outside of Texas waters shall adhere to the local and state laws of the venue in which the contestant is fishing including purchasing and possessing a valid fishing license for that state effective for the dates of competition. Violation of any federal, state and/or local laws shall result in the disqualification of the individual and his team from the GCTA event, and may disqualify (at the discretion of the SERIES officials) the individual and his team from the entire series.
2. Tournament Eligibility: Contestants under 18 years old must fish with their legal guardian as their teammate, or another adult approved by the minor’s legal guardian. The Gulf Coast Tournament Association reserves the right to refuse participation in any event to any individual and/or team at the discretion of the tournament committee.
3. Alcoholic Beverages and Illegal Drugs: Consumption of any alcoholic beverages or illegal drugs during tournament hours is prohibited and will result in disqualification. Alcoholic beverages and illegal drugs may not be in the possession of any team member or on board a participating boat during the hours of tournament competition.
4. Sportsmanship: GCTA participants are expected to follow the highest standards of sportsmanship, courtesy and ethics. Unsportsmanlike and unethical conduct will result in disqualification (at the tournament committee’s discretion). Please refer to the Texas Boating Safety Rules.
5. Permitted Tournament Fishing Waters: Contestants may fish in any inshore public water accessible by boat. Inshore for this series is defined as the navigable, tide consumable coastal waters, bays, rivers, and wetlands. Kayaks must be launched at a public launch accessible to the general public. You may not launch from private property (including your personal waterfront property), or any other place that requires special permission. This is an inshore tournament only, you may not fish the surf, jetty’s or any beach front.Contestants may not fish areas designated as private or off limits by federal, state and/or local law. Off limit areas include all federally protected areas. If you drag, float, or are around a weir, dam or barrier to gain access to an off limit area, you will be disqualified. You may drag over public land in a marsh lake area to access the same public areas.No fishing is allowed within 300 yards of tournament site.No fishing is allowed within 500 yards of any ferry landing.No ferrying kayaks to spots with other vessels.Contestants shall not fish in any area which has been closed by a governmental agency. Wade fishing is allowed, but all contestants must stay tethered to boat while wading. Teams must stay within eyesight of one another. PFD’s must be worn at all times during tournament hours.Participants are not allowed to fish within 150 feet (50 yards) of another anchored boat or wade fisherman unless they are invited in by the team. An anchored boat is a boat held in a stable position by an anchor, a weight, push pole, PowerPole, or other anchoring mechanism. If a team invites another team into the inviting team’s 50 yard area, any tournament participant is also allowed within the waived area.Range finder and picture of boat behind range finder are the best way to bring this sort of protest to light. The boat anchored in an area first has the right to a 150 feet radius of the area.
6. Permitted Fishing Methods: All tournament fish shall be taken by rod, reel, and artificial tackle only. Contestants shall not harass fish prior to and during the tournament, contestants shall not cork or otherwise mark fish or schools of fish for identification for the purposes of locating fish during tournament hours. Wade fishing is allowed as long as angler stays tethered to kayak.
7. Checkpoints: Official launch and drop a line times will be announced on the website, Facebook, and on the GCTA page the night before event. Check in times will be between 2:00 PM and 4:00 PM. Contestants who are not at the official checkpoint area at the appointed time will be penalized at the rate of one half (1/2) pound per minute, which will be deducted from the team’s total day’s weight. Any contestant more than fifteen (15) minutes late will be disqualified from that day’s weight entry. Teams who are not able to check in due to equipment failure or other unforeseen circumstances are responsible for contacting the tournament director before the official check in is over in order to determine an acceptable solution.
8. Polygraphs: First place and one other team will be drawn out of top 5 teams. By signature on the official tournament entry form, each contestant agrees to submit to a polygraph test and be bound by its interpreted results and conclusions. The first place team in each event shall be subject to a polygraph examination and will not receive any award until the test has been administered and determined to be non deceptive.Polygraph tests may be issued at the discretion of the tournament director or committee for any reason, and each contestant hereby acknowledges and consents to the examination. The results and interpretations of the polygraph are final and each contestant hereby knowingly, intelligently and voluntarily waives any review of said test result, including any judicial process seeking to overturn, amend or otherwise negate the finding of the test administrator.
9. Liability: All tournament participants are required to sign a waiver absolving all tournament officials, officers, participants, sponsors and co sponsors from any responsibility for damage or personal injury sustained as a result of the contestant’s participation in the tournament or its related activities, and the contestant’s signature on this form shall constitute an alternate release in the instance the member fails to sign the official declaration, waiver, release, and hold harmless agreement.
10. Pre Tournament Captain’s Meeting: There will be no captains meeting and registration will be online only at www.kayakattackseries.com.
11. Communication: No communication via multi media methods, social networking, cell phone, e tablet, laptop, radio, pager or any other device will be allowed from outside sources or tournament participants during tournament hours that will give a team or contestant any advantage from data or information regarding fishing the event.If a team has an emergency, a mechanical problem, or needs immediate assistance, teams may contact local authorities, emergency services, the Coast Guard or the tournament director. Teams must notify the tournament director immediately if these circumstances exist.
12. Entry Fees, Tournament Registration and Identification: A team will consist of 2 kayakers for a total of 200.00 dollars per team entry. However, if a kayaker wishes to enter solo he is allowed and the entry is the same, 200.00 dollars per individual. The two man team will consist of two individuals and one alternate that can be used at any tournament throughout the year including the championship (you must declare your teammate at registration time).Fishing individually you will not be allowed to fish with anyone or accept help from anyone who is not registered to fish this tournament series. There will be a 50.00 dollar side pot for biggest redfish of the event.
13. Kayak Regulations: Each boat must have all required U.S. Coast Guard safety equipment, plus any safety equipment the state requires for kayakers. Participants may propel their kayak by paddling, pedaling, or by using an electric motor. Gas powered motors are not allowed.Any electric motor used must resemble a typical kayak trolling motor, remain unmodified from its factory condition, and may not exceed 3 horsepower or 155 pounds of thrust. Anyone choosing to use an electric motor is responsible for meeting all state requirements, including registration, titling, and any other applicable regulations. Failure to properly register the kayak and motor according to state law will result in a disqualification from any event in which the violation occurred.
14. Safety: Safe boating will be observed at all times. Each contestant is required to properly wear a U.S. Coast Guard approved personal floatation device anytime time you are fishing in the series period. Tournament days may be shortened or canceled due to unsafe weather or water conditions. The decision to shorten or to cancel will be left totally to the discretion of the tournament director or committee. A 4 hour period shall constitute a day of fishing.It is the competitor’s responsibility to communicate with the tournament director if cancellation of the event is suspected. Cancellations will be communicated via VHF radios on a channel decided at the pre tournament meeting. If conditions are not safe on the tournament day, the GCTA reserves the right to reschedule the tournament on the following day (Sunday). If conditions are not favorable the following day, an alternate date will be published on the GCTA website, www.kayakattackseries.com.
15. Tackle and Equipment: All fish must be caught by rod and reel using artificial lures only. Chumming and the use of live or dead bait is strictly prohibited. Kayak, canoe, hybrid kayak, paddle, peddle, or specified motors may be used. All kayaks must be physically launched. You may not ferry your kayak (the use of a motorized vehicle or boat to transport your kayak on water or land once launched).You are allowed to do a one way. This is parking a vehicle at your starting point and working your way to your other vehicle at your takeout spot. You are not allowed to do a one way unless you are fishing with another registered angler in the Kayak Attack Series. All teammates must depart from the same location on the day of the event.
16. Fish: A Kayak Attack Redfish Series team’s weight may consist of two (2) red drum (redfish), measuring no less than 20 inches, and no more than 28 inches in length. A team may retain its Texas state limit in the act of culling. Teams must keep (retain) any dead fish.Contestants are responsible for keeping their redfish alive. Any dead fish tendered for weight will be assessed a 1/4 lb. penalty per dead fish. No altered, mutilated or iced fish will be accepted (if team’s fish is dead for weight clear any excess ice). Redfish will be inspected for alterations in size, length and weight. Any altered fish shall result in the disqualification of the team weighing in altered fish, and may result in perpetual ban from any GCTA events.
17. Scoring: Tournament standings, auxiliary awards and final winners shall be determined by the total weight of each team’s catch during the tournament consisting of two (2) redfish, measured in pounds and 100th of a pound. Only redfish at least 20 inches in length, but less than or equal to 28 inches in length may be weighed in.All redfish must be brought to the weigh station in a live weigh in tournament bag. Fish may not be brought to weigh in on a stringer or in a basket. Redfish shall be weighed with the equipment provided by the GCTA.
18. Points: All teams fishing the Series will receive points, except for disqualified teams. The first place team will receive 100 points per event; the second place team will receive 99 points per event, and so on. Teams weighing in no fish will receive 20 points less than the last team to weigh in fish.Team points will remain with the team captain in the event of a team break up. The Team of the Year race is determined by total team points at the end of the season. Therefore, each team must designate a team captain at the beginning of the series.
19. Ties: If two or more teams have identical weight in the tournament, it will be considered a tie. In the event of a tie, the prize money from the consecutive places will be combined and split between the teams. For example, if two teams tie for fourth place, the amounts designated to fourth place and fifth place will be combined, divided by two, then distributed to the teams equally.
20. Protest Procedure: All protests must be submitted in writing, along with a 100.00 dollar cash deposit. Protests must be submitted to the tournament director no later than 15 minutes following the weigh in of the last fish. All decisions will be made by the tournament director and committee, and are final.If the protest is upheld, the cash deposit will be returned to the person submitting the protest. The protester agrees that by filing a protest, he may be subject to a polygraph test.
21. Permission to be Filmed for Television: All participants agree to be filmed, photographed, taped, interviewed, quoted or otherwise revealed, without compensation, by the GCTA or its assigns. This includes but is not limited to the official photographers, writers, hosts, or sponsors of this event under the conditions authorized by the GCTA organizers.Each contestant, by his signature affixed below, hereby gives the 2026 GCTA Rudy’s Kayak Series and its assigns, the right to use (without compensation) the contestant’s name, picture, likeness, quotes, and biographical information, whether audio or visual, before, during and after the period of an individual or team participation in an event.