Become a DS Tiger Fishing Club Boat Captain
Come be part of the team and help guide the next generation on and off the water.
Volunteer boat captains are the backbone of the Dripping Springs Tiger Fishing Club. Captains provide students with safe transportation, mentorship, and guidance during tournaments while helping young anglers learn the sport the right way.
You don’t have to be a professional fisherman — just someone who enjoys the outdoors, values mentorship, and wants to make a positive impact on local youth. Captains play a huge role in creating unforgettable experiences and helping students build confidence, sportsmanship, and a lifelong passion for fishing.
Boat Operation & Captain Rules
- Eligibility: Captains must be 19+ and comply with the Safe Sport Authorization Act. Only the adult captain and the registered student anglers are permitted on the boat.
- Motor Control: Captains/Coaches must drive the boat anytime the gas engine is in use. Student anglers may operate the trolling motor.
- Fishing Restrictions: Captains can fish during the tournament, but their catch will not contribute to the team’s total weight.
- Assistance Limits: Captains may offer advice and net fish. However, they may not hand a student a rod and reel with a bait in the water or hand a student a rod if the student already has a tangled/stuck rod in the water.
- Mobile Devices: Communication devices may only be used by captains for safety purposes, not for sharing fishing information during the event.
Guide & Waypoint Restrictions
- No-Guiding Policy: Captains, coaches, parents, and student anglers are strictly prohibited from hiring, bartering, or fishing with professional guides on tournament waters within 30 days prior to any event.
- Waypoint Rule: Captains and anglers cannot acquire GPS coordinates, waypoints, or specific fishing locations from guides during the 30 days prior to a tournament.
Tournament Day & Off-Limits
- Off-Limits Periods: Typically, tournament lakes are off-limits to contestants and captains from Sunday evening at sunset until the official start of the tournament day.
- Morning Check-In: FAN events frequently utilize trailering formats. Morning check-in and launch sequences are managed via the GroupMe app. Captains must check in their boats as soon as they launch.
- Weigh-in Protocol: Anglers and captains must return on time (weigh-in deadlines are strictly enforced) and check in at the weigh-in scales regardless of whether they are bringing in fish.
Review the complete Faith Angler Network Rules on their official site for full, event-specific details.