TOURNAMENT RULES

Updated- March 30. 2010

 Proposed tournament rules for Michigan Bass Busters of Oakland County, here in after, referred to as M.B.B.

 

1.       RULE CHANGES: Great effort, study, and research have gone into the formulation of these rules.  Any rule changes can be presented to the club and changed any time before or up to the April meeting. No rule changes, for that tournament season, after fishing begins.  Interpretation and decisions of these rules shall be left exclusively to the tournament committee and final in all matters.

 

 

2.     PARTICIPANTS and ELIGIBILITY: M.B.B. tournaments are limited to members in good standing, honorary members, and invited guests only.  A properly completed application form and entry fee will be submitted to the Tournament Committee at the general membership meeting preceding the tournament, providing the tournament does not fall on the following weekend.  Otherwise, the application form and entry fee will be submitted at the previous month's general membership meeting.  The amount of the entry fee is $25.00(AMEDNDED 3-11-10), of which, $10.00 is allocated for the Harry Hoffman Memorial Classic.  The remaining funds are distributed to the first, second, and third place contestants of that tournament as a 50%, 30%, and 20% payback, respectively - 4^th ($25) and 5^th ($20), mystery weight and door prize will come from additional entry fee monies from the amendment of increase ($20 to $25) of entry fee dated 3-11-10.

 

3.     REGISTRATION: Competitors must check-in with the tournament Committee at the tournament site not less than thirty (30) minutes prior to the scheduled starting time.  Late arrivals for check-in will be placed at the end of the starting line-up.  The final late arrival shall have his boat pairing designated as the start boat.  Any angler arriving after the start must check in with any two- (2) contestants for a live well check before they start fishing.

 

4.      SAFETY: Safe boat conduct must be observed at all times by the tournament competitors.  Each competitor is required to wear a Coast Guard approved chest type life preserver.  This preserver must be strapped, snapped or zipped securely, and maintained in that condition whenever the combustion engine is running.  In sight-fishing tournaments, you can only stand on the fishing deck.  Violation of this rule shall be cause for disqualification.

 

5.          SPORTSMANSHIP/TECHNIQUES: Competitors in the M.B.B. Tournaments are expected to follow high standards of sportsmanship, courtesy, safety and conservation.  Any infraction of these fundamental sporting principals may be deemed cause for disqualification.  Drunkenness by any competitor during the tournament will not be tolerated and shall be cause for automatic disqualification.  Maximum courtesy must be practiced at all times, especially with regard to boating and angling in the vicinity of non-competitors who may be on the tournament waters.  Any act of a competitor which reflects unfavorably upon B.A.S.S. and M.B.B.'s effort to promote fisheries and conservation, clean water and courtesy shall be cause for disqualification.  No alcoholic beverages, or other stimulants or depressants, unless prescribed, shall be allowed in the boats or in the weigh-in area. The use of underwater cameras and cell phones (excluding emergencies) will be prohibited during tournament hours.

 

DRAGGING – Preferred method way by M.B.B. is w/rod in hand.

 

 

6.      TACKLE and EQUIPMENT: Only artificial lures may be used.  No live bait or prepared bait will be permitted, with the exception of pork strips, rinds, etc.  Only one casting, spin casting, spinning or flipping rod (8-foot maximum length from butt of handle to rod tip) may be used at any one time.  Other rigs, as specified above, may be in the boat ready for use.  All other types are prohibited.  All bass must be caught live and in a conventional manner.

 

7.      HORSEPOWER REGULATIONS: Maximum horsepower for all outboard motor boats used in tournament competition will not exceed the horsepower limitations set by the U.S. Coast Guard in their ruling of November 01, 1972.  Each boat must have an U.S. Coast Guard horsepower rating plate attached to the boat by the manufacturer.  The horsepower of the outboard engine must not exceed the rating specified on the rating plate.  Any boat manufactured prior to November 0l, 1972, must adhere to the ratings set by the U.S. Coast Guard for similar boats.  Falsifying information on the entry form or altering the horsepower rating numbers on the motor or on the rating plate will be cause for disqualification.

 

8.      BOAT and MOTOR: For the safety of all competitors, all boats must be equipped with some type of ignition "kill switch", which must be attached to the driver's body any time the combustion engine is running.  All boats must be a minimum of fourteen (14) feet in length and be covered by liability and property damage insurance.  A small motor, gas or electric, may be used for slow maneuvering.  Trolling as a method of fishing is prohibited.  No barges or similar cumbersome craft will be permitted.  Boats with stick steering will not be allowed.

 

9.      BASIC BOAT EQUIPMENT: All boats must have all equipped Coast Guard safety equipment and a throwable flotation device.  In addition, it must have a functional bilge pump and live-well space, properly aerated, to adequately maintain alive, a limit catch of bass by both fishermen using the boat.  Tournament Officials have the sole responsibility of determining whether aeration and capacity is proper and adequate.

 

10.    BOAT IDENTIFICATION: Each boat must be given, prior to tournament start, an inspection check by a tournament official, also a numbered plate which must remain with your boat until turned in at the end of the tournament.  The plate must be displayed upon request of the tournament officials and turned in to the officials at the weigh-in.

 

11.    BOAT OPERATION and EXPENSE: A full discussion must be held between the two partners prior to morning departure as to the schedule of boat operation.  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.  Distance traveled to fishing locations must be considered in order not to deprive either partner fishing time while traveling to and from fishing waters.  If a contestant waives the above rights, he shall retain the right to select the fishing waters for one-half the tournament day.  Any contestant who, in the judgement of the tournament 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, the non-boat owner is required to pay the boat owner a minimum rider fee in the amount of $20.00/day on smaller waters and a mutually agreed amount between boat owner & rider on larger waters $30 min.  It is the responsibility of the rider to pay the fee to the boat owner prior to the start of the tournament, or as agreed to by the boat owner.  Failure to pay a rider’s fee will be viewed as an outstanding debt.  Since the individual will no longer be a member in good standing, he is ineligible to fish in subsequent tournaments, until the fee is paid.

 

12.    PERMITTED FISHING LOCATIONS: Tournament waters shall be established by the Tournament Committee Chairman, or his designate for each tournament.  Each competitor must obtain this information from the Tournament Committee.  Fishing on the tournament waters is permitted anywhere except within fifty (50) yards of any marina gas pump, or within one hundreds (100) yards of the fish release sight during the second day of a two (2) day tournament. Fishing will not be allowed within fifty (50) yards of another competitor's anchored boat whose trolling motor is retracted, or within fifty (50) yards of that competitor's marker buoy.  No competitor shall permit selected competitors to fish within the fifty-(50) yard circle claimed by him to the exclusion of any other competitor.  All angling must be done from the boat.  Competitors wishing to change fish habitat by placing any object in the water may do so if such action does not violate state of federal regulations.

 

13.    CONTESTANTS MUST REMAIN IN THE BOAT: Contestants must not depart the boat to land fish.  Boats must remain in tournament waters during the tournament.  Boats may be removed from the water in the event of foul weather "blows-in", or if both contestants agree to leave the water early.  Contestants must leave and return to the official checkpoint by boat at all times except in case of dire emergency.  Competitors may be removed from their boat to a boat operated by other contestants 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 (to contact a Tournament Official or to report an emergency or breakdown), both competitors must cease fishing at this point and a Tournament Official must verify their catch in order to be counted in the tournament. If after the emergency situation is resolved by Tournament Officials and enough time remain for the competitors to resume fishing, a re-start will be allowed and the competitors will continue and their catch will be counted.  This applies only in a dire emergency situation.  Trailering of boats during tournament is prohibited, except by direction of tournament officials.

 

14.      OFFICIAL CHECK-POINT:

·         There will be only one (l) official point for check-out at the beginning, and one (l) check-in at the end of a tournament, and this point shall be designated at the tournament briefing at the general membership meeting at which the applications are accepted.  At the time of the check-out, all competitors and their boats shall be in full conformance with all the rules set forth by the Tournament Committee; at check-in, all boats shall identify themselves by means of the numbered plate, and proceed immediately to the designated weigh-in area. Boater and Non-Boater must check-in together whether they have fish or not. Competitors not checking in will not be awarded participation points.

 

·         In order to be considered checked-in, all competitors must be within twenty-five (25) yards of the official check-in point and all fishing ceased.  All boats shall identify themselves by showing their numbered plate to the official timekeeper, and proceed immediately to the designated weigh-in area.  The Tournament Director at the pre-launch meeting shall designate an official timekeeper, who is a member of the tournament committee.

 

15.      SCORING: Tournament standings, awards and final winners shall be determined by the pound and ounce weight of each competitor's catch.  Only largemouth, smallmouth and Kentucky spotted bass will be weighed-in.  The possession limit shall be five of the above species, in any combination, per day, unless the prevailing state limit differs, or a special limit is established by the Tournament Committee, in which case, the state limit or the special limit shall be the tournament limit.  All competitors are bound by the prevailing state statutes and fishing regulations for the waters within which they fish.  At no time shall a competitor have in his possession more than the limit described above.  Tournament officials may conduct checks for violation of this provision, and in the event a competitor is found in violation of the official limit, the tournament officials shall cull down the competitor's creel starting with the biggest fish until the prescribed limit is reached.  The official length for each species shall be the length established by the state regulations in which the tournament is conducted.

 

·         Only bass, as described above, which measure the official length in the longest straight line with mouth closed shall be weighed-in.  Bass presented for weigh-in that fail to measure the official length shall result in a deduction of two (2) pounds of weight from the angler's legal creel total.  Once the fish are presented to a Tournament Official, the angler may not touch his fish again until it has been checked, weighed, and recorded.  An angler may check a fish on the official board himself, before turning them over to the officials.  No official may tell an angler if a fish is good or bad before it is turned in. The official measuring devise will be the "Golden Rule", which will be made available to the membership for the purpose of checking their own boards.  An angler may request an official to recheck a length or weight one time only.  This request must be done in a polite manner or the official may deny the recheck.  Any bass that appears to have been mangled, mashed, mauled or otherwise altered will be weighed-in only at the discretion of the tournament officials.  At no time may an angler protest or argue his fish with an official.

 

·         Each competitor must present his catch to the weigh-in officials who will record number of fish, total weight, weight of largest bass, number of live/dead fish and check for minimum length.  Plastic bags, which increases survival rate, will be furnished by the Tournament Committee, and these bags, with sufficient water, must be used to transport your catch from the live well to the weigh-in area.

 

·         A cumulative negative weight shall equal zero pounds and participation points only will be awarded.

 

16.    DON'T KILL YOUR CATCH: Each competitor is expected to keep his bass alive by use of a properly aerated live well.  Bass must not be "stringered" at anytime, it having been determined that "stringering" decreases the chance of a bass's survival, and any bass thus handled will be disqualified.  Any bass which do not survive will be disposed of by the Tournament Committee.

 

17.    PENALTY POINTS: For each legal dead bass presented to the tournament officials for weigh-in, the competitor shall be penalized 8oz. (.5 pounds) of weight to be deducted from his daily legal creel total.  The Tournament Director and his committee shall have the sole authority for assessing penalty points.  Contestants must not cull dead fish.  Fish that are brought to the scales with jigs or weighted hooks shall be assessed a penalty of a ½ ounce per occurrence.

 

18.    LATE PENALTY: Competitors, who are not at the official checkpoint area as described in rule 14 by the appointed time, shall be penalized at the rate of one (l) pound per minute, for each one (l) minute he is late.  The penalty is deducted from the total weight of his catch that day, including any weight to be counted toward a lunker award.  Any competitor more than fifteen (15) minutes late shall lose all credit for that day's 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 checkpoint, competitors will be allowed ample time to proceed to the weigh-in area; however, all fishing must cease upon check-in.  After the tournament begins, fishing the tournament waters is prohibited except during the tournament hours.  Exact starting and check-in times will be announced at the tournament briefing, prior to start of the tournament.

 

19.    TIES: In case of a tie for any position, the heaviest bass will determine the winner.  If heaviest bass also ties, both contestants will receive the higher point award and cash prize, if any, will be split.

 

20.    PAIRING OF CONTESTANTS: For the "draw" tournaments, partners will be determined by the "luck-of-the-draw", which will be held at the general membership meeting, at which the applications and entry fees are accepted.  No two (2) member's may be partners for more than one (l) draw tournament and one (1) pick tournament during the season. If two riders do not show up boaters can fish alone. except golden rule.

 

21.    OFFICIAL INSPECTIONS: None of the above rules shall prohibit a properly designated Tournament Official from approaching or boarding any competitor's boat at any time during the "warm-up" period, or during the tournament.

 

22.    PROTESTS: Protests will be written on a Tournament Protest Form and must be turned in at the tournament site to the Tournament Chairman or his designate, prior to announcement of the tournament winners.  Protest forms will not be accepted after the winners are announced.  Prior to leaving the tournament site, the Tournament Committee will investigate and question all parties involved if possible. Tournament Committee must act on the protest prior to the next scheduled tournament or within thirty (30) days of the incident, whichever comes first.  Valid protest will subject contestant to disqualification from the tournament and no points will be awarded for participation.  Members of the tournament committee involved in a protest shall be excluded from participating in any official ruling regarding the protest.  The hierarchy of attending executive board members shall be used to replace said committee member(s) in the event of a tie. (See Tournament Director for forms)

 

23.      OFFICIAL START: Tournament participants shall proceed to the designated start location at idle.  After starting boat has taken its position, all other boats will line up in a single line in numerical order of the boat’s starting number.

 

·    Each boat must display its numbered plate to the starter for identification for his signal to commence competition.  Boats shall be released by the starter in a single file, "easeoff" method; boats must idle up to the start boat and must remain at this speed within fifty (50) feet of the starting boat.  "Shot-gun Starts" shall not be permitted for club events.  Failure to follow official starting procedures may result in the disqualification of the violating boat owner.

 

 

 

24.      CLASSIC TOURNAMENT QUALIFICATION:

• Will be members finishing in the Top 10 points.  The Classic will also include any members, who have won a tournament, not including the Golden Rule and providing members have fished a minimum of 5 tournaments, including the Golden Rule.

 

• Note:  In case a contestant(s) is unable to fish in the Classic (excluding a tournament winner); Tournament Director shall select the next qualified member(s) in order of season standings to fill Top 10 positions.

 

• Judges – Members will be determined by number of contestants and then qualify in the next order of final season standings, providing member has fished a minimum of 5 tournaments, including the Golden Rule to fill each contestant’s boat.

 

• Note:  In case a judge is unable to fish, Tournament Director will proceed through standings for next qualified member to fill contestant/judge pairings.

 

• Pairings – #1 with the last qualifying judge