Club Tournament Rules

 

 

Article 1: Boating Safety

A.     Should be practiced at all times, respect for your fellow fishermen and other boaters is expected

B.     Anyone cited or ticketed during the tournament will be disqualified

 

 

Section 1: Coast Guard Requirements

All boats shall meet minimum Coast Guard requirements in the state in which the chapter is fishing.

 

Section 2: Kill Switch Device

Boats with engines of forty horsepower or greater shall have a kill switch device. The switch may be checked by the tournament committee before the start at each official tournament site.

 

Section 3: Floatation Device

While tournament fishing, all fishermen in the boat shall have a Coast Guard approved life jacket (personal floatation device) on while the gasoline engine is running and in gear. All chapter members are required to furnish their own life jacket.

 

Section 4: Alcoholic Beverages

ALCOHOLIC Beverages consumed during tournament hours will result in disqualification.

 

Section 5: Horsepower Rating

The maximum horsepower permitted for use in a chapter tournament will not exceed the maximum horsepower rating on the label installed by the manufacturer of the boat.

 

Section 6: Compliance Mandatory

Failure to comply with sections 1 through 5 above shall be grounds for disqualification.

 

Section 7: Site Conditions / Extraordinary circumstances

Should dangerous conditions exist, that present advance notice to members (i.e. hurricane, inclement / dangerous weather, low water conditions) at the tournament site, the board of directors will have the option to postpone the tournament or change to an alternate lake provided by the tournament schedule. Rescheduling of a tournament will be done with concurrence of the majority of the club membership present at a special meeting immediately following the tournament cancellation and weather threat ended. Any changes will be in the best interest to the club.

 

Article 2: Tournament Rules

 

Section 1: Tournament Sites and Dates

The tournament schedule will be determined by the tournament committee by the November meeting. The Tournament Committee shall prepare a written copy of the proposed tournament schedule to be handed out at the November meeting. The Tournament schedule shall be discussed and approved by majority vote of eligible chapter members during the December meeting. The approved tournament schedule will not be changed, except under the provisions of Tournament Rules article 1, section 7.

Section 2: Tournaments

All chapter tournaments will be a draw type.

A.     Starting time

Safe daylight.

B.     Starting Order

First boat drawn, first to launch, second, etc.

1.   Angler of the year from the previous year has the option to place anywhere in the starting order for all the tournaments for following year.

 

C. The chapter shall schedule and fish ELEVEN (11) tournaments per year during the months of January through November with qualifying members fishing a Classic at the end of the season.

 

Rules

1. Only one rod per angler at a time will be used.
2. No Fly Rods
3. No rods over eight (8) feet
4. No trolling
5. All bass must be caught in a live and sporting manner.
6. Nets are permitted for boating fish.

 

D. Chapter members fishing as non-boaters shall pay the boat owner a minimum of $20.00 per day toward expenses for the tow vehicle gasoline, boat gasoline and oil, and ramp fees, unless otherwise mutually agreed upon by the boater and non-boater.

 

E. Boaters who did not participate in the draw for a tournament, but wish to fish that tournament, will be added to the end of the launch order.

 

F. Any chapter member who is unable to attend a meeting may be added to the draw upon request as long as the member has notified a member of the tournament committee prior to the meeting. Chapter members absent from the meeting will have up to the night before the tournament to call one of the tournament committee members asking to be allowed to fish that tournament.

 

G. Partners

 

  1. Partners shall be determined at the meeting immediately preceding the tournament.

 

  2. Partners shall be determined using the draw method.

 

  3. All boaters who do not gain a partner through the draw will have their choice whether to fish alone or with another boater. Boaters without partners wishing to   fish the tournament together shall inform the tournament director before the day of the tournament. The start position will be determined by the position of the chapter member whose boat is being used.

 

  4. Once the draw for a given tournament is done, partners will not be changed, except in an emergency, and only if approved by the tournament director. If the tournament is   postponed, a re-draw will be performed to verify the participation of members.

 

  5. If a tournament is held for two consecutive days, partners will be the same for both days. The start order will be reversed on the second day of the tournament.

 

  6. Non-boaters who did not participate in the draw for a tournament, but who wish to fish the tournament, will be paired with boaters who do not have partners, starting at the end of the launch order.

 

  7. Non-boaters whose boater partner does not fish the tournament will be paired with the next lower boater in the launch order who does not have a partner.

 

  8. Boaters, whose boat breaks down after the draw, will be paired with the closest available boater with a blank.

 

  9. Final pairings for tournaments will be the sole responsibility of the tournament director.

 

H. Boat distances

 

1. No boat shall fish within (50) fifty yards of another competitor if he is anchored with trolling motor up.

2. When fishing with the anchor up the distance will be (30) thirty yards.

 

 

Section 3: Fish Limits

 

A. The minimum length of largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass shall be fourteen (14) inches, unless there are exemption cards for the tournament. If the tournament is held on a body of water that has a slot limit, the slot limit will be enforced, unless there are exemption cards for the tournament. Fish length will be determined by measurement on the official "Golden Rule" held by the tournament committee and as observed by the weigh-in official. At no time will any tournament participant keep more than five (5) fish.

 

B. Courtesy measurements of fish shall be permitted. Courtesy measurements shall be done before bringing fish to the scales and shall be performed by the tournament director or tournament committee member.

 

C. No one may weigh in more than five (5) fish. Should a member attempt to weigh-in more than five fish, they shall be disqualified.

 

Section 4: Culling

 

At no time during a tournament and/or before or during weigh-in, shall a chapter member cull dead fish. Culling of dead fish shall subject the individual to immediate disqualification.

 

Section 5: Live Bait

 

No live bait may be used during a chapter tournament.

 

Section 6: Live wells

 

All boats shall be equipped with an aerated live well that shall be operational.

 

Section 7: Weigh-in Officials

 

Weigh-in officials will be the tournament committee. The tournament committee will maintain official weight scales, stand and records. The committee is responsible for the accurate entry of each member's catch and points in the official tournament records.

 

Section 9: Live Fish Release

 

All live fish will be released by the tournament committee after weigh-in.

 

Section 10: Awarding of Points

 

Points will be determined by the total pounds and ounces accumulated by each chapter member during each tournament as follows:

 

A. Each club member fishing the tournament shall be awarded points according to placement after weigh-in, after deduction for penalties. The first place finisher at each tournament will be the member with the highest combined weight of legal fish for that tournament. Ties for first place will be broken by the number of fish weighed in. If a tie still exists, the tie will be broken by the heaviest fish weighed in. If the anglers are still tied for first after using the above criteria, a coin will be flipped to determine the place.

 

B. End of Year standings will be determined by totaling the points earned throughout the season by each individual during his/her eleven (11) regular chapter tournaments. Ties for end of year standings will be broken by number of fish weigh-in and heaviest fish weigh-in, in that order. An Angler of the Year will be determined by member with the highest points.

 

 

C. Points awarded for place of finish

 

1st place - 50 points

2nd place - 45 points

3rd place - 40 points

4th place - 35 points

5th place - 34 points

6th place - 33 points........ etc

 

D. A member who participates in the tournament and weighs in no fish will be awarded ten (10) points for participation.

 

E. A member who attends the monthly draw meeting will be awarded ten (10) points.

 

F. In the event there are more non-boaters in the draw, the non-boater(s) that are not selected in the draw, and subsequently cannot participate in the tournament, will be awarded ten (10) points for the participation, in addition to the ten (10) points they might have received for attending the draw meeting.

 

G. Point accumulation will start with the first meeting of the year.

 

H. Tournament Director will complete a weigh-in sheet at the site and will give it to the Secretary, who will calculate and update the point’s standings, which will then be emailed to members and posted on the website.

 

Section 11: Problems During Tournament Hours

 

If, during tournament hours, a contestant has any problem, his fish plus his partner's fish can be weighed-in by another contestant, provided the other contestant has a partner or one of the contestants having the problem accompanies the contestant who brings in the fish.

 

Section 12: Penalties

 

A. All penalties will be assessed before order of finish is determined for any chapter tournament and will be deducted from the total weight of the competitor's legal catch.

 

B. Late for Weigh-in.

Competitor's who are not at the official check-point area at the appointed time, shall be penalized at the rate of one (1) pound  per minute late, to be deducted from their legal weight for the day. Any competitor more than fifteen (15) minutes late shall lose all credit for that days catch, unless extenuating circumstances exist as determined by the tournament committee.

 

C. Dead Fish - A penalty of .25 ounces  will be assessed for each dead fish weighed-in.

 

D. Short Fish - Fish not meeting length requirements will not be weighed-in. In addition, the competitor's biggest fish will not be weighed-in. This applies for each short fish brought to the weigh-in.

 

E. Creel Limits - Any angler possessing more than the five fish legal limit, shall be disqualified from the tournament and shall not be allowed to weigh-in his catch. The member shall not be eligible for any big bass prize for that tournament.

 

F. Disqualification - Disqualification for any reason will make the subject person or persons ineligible for any prizes, awards, points or other such rewards, which may have been provided at the event in which the individual was disqualified, including big bass prize money.

 

Section 13: Protest

 

Participants who suspect that the tournament rules have been violated, may protest to the tournament committee at any time during the tournament or within fifteen (15) minutes after arrival at the tournament weigh-in site, followed by a written protest within thirty minutes after the scales have closed. Protests shall be investigated by the tournament committee. This investigation shall result in a recommendation, which shall be provided to the Board of Directors for final disposition. The Board of Directors decision shall be absolutely final on all matters of protest.

 

Article 3: Awards

 

Section 1: Payback scale


A. 80% pay back:

1) 1st place- 40%, 2nd place- 25%, 3rd place- 15%


 

B. 20% goes to the Classic Fund.

 

Section 2: Club Classic

 

A. At the end of the tournament season the club will hold a Club Classic.

1) A member in good standing can qualify for the Club Classic:

 

a)     By being in the Top Ten in points at the end of the tournament season,

i.        Members finishing in the Top Ten in points at the end of the tournament season will not have to pay the normal tournament fee.

Or

 

b) By missing no more that three (3) Club tournaments during the      tournament season prior to the Club Classic, and by paying the normal tournament fee ($30) plus $10.00 for each Club Tournament missed. All proceeds collected under this rule will be paid out at the Club Classic.

 

B. The Classic Site will be determined by the top ten anglers submitting a lake to be drawn at the meeting before the Classic Tournament date.

 

C. Pay back determined by the amount accrued in the Classic Fund plus additional funds available from the General Fund as decided by the Board of Directors.

 

D. There will be an optional Big Bass pot decided by the participants at the meeting before the Tournament.