Rules

· A member who will not be present at a Chapter meeting must notify the Tournament Director or other Officer of his intentions for the next tournament.

· Anything not covered by these rules will be decided on by the Board of Directors, whose decision will be final.

Tournament Drawings

· Pairings will be determined at the normal monthly meetings by drawing.

· A list of boaters and non-boaters will be compiled for each tournament. “Boater” is defined as someone who owns a boat and normally uses it in club tournaments. “Non-boater” is defined as someone who does not own a boat or someone who normally does not fish as a boater.

· Non-boaters will always be the first priority in tournament drawings.

· The Secretary will track pairings throughout the year. To the extent possible, non-boaters will not fish with the same boater until the non-boater has fished with every boater.

· Before the drawing is held, a boater and a non-boater may mutually agree to fish together if they haven’t already done so in the current tournament year. They must declare this before the draw, and their names will be removed from the drawing. This type of pairing is considered voluntary. A boater is not eligible for this voluntary pairing as a non-boater. (i.e. if a boater has mechanical problems with his boat, he may not voluntarily pair up with a boater before the drawing—he must have a boater drawn for him.)

· After voluntary pairings have been declared and those names removed from the drawing, a drawing will be held to pair the remaining non-boaters to boaters.

· If any boaters remain after drawing, they will be given the opportunity to volunteer as a non-boater. If there are any volunteers, another drawing will be held to pair them with the remaining boater(s).

· If, after that drawing, a multiple number of boaters remains, they will be given the option to pair up. This must be a mutual agreement between the two boaters and will be considered a voluntary pairing.

· Voluntary boater-boater pairings shall be limited to a maximum of one time for the first half of the tournament year, and one time for the second half of the tournament year with the same pairing. Non-voluntary pairings (i.e. a boater who elects to fish as non-boater and draws a boater through the normal drawing) will not count towards this maximum.

· Those who elect to fish by themselves shall be responsible for their own expenses. (The Chapter is not liable for non-boater fees, hotel accommodations, etc.)

· The tournament director will make all decisions on amending pairings after the drawing (i.e.--mechanical failure).

Safety

· Life jackets must be worn any time the combustion engine is running.

· Local boating laws apply.

· The Tournament Director has the authority to levy a one pound penalty to any boater who does not follow instructions during blast-off.

Tournament Expenses

· Member dues must be paid to the Chapter Secretary-Treasurer before fishing any club tournament.

· Any prospective member must pay $25.00 per tournament fished. (This allows the prospective member to be eligible for a trophy)

· An optional big fish pot and/or money pot for the winner of each day of each tournament may be created. Entry fees must be paid to the tournament director prior to launch.

· The non-boating partner will pay any launch fees.

· The non-boater will pay the boat owner a minimum of $50.00 for single-day tournaments, or a minimum of $80.00 for two-day tournaments. This fee is to offset boat operation costs and must be paid prior to blast-off on the first tournament day.

Tournament Schedules-Start and Stop Times

· Tournaments will be scheduled annually by the Board of Directors. This schedule will be voted on by the attending members at the first meeting of the year.

· Landing sites and launch times will be determined at the regular monthly meetings.

· If a boat is removed from the water during tournament hours and subsequently re-launched, it must be at the same ramp designated as the tournament landing site.

· For single-day tournaments, weigh-in will be held at 3:00 PM.

· For two-day tournaments, weigh-in for the first day will be held at 3:00 PM. Weigh-in for the second day will be held at 1:00 PM.

· If tournament start time is defined as safe light, the actual blast-off time will be determined by the Tournament Director.

· Start or blast-off time may not be before the launch time voted on at the pre-tournament meeting.

· Tournaments may be moved or canceled due to extenuating circumstances by the Tournament Director, with the consensus of the Board of Directors.

Eligible Fish-Creel and Slot Limits

· Eligible fish will be defined as Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, and Spotted Bass.

· Fish must be caught in a conventional manner on artificial bait.

· While sight fishing, fish must be caught in the mouth.

· Trolling is not permitted.

· Maximum allowed creel limit is five (5) fish. Local laws governing creel limits will override chapter rules.

· All fish must measure at least twelve (12) inches or the minimum length limit for the lake being fished. Local slot limits apply. Measurements will be made with the chapter’s tournament board. Fish will be measured with the mouth closed and touching the front of the board. The tail fin lobes will be squeezed together and the tail will be pulled straight back. The measurement will be from the tip of the snout to the extreme tip of the tail.

· Culling at the ramp or at weigh-in is not permitted. Culling to the five fish limit must occur at the time the sixth fish is caught and before fishing can resume.

Scoring-Points System

· Each pound of weight equals one (1) point.

· A penalty of three tenths of one point (.3 points) will be deducted for each dead fish.

· A penalty of one(1) point (one pound) will be deducted for each short fish (less than twelve inches or the local lake minimum length) brought to weigh-in.

· A 10% loss of total weight will be assessed for being late for weigh-in within five (5) minutes.

· A 50% loss of total weight will be assessed for being between five (5) and ten (10) minutes late for weigh-in.

· Anglers more than ten (10) minutes late for weigh-in will be disqualified

· In the event of mechanical failure, both anglers will be allowed to weigh in without penalty, provided another member is aware of the problem.

· In the case of a total weight tie, the largest number of fish will break the tie. If both weight and number of fish are the same, a tie will be declared and equal points and awards apply.

· The chapter will pay the top four places in each tournament. First place pays $40. Second place pays $30. Third place pays $20. Fourth place pays $10.

· If an angler would prefer a trophy for placing in a tournament, the cost of the trophy will be deducted from the angler’s payout.

· Five tenths of one point (.5 points) will be added to total points for each regular meeting attended.

· Tournament payouts will be paid at the annual awards banquet.