La Crosse Bassmasters Rules

Tournament Rules

1. OFFICIAL RULES

The La Crosse Bassmasters Association will be directly affiliated with the TBF/Wisconsin State Bass Federation.

The primary goal of the TBF/Wisconsin State Bass Federation shall be to preserve and further the sport of bass angling.

2. OFFICERS

The officers shall consist of President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer. All four officers
shall be members of the TBF/Wisconsin State Bass Federation and the La Crosse Bassmasters Association. An election will be held each October to elect the above officers. Each officer shall be elected to serve a term of one year and may be removed from office only by a vote of two-thirds (2/3) of club members.

3. BOARD OF DIRECTORS

The President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer and Club Representative shall make up the Board of Directors. The Board shall be responsible for the orderly conduct of all business of the Chapter,
including, but not limited to, committees and their chairpersons.

4. COMMITTEES

The Board, by simple plurality vote, will appoint, from volunteers, the following committees and such
other special committees as may become necessary. Terms of the committees shall be one year.
To be eligible for appointment, a committee candidate must be a member in good standing of the
TBF/Wisconsin State Bass Federation and the La Crosse Bassmasters.

4.1 FISH COMMITTEE

The number of members of this committee shall be determined by the chairman. The Fish Committee Chairman is an elected position. He will not serve on the Board, but is urged to attend all meetings. The purpose of this committee shall be to plan, organize and conduct all LA CROSSE BASSMASTERS Tournaments. These members will have the responsibility for the following:

     A. Make prepatory arrangements and contacts at the lake, resort, etc.

     B. Appoint a person as starter and timer.

     C. Appoint one person to weigh in the fish (responsible for scale).

     D. Furnish map of directions to landings.

     E. Furnish map of the lake.

     F. Submit standings for each tournament fished and annual final standings.
        Annual Standings must be submitted to Club Representative by end of calendar year.

     G. This Fish Committee Chairman is responsible for the enforcement of the official tournament
         rules. The Fish Committee will rule with final authority on proper conduct, procedures,
         qualifications, disqualifications and other matters relating to the tournament. The tournaments
         will be conducted so that honor, integrity, sportsmanship and the highest ideas of fair play will
         be evident.

4.2 ENVIRONMENTAL COMMITTEE

The number of members to serve on this committee shall be determined by the Board of Directors. The purpose of this committee shall be to protect our natural environment from harmful change; to document and report to proper authorities violations of local, state and federal anti-pollution laws,
statutes, regulations, ordinances and other regulatory devices; to take political action to prove our
environment; undertake informational and educational programs to bring to the public a great
awareness of threats to our environment and, above all, take a leadership role in repairing the harm
that has already been done to life giving waters of America.

4.3 YOUTH ACTIVITIES COMMITTEE

The number of members to serve on this committee shall be determined by the Board. The purpose
of this committee shall be to plan, organize and implement an annual "KIDS CASTING CONTEST"
and other youth activities, to introduce young fisherpersons to the goals and objectives of TBF/FLW;
to give them a basis for respect of nature, conservation practices, and appreciation of the basic rules
of honesty, integrity, fair play and good sportsmanship and to give them an introduction to the sheer
joy of bass fishing.

4.4 SPECIAL COMMITTEES

Special committees may be formed by the Board, but only for closely defined purposes and in no case may the tenure of a special committee exceed two years from the date of appointment. Special committees may not supersede or otherwise infringe upon the duties and responsibilities of standing committees.

5. MEMBERSHIP

The membership dues for the La Crosse Bassmasters shall be $60.00 per year. Dues shall be payable at the first meeting in October of each year. These membership dues will be utilized for the operating
expenses of the club. Persons desiring to become a member must first be placed in nomination to the membership by a minimum of two member sponsors. The membership will vote by simple majority to accept or reject the proposed new member. No person will be allowed membership unless they have attained their 16th birthday.

6. REMOVAL OF MEMBERSHIP

A member shall be dropped from the membership role for the following:

       6.1 Failure to pay dues.

       6.2 Any action which would reflect dishonor and disgrace on this chapter.

       6.3 Tournament rule #16.

7. METHODS OF OBTAINING POINTS

Below is a list of the methods in which points may be obtained for zone qualification eligibility.

       7.1 Participation each tournament--------------------------- + 5

       7.2 Every ounce of bass weighed in at each tournament------ + 1

       7.3 Each legal bass weighed in alive and released alive-------- + 1

       7.4 Any "short" fish less than minimum state requirement----- - 16

       7.5 Any dead fish------------------------------------------- - 2

There will be a Big Bass of the Year Award. Each contestant, if he feels he has a fish which might be Big Bass, must ask that it be weighed separately. It is the sole responsibility of the fisherman to weigh a big fish; he may ask what the previous big fish weighed.

8. SELECTING TOURNAMENT WATERS

Tournament water selection; will be by the membership during the October meeting. Nominations for prospective tournament waters may be submitted in September. Nominations will be voted on by the membership with a common majority rule.

There will be a minimum of six scheduled club tournaments, fished between April 1 thru October 31st. Other tournaments may be scheduled by club vote such as challenge, invitation, open and wild card tournaments.

9. OFFICIAL TOURNAMENT RULES

9.1   All participants in any La Crosse Bassmasters tournament shall be a member in good standings. Membership dues must be paid in full.

9.2   The entry fee of $6.00 for each tournament will be due prior to tournament drawing time. NO LATE ENTRIES WILL BE ACCEPTED AFTER THE TOURNAMENT DRAWING HAS STARTED. The drawings will be held at least 10 days prior to a tournament. New members who meet all qualifications but were admitted to the club after a tournament has been drawn for will be admitted to the tournament field on a first come first serve basis.

9.3   A full discussion must be held between the two partners prior to a morning departure as to boat selection and the schedule of boat operations. This schedule must permit each partner equal time to fish from the front of the boat and to operate the trolling motor, so as to afford each partner the opportunity to fish his selected waters an equal number of hours. Any argument to be settled by a flip of a coin. If a contestant waives the above rights, he shall retain the right to select the fishing waters for one-half of the tournament day. Any contestant who, in the judgement of the officials, operates the boat in such a manner as to unfairly handicap his partner shall be disqualified. In view of the large expense involved in operating and maintaining a tournament bass boat, it is suggested that the non-owner partner pay an amount agreed upon to the boat owner for each day's boat expenses. All contestants are responsible for furnishing a boat and motor to the tournament. Agreement by partners must be made in advance as to who will be responsible for boat and motor; disagreements shall be settled by a flip of a coin.

9.4   Fishing on the tournament waters is permitted anywhere except: within 50 yards of a marina gas pump, within 50 yards of another competitor's boats which was first anchored and with the trolling motor up. No boat may block a narrows, entrance to a lake, etc. Boats must proceed as far from the other boat as possible with as little wake as possible. No such anchored boat shall permit selected competitors to fish within the 50-yard circle claimed by him, to the exclusion of any other competitor. All angling must be done from the boat. Contestants must not depart boat to land fish. Boats must remain in tournaments waters during tournament day, or remain at official checkpoint. Contestants must leave and return to official checkpoint by boat. Both competitors must remain in boat at all times, except in case of dire emergency. In such an emergency, competitors may be removed from their boat to a boat operated by other competitors or a rescue boat so designated by tournament officials. Partners must remain together at all times, in sight of each other and each other's catch, under the conditions cited above, in order for their catch of that day to be scored in the tournament. If a competitor must violate any of the above conditions due to an emergency, or any other reason approved by the Tournament Committee, his catch of that day will be weighed in at the weigh-in station and counted in the tournament. A tournament official, or someone designated by the Fish Committee, will then take the place of the contestant leaving the boat and the contestant remaining may go back to fishing with his observer. Under unusual circumstances, the Tournament Committee and/or the Board may make exceptions to this and the contestant may fish alone. When an observer is to take the place of the contestant leaving the boat, the contestant remaining shall have sole control of the boat and fishing locations after the observer enters the boat. Trailering of boats during tournament hours is prohibited.

9.5   There will be only one official point for check-out in the morning and check-in in the afternoon and this point will be designated prior to the tournament. At the time of check-out, all competitors and their boats shall be in full conformance which all rules set forth by Fish Committee; at check-in, all boats shall identify themselves by means of the numbered flags, if furnished, and proceed immediately to the designated weigh-in areas. Partners must stay together and flags must be turned in at weigh-in. Flag number will determine positions for weigh-in.

9.6   Tournament standing, auxiliary awards and final winners shall be determined by the pound-and-ounce weight of each competitor's catch during the day, or days, of the tournament. Only largemouth or smallmouth bass will be weighed. All competitors are bound by the prevailing statutes and regulations of the state in which the tournament takes place. A maximum of five fish may be weighed by each competitor in any club tournament. At no time will a competitor cull a dead fish. Any bass which does not survive will be returned to the contestants. Any bass that appears to have been altered to meet minimum length requirements may be weighed and credited only at the discretion of tournament officials. The weight of each competitors catch will be certified by the Fish Committee.

9.7   Competitors who are not in the official checkpoint area at the appointed time shall accrue penalty points at the rate of 10% of their total points for that day (including any points for big bass) for each minute late or fraction thereof. Any competitor over nine minutes late shall lose all credit for that days catch. There shall be no excuse for tardiness, and in no case shall a competitor be allowed to make up "lost time." After proper recognition at the check-in point, competitors will be allowed ample time to proceed to the weigh-in site; however, all fishing must cease upon check-in. After tournament begins, fishing is prohibited except during tournament hours. Exact starting and check-in times will be announced prior to the tournament.

9.8   In case of a tie for first or last place in final club standings, the tie breaker shall be decided by total number of fish, the second tie breaker shall be decided by largest fish. All other ties shall be decided by flip of a coin.

9.9   Two contestants will be assigned to each boat prior to the tournament by a drawing. Announcement of partners shall be made no later than the club meeting prior to each tournament. It shall be the responsibility of each partner to appear at a mutually-agreed-upon location with sufficient time remaining to check out at the official check-point and start on time.

9.10 Tournament officials shall have no responsibility for finding missing partners. When two contestants check out at the beginning of the day, they must stay together and within sight of each other and each other's catch throughout the day until the weigh-in is completed. A contestant must not allow any bass caught by him to be counted on the score of another contestant. In such a case, both contestants shall be disqualified from this tournament.

9.11 Boat Operation. Safe boating conduct must be observed at all times by all tournament competition. Each competitor is required to wear a U.S. Coast Guard approved chest-type life preserver. This preserver must be strapped, snapped or zippered securely and maintained in that condition until the combustion engine is shut off. All boats shall be equipped with a combustion engine kill switch.

9.12 Only artificial lures may be used. No "live bait" or "prepared bait" will be permitted, with the exception of pork strips, rind, etc. No casting, spin-casting, fly or spinning rod, more than eight feet in length may be used. Only one rod is permitted in use at any given time. All bass must be caught live and in a conventional sporting manner. Trolling as a method of fishing is prohibited.

9.13 Each boat must be equipped with a live well space properly aerated to adequately maintain alive a limit catch of bass by both fishermen using the boat. Fish must be kept inside of the boat at all times. This may be in the form of a large cooler equipped with an aerator. Absolutely no stringers or fish baskets will be allowed as a means of holding or carrying fish.

9.14 All tournaments will be started with an ease off. Boat positions will be determined by order of drawing. The last team drawn will be in charge of ease off for the tournament, to let the boats go no sooner than 15 seconds apart. Boat position will also determine the order for weigh-in.

9.15 Fishing hours will be announced no later than the last La Crosse Bassmasters Club meeting prior to the tournament (preferably when the year's tournament schedule is distributed).

9.16 The drawing of partners is final. There will be no changing of partners after drawing has taken place. In the event a member withdraws, the pairings will be determined by the Fish Committee Chairman. Leaving your partner at the dock can be considered grounds for dismissal from the club. Boat selection will be settled by a flip of a coin if partners are unable to agree.

9.17 Any questions other than those specified will be left to the discretion of the Fish Committee Chairman.

FINAL OBJECTIONS OR REPORTS OF RULE INFRACTIONS WILL BE BROUGHT TO THE ATTENTION OF THE FISH COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE END OF THE TOURNAMENT. THE PROTEST SHALL BE HANDED IN WRITING (NOT TO EXCEED 30 MINUTES AFTER THE END OF THE TOURNAMENT) TO THE FISH COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN.

The chairman will immediately meet with the committee to make a ruling and report this to the tournament contestants. (Fish Committee members accused of rule infractions will not meet with
the Fish Committee to rule on the infractions).

10. AWARDS

10.1 TOURNAMENT TROPHIES AND AWARDS

Chevrons will be awarded for first through sixth place for club tournaments and members qualifying for Zone, State, Divisional and National Tournaments. Members shall be awarded
plaques with their first chevron and additional plaques after each previous plaque is complete.

10.2 "MR. BASS AWARD"

"Mr. Bass" plaque will be awarded for the club member accumulating the most tournament places.

10.3 AWARD FOR LARGEST BASS

A plaque will be awarded to the club member catching the largest bass of the year.

11. METHODS OF AMENDING THE BY-LAWS

The bylaws may be amended at any regular meeting by a 2/3 vote of the members present, provided written notice of the proposed amendment has been presented to the membership at least one regular meeting prior to the vote.

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