2011 Duluth Bass Club Rules
Approved and adopted 12/08/10
Purpose
of the
Organizational
1. An Organizational Meeting will be held prior to the start of the year. This is a business meeting for purposes of adopting rules, electing officers for the coming year, and the secretary is to provide a financial accounting for the calendar year.
2. Officers will be elected at the organizational meeting. To be eligible to hold an office; one must have been an active member in good standing from the preceding season. Term in office is 6 months and officers will be determined by a majority vote.
(1) President, (2) Vice President / Assistant TD, (3) Tournament Director, (4) Secretary / Treasurer, (5) Webmaster (6) Accommodations Director
3. Tournament Committee: The tournament director will be responsible for conducting the boat inspection, Blast-off, Weigh-in, and will be supported by the VP/ATD and members of the team who draw/receive the last number at the monthly meeting, teams are limited to this duty once in a 6-month season. The designated team who fails to support this vital responsibility shall lose their meeting points.
4. Committees: Open Tournament, Sponsorship, Media/Tournament Coverage will provide as needed reports to members.
5. Rule Changes: Suggestions for rule changes are to be submitted in writing to the club officers for a rules committee to consider proceeding the next season. New rules will be presented in October with final discussion in November & December and voted on for implementation during the organizational meeting. Rule changes may only be amended at the Organizational Meeting by a majority of the members present.
6. Eligibility to Vote: Each member present is entitled to one vote. For purposes of voting on rules and bylaws; a member is defined as having paid membership fees for either the current or upcoming season. Teams are permitted one (1) vote when determining tournament issues such as lake choice, launch ramps, and tourney hours.
7. Fundraiser Pot Tournament: Providing a pot tournament is held during the year; Benefits from this fundraiser will be put into the club’s general fund and used for the overall good of the membership providing 60% team participation from the club membership is achieved in support of the function. These funds will be available to support club expenditures that benefit the total club membership. If less than 60% participation is achieved; the funds will be used to reduce costs for those teams who participated when funding requirements for a club function or purchase occurs.
8. Charity event: See club Secretary for the addendum to Club rules, which details the event.
Meeting, Membership, Initiation, & Recognition
1. Membership: The Duluth Bass Club membership shall be no greater than 40 teams. “CHARTER MEMBERS” (founders, original members) of the Duluth Bass Club may return to active membership anytime following an absence.
2. Guest Option: is used when the club’s membership had reached its 40 team limit or so that new teams can experience the club, or for past members to fish a single tournament for fun. Guest teams are encouraged to attend the meeting. Guest teams are eligible to fish for the tournament’s big fish pot only.
3. Bi-Monthly Meeting Attendance: The regular bass club meetings will be held every other month on the Tuesday evening 7:00PM @ Bass Pro Shops preceding the Sunday tournaments of the following months-(January, March, May, July, September and November. Organizational meeting will be held in December the Tuesday prior to the Classic. Meeting points will be awarded if entry fee is paid before or at the bi-monthly meeting. A team not attending the meetings will have no voting rights nor will they be eligible to receive Door Prize drawings. A team may have a person represent them (such as a wife or an immediate family member but not a competing team. If represented they shall receive all the benefits as if a team member were present. A team who pays at the ramp and does not attend the meeting will not receive meeting points. The secretary will monitor meeting attendance.
4. Initiation Fee: NEW adult members joining the Duluth Bass Club will incur a one-time initiation fee of $15 per person. This will fund the cost of required media relations, mailing expenses, weigh-in materials, warranties, lake permits, etc.
5. Membership Dues: Membership dues are $40 per team for each season. For late joining teams dues are prorated $5 for each missed tournament but not more than 50% (a maximum prorate of $20) of dues.
6. Late membership Rule: A NEW team joining the Duluth Bass Club after the first tournament is required to: Attend the next bi-monthly meeting and pay all applicable fees prior to participating.
7. Plaques/Trophies: Duluth Bass Club will provide plaques for Big Bass and the Monthly Tournament winners. $1.00/team from each tournament entry will fund the cost incurred to provide the plaques.
8. Club’s Points Champions: In recognition for being the season’s point champions, the club treasury will purchase shirts for both anglers (NTE-$38 ea.) that will include their names, club logo, and state for example: 2011 Spring Champions.
Tournament...General
Tournament Rule #1 - Anyone who has ever failed a polygraph test regarding fishing related activities will not become a member or fish with the Duluth Bass Club. A team’s membership can be revoked by a majority vote of the membership, when cause for Duluth Bass Club dishonor or disgrace surfaces.
2. Boat Equipment: All boats must have all the required safety equipment and an aerated live well system adequate to sustain a limit of bass.
3. Fishing Methods: Artificial baits only, no trolling; each angler may not fish with more than one rod at a time meaning that they may not actively fish but with one rod at any one given time. No fishing or fishing tackle is permitted in hand if or while out of the boat during tournament hours.
4. Safety: Safety is #1 and is to be observed. It is mandatory that Duluth Bass Club Anglers wear a life vest anytime the gasoline-engine is running (Exception: inside buoys/no-wake zones). A safety committee consisting of the tournament director and president shall have the authority to call, postpone, or move any tournament to the runner-up lake when hazardous conditions exist.
5. Circuit Description: The Duluth Bass Club 2011 circuit will contain two (2) seasons as follows:
• 1st Season: Spring Half: Jan. 16th, Feb. 20th, Mar. 20th, April (2-Day 16th–17th), May 15th, June 19th
• 2nd Season: Fall Half: July 17th, Aug. 21st, Sep. 18th, October (2-Day 15th- 16th), Nov. 20st, Dec. 4th.
• 12 monthly qualifying tournaments are held during the year. The lakes will be determined as described in picking lakes.
• The December tournament is traditionally held 1st Sunday in December to avoid the Christmas holidays and allows the fall Classic to also be completed prior to the holiday season.
• A 2-day tournament will be held in April during the spring season and in October during the fall season. A team may choose to fish only 1 day of the 2-day tournaments. 2-day tournament lakes will be determined two months in advance.
• The Classic will be held after each 6-month season for those teams qualifying.
6. Payback: Duluth Bass Club tournament pay back will be one place for every 5 teams with a 5 place max payout. The tournament payback schedule is available from the club secretary and is also contained in the club rules handout:
# Teams 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th
1-13 100%
14-20 60% 40%
21-27 50% 30% 20%
28-34 40% 30% 20% 10%
35-Limit 40% 25% 15% 10% 10%
• Big Bass payback is $5.00/boat, Pay 1 place @ 100%
7. Alternates: Each team may use two (2) alternate(s) a season. An alternate cannot represent a team or fish by themselves. A team member may fish by oneself when a member of the team cannot fish a tournament. All family members of ones immediate household (son, daughter, and wife) is considered one (1) alternate. This is to encourage family participation.
8. Tournament Hours, Ramp and Blast-off order: Tournament hours and ramp location will be voted on at the bi-monthly meeting and the Tournament Director will determine the actual safe-light blast-off time. Boat departure #’s will be drawn at the meeting by teams entered. Teams not present for the meeting will receive the remaining highest blast-off #’s, Bull-horn/blast-off duty will be the responsibility of the last boat number drawn or assigned at the meeting and teams are limited to this duty once during a 6-mo season. Cards with the boat #’s, tournament hours, and several emergency cell phone #’s will be passed out as teams have their boat inspected tournament morning. All boats are to be inspected and in the water 15 minutes prior to blast-off, or they will be considered late! It is a team’s responsibility to check-in.
9. Picking Lakes: Lakes will be chosen for the following two months tournaments at each bi-monthly meeting. Each TEAM will vote from a ballot containing all eligible lakes. The two lakes receiving the most votes will then be given a second round written team vote to determine the tournament lake. If a tie exists creating a third lake on the first round, a run-off vote will pare the choice down to two lakes. Lakes will be voted on a minimum 2-months in advance to enable participants to make hotel/motel accommodations. All Georgia lakes and out-of-state lakes within 225 mi. are eligible to be fished as the voting membership dictates and fishing a lake no more than two times per season and never in consecutive months.
Tournament...Rules
1. Tournament Director’s decision is FINAL on all matters. Any protests must be made known to a club official prior to the weigh-in. Decisions on protests will made by the tournament director after collaboration with affected teams and club officers.
2. Tournament Entries: The monthly tournament entry fee is $50.00*/team; which includes $2.00 for Door Prize drawing. $5.00 goes toward “T” Big Bass. $1.00 goes toward monthly tournament plaques, $0.50 goes toward Classic plaques, and $0.50 goes to the General Fund. The resulting “T” pay back will be $38.50. Contact the club secretary for the complete tournament payout schedule. Late entry teams (defined as paying any portion of the entry fee at the ramp) will incur a $10.00 late fee (which will go into the Classic fund). An ongoing side-pot of $2.50/”T” is included for the three largest bass caught during the entire 6-mo. season - split in a 50-30-20 with payout at the final “T” of each season.
3. Scoring: Limit of (five) 5 Largemouth, Smallmouth, Spotted, Redeye, or Coosa Bass - twelve (12) inches (or the minimum length limit if greater) in length (mouth closed) measured on the club’s official “Golden Rule” board will be scored accordingly. Weight will be measured in lbs. and hundredths (0.01). There will be a one-quarter lb. (0.25 lb.) penalty for each dead bass weighed. Tournament placement will be made by total weight LESS any penalty for dead fish.
4. Penalties: Upon teams turning their fish over to weigh-in committee; they shall not handle/touch their creel until the weight is recorded without being disqualified. The tournament director may be asked to provide a courtesy measurement on one fish only using the club’s official measuring board. In the case of a short fish (less than 12”, or the legal lake size limit) is weighed, that fish plus the team’s largest bass will be removed from the team’s catch. Should more than one short fish be weighed, that team will have their catch disqualified. No culling at/near the scales/weigh-in area.
5. Tie Breakers: When teams tie with total weight, and penalty subtracted, both will get credit for that position, however tie-breakers to determine pay-outs and plaques as follows in this order: 1) Most fish, 2) Biggest Bass, 3) flip of a coin. Tournament money winnings are split equally when ties become unresolved.
6. Early departures: Should any team need to or decide to leave a tournament early, it is their responsibility to notify either the tournament director, another team that they plan to do so or leave a note on another team’s vehicle to that effect.
7. Late Check-in: Any team that fails to return to the weigh-in area at the designated time will be penalized one pound per minute (starting with their Big Bass) up to 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, the team will be disqualified. Boats can but do not have to be out of the water prior to weighing your catch.
8. Emergencies or Boat Problems on the water: Regardless of the situation, one member of the team must present their teams catch at the weigh-in in order to be counted; If a team experiences boat problems they may flag down another competitor and be towed, or one member can stay with the boat and the other team member bring their team’s catch to the weigh-in.
9. Communication during tournament hours: Teams should not communicate to discuss patterns and/or locations with other participants during tournament hours. Cell phone use should be limited to emergency calls or calls NOT associated with the tournament.
Classic: 2011 Classic Qualifying & Payout Process
• Teams finishing in the Top-5 points standing qualify for that season’s classic regardless of the number of tournaments fished.
• 33% of the member teams will qualify for the classic defined as a percentage of teams paid for the season. Number will be rounded up regardless of percentage.
• Any team who wins one (1) tournament during the 6-month season and has fished 5 of the 6 tournaments in that season will qualify for the classic regardless of their points standing.
• Any team that fishes 5 of 6 tournaments in a season will be eligible to fish the season ending Classic tournament, regardless of wins or points standings. Teams deciding to participate under this rule will have NO vote for the Classic lake, and must pay a $50 per boat entry fee. This fee will be added to total Classic purse.
• The Classic will be held on the Sunday following the last tournament of that season.
• The “Classic” lake will be chosen by blind draw. Each eligible team will be allowed to submit one ballot of their lake / ramp choice. There are no restrictions on the Classic lake choice, other than the 225 mile radius. A draw of the ballots will be made to determine the Classic lake for the season.
• No alternates or substitutes can be used in the Classic for any reason regardless of the situation.
• The Classic “POT” will be the membership money and interest earned; less any applicable expenses.
• Plaques for the Classic Champs and Big Bass at the Classic will be provided as noted above in “T” Entry fees ( $100).
• Before the classic payout is calculated, $50 will be paid to each team that has “qualified”. The balance will paid per the schedule below.
• The Classic will pay five (5) places at the rate of: 40%* for 1st, 25%* for 2nd, 15%* for 3rd, 10%* for 4th, and 10%* for 5th.
• Additional Classic payouts of $50 will be made to 6th place Classic qualifiers and beyond.
36 Team memberships Example: $ 1400 in fund (40%-25%-15%-10%-10% split)
1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th
40% 25% 15% 10% 10%
$480 $300 $180 $120 $120
Classic Payout will be according to above schedule: = % of Classic POT
POINTS CALCULATION FOR DETERMINING CLASSIC QUALIFIERS AND SEASON ENDING
CHAMPIONS
We will take the number of boats for each tournament and divide into
100. In the case of fractional points, we will round down to the nearest whole
number. This will give us the value of each place.
(So if we have 20 boats, 100/20 = 5 points per place. 1st is worth 100,
2nd is 95, 3rd is 90, etc.) We will award points on this scale.
1st place=100
2nd place=95
3rd place=90
4th place=85
5th place=80
Etc
In the event of a tie both teams will be awarded the same points for the
position in which they tied (including a tie for last place).