ST. ANDREWS BASSMASTERS

CLUB BYLAWS

The St. Andrews Bassmasters follow the basic rules of the National B.A.S.S. Association set out for their tournaments. Below are the rules which will apply to St. Andrews Bassmasters.

MEMBERSHIP AND DUES

1. Club Dues 

2. New Members

All new members must be voted in by the club membership at large. When the club roster is thirty (30) or more, the prospective member must fish two (2) tournaments as a guest before the vote is held. At least one of these tournaments must be fished with an officer of the club. The partner for the other tournament will be determined by the draw.

3. Absences

If a member misses two (2) consecutive meetings and two (2) consecutive tournaments without good reason, they will be dropped from the club roster for the remainder of the tournament year.

TOURNAMENT PARTICIPATION AND PARTNER DRAW

4. Back Dues

If a member gets two (2) months behind in dues, he cannot participate in Club tournaments until all back dues are paid.

5. Guides

Persons who guide may not participate in Club tournaments if they have guided for pay within the preceding twelve (12) months on the tournament lake.

6. Partner Draw

Partners will be drawn at the monthly meeting of the club before each tournament. No pairings are permitted prior to the draw, except as indicated in section (6)(e) below.

a. Boaters

All members have the option to use their boat. Members wishing to use their boats will be assigned a number to be placed in the draw. All boats must go into the draw.

b. Non-Boaters

Each non-boater will draw a boater number to determine the pairings. Non-boaters have the option to redraw if they draw the same person for two (2) consecutive tournaments.

c. Open Boats

Following the draw, open boaters have the option to:

(1) fish open,

(2) pair up with an other open boat or,

(3) bring a guest.

d. Guests

Guests of Club members are welcome to attend meetings and may fish tournaments. A guest wishing to fish a tournament as a non-boater must participate in the draw for a boating partner with whom to fish, except as indicated in 6.c.3. above.

Each member in good standing shall be granted the opportunity to have two (2) exemptions from the boat draw, per tournament year. One of these exemptions may be used in the first six months of the tournament year and one may be used in the second six months. This opportunity may be revoked if it negatively affects the availability of boating members to host the non-boating members. These opportunities will be awarded on a first-come, first-serve basis as reported to and determined by the tournament director.

TACKLE AND EQUIPMENT

7. Boating Equipment

Only boats and motors complying with state laws may be used in club tournaments.

8. Accessory Equipment

Electronic trolling motors, depth finders and graphs (paper, LCR's & CRT's), location marks, temperature, oxygen and PH monitors, and other generally accepted electronic equipment may be used.

9. Lures

Only artificial lures may be used. No live or prepared baits are allowed except commercial pork baits.

10. Tackle

All fish must be caught on a rod & reel. Only one type of rod may be fished at a time. Other rods may be pre-rigged and available for immediate use.

11. Fishing Methods

Fish must be caught in an accepted conventional manner (no foul hooking of fish or trolling with gas motors).

TOURNAMENT RULES

12. Competition Fish

Only largemouth, smallmouth or spotted bass will be counted. Mashed, mangled or foul-hooked bass will not be counted.

13. Size Limit

Minimum of twelve (12) inches per fish as measured by the tournament officials. (Mouth shut, open or closed tail)

14. Stringer Limit

Five (5) fish per fisherman per tournament day may be weighed in.

15. Boat Operation and Expenses

Operating a boat in a negligent or unsafe manner or in violation of any state or federal law will result in immediate and final disqualification. Partners will agree as to expense sharing (non-boater is to offer a minimum of $15.00 per tournament day). Each contestant will have the right to the front of the boat for one half of each tournament day and to select fishing locations for half of the tournament hours.

16. Fishing Locations

First to arrive at a location "owns" the location and all water within fifty (50) yards of his boat location in any direction.

17. Lake Headquarter

Headquarters will be designated by the tournament committee. Boats must leave and return to this location by water, except during trailer tournaments. A check-in point will be designated. Each contestant must check in at the end of each tournament day.

18. Tournament Hours

Tournaments are not to exceed nine hours, except during night tournaments. Tournament hours will be voted on at the meeting.

19. Blast Off

All boats must be in the water or at the landing by blast-off time. Each boat should exercise good judgement in the interest of safety during blast-off.

20. Weigh-In

Weigh-in will be at lake headquarters. A weigh-in deadline will be announced at the meeting prior to the tournament. Partners must remain together at weigh-in. Fish must be caught by the contestant weighing them in unless pre-arranged with the tournament committee. All fish will be weighed by the tournament committee designee, usually the tournament director. No more than one limit of fish per contestant should be brought to the scales. Contestants should measure and count fish prior to placing them on the weigh-in scales. Once fish are placed on the scales, the contestant does not have the right to cull his string. Penalties will be assessed at that point.

21. Leaving The Tournament Early

If a contestant decides to leave early because of a pre-arranged agreement he must notify the tournament committee at the meeting that he can not fish the entire tournament. If this is the case, another member can weigh-in that person's fish for him. If leaving early because of bad weather or other unforeseen circumstances, he should leave a note or tell another member that he is leaving the tournament. If a note is left, it must be left on another member's vehicle at the weigh-in site. If not notified, the fisherman leaving early will be disqualified.

22. Hazardous Weather

The tournament committee will determine proper weather and go or postpone accordingly. If postponement of competition is determined at any time, weights at that time will determine the winners.

23. Winners

First place and subsequent places will be determined by total weight of creel (largest to smallest).

24. Tournament Tie

Ties will be decided by the largest single fish in the stringer. Person with the largest fish in the stringer will become the winner of a tie. Loser will take the next place down in the standings for that tournament.

25. Releasing of Fish

All fish will be released at the end of the tournament day, except for family weekends, fish to be mounted, or dead fish.

PENALTIES AND PROTESTS

26. Penalties

The following penalties will apply to all tournaments:

a. Late For Blast-Off

The tournament committee will decided if lateness is due to unavoidable circumstances (mechanical failure, act of God, etc.) or laziness on the part of the late member(s). If it is not determined to be unavoidable circumstances, one (1) pound will be deducted from the total weight of that member's stringer at weigh-in. If it is determined to be unavoidable, no penalty will be assessed.

b. Late for Weigh-In

A 5% of total weight penalty will be assessed for each minute late, up to fifteen (15) minutes. After fifteen (15) minutes, no fish will be weighed.

c. Leaving Early

Unless pre-arranged with the tournament committee, persons who leave early without notifying another member will be disqualified from the tournament and will forfeit both tournament attendance and weigh-in points. If another member was notified, points shall be awarded as if the member fished the tournament but caught no fish. If the fish are left with another member for weigh-in, the tournament committee shall decide whether or not to accept the fish for weigh-in.

d. Too Many Fish Weighed In

For each fish over the five (5) fish limit placed on the weigh-in scales, the stringer will be culled, beginning with the largest fish down to a five (5) fish limit.

e. Small Fish

Contestant will lose one (1) pound per fish for each short (under 12 inches) fish that is placed on the weigh-in scales.

f. Dead Fish

Dead fish penalty will be assessed at a rate of 4 ounces (¼ lb.) per dead fish weighed in.

27. Protests

Protests must be in writing, signed and presented personally to a member of the tournament committee within 30 minutes of each day's weigh-in time.

OTHER RULES

28. Scoring

A point system will be used to determine the standings in the Club.

a. Tournament Weigh-In Points

Points will be awarded to all members who attend a tournament. They will be awarded based on total weight as follows:

1st place 40 Points

Subsequent Places Decline by 1 point per place (2nd place = 39, 3rd place = 38, etc.)

Non-weighing contestants earn 5 Points

b. Tournament Bonus Points

Big Fish 3 Points

Limit of fish 3 Points

Weight Bonus for stringers of 5 pounds or more: 1 point per whole pound

(e.g., 5 lbs. 15 oz. = 5 points; 6 lbs. 0 oz. = 6 points)

c. Attendance Points

Each meeting attended 5 Points

Each Tournament attended 5 Points (see 28, A above)

Each member's final points accumulation will exclude points from 1 tournament each tournament year. All points received or that would have been received from the actual tournament will be excluded from the total.

Note: This does not include points that would have been received from the meeting prior to the tournament.

e. End of Year Points Tie

In case of a points tie at the end of the tournament year, bonus points will be awarded for the number of 1st, 2nd and 3rd place finishes during the year as follows:

Each 1st place finish 3 Points

Each 2nd place finish 2 Points

Each 3rd place finish 1 Points

f. Further tie-breaker

If there is still a tie, the winner will be decided by total weight of fish weighed in during the tournament year.

29. Six Man Team

The Club will pay the entry fees for one 6-man team. The top 6 members in point standings at the end of the tournament year will determine the 6-man team. If, for any reason, a team cannot be filled from the top 6, the members next in line (7, 8 and so on) in point standings will qualify until a 6-man team can be filled.

30. Firearms

It is not the intent of this Club to infringe on the rights of individual gun owners. State and federal firearms laws apply. However, as Club members, we also have a responsibility to the public to act in a safe manner. Therefore, no public display of firearms will be tolerated.

31. Enforcement

The duly appointed tournament committee will be the final authority for the interpretation and enforcement of the Club rules.

A tournament committee consisting of two officers and two members-at-large shall be designated at the beginning of each tournament year.

Revised August 2001