Tournament Rules and Regulations
March 2016
The rules set forth below are to be used at all tournaments. The responsibility for interpretation of these rules lies solely with the tournament director and/or tournament committee and all decisions rendered are final.
1. Participation: Chapter members who are in good standing as described in Tri-County Bassmasters bylaws will be allowed to fish chapter tournaments for prizes or points.
2. Pre-Tournament Practice: Tournament waters shall become off limits to all competitors at midnight prior to the tournament day.
3. Payment: All tournaments will be prepared the meeting before the tournament date. Entry fee must be paid by this time. Withdrawal will be permitted up to 4 days prior to the tournament with a full refund. You must notify the tournament director (or any executive officer) that you cannot attend the tournament. No points will be awarded for not showing up on tournament day.
4. Registration: Registration will be done at the meeting before the tournament date. ' No fishing allowed until the tournament starts. Anyone arriving after 6:45 am will be penalized his attendance points for that event. lf you arrive after 7:00 any you will
not be allowed to fish.
5 Tackle and Equipment : All competitors must provide an adequate means of keeping fish alive during the tournament and weigh-in. Stringer of fish in any manner shall be prohibited. Artificial lures only may be used. Allowable exceptions are pork rind and strips only one rod may be in use at a time. No trolling allowed. New Massachusetts lead laws prohibit the use of lead weights and jigs 1oz and under. Any tournament competitor receiving a finable ticket for any infraction during a tournament will be disqualified for that tournament. They will, however, be allowed to continue fishing for the day, for the benefit of the other angler in the boat, and for any lunker prizes, but their weight will not count for points or place.
6. Boat Safety: Any safe and worthy craft may be used provided it is used only in accordance with its legal and safe horsepower rating. Canoes and rowboats are also allowed with or without motors. All state required safety equipment is required on all boats in competition. All boats with gas motors MUST carry $100,000 liability insurance. A certificate of insurance must be turned in to the club secretary. Proof of insurance is required before fishing in any tournament with your boat. Life jackets must be worn secured at all times while the combustion engine is running. All combustion engines 25 horsepower and over will be equipped with a working ignition kill switch, which will be attached to the driver anytime the engine is running. No Angler shall leave the boat during a Tournament unless there is an emergency. Boats shall be operated in a safe and sane manner. The non-boater has the right to demand safe and sane boat operation. Any Violations of this rule shall be reason for immediate disqualification.
7. Check in: All competitors must check in for weigh-in at the scheduled time with the designated check in boat. Check-in boat will be run by a tournament committee member and will have the official tournament time with them. Check-in area will be designated at the pre- tournament meeting by the tournament director. Checkin boat shall be at the check -in area five (5) minutes before the end of the tournament. lf a special need for an early check-in arises, the competitor must be weighed in by at least one tournament committee member and another chapter member. Late penalty: Weight will be deducted for late check in at the rate of one (1) pound or up to the first five (5) minutes late plus one (1) pound for every minute thereafter., Any Competitor who is more than 15 minutes late will lose all credits for that day's catch including any lunker pool prizes. A boat will not be considered late if they are under power and 10O yards or less from the ramp or check in boat. The only exception to Rule 7 would be in the event of a contestant rendering assistance in a boating accident or some other life-threatening emergency. Failure to render assistance, when requested, in an emergency situation is cause for immediate disqualification.
8. Ties: To break a tie for any place, the determining factor will be the highest number of fish. A second tiebreaker will be the largest fish caught by weight. Lunker award is considered the heaviest fish of the tournament - if there is a tie, both are considered to be lunker and the award is split. Second lunker is the next largest fish after the split lunker.
9. Scoring: 20 points awarded for attendance, 1 point for each ounce of weight. Only Black Bass will be weighed-in. The individual limit will be 5 bass, with 12 inches being the minimum length. Culling is permitted but must be done immediately. There will be no culling of dead fish. Fish will be measured with the mouth closed to the tip of the tail closed to a point. A penalty of four ounces and 4 points will be deducted for every legal size dead Bass. Any Bass under 12 inches brought to the scale will impose a 1-pound penalty on the total weight excluding the short fish. A courtesy check of your measuring device will be allowed prior to your weigh-in. The weigh master's measuring:device will be the only device used.
10. Sportsmanship: All competitors are expected to follow high standards of sportsmanship, safety, courtesy and conservation. Any infraction of these fundamental sporting principles will be deemed for cause of disqualification. The use and possession of any alcoholic beverages or illicit drugs on a competitor's person or in a competitor's boat during a tournament is prohibited. Maximum courtesy must be practiced at all times, especially while boating and angling in the vicinity of other competitors as well as non-competitors. Any act by a competitor which reflects unfavorably upon efforts to promote fisheries, conservation, clean waters and/or courtesy shall be deemed unacceptable and considered grounds for disqualification and/or protest. Failure to observe a "no-wake" area will be grounds for disqualification and/or protest. Fishermen shall not relieve themselves overboard; the use of a container is mandatory.
11. Protest: All protest must be submitted in writing to a tournament committee member prior to the presentation of awards at the tournament site. In the event of a multiple day tournament, all protests from that tournament day must be submitted as above within 5 minutes of the closing of the scales. All violations and/or complaints shall be ruled upon by the tournament committee before the presentation of awards.
12. Special announcements or restrictions will be announced prior to the start of each tournament.
13. The weigh master will take out his boat first.
14. No boat will be put in the water before being checked by a member of the tournament committee. Anyone launching beforehand will be required to pull their boat out to have it checked.
15. No one will touch or handle the basket or scale except a tournament official. Fish will be handed to an official for weighing. Anyone interfering in any manner with the weigh-in will be disqualified from the event. All fish brought to the scales become property of Tri-County Bassmasters.
16. All contestants must use a Tri-County weigh-in bag.
17. All competitors must not approach within 75 feet of an anchored boat in competition. An anchored boat is defined as one with anchor down and trolling motor up. lt is allowed to approach closer while passing through its area under trolling motor only. No boat shall drop anchor near another competitor's boat until that boat has moved 75 feet away.