BASS CLUB OF FORT WORTH

2008 FISHING RULES

1. All state and federal laws will be in effect.
2. Any infraction of the rules will result in disciplinary action by the Executive Board, up to and including possible disqualification. In the case of a team effort, the whole team will be subject to the same action.
3. All members shall conduct themselves in a civil manner and sportsmanlike manners at all times or face disqualification and/or disciplinary action taken by the Executive Board. This includes drunkenness and disorderly conduct.
4. All protests must be made in writing to the Tournament Director within thirty (30) minutes after weigh-in time and a ruling shall be made by the Tournament Director and a minimum of two (2) Board members present.
5. Non-prepaid contestants are required to sign in before fishing or a 1-pound penalty from weight board will be deducted. No sign in is necessary if entry fee is paid at the meeting immediately preceding the tournament. Anyone prepaying and not able to fish may have their entry fee refunded or carried forward to the next tournament only if they contact the Tournament Director or any club office by 8:00pm on the day before the tournament. They may also rollover their entry fee to the next tournament or just leave it in and have it count toward Classic qualification or points.
6. Trailering is allowed if prepaid or after sign in.
7. All contestants must notify the Tournament Director of their presence by the deadline in order to avoid disqualification. (It is Not necessary to bring fish.)
8. All tournament participants must be present at weight-in or make arrangements for the Tournament Director to be notified that they are leaving or sign out.
9. A member of this club may not weigh in fish caught by someone else with the intention of taking credit of such weight.
10. Only members in good standing of the Bass Club of Fort Worth and their guests will be eligible for tournaments. Guests may fish one tournament without having to join the club. Each guest must pay the tournament entry fee and is required to fish with a member of the Bass Club of Fort Worth. Points earned by participation in tournament and club meeting attendance will count toward the yearly total if the guests officially joins the club on or before the next tournament date.
11. Any contestant retaining fish at the beginning of the tournament will be subject to disqualification from the Bass Club of Fort Worth.
12. Wading and tube fishing will be allowed. Club members may fish from the bank of the tournament lake as long as they do not trespass on any private property.
13. All tournaments will be for Smallmouth, Kentucky (Spotted) and Black Bass only.
14. Only artificial lures may be used. No live bait will be permitted. No trolling. Only one (1) rod may be used at any one time. Other rigged rods may be in the boat for substitute purposes.
15. All fish weighed in will meet state measuring requirements in effect at that time. Except on special regulation lakes, All Bass must be fourteen inch (14) minimum length. On slot limit lakes, bass must be ten (10) inches minimum length. Bass shall be measured on club straight board with mouth closed and tail pinched so if it touches any point on line, it is acceptable. For each fish brought in that is one half (1/2) inch below minimum length, one pound (1 lb.) shall be deducted from the stringer weight and that fish will not be weighed.
16. There will be a three (3) fish limit, unless lake rules demand less. Each contestant must bring only three (3) fish to weigh in. Fish shall be in weigh-in bags or containers with sufficient water to keep fish in good condition until they are released. Failure to do so shall result in a one pound penalty from total weight.
17. There will be no fishing within one hundred (100) feet of an anchored or tied boat of another club member, unless approved by the anchored or tied party.
18. All ties will be determined by the largest fish of the stringer. Any further ties will be determined by the flip of a coin.
19. In the case there are no fish caught, or not enough fish caught to fill the tournament places, there will be a drawing at the next meeting to fill the necessary places. All drawn winners will receive participation points only.
20. Special tournaments may be established for special occasions with rules applied to fit the needs of the tournaments. Such tournaments would be subject to approval of the club.
21. Any member fishing another tournament at the same time as the Bass Club of Fort Worth’s tournament must weigh in fish at our weigh-in site. No weight slips will be accepted.
22. The tournament shall have a fee of twenty ($20.00) dollars per contestant and includes fifteen ($15) dollars allocated to heavy stringer and five ($5) dollars allocated to big bass pot.
23. The $5 Big Bass Pot allocation is paid at 100% payoff for the three largest bass caught by paid participants in the tournament. Pay back will be first place fifty percent (50%), second place thirty percent (30%) and third place twenty percent (20%). Only one place will be paid per member. Each contestant must determine the largest fish of his/her stringer. Tournament allocation shall consist of eighty percent (80%) to contestants with the remaining twenty percent (20%) to cover the clubs expenses. Twenty-nine (29) or less participants will pay five (5) places of thirty percent (30%), twenty percent (20%), fifteen percent (15%), and ten percent. Thirty (30) to thirty-nine (39) participants will pay six (6) places of twenty-five percent (25%), eighteen percent (18%), fifteen percent (15%), ten percent (10%), seven percent (7%), and five percent (5%). Forty (40) to forty-nine (49) participants will pay seven (7) places of twenty-two percent (22%), sixteen percent (16%), thirteen percent (13%), eleven percent (11%), eight percent (8%), six percent (6%),and four percent (4%). Fifty to fifty-nine participants will pay eight (8) places of eighteen percent (18%), fifteen percent (15%), twelve and one half percent (12.5%), ten and one half percent (10.5%), nine percent (9%), seven percent (7%),and five percent (5%). Sixty or more participants will pay nine places of eighteen (18%), fifteen percent (15%), twelve percent (12%), nine and one half percent (9.5%), seven and one half percent (7.5%), six percent (6%), five percent (5%), four percent (4%) and three percent (3%).
ANGLERS 29 or less 30 to 39 40 to 49 50 to 59 60 or more
Finish 5 Places 6 Places 7 Places 8 Places 9 Places
First 30% 25% 22% 18% 18%
Second 20% 18% 16% 15% 15%
Third 15% 15% 13% 12.5% 12%
Fourth 10% 10% 11% 10.5% 9.5%
Fifth 5% 7% 8% 9% 7.5%
Sixth 5% 6% 7% 6%
Seventh 4% 5% 5%
Eighth 3% 4%
Ninth 3%
24. Policing the campground and the weight-in site will be the responsibility of all members before leaving the tournament.
25. All tournaments will be held within one hundred and fifty (150) nautical air miles of Fort Worth, with one tournament, per year, which can be in excess of one hundred and fifty (150) nautical air miles. This tournament will not be limited to any one month, but decided by a majority vote.
26. Only members and their guests participating in the club tournament will be allowed in the boat.
27. Each contestant will receive a two tenths (0.2) pound penalty off total stringer weight for each dead fish weighed in at the tournament (under Tournament Directors discretion).
28. Each tournament will be mandatory live release, except for Trophy Fish.
29. Dependent children, fourteen years of age and under, may fish with their parent or legal guardian without entering the tournament.
30. All tournament contestants must wear life jackets any time the boat in which they are riding or driving is on plane. A kill switch must be attached to the life jacket of the driver when the boat is on plane, unless the boat is not equipped with a kill switch.
31. There shall be an OFF LIMIT imposed on all tournament lakes whereby no contestant shall fish beginning at 12:00am on the day of the tournament and lasting until the official start time.
32. All tournament fishing hours are to be from 6:00am until 3:30 pm, unless changed by a majority vote at the meeting in which the lake is voted in.