The Flint River Bass Club was formed around 1970 and suggested rules were received from the Bass Angler Sportsman Society. These rules were developed from them and have been adjusted over the years. They serve the club well as they are now.

The Spalding County Sportsman Club rules differ in several ways.

The Flint River Bass Club was formed around 1970 and suggested rules were received from the Bass Angler Sportsman Society. These rules were developed from them and have been adjusted over the years. They serve the club well as they are now. The rules for the Spalding County Sportsman Club were developed locally and are a little different. See them at the link to the right.

Rules of the Club

Meetings:

Date of meetings:

1. The Flint River Bass Club, Inc. will hold a regular scheduled meeting on the first Tuesday of every month, unless changed by the membership. Special meetings may be called, at any time by the President. The Board of Directors will meet when requested by the President.

Membership Limit:

2. On April 2, 1974 the membership limit shall be expanded to and held at thirty five (35) members.

Membership Annual Dues:

3. The annual membership dues shall be twenty dollars $20, payable before fishing a tournament.

Tournaments:

Qualifications to fish a tournament:

4. All tournament participants must be a member in good standing of the club prior to fishing their first tournament. (An exception to this rule is a member may bring a guest to a tournament. The guest can fish one tournament (annually) before joining the club. They will pay the same tournament fees as regular members and receive any money they win. A Guest must fish with a club member.) (A guest cannot take part in Progressive Big Fish Pot.) A person may join the club at the tournament site. POINTS FOR GUESTS DELETED

Insurance Requirements:

5. All members using their boats in any club tournament or any related club function will be required to have in force a liability insurance policy in the amount of three hundred thousand dollars ($300,000.00) or $100,000 plus a one million dollar umbrella policy that cover liability on the boat.

Tournament Fees:

6. Tournament fee shall be twenty ($25.00) per tournament. All tournament fees will be paid prior to the start of the tournament, unless a contestant is late for the tournament. If a participant pays his tournament fee and for any reason other than being disqualified for a rules violation, is unable to fish in the tournament, his money will be refunded.

There will also be a voluntary Big Fish Pot at each tournament. The fee is $5 and the total pot will be awarded to the member or guest weighing the heaviest bass in the tournament.

A voluntary Cumulative Big Fish Pot will also be collected. It is $5 at each tournament and will be awarded to any club member that is current in the pot weighing a bass at 6.0  pounds or more.  Once the pot is broken it will start over. At the end of the year, if the pot has not been broken during the year, or since it was broken, the club member with the heaviest bass weighed in will win the pot if current in it.  A member must be paid up in the pot when their fish wins the pot, you can not pay at the end of the tournament to win it.

A Voluntary Points Pot of $5 will also be collected at each tournament. At the end of the year the points winner will receive half of the money collect if current in the pot. The remaining half will be awarded to the winner of a drawing to be held at the January meeting among all the members current in the pot from the previous year. To get into the Points Pot, members have until March to get in it or stay out.  New members may catch up by paying all previous months if they get into the pot no later than the meeting after their first tournament.

Distribution of tournament fees:

7. All entry fees from the tournament shall be divided as follows and distributed as follows: Four places will be paid in this order, first place – 40%; second place – 30%; third place – 20%; fourth place 10%.

Late for Tournament:

8. A late constant will launch his boat and proceed to find another tournament participant before doing any fishing. He must pay his tournament fee, have his live well checked, confirm the tournament weigh-in time with a member who has already paid his entry fee and is fishing the tournament, and check his watch before he is officially in the tournament. A tardy contestant will not be allowed to make up for lost time.

Choosing a Partner:

9. All tournament contestants will have the option to draw for a partner, choose a partner, or go alone, except for designated draw tournaments.

Boat Problem Prior to Start of Tournament:

10. In an emergency, if a boat is totally inoperable prior to the start of a tournament, the contestants in the disabled boat may be placed in another tournament boat by invitation. On two day tournaments they may be placed in the same boat or a different boat by another invitation.

Safety:

11. It is required that all tournament participants wear a securely fastened, USCG approved, chest type life preserver anytime the combustible engine is operating and boat is on plane. Safe motoring conduct must be observed at all times by the tournament participants. Caution and good judgment, on tournament starts, must be observed. Every boat must have all required Coast Guard safety equipment.

ALL BOATS MUST BE EQUIPPED WITH A FUNCTIONAL IGNITION KILL SWITCH, AND THE BOAT OPERATOR MUST HAVE THE KILL SWITCH ATTACHED TO HIS PERSON WHENEVER THE COMBUSTION ENGINE IS RUNNING. AND THE BOAT IS ON PLANE.

Tackle and Equipment:

12. Only artificial lures may be used. No live bait or prepared bait will be permitted, however, pork or pork type strips, rinds, etc., may be used. All bass must be caught live and in a conventional sporting manner. Only casting, spin casting, or spinning rods and reels may be used. All other types are prohibited. Only one rod may be used at a time.

13Boat Operation and Expense:

A full discussion should be held between the two partners prior to the tournament start as to a schedule of boat operation. A schedule must be set that permits each partner equal time to fish from the front of the boat and operate the trolling motor so he may select his choice of fishing locations. In the event that one contestant elects not to operate the trolling motor and such election is satisfactory to his partner, the contestant waiving the right to operate the trolling motor shall have the right to choose the fishing spots one half of the time. Any contestant found operating the boat in an obvious and deliberate manner so as to handicap, his partner shall be disqualified. Trolling with a gasoline motor as a method of fishing is prohibited.

Daily fishing partners are expected to work out satisfactory arrangements between themselves as to which partner will furnish the boat and motor, this should equal at least twenty dollars ($20.00) on one day tournaments.

Official Checkpoints:

14. Tournament headquarters shall be in the launch site area. All fishermen must start and end each tournament day in this area. The official weigh-in station shall also be in this area. Contestants must not leave the boat to land a fish.

Permitted Fishing Locations:

15. Fishing is permitted any place on the tournament waters, except within fifty (50) yards of another contestant’s boat that was first anchored at a location. All fishing must be done from the boat. Contestant’s must not leave the boat to land a fish.

Determination of Tournament Winners (Scoring):

16. Placement in each tournament will be determined by pounds and hundredths of a pound. Tournament winners will be determined by the total pounds and hundredths accumulated during the time of the tournament. Only black, largemouth, spotted or smallmouth bass may be weighed. There will be a five (5) bass per day limit. Each contestant will be responsible for keeping his bass separate from his partners. The contestants with the highest total weight will be declared the tournament winner, with the next highest weight being second place, etc., until each contestant has been ranked. At the end of each tournament, Tournament Director will total each contestant’s total weigh and announce the top ten (10) places for the tournament.

Awarding of Bonus Weight 17. Deleted

Awarding of Points for Determining Club Standings:

18. A point system will be used to rank members in the club. The points will be accumulated throughout the year to determine the end of the year standings, points will be awarded to the membership in the following manner:
19. Meetings: All members present for the monthly meeting will be awarded ten (10) points each. Questionable attendance will be decided by the Board of Directors.
20. Tournaments: All contestants will receive twenty (20) points for participating in each Tournament. In addition, placement points will be awarded on a decreasing scale with first place receiving one hundred (100) points, second place ninety (90) points, and decreasing by ten (10) points each place through tenth place which will receive ten (10) points. Participants weighing a fish but not placing in the top ten places will be awarded five (5) points. At least one fish must be weighed-in to receive any placement points.

Size Limits and Measurement of Fish:

19. All bass must be a minimum of twelve (12) inches in length in order to be weighed-in. Other size limits shall be as per state regulations governing that specific lake or body of water. (A spotted bass will be determined by checking for a patch of teeth on the tongue. If the teeth are present it will be considered a spot.) All questionable fish will be measured on the official measuring board. As a penalty, One Pound for each undersized bass brought to the weigh-in station will be subtracted from that contestant’s total weight and the short fish will not be weighed. Official measuring board will be used for official measuring only. All Game and Fish laws that apply to length or size of fish apply to each individual lake regardless of the above rules. (You may not bring more than the club limit to the scales. The penalty for above the limit is eliminating the heaviest fish until the limit is reached. All fish brought to the scales will be considered for the above rules.)

Late Penalty:

20. Contestants must be represented at the official weigh-in area on time. (In the ramp area and not fishing.) Any contestant (s) not reporting in by weigh-in time will forfeit three (3%) of his weight for each minute he is late. After fifteen (15) minutes he will lose all weight. This also applies to any Big Fish award. Each represented contestant will be given ample time to weigh-in his fish. Exact fishing hours will be announced at the registration time. If a tournament participant leaves a tournament early he must notify another participant on the lake or leave a note on the Tournament Directors vehicle. If you leave the tournament early you may leave your fish with another contestant who can weigh in for you.

In Case of Ties:

21. In case of tie the places in question will be combined and the money will be divided equally by the two (2) contestants and tournament points for the highest place will be awarded to both contestants.

Protests:

22. The Tournament Director must be notified of any protest within fifteen (15) minutes after the contestant wishing to protest has weighed-in his fish. A written protest must then be submitted to the tournament Director within thirty (30) minutes of the notification. The Tournament Director will then turn the written protest over to the Board of Directors for a resolution of the matter.

GENERAL RULES:

Severe Weather Conditions:

23. In case of severe weather conditions if a tournament is postponed it will be canceled and there will not be a makeup tournament.

Selection of Lakes, Launch Sites and Tournament Times:

24. A tournament committee shall be appointed each year consisting of the top six (6) fishermen from the previous year. The top fisherman from the previous year will be appointed as Tournament Director for the year. One tournament shall be held each month on the first weekend after the monthly meeting when possible. Tournament sites for the year will be selected by the tournament committee prior to the January meeting. This slate of tournaments for the year will be voted on by the membership at the January meeting. Once adopted this schedule can only changed by following the procedure for a by-law change.

Selection of Top Six (6) Team Members: Deleted

25. The club team for the Georgia Bass Chapter Federation (GBCF) and the Georgia BASS Nation Top Six Tournament shall be elected at the first meeting in January of each year. This team shall be selected from the club standings from the previous year (Jan.-Dec.), starting at the top of the list and continuing down until the team and the alternate (s) who elect to participate. The three boats listed for use in the federation tournament will be determined by the order of the participants’ final standings.

Club Responsibilities to Top Six (6) Team Members: Deleted

26. The club shall furnish the total entry fee in the Bass Federation Nation (BASS) for the top six (6) if there are funds in the treasury.

Awards for Top Club Fishermen:

27. At the end of the year, trophies, plaques or cash shall be awarded to the top fisherman and as follows: first runner-up, and for largest fish caught during the previous season in club tournaments. Plaques of recognition will be awarded to third through sixth place. The value of each type award shall remain relatively the same each year.

Responsibilities of Board of Directors on These Rules:

28. Anything not covered in these rules shall be turned over to the Board of Directors for a decision. The decision by the Board of Directors shall be final and binding for this time and matter only. The board of directors shall be made up as: President, past president, vice president, sec. treasurer, and tournament director.

Method of Amending These Rules: 29. These rules may be amended by a majority vote of members present at any regular meeting, provided notice of the proposed change was stated in the monthly bulletin prior to the meeting calling for a vote. The procedure for an amendment to these rules are as follows:

1. A motion and a second for a proposed amendment, stating the proposed amendment must be made at a regular monthly meeting. B. Discussion of the proposed amendment will follow. C. Vote on motion to propose the amendment. If motion passes the proposed amendment will be published in the next monthly bulletin and voted on at the next monthly meeting. If the motion to propose the amendment fails no further action will be necessary

1. TOURNAMENT COMMITTEES AND OFFICERS

Officers of the club shall be President, Vice President, and Secretary/Treasurer – they shall be elected each year from and by the membership of the club at the December meeting. The tournament chairman will be the top fisherman in the club point standings from the year before.

1. Tournament committee shall be comprised of the executive officers and the top six fishermen. This committee will rule on all decisions. its decisions shall be final in all tournament matters.
2. The tournament committee shall plan the dates and locations of all tournaments. The schedule will be presented for a vote by the club membership at the January meeting each year. After adoption, the schedule can only be changed by following the rule for a by-law change. Tournaments can be canceled by the tournament director due to dangerous conditions. NO canceled tournament will be rescheduled.
3. Recorder shall be the same as the club tournament director. Duties shall consist of keeping complete tournament records and enforcing tournament rules.
4. Tournament director will receive and distribute any tournament money.