Beginners Choice Bass Club 2008 Rules and Regulations "Updated"

1. PARTICIPANTS AND ELIGIBILITY

Open to all non-pro individuals, male and female. Those under 18 years of age may participate with written permission from a parent or guardian. Full membership is $60.00 per person per season. Memberships are to be submitted to any Beginners Choice Director prior to fishing your first Tournament..

Full Membership Benefits: Membership packet, (which includes access to our discount program, a window decal, and a patch) and eligibility to compete in any Beginners Choice Tournaments and drawings.

2. ENTRY FEES

Entry fees shall be $30.00 per person per tournament, which includes Big Fish. To win the BIG FISH entry, the Big Fish will be paid per tournament and 5.8+lbs for points BONUS. "Updated" Lunker payout is paid at every tournament. ENTRIES WILL BE ACCEPTED THE MORNING OF THE TOURNAMENT! There will be a $25.00 fee charged on all checks returned for insufficient funds. Winners are responsible for any and all taxes on any moneys or prizes won.

3. PRIZE PAYOUT

Prize money will be awarded following the weigh in at each session tournament.

4. OFF LIMITS

The use of electronic communication devices for the purpose of sharing fishing information during tournament hours is prohibited. Any competitor found guilty of violating the off limits period will have their catch disqualified and face a disciplinary hearing before being allowed to fish any more Beginners Choice tournaments.

5. TOURNAMENT HOURS

Tournament hours Division 1 will be from safe light to 2:00 p.m and Division 2 will be from safe light to 1:00pm unless otherwise announced. Division OPEN will use the time based from Divison 1 and 2. We reserve the right to assign flights and change hours if necessary.

6. SAFETY

Safe boating conduct must be observed at all times. Each competitor is asked to wear a Coast Guard approved life vest, securely fastened, at all times while the boat is being propelled by the combustion engine. Each competitors boat must be equipped with a livewell system capable of keeping a tournament limit of bass alive. Boats that do not have factory-installed gas tanks are restricted to a maximum of 18 gallons of gasoline in tanks that meet U.S. Coast Guard regulations. Gas tanks must be properly secured or strapped in a boat. During the official tournament, no portable gas tanks or containers capable of holding gasoline can be placed anywhere on the tournament waters or shoreline for use by any tournament competitor.

7. SPORTSMANSHIP

Each contestant is expected to follow high standards of sportsmanship, courtesy, and conservation. NO TEAM MAY FISH WITHIN 50 YARDS OF ANY OTHER BOAT WHICH IS ANCHORED WITH THE TROLLING MOTOR UP, FURTHERMORE NO TEAM MAY FISH WITHIN 25 YARDS OF ANY OTHER BOAT WITHOUT THE OTHER BOATER'S PERMISSION. PERMISSION MAY NOT BE GRANTED TO ANY TEAM AT THE EXCLUSION OF ANY OTHER TEAM. No hole sitting by a non-competitor to aid a tournament participant will be allowed. Violators will have their catch disqualified.

8. TACKLE AND FISHING METHODS

Only artificial baits may be used. No live or cut bait is permitted (pork baits are permitted). All bass must be caught alive in a legal and sporting manner. No snagging. Each competitor may only use 1 rod at a time. No more than 1 line in the water at a time per angler. No rods over 8 feet are permitted. Trolling with the combustion motor is not permitted. No competitor may leave the boat to land or catch fish.

9. STATE AND FEDERAL GAME REGULATIONS

All participants are required to abide by all state and federal laws and game regulations. Any participant who consumes, or is under the influence of alcoholic beverages, stimulants or depressants during any Beginners Choice function will have their catch disqualified. (Prescribed medications taken per doctor's instructions are excluded.)

10. SCORING

A limit of 5 bass (largemouth, smallmouth, spotted bass) may be weighed in. Minimum lengths will be set at the discretion of the Session Director but at no time will be less than 12 inches. Lengths will be measured with mouth closed on a "Pro-Rule" ruler. A short fish brought to the scales will not be weighed, and will result in a 1 pound penalty. Dead fish will be penalized 1/2 pound. The dead fish penalty will also apply to any fish weighed as a Big Fish if that fish is dead. All culling must be done on the lake; no team may have more than the tournament limit in the livewell at any time during the tournament, with the exception of dead fish.

11. EMERGENCIES

Competitors shall remain with their partners in the boat at all times during the tournament, except in the event of sickness or brief excursions for "nature calling", severe storm or other such hazard. If for any reason either or both team members decide to leave the tournament waters early, both members shall bear full responsibility for notifying a tournament official. If one team member leaves the water early, he/she may not return and resume fishing. However, his/her partner may continue fishing for the remainder of the tournament hours. In case of a breakdown, one partner may return with fish by another tournament boat while the other partner is permitted to stay with the disabled boat.

12. WEIGH-IN PROCEDURES

Weigh-in will be on a first come first serve basis. Once fish have been presented to a Tournament Official to be weighed-in all fish become the property of the Beginners Choice Bass Club and no additional fish may be brought to the scales. Bags will be limited in order to avoid a bottleneck at the weigh-in. Teams not weighing any fish are still required to check in with tournament officials in order to account for all teams.

13. LATE PENALTY

Competitors who are not checked in by the check in deadline will be penalized at a rate of 1 pound per minute, up to 15 minutes at which time their catch will be disqualified. The contestants will retain their participation points for their yearly total. Late penalties will be deducted from "Big Fish" weight as well as total weight.

14. CHANGE OF PARTNERS & USE OF SUBS

All participants must have a declared partner to begin their season. A participant may fish solo in as many tournaments as become necessary and retain all points. The following may serve as a substitute in a tournament at any time while still retaining all points: Grandparent, Parent, Spouse, Sibling, Child, Grandchild, or any in-law of the same relations. Any youth 17 years old or younger may also serve as a legal substitute. That legal substitute may serve as a sub in as many tournaments as needed, however, before serving as a sub for a second time, he/she must become a full member. No other substitutions will be allowed.

15. PROTEST

Any protest must be submitted in writing to the Tournament Director within 15 minutes of the close of the weigh-in.

16. CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS

The top member from EACH DIVISION having the highest cumulative point total in each Session will be declared the Beginners Choice Points Winners for that Division. They will receive an automatic berth in the year-end Beginners Choice Championship Tournament. All ties in the cumulative year end standings will be broken by season cumulative weight. The winning team in each tournament will receive and split 150 points, 2nd place 100 points, 3rd place 80 points and so on. In the event of a tie in a tournament both teams will receive the points for the place they are tied at, and the subsequent place will remain vacant. (Example: A tie for 3rd place would result in both 3rd place teams receiving 80 points. The next team behind them would be the 5th place team and would receive 60 points.) Teams not weighing any fish will receive 20 points. Any team paying an entry fee but not actually showing up to fish will earn 10 points. Paying an entry fee but not actually competing does not count as one of the three tournaments required to be eligible to qualify for the Beginners Championship Tournament or the Wildcard. Furthermore all members who attend the meetings will receive an additional 10 points each, which will be applied to the cumulative point total for the year, for the purpose of qualifying for the Beginners Choice Championship Tournament. (member must be in attendance prior to the beginning of the inspirational message, and remain until the end of the meeting) Points will run through all Tournaments within that Session and may not be transferred to any other Session.

17. BEGINNERS CHOICE CHAMPIONSHIP QUALIFICATIONS

Only teams who have fished (actually competed in) at least 4 tournaments within their division and not combined division entries will   qualify for the Beginners Choice Championship Tournament.

18. WILDCARD QUALIFICATIONS

NO WILDCARDS "FISH FOUR TOURNAMENTS IN A DIVISION QUALIFIES FOR CHAMPIONSHIP.

19. BEGINNERS CHOICE CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT

The Beginners Choice Championship Tournament will be a 2-day tournament. All members are required to attend the meeting to be held the evening prior to the first day of competition. Those not in attendance at the meeting will be declared ineligible to compete. This will be a $150 Fee per boat Tournament. There will be 1 big fish positions paid each day. Beginners Choice Championship Plaques and Jackets.

20. RULES INTERPRETATION

Interpretation of these rules will be left to the Division Director. Infractions of any rule may result in disqualification of catch.