TOURNAMENT RULES

1. To qualify for a tournament, anglers must have attended at least one monthly club meeting or non-tournament event as a paid member. Exceptions are at the discretion of the Tournament Director.

2. Each angler will be required to attend the Partner Draw on the Friday preceding the tournament, the exception being the Away Tournament. Sign-in will be from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. No late sign-ins will be allowed. Anglers unable to attend must contact the Tournament Director and/or another member to sign them in. All fees must be paid at sign-in (cash only if not pre-paid), even if someone is signing you in. Calcutta will be completed prior to partner draw. Boaters will blind draw for boat position and partner. Pre-paid non-boaters have preference in the case of more non-boaters than boaters. Partners can opt to take a third angler. Boaters without partners may fish together if they mutually agree to do so. If a boater has fished alone at least once before during the tournament season he/she may opt to redraw for a partner. No two contestants shall fish together more than one tournament day in a multiple day event.

3. The non-boater is required to offer a minimum of $20.00 or 50% of the operating expenses (gas and oil). The non-boater is responsible for all launch fees. The $20.00 minimum must be paid prior to the start of the tournament. A discussion should be held between partners prior to take to determine boating route and fishing locations. Each partner is entitled to choose the fishing location for one-half of the tournament day. Boat owners can retain operational control of the boat if he/she so chooses. Any boating contestant found operating the boat in an obvious and deliberate manner to handicap their partner would be disqualified. If contestants are not able to fish with their assigned partner it shall be up to the Tournament Director to reassign partners.

4. Contestant’s boats must be a minimum of 16 feet in length, have a 50-hp minimum and meet all U.S. Coast Guard and Sheriff department safety requirements. All boats are required to have operating kill switches and live wells. These will be checked prior to take off at boat inspection.

5. Each contestant should be at the launch site 60 minutes prior to take-off. Once partners are located they should proceed to the boat inspection area. They will be given the current time, boat flag, and time of weigh-in after their boat has passed inspection. The Tournament Directors timepiece is the only official timepiece. Each contestant is required to wear a U.S. Coast Guard approved chest type life preserver anytime the combustion engine is operating above idle. It is the responsibility of each contestant to provide his/her own life preserver. Anglers fishing alone may be required to wear their life preserver throughout the day if the Tournament Director deems it unsafe not to.

6. A tournament will be 8 hours longs, unless announced differently by the Tournament Director. Angler(s) arriving late, for take-off, must find the Tournament Director or a member of the Tournament Advisory Board for boat check prior to fishing. Anglers not doing so will have their catch disqualified.
7. Partners must stay together and in sight of each other until the tournament end. Each contestant must arrive back at the weigh-in sight at the prescribed time. Anglers must check in even if they do not catch any fish. Anglers must return via boat, either their own or another contestant’s. A penalty of 10 oz per minute will be assessed to any late contestant. After 15 minutes, a late contestant will be disqualified. NO EXCEPTIONS! Any late penalties will be deducted from the contestant’s lunker fish. The Tournament Director will inform any contestant upon arrival when they are late and the amount of time they are late.

8. Only artificial baits may be used. No “live bait” or prepared bait will be permitted, with the exception of pork rinds, chunks, strips, etc. Only one casting, spinning, or spin-casting rod and reel may be used at any given time. All other types are prohibited. Rods over 8’ in length are not permitted. Other rod and reel combo’s may be in the boat ready for use. Trolling is prohibited. Anglers may not leave the boat to land fish.

9. During tournament hours, competing boats may not fish within 50 feet of each other. Fishing near competing or non-competing boats should be done so with their permission.

10. Only a 5 fish limit of Largemouth and/or Smallmouth Black Bass may be entered. All bass must measure at least 12 inches (exception is Black Lake, 15 inches) in length, measured with mouth and tail closed. The Tournament Director’s bump board is the only official bump board accepted for measuring fish. Any fish that is presented for weigh-in that is under the minimum length (as measured by tournament officials) will be weighed separately and the weight subtracted from the remaining legal fish caught that day. Any penalty removed will also be deducted from the contestant’s lunker fish. There will be no culling at the weigh-in. Any angler bringing more than the legal limit to the scales will have their largest fish remove from their catch until five fish remain.

11. Each contestant will make every effort to keep their fish alive and in good health. A penalty of 2 oz will be assessed for each dead fish weighed in. Any penalty will be subtracted from the contestant’s lunker fish. There will be no culling of dead fish. All live fish will be released directly after weighing them.

12. Contestants must verify your catch by signing the weigh-in slip, before leaving the scales. The Tournament Director will inform all contestants as to the official end of weigh-in. In the case of a tie the payout will be combined and divided equally. Any protest from contestants must be given to the Tournament Director, in writing, within 15 minutes of the completion of the weigh-in. The Tournament Director will inform all contestants as to the official end of the tournament. Any member of the Tournament Advisory Board involved in a protest or violation will be removed from the decision making process. Alternate TAB members, club officers (starting with the President), and committee members will be used (in that order) to fill out the TAB (to 5) if such a situation occurs. All decisions regarding any aspect of the club tournament ultimately rest with the Tournament Director and his/her officials. Their decisions are FINAL!

13. No drugs or alcohol are allowed during tournament hours. Any contestant arriving at the tournament site under the influence will be disqualified. Failure to comply with any of these rules or any report of illegal and/or un-sportsmanlike behavior will result in possible penalties up to and including disqualification.

14. The tournament entry fee is $25 for each event. Two-day tournaments are considered one event. The tournament prize list will consist of 100% of all entry fees payable as follows: One-Day Tournament: First $50 will be paid for lunker, with the remainder split 30%, 25%, 20%, 15%, 10%, from first to fifth place. Two-Day Tournaments: First $50 will be paid for two-day lunker, with the remainder split 30%, 25%, 20%, 15%, 10%, from first to fifth place for the two day total.

15. At the end of the tournament schedule the individual with the most accumulated weight using the current scoring method will be declared “Bass Angler of the Year.” The largest largemouth bass caught in any point tournament will receive the Largemouth Lunker of the Year award, and the largest smallmouth bass will receive the Smallmouth Lunker of the Year award.