OAK ORCHARD RIVER BASS ANGLERS

TOURNAMENT RULES AND REGULATIONS

1. PARTICIPANTS AND ELIGIBLITY: Participation in Club Tournaments is by invitation only.  Tournaments are open to all members in good standing and, in the case of family memberships, covered mate, significant others, dependent children and grandchildren (10 years of age, or older, but under the age of 18).  Non-participants will not be allowed in any contestant’s boat during a tournament.

2. REGISTRATION:  Each contestant must register with the Tournament Director, or his designee, prior to fishing in any tournament.  The registration fee is $30.00 per contestant.  The registration fee shall be utilized as follows:  $20.00 to Total Weight Prizes; $5.00 to Lunker Prize; $2.00 to Classic, First Place Fund; $2.00 to 6 Man Team Fund; and $1.00 to Club’s General Fund.  Spouses, significant others and dependent children or grand children (ages 10-17) have the option of fishing strictly for points or prize money or both in either total weight, big bass or both.  In order to be eligible for prize money, appropriate entry fees must have been paid.  Non-boaters are allowed to make arrangements to fish with a member of their choice before the day of the tournament.  If on the day of the tournament they have not made arrangements to fish with another Club member, they must so inform the Tournament Director while signing in.  There will be a draw the morning of the tournament for any non-boaters that require a boating partner for that event.

3. SAFETY:  Safe and courteous boating conduct must be observed at all times by all members to include compliance with all Federal and State laws.  Each contestant is required to wear a fastened U.S. Coast Guard approved personal floatation device anytime the combustion engine is in operation from boat check until weigh-in.  Blast-offs will not be held at any Club tournament.  All Club tournament starts will be staggered and the order of start will be determined by draw.  Any contestant arriving late, leaving early, or making a long run to connected waters must notify another contestant of their presence and/or intentions.  All boat owners must provide a valid certificate of insurance for their boat in a minimum amount of $300,000.00 liability coverage before they will be allowed to use their boat in Club tournaments.

4. SPORTSMANSHIP: Contestants in Club tournaments are expected to follow high standards of sportsmanship, safety and conservation, including compliance with all applicable laws.  Any contestant cited for violation of NYS Fishing Regulations must so inform the Tournament Director prior to weigh-in and the Tournament Director shall IMMEDIATELY disqualify said contestant.  There shall be no appeal.  Any infraction of fundamental sporting principles and State or Federal laws MAY be deemed cause for disqualification.  Drunkenness by a contestant, during a tournament, will not be tolerated and shall be cause for AUTOMATIC disqualification.  Controlled substances, illegal drugs, and alcoholic beverages are not allowed in any contestant’s boat during tournament hours.  Maximum courtesy must be practiced at all times, especially with regard to boating or fishing in the vicinity of other contestants or other boats that may be on the water.  Contestants shall use the utmost discretion when moving into an area with other contestants or other fishermen so as to not cut off, crowd or otherwise interfere with the contestant or person already fishing the area.  If you do move into an area containing other contestants or fishermen and you are not sure which direction they are working you are expected to ask before you start to fish.  Any act of a contestant which reflects unfavorably upon the Club’s efforts to promote conservation, clean waters and courtesy shall be grounds for disqualification.

5. TACKLE AND EQUIPMENT:  Only artificial lures may be used.  No live bait or prepared bait will be permitted in the boat with the exception of pork rinds, pork strips, pork frogs, etc.  Only one casting, spin-casting or spinning rod (8 foot maximum length from butt to rod tip) and reel may be used at any one time.  All other types are prohibited.  Other rigs, as specified above, may be in the boat ready for use.  However, only one is permitted in use at any given time.  All bass must be caught alive and in a conventional sporting manner.  An electric motor may be used for slow maneuvering.  Trolling, as a method of fishing, is prohibited.

6. HORSEPOWER REGULATIONS:  For each boat that has a Coast Guard rating plate attached to it by the manufacturer the horsepower rating of the outboard motor used on that boat must not exceed the rating specified on the rating plate.  Any boat that has no rating plate must adhere to ratings set by the Coast Guard for similar boats.  Each contestant must submit his/her boat and outboard motor to be used in the tournament to an inspection by the tournament officials.  Normal maintenance to increase the performance of your motor is allowed.  Changing, or altering, standard factory parts of your motor to increase the horsepower over factory horsepower rating is forbidden and WILL result in disqualification.

7. BASIC BOAT EQUIPMENT:  Every boat must be equipped with ALL required Coast Guard safety equipment.  Each boat must have a properly aerated live well.  Stringers and the placing of bass on stringers are prohibited.  The Tournament Committee reserves the right to check contestant’s live wells at any time.

8. BOAT OPERATION AND EXPENSE:  A full discussion must be held between the two partners prior to the time of departure as to 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/her selected waters an equal number of hours.  Distance traveled to fishing locations must be considered in order not to deprive either partner of fishing time while traveling to and from fishing locations.  If a contestant waives the above rights, he/she shall still retain the right to select the fishing waters for one half of the tournament day.  Any contestant who, in the judgment of the tournament officials, operates the boat in such a manner as to unfairly handicap his/her partner shall be disqualified.  Non-boaters are expected to reimburse the boat owner for, at least, 50% of that day’s operational expenses.

9. PERMITTED FISHING LOCATIONS:  Tournament waters will be designated by the Tournament Director and announced to all contestants prior to the tournament’s start.  Fishing on tournament waters during the tournament is permitted in any area open to the general public except within 50 yards of another contestant’s boat that is first anchored with the trolling motor up in a stored position.  Any contestant claiming exclusive right to the 50 yards must so indicate verbally to any other contestants whom he believes are infringing upon it.  Failure to so verbally indicate nullifies any claim of exclusiveness and no such boat shall permit selected competitors to fish within the circle claimed by him to the exclusion of any other contestant.  All angling must be done from the boat.  Boats must remain in the tournament waters during the tournament day.  Both contestants shall remain in the boat at all times in sight of each other and each other’s catch except that, since partners may be of the opposite sex, leaving the boat and your partner to use bathroom facilities is permitted.  During the last 15 minutes of any tournament fishing within 100 yards of the weigh-in site is prohibited.

10. OFFICIAL CHECKPOINT:  There shall be only one official checkpoint for registration and weigh-in.  The checkpoint shall be designated by the Tournament Director prior to the start of the tournament.  All contestants shall depart from and return to this official checkpoint by water.  Trailering of boats to weigh-in is prohibited and shall result in disqualification.

11. SCORING:  Tournament prize winners and annual standings shall be determined using the Club’s point system based on the pounds and ounces weight of each contestant’s catch.  Only largemouth and smallmouth black bass will be weighed and awarded points.  The daily Club limit shall be the State daily limit unless otherwise specified by the Tournament Director.  In no case shall the Club daily limit exceed the State daily limit.  At no time shall a contestant have reduced to his possession more than the daily limit.  All bass must be at least 12 inches in length to be weighed and awarded points.  Bass presented for weigh-in that fail to measure 12 inches in length will not be weighed and shall accrue penalties at the rate of 1 pound for each such fish.  This penalty shall be deducted from the total weight of the contestant’s catch.  Any bass that appears to have been mauled, mashed, mangled or otherwise altered will be weighed and credited only at the discretion of the Tournament Director.  Any questions regarding weight must be voiced before the fish are removed from the scales.  The Tournament Director’s decision is final.

12. PENALTY WEIGHT:  Contestants who bring their bass in dead or in a condition not fit for live release shall be penalized 4 ounces for each such fish.  The Tournament Director shall determine whether each individual fish is fit for release.  His decision is final.  Those fish that are penalized as not fit for live release become the property of the contestant who caught them.  It is the responsibility of these contestants to see that the fish are used in a productive manner.  Under no circumstances are dead fish to be returned to the tournament waters and this includes culling.  Dead bass are not to be culled.  Any dead bass shall become part of your daily catch.  Dead bass are not to be returned to the tournament waters under any circumstances.

13. PENALTY POINTS:  Contestants who are not in the official checkpoint area at the appointed time shall be penalized at the rate of 1 pound for each minute, or portion thereof, that they are late.  This weight will be deducted from both the total weight and any weight to be counted towards a lunker prize.  Any contestant more than 15 minutes late shall lose all credit for that day’s catch and their catch will not be weighed.  There shall be no excuse for lateness and under no circumstances shall a contestant be allowed to make up lost time.  After a tournament begins fishing is permitted only during tournament hours.  Exact starting and check-in times will be announced prior to the commencement of the tournament.  Contestants must be physically present at the weigh-in when their fish are weighed.

14. TOURNAMENT PAYOUTS:  Point Tournaments:  Payouts at all Club point tournaments shall be as follows:  1^st place, 50%; 2^nd place, 30%; and 3^rd place, 20%.  Lunker Prize, 100%.  Classic Tournament:  Payouts at the Classic Tournament shall be as follows:  1^st place, 100% of total weight entry fee plus 100% of the Classic First Place Fund; Lunker Prize: 100% of Lunker Prize fee.  Entry fee for the Classic is $30.00 with $25.00 being applied to Total Weight Prize and $5.00 being applied to Lunker Prize.  Classic entry is strictly limited to the Top Ten Anglers with no substitutions allowed.

15. TIES/PRIZE MONEY: Ties will be broken by comparing the single heaviest bass, less any penalty weight, of each tied contestant.  The contestant with the single heaviest bass, less any penalty weight, shall be deemed the winner.  If a tie still exists, the following shall apply: a) In the case of a tie for 1^st place, a one hour fish-off will take place.  The contestant with the heaviest total weight at the end of the fish-off shall be the winner.  If after the fish-off a tie still exists, co-winners will be declared and the prizes combined and divided accordingly.  b) In the case of a tie for any other money position the tied individuals shall split the combined prizes equally.  Under no circumstances shall prize money be distributed to any contestant who fails to weigh-in fish.  If no fish are weighed, entry fees, less applicable fees, shall be returned to those who paid them.

16. PROTESTS:  All protests must be filed with the Tournament Director within 15 minutes of the completion of weigh-in.  Protests must be specific and factual.  Protests will be answered prior to the awarding of prize money and points.  The decision of the Tournament Director is final.  There is no appeal.

17. TOURNAMENT DIRECTOR: All decisions of the Tournament Director are final.  He reserves the right to change or alter these rules and regulations as is necessary for the smooth operation of Club tournaments.  Any and all such changes shall be announced prior to the start of the tournament.  The Tournament Director reserves the right to cancel any tournament for cause.  All such cancellations shall be announced at least 24 hours prior to the scheduled start of said tournament.  In the event that advance notice cannot be provided to all members, cancellations shall only occur at the scheduled tournament site and at the scheduled start time of said tournament.

18. VIOLATION OF RULES: Violation of any of these rules and regulations are grounds for disqualification.  In addition, violation of any of these rules and regulations may be grounds for revocation of club membership privileges.