Official Tournament Rules 2014 Season

Transcription

1 Rusty Hook Official Tournament Rules 2014 Season MEMBERSHIP Participation in all tournaments shall be limited to members in good standing of the Rusty Hook Bass Club (RHBC), and qualifying guests. To be considered for membership you must meet all qualifications as outlined in the Official Tournament Rules. Membership shall not be open to any Professional Angler or Guide. Anyone who is given a pro-team boat, or boat and motor by a manufacturer or dealer, or anyone that has paid an entry fee of $ or more during the last 12 months, shall be considered a PRO by the RHBC. Anyone that has a guide license will be considered a GUIDE by the RHBC. Exceptions to this rule will be any member that has remained in good standing during the most recent 12 consecutive months will therefore be considered exempt from this rule. Polygraph tests may be given on a random basis throughout the season. Failure to pass, or refusal to take the test, will result in tournament disqualification and loss of membership. Memberships will be accepted throughout the entire year, although you must fish at least EIGHT (8) tournaments as a member in good standing to qualify for the Classic. Sponsorships ($250.00) must be paid in full before a sponsored team will be allowed to take off as a sponsored team. Membership applications will be accepted from teams only - you must join with a partner! Applications can be given to any officer. Membership dues are $40 a person and each member s dues must be paid at the time of application. Only applications that have been completed in their entirety will be accepted. GUESTS You may fish with a guest if your regular partner is not able to attend. If both partners of a team are present, they must fish together. All guests must meet the same requirements that regular members are held which are outlined in the 2014 Official Tournament Rules, or they will not be allowed to fish as your guest. Tournaments fished as a guest will not count toward Classic qualification, even if the guest becomes a member during the regular season. There is no limitation of the number of times the same guest can fish during the season. Page 1 of 4

2 TOURNAMENT REGISTRATION Each person must register in person no later than 20 minutes prior to the tournament starting time as indicated on the official tournament schedule. No member will be permitted to register late except, if 1 team member registers on time and the boat is there prior to take-off and checked. In the event an emergency will cause you to be late, an officer must be contacted for approval of the member(s) and the boat to be late. When arriving at the tournament site, each boat owner must first have their live-wells checked and receive a numbered chip for a starting position. Take-off position will be determined by the order of sign-up. The earlier you sign up, the lower your take-off number will be. BOAT/MOTOR & SAFETY Any boat designed or adapted for fishing may be used. Trolling as a method of fishing is strictly prohibited. Safe boat conduct must be observed at all times by all tournament competitors. All members are expected to follow all Coast Guard and Arkansas Game & Fish boating & fishing rules and regulations. This includes the use of all running lights after dark, 100% of the time. Each competitor is required to wear a Coast Guard approved chest type life preserver anytime the combustible engine is running and kill switch must be attached. SPORTSMANSHIP Competitors in RHBC tournaments are expected to follow high standards of sportsmanship and fishing courtesy. Drunkenness or any other rude behavior will not be tolerated and will be cause for immediate disqualification from that tournament and possible suspension from membership in the RHBC. Alcohol consumption will not be permitted before or during each tournament. TACKLE & EQUIPMENT Only artificial lures may be used. No live bait or prepared bait will be permitted with exception of pork strips, rinds, etc. PERMITTED FISHING LOCATIONS Fishing of the tournament waters is permitted anywhere except: Areas prohibited by lake rules & regulations and within 50 yards of another competitors boat which was anchored first. No casting inside buoys of swimming areas or inside buoys of restricted areas. All angling must be done from the boat. OFFICIAL CHECKPOINT There shall be only one (1) official point for check-out at the beginning and check-in at the end of each tournament. Any team whose chip is not in the box/can by the designated ending time published in the official tournament schedule will not be allowed to weigh their catch. You are responsible for ensuring you find the chip can and place your chip inside it, prior to the end time of the tournament. You can load your boat and weigh-in your fish after turning in your chip. If you are turning in another teams chip, you must hand it to an officer. If you place any chip in the can after the tournament has ended, you will be disqualified immediately, regardless of who the chip belonged to. NO EXCEPTIONS! Page 2 of 4

3 REGULAR TOURNAMENT ENTRY FEES AND PAYOUT The entry fee for each tournament will be $60 per boat. $4 per team will go towards the Big Bass of the tournament and $4 will go toward Trash Fish of the tournament. $1.00 will be banked for Classic Trash Fish and $1.00 will be banked for Classic Big Bass. Payouts will be on a percentage basis First Place 40% Second Place 30% Third Place 20% Fourth Place 10% 1 19 Boats will pay 3 places 20 boats and above will pay 4 places In the event of a tie: Pay-out for the tied place will be added to the next place and split in two. Example if there is a tie for 2 nd place, 2 nd and 3 rd will be added together and split evenly between the two teams. The next place paid would then be 4 th place. Gift certificates from our sponsors may be included as part of the total payouts listed. SCORING Only Large Mouth Bass, Spotted Bass and Small Mouth Bass will be weighed. Identification of the different bass will be done by the mouth/eye method as follows: Large Mouth Bass with mouth closed, mouth extends past the eye. Spotted Bass with mouth closed, mouth doesn t extend beyond the eye. Only one (1) dead fish per team can be scored after being approved by the weigh master. The limit is 5 fish per team and each team must cull immediately when a 6 th fish is caught. A 12 minimum and the length limits for each designated lake will become the governing limits for each RHBC tournament. There will be a 1lb penalty for each short/slot fish weighed in and ½ lb penalty for a dead fish. If you bring in a 2 nd short/slot fish, or a second dead fish, you will be disqualified. This is a catch and release club. We need everyone s help to take all steps necessary to ensure that each fish is handled properly to help increase chances of survival. That includes an adequate weigh-in bag with plenty of water. Do not bring fish to the scales until the scales are ready. All fish weighed in become the property of the RHBC and all Live fish will be released back into the water. The RHBC will allow any trophy fish to be kept only if it is to be mounted. All protests must be submitted to an officer of the club within 15 minutes of the tournament end time. Protests will be ruled on by the officers and their decision will be final. RHBC CLASSIC QUALIFICATION AND TOURNAMENT Each team must fish 8 of the regular monthly tournaments during the current tournament season to qualify for fishing the RHBC Classic. If a member of a team fishes by themselves or with a guest, it will still count as 1 qualifying tournament for the team. So, as long as 1 team member from the team brings a boat and fishes 8 tournaments, that team will qualify for the classic. Guests will not be allowed at the Page 3 of 4

4 classic. Take-off position will be determined by the order of sign-up. The earlier you sign up, the lower your take-off number will be. A team may BUY two tournaments during the year that will count towards Classic qualification. You must contact an officer and pay in advance of the tournament date. In no case will anyone be allowed to pay for a tournament after the last scheduled tournament of the year has started. Again, you can only buy two, so you must also have fished 6 in order to qualify for the Classic. RHBC OFFICER & RULE CHANGE GUIDELINES Members in good standing will elect the Club Officers every two (2) years. Nominations and elections will take place at the RHBC Annual Classic in October of the election year. In the 2014 Season, the Club will consist of 5 Officers -- President, 1 Vice President, Secretary/Treasurer, Weigh and Measure Master. The Current Officers are: President John Hardman st Vice President Secretary/Treasurer Jonathan Hughes Weigh & Measure Master Mike Wells Boat Check Nomination and election of all officers for the seasons will occur at the RHBC Classic on October, 2015, immediately following the weigh-in. If an officer position becomes open prior to the RHBC Classic in October 2015 the remaining officers will call a special meeting during one of the regularly scheduled tournaments and members that are in good standing will nominate and elect an officer to fill the open position. If members are interested in proposing a change in any current rule(s), or adding additional rules, they must submit their written suggestion(s) to any RHBC Officer before the second to the last regular season tournament. Any rule changes for the upcoming year will be included in the membership package that will be distributed for 2015 tournament season. Rules and Tournament Schedules will not be changed during the Tournament Season - NO EXCEPTIONS! The current officers will be responsible for evaluating all requests and incorporating only the requests that are in the best interest of the Rusty Hook Bass Club, its members and sponsors. All rulings by the officers will be final. The Officers of the RHBC recognize the importance of listening to its members and responding to their concerns. The commitment that the Officers have towards any rule change is to ensure that any changes made represent the best interest of the RHBC, its members and sponsors. If members feel that the Officers are not fulfilling their commitment to the RHBC, its members and sponsors, members in good standing will have the opportunity to nominate and vote on new Officers every two (2) years as mentioned above. Page 4 of 4

5 2014 SEASON MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION Below you will find your application for membership in the Rusty Hook Bass Club for the 2014 season. The season will start on January 11 th and the first tournament will be held on DeGray Lake. The tournament will start at 8:00AM and will end at 4:00PM. Remember, all teams must be registered 20 minutes prior to the start of the tournament. See your rules for exceptions. Remember, this is a team club. You must have a partner to join and must join at the same time. President John Hardman Weigh & Measure Mike Wells st Vice President Boat Check Secretary/Treasurer Jonathan Hughes MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION RUSTY HOOK BASS CLUB NAME: ADDRESS: CITY: STATE: ZIP: HOME PHONE: WORK PHONE Boat Manufacturer Having aquatinted myself with the rules and regulations of the Rusty Hook Bass Club, I am completing this application and attaching my membership fee of $40.00 payable to R.H.B.C. In signing this application, I hereby wave and release all other contestants, the host, sponsors and tournament officials from all claims of injury and/or damage incurred by/to me in connection with any R.H.B.C. tournament or other activity. Signature: Date: (Will not be accepted unless filled out completely) MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION RUSTY HOOK BASS CLUB NAME: ADDRESS: CITY: STATE: ZIP: HOME PHONE: WORK PHONE Boat Manufacturer Having aquatinted myself with the rules and regulations of the Rusty Hook Bass Club, I am completing this application and attaching my membership fee of $40.00 payable to R.H.B.C. In signing this application, I hereby wave and release all other contestants, the host, sponsors and tournament officials from all claims of injury and/or damage incurred by/to me in connection with any R.H.B.C. tournament or other activity. Signature: Date: (Will not be accepted unless filled out completely)

6 2014 Season Date Time Lake Ramp January 11, AM to 4 PM DeGray Spillway February 8, AM to 3 PM Ouachita Crystal Springs March 8, AM to 3 PM DeGray Spillway April 12, AM to 3 PM Ouachita Crystal Springs May 3, AM to 3 PM Ouachita Crystal Springs Full Moon May 17, PM to Midnight May 14 DeGray Spillway June 7, PM to Midnight June 13 Ouachita Crystal Springs June 21, PM to Midnight DeGray Spillway July 12, PM to Midnight July 12 Ouachita Crystal Springs August 9, PM to Midnight August 10 DeGray Spillway CLASSIC October 11, :00 AM to 3:00 PM DeGray Spillway