Tournament Rules
and Regulations 2023 - 2024
Tournament Fees
Tournament
fees shall consist of $20.00 per person, per tournament and they will be paid
at the regular club tournament meeting by members, guests, and prospective
members fishing the tournament. Any late entries must pay Tournament fees prior
to start of tournament. All tournament monies will be paid to the Vice
President in the form of cash or through Pay Pal, and are non-refundable.
Tournament monies will be paid out at the tournament or next monthly meeting.
If a club member is behind on club dues, (see Bylaws) he will not be allowed to
fish the tournament.
One
hundred percent of all tournament fees will be paid out as prize money each
month:
(Winnings based on $15 per Anger)
Big
fish winnings paid at $5 per Angler
Non-boaters
are required to offer the boater $25 for a one day and $50 for 2-day
tournaments to help offset Boater Expenses.
Tournament Committee
A
tournament committee will consist of at least three volunteer members (at least
one of which is a "Boater") who have not been on a tournament
committee for the prior 4-month period. The tournament committee will serve for
a four-month period and will recommend tournament location, Start and End
times, a minimum of one month in advance. A Club officer will call for a vote
to approve or alter the committee's recommendations by a majority vote.
Tournament Committee will be responsible to start the tournament announcing the
official start time, boat order, and oversee the "clocking-in" of any
tardy anglers at weigh-in. Boats in no wake zone
of ramp shall be considered “IN” for weigh in purposes.
All
two-day tournaments will be conducted on the same basis as a one-day tournament.
(i.e., prize money will be the same, only
Pairing
The
selection method for pairing members fishing a tournament is as follows:
A Random draw will occur to determine which Co-Angler
will be paired with which boater.
In
the event there are more Co-Anglers than Boaters to fish, Co-Anglers will be
prioritized based on percentage of meetings attended (on a rolling 12 meeting
basis). In the event of a tie the Co-Angler attending the meeting will have
priority. Partners must change each month.
After the draw, An Unpaired
Member (Boater or Co Angler), may use any craft 16.5 ft or better, That fits
the boater definition in the By Laws Article 2 , Section D1,
Boaters
may volunteer to fish alone (without a member Co-Angler) if there are more
boaters than Co Anglers. However, no person exercising this option may fish
alone two months in succession or more than twice a season and these
individuals will be paired FIRST in the succeeding tournament.
In
the case of any inconsistencies, errors or omissions during a tournament draw,
a total re-draw is required
Undecided
If,
at the meeting, a member is undecided as to whether he will fish or not; he
must enter the draw as a Co-Angler, provided there are enough boaters to
accommodate members. In addition, if a member does not show up to the
meeting and does not communicate that he is undecided to another club member
BEFORE the meeting starts and still wishes to fish, may do so but will not earn
any points for the tournament.
Guests
A
member may request to fish with a guest or prospective member provided the
members’ boat is not needed for club members in the draw. The club meeting and
fishing tournament may count toward new membership qualifying requirements. All guests or prospective members must pay the
$20 Tournament fee and are eligible for winnings. Big fish pot winnings can be
split by agreement of the anglers on that boat.
Prospective Members
When
a prospective member fishes in a team tournament during his qualification
period, his fish will be counted for that tournament, but no points will be
awarded to the prospective member.
No-Shows
If
a boater does not show up at the tournament site or cannot fish for any reason,
a draw (which includes all single boaters) will occur to determine which boat
the Co-Angler will fish from. If there are no single boaters available, the
Co-Angler will be refunded his tournament fees for that tournament, and that
tournament will not count against him. (i.e. he will get an additional “drop”
in the standings.)
NOTE:
If you are running late, you must call or text your partner and at least 2 club
officers 30 minutes in advance to inform them. At that point, the Boater will
wait 15 minutes after start time as a courtesy. If you do not call or text
these individuals, your partner does not have to wait for you. If you get
to the ramp and your boater has left prior to the prescribed 15 min Courtesy
period, please call or text a club officer to verify the time.
All
deposits on rooms for any club tournament or function will be paid by the club
member. Any member agreeing to share a room will be liable for his share
of the room and any provisions purchased on his behalf.
Early Departures
If
a member shows up at the launch ramp with every intention of fishing the
tournament and must leave before weighing in, he will earn last place points.
.
Tournament Methods and
Format
1.
No contestant may leave the boat unless the reason does not pertain to fishing.
2.
No live bait of any type.
3.
Only one rod per person in the water at any given time, and all fish must be
caught on a rod and reel.
4. Format of
Tournament to be set by Tournament Committee and approved by membership prior
to tournament. Formats may include: “Catch
Weigh and Release”, “Best 5 in Bag”, or some combination. “Best 5 in Bag” is the only approved method
when any angler is fishing Alone in a Tournament. This applies for Purse winnings
and individual standings. Each person must document and verify with his partner
his best 5 fish for weigh-in. A lone anger must Keep alive and bring in his
best 5 fish for the day for Weigh In.
All Fish in competition for the Big Fish pot, must be brought in for
Live Weigh in, unless prohibited by law.
5. Only Black Bass and Peacock
Bass per state regulations will be allowed as an accepted species
6. Eligible fish for
inclusion in a
contestant’s catch must be a minimum of 1 Lb or greater for “Catch, weigh and
release” format. State regulations will apply to all other formats. (This is
also based on the Tournament committee recommendation) A four-ounce (1/4 lb) penalty will be assessed for
each dead fish brought to weigh-in if a live weigh-in is required
7.
A late penalty will be assessed to each tournament member who is late for
weigh- in (i.e. not in “No Wake” zone of ramp). Such
penalty will allow for a five-minute grace period. Official time will be
kept and announced by the tournament committee. The penalty shall consist of
the deduction of one point for each minute late, to a maximum deduction of
fifteen points. Exceeding fifteen minutes late (16 minutes or more), including
the grace period, will constitute a "no weigh in." Members are
responsible to weigh in their own fish or provide written weights to the weigh
master. The only allowable exception is Boat, Engine or other equipment
failure.
8. No fish may be received into a contestant's
boat unless said person legitimately catches it during the tournament hours.
9.
All fish brought to the weigh in must be transported in a plastic
watertight bag supplied by the club and released from the bag.
10.
Fly rods are allowed as a method of fishing.
Point System
- A point system will be
used to determine the Angler of the Year in the club. Total points will be
based on the best ten tournaments out of a possible twelve tournaments in
a year for each member (two drops per year).
- There will be 12
tournaments per fiscal year, one each month (except August), including one
"wild card" tourney. The time and location will be selected by
the Tournament committee or general membership.
- First place will
receive 300 points with a 5 pt decrease per position through 5th
place. There is a 4 pt decrease from 6th to 10th, a
3 pt decrease from 11th to 15th, a 2 pt decrease
from 16th to 20th and place 21 through 36 are
declining at increments of 1Pt. each.
- When there is a tie
for a place, the next place given should be the actual place (i.e., if two
people tied for fifth place the next place should be seven and so
forth).
- A 10 Point bonus per
tournament will be earned by Club members that attend the regular club
tournament meeting.
All
ties consisting of weight and/or points will be allowed with duplicate awards
for position or prize money.
Examples:
1.
Tie for first place - split first and second place money, second place
receives third place money.
2.
Tie for third place - split third place money
3.
Tie for year-end awards - duplicate awards will be given.
Safety
Life
vests must be worn while boats are on plane. A violation of this rule will
result in disqualification from the tournament. If available, kill switches
must be worn.
No
alcoholic beverages are to be consumed during tournament hours. Violators will
be disqualified from the tournament. A two-time offender will be kicked out of
the club
All
boaters or non-boaters must have a valid
No
boater or non-boater can give or receive any information from any source during
a tournament. Cell phone use between tournament participants shall be limited
to emergencies or matters of safety.
Unsafe Conditions
In
the event at any time, between the meeting and the day of the tournament, the
site is deemed unfishable, unsafe, or unacceptable for any reason or the
weather is deemed unsafe, by any angler in the tournament, a vote will be taken
by the President of all members fishing said tournament to change tournament location
and/or tournament date. A 75% affirmative vote of club members fishing and
voting on such vote will be required.
Rule Violations
If
a rule is broken and disqualification occurs, the disqualification will be only
for the day of the broken rule.