SOUTH ORANGE COUNTY BASSMASTERS

TOURNAMENT RULES AND REGULATIONS

LAST REVISIONS MADE: January 11, 2010

Last Edited by:  James Smiley

1. PURPOSE

A. The purpose of these rules and regulations is to promote fair play among the members of South Orange County Bassmasters while competing in club competition.

B. Any member who displays poor sportsmanship violates these rules, or the applicable FISH AND GAME LAWS will be disqualified.

C. Any observed violation of rule 1.B. or protest shall be submitted in writing to the Tournament Director prior to the next scheduled club meeting.

2. TOURNAMENT DATES AND SITES

A. The tournament dates and sites will be selected by the Tournament Director at the beginning of the tournament year and announced to the membership at the first club meeting of the tournament year.

B. If in the event the Tournament Director finds it absolutely necessary to change the lake location, he may do so upon contacting all the tournament participants.

3. GENERAL TOURNAMENT RULES

A. All club members participating in a tournament shall be a member in good standing unless otherwise directed by the tournament director.

B. No two members shall fish together in a tournament more than once in a two-month period of time, unless necessitated by the Tournament Director for emergency pairings.

C. Boat inspection will be conducted under the supervision of the Tournament Director. The Tournament Director shall determine that all live wells are empty and that no tournament rules or safety rules are being violated.

D. Tournaments will be live weigh-in events unless otherwise noted by the tournament director before the tournament starts.   Fish length rules shall be determined and shared by the tournament director before each tournament.

E. There is a 0.25 pound penalty for each dead fish brought to weigh in. A one-pound penalty for any short fish given to tournament officials and found to be "short".

F. For each minute a contestant is late, a one-pound penalty will be deducted from the total weight. Any contestant more than 10 minutes late will lose all score for the day.

G. Any contestant bringing in more than the legal limit will lose all score for the day.

H. In the event of a tie in total weight of two or more contestants, the largest bass from each contestant will determine the winner.

I. It is each contestant’s responsibility to get a "Big Fish" weight recorded. To get this done, give the big fish of your creel to the weigh master and request him to record this fish as your "big fish".

J. Jerking or trolling are not allowed. Jerking or trolling is defined as allowing any lure to trail from a boat under power for a distance of over 30 feet.

K. An entry fee shall be paid by each participant in each tournament.  Entry fee is determined by the tournament director and should be disclosed at each club meeting before each tournament. 

All tournaments are a “winner takes all” tournament based on total weight.

The $25 entry fees shall be itemized in this manner:

$15 – Tournament payback

 $2 – 5lb pot

$2 – Big fish of tournament

$6 – Club general fund 

M. No live bait shall be used in any club events.

N. All boats must remain at least 50 feet away from each other while fishing during competition.

O. Each contestant has the right to choose the fishing area and run the trolling motor for one half of the fishing day with approval from the boater.

Failure to honor a reasonable request to comply with this rule may result in disqualification.

P. Damages of any nature to a contestant's equipment, tackle or boat during a tournament are the responsibility of the individual at fault and must be compensated for by that individual.  Failure to do so could result in a grievance being issued to the board and could result in disqualification of an event or dismissal of club membership.

4. Tournament Fees

A. One day tournaments are determined by the tournament director before the tournament.  Guest may pay a different amount then members.  Tournament fees shall be pre-determined by the club at the start of each year.  The Executive Board has final say so on any fee disputes.

All non-boaters, whether guests or members, will pay a minimum of an additional $30 to their boaters for expenses as well as half of the lake entry fees unless otherwise discussed and agreed upon by the two anglers.

B. Two day tournaments have the same financial structure as one day events unless otherwise decided on by the tournament director.

C.  Only members are eligible for 5lb pot.

D. Tournament fees are to be paid to the Treasurer prior to the start of the tournament. Fees paid on the day of the tournament shall be delivered to the Tournament Director however, a fee may be imposed if paying at the lake.  This shall be determined by the club at the beginning of each tournament year.

Fees for tournaments will be rolled over to the next monthly tournament in the event no legal fish are caught in the scheduled tournament. Anglers are responsible to make sure their payment is marked as paid in full when handing cash to the Treasurer or Tournament Director.

E. There will be no alcohol or any controlled substance in boats during tournaments.

F. Boat owners are responsible to provide life vests for every person on board the boat.

G. Fishing from any place other than the boat you were assigned is STRICTLY ILLEGAL.

H. If it should become necessary for any member to rent a boat for a tournament, they must have life jackets. Life jackets are to be worn any time the engine is running.

I. Nets are allowed.

J. The BIG FISH for the year will be based on weight measured at the live weigh-in on the Equalizer scale. In the event a particular tournament is a "Paper Tournament" all Big Fish must be brought in and the Big Fish will be weighted on the Equalizer scale.

5. Equipment Failure or Emergency:

In the event of equipment failure or emergency, a contestant’s boat may be towed to the check-in site. If it is necessary to transfer fish to another boat, it must be another contestant’s boat and at least one member of the team must accompany the fish to the weigh-in site.

6. FISHING HOURS

A. Launch and hold until the start time established by the Tournament Director, unless he designates otherwise.

B. The official time will be the Tournament Director's watch with the tournament participant's pre-setting their watches in accordance with the Tournament Director's.

C. Arrival time and weigh-in will be established by the Tournament Director with the time to be announced on the morning of the tournament.

D. Arrival time is defined as members arriving within the docking area (final buoy line) unless otherwise determined by the tournament director.

7. PARTNERS

A. All tournaments are to be solo boater/non-boater style events whereby all participating members or guests will be paired by a blind draw with the top non-boater in the points standings being paired first, followed by the second highest non-boater, then the third highest and so on with guests being paired last; unless otherwise determined by the tournament director.  Partners for one day tournaments will be drawn at the club meeting immediately prior to the tournament. No member will be allowed to fish a tournament unless he announces his intention to fish at the meeting or unless he notifies the Tournament Director prior to the start of that meeting.

B. Members will choose their own partners for two day events.

C. Non-boaters may find a substitute if they are unable to fish the tournament with Tournament Director approval.

D. Any member whose partner cancels must contact the Tournament Director. If the Tournament Director needs to find an alternate partner and is unable to do so, that member must fish alone. No member shall fish alone unless there are an odd number of participants. The Tournament Director shall be the final authority for tournament pairings.

G. Partners must remain together throughout the fishing day.

8. SCORING

A. Year end awards qualification will be based on a point system designed by the Tournament Director.

Points will be awarded for finishing positions, participation in the tournaments, and for participation in the club meetings. Points will then be accumulated and tallied throughout the year.

9. TROPHIES & PAYOUTS

A. The top finishers of each event will receive a club award and the top finishing boater and non-boater will be paid their respective winnings.

10. OTHER RULES

A.  If a non-boater gets bumped from a tournament b/c he is unable to find a boater, that non-boater gets "first in line" rights at the next tournament.

CLUB RULES