1. All fish entered must be caught by hook and line (i.e. hooked, fought, and landed) without aid from anyone else and using methods deemed legal by the California Department of Fish and Game. For the kayak division, no sails or motors are allowed on board. There is also a sail division. When entering a fish, there will be a place to designate if that entry is for the sail division.

2. No mothershipping allowed, the kayak must be under human powered control from launch until landing.

3. Photographic evidence of fish size (total length, except for Sturgeon which shall be measured according to CA DFG fork length) against a measuring device must be provided. Photographs must be clear, with measurements easily read. It is recommended to use a sharpie on measuring devices that are not clearly marked. All entries must be rounded down to the nearest quarter inch. The ENTIRE fish must show on the measuring device in at least 1 picture. Missing portions of the head or tail will result in a disqualification of the fish. Any fish that has the appearance of possibly being not qualified for entry (such as the appearance of an adipose fin from a non native retention body of water) will be disqualified. Participants are responsible for ensuring the pictures are of sufficient quality to demonstrate the legality of the catch as defined by the CA DFG. Fish may NOT be gutted, have their throat cut or ripped through, or manipulated in any way prior to photographs being taken. Cutting of gills is permitted. Tails may be pressed together or tilted. Mouths must be completely closed. If there is light showing between the lips then the mouth is not closed. If the mouth is not completely closed, the entry will be disqualified. No lip grippers or game clips or stringers can be in the mouth when picture is taken. The above methods are those used by the CA DFG fish measurers. All entries this year will have admin approval before appearing as official entries. There may be a few days lag between the time you post a picture and the time it appears on the AOTY site.

4. AOTY runs from January 1, 2014 to December 31, 2014. Fish caught prior to payment of entry fees are ineligible.

5. All fish entered must be caught south of the California/Oregon border and north of the southern borders of the following counties Monterey, Kings, Tulare and Inyo. Fish caught from waterways with restricted access to the public, such as members only or private waterways or aquaculture operations, are not allowed. Fish caught from waters where anglers have to pay on a per fish basis, such as trout farms, are not allowed.

6. The pool covers the following twenty species: Sturgeon, Salmon, California Halibut, Pacific Halibut, Rockfish, Cabezon, Lingcod, Striped Bass, Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Trout, Kokanee, Catfish, Panfish, Spotted Bass, Steelhead, White Seabass, Greenling, Lake Trout, and Surf Perch.

7. Only fish that you can normally keep and eat (per CA DFG regulations) are eligible.

8. The biggest fish from each angler's top ten species will be used towards the angler’s total points.

9. Trout are defined as the following common names (brown trout, brook trout, cutthroat trout, rainbow trout, golden trout, and dolly varden)

10. Panfish are defined as the following common names (freshwater sunfish, crappie, yellow perch).

11. Entries must be posted within 2 weeks of being caught and photographed. No "hoarding" of entries.

12. Participant complaints should be submitted to the Committee. No bashing of other folks on public boards. Such posts will be deleted by the Admins/Mods, and a warning will be issued. A second violation of this rule will result in a disqualification of the offender from participating in AOTY.