Rules

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TOURNAMENT RULES AND REGULATIONS

FOR TERREBONNE BLACK BASS CLUB


1. All tournaments sponsored or participated in by the Terrebonne Black Bass Club will be governed by the following rules and regulations adopted by the general membership.

a. All members must have a valid fishing license.
b. All tournaments shall be headed by at least two (2) club members. These members shall be designated as the Tournament Directors, and shall be appointed by the club president. The duration of the their term shall normally be one (1) month during which they will be responsible for at least one (1) club tournament.
c. It shall be mandatory for Tournament Directors to fish together for the tournament(s) within the designated period of their term, unless otherwise approved by the club president.
d. The Tournament Directors shall be responsible for determining the following:
1. The tournament time and place of departure 
2. Time and place of the weigh-in
3. Boundaries of the areas to be fished
e. The Tournament Directors shall act as official weighmasters of the tournament of which they are in charge, or an acceptable substitute shall be appointed.
e. Stringers for the tournament shall be six (6) fish or less.


2. General Rules
Terrebonne Black Bass Club monthly tournaments shall be governed by the following General Rules:

a. Tournaments
There shall be 12 monthly tournaments, 8 of which shall be designated as one-day tournaments. The remaining 4 shall be designated as two-day tournaments, unless decided otherwise by the membership.
Points for tournaments shall be based on the weight of one (1) stringer of six (6) fish or less.


These tournaments shall be held as outlined below:


b. Eligible Waters
No contestant may fish in any area that may not be fished by all other contestants during the tournament.


c. Tackle
Only artificial baits, casting, spin-casting, spinning rods and reels, and fly rods shall be allowed for competition.


d. Boats
1. All contestants must fish only from boats in which they leave the place of departure selected, except in the case of legitimate mechanical or floatation failure.
2. All state, local, and Coast Guard boating safety laws shall apply. Courtesy among contestants will be observed, under penalty of protest.
3. Each partner shall be entitled to one-half of the total tournament time at the trolling motor.


e. Expenses
Expenses and boats used shall be left to the discretion of the partners.


f. Pairing of Contestants
All Tournaments shall be draw tournaments.


In the event that a club member is the odd man in the drawing, he has the option to fish with a non-club member. In such a case, the club member must inform one of the tournament directors of his intention to fish with a non-club member. With this accomplished, the tournament directors may grant the non-member the authority to certify the club member's fish. However, the non-club member shall not be able to compete for any awards in the tournament.


g. Fishing Status
Any member wishing to fish the monthly tournament is required to inform the tournament directors of this intention prior to the drawing for partners at the monthly meeting. In the event of a "Pick Your Partner" tournament, the tournament directors must be informed of a member's intention to fish no later than the day of the monthly meeting.


h. Make-Up Tournaments
Club members may be allowed to fish make-up tournaments for the following reasons:
1) Any club member may be eligible for a make-up tournament should they be scheduled to work on the day of the regular monthly tournament. He must inform the tournament directors of his intention to fish no later than the day of the monthly meeting.
2) Any club member may be eligible for a make-up tournament in the event of any medical emergency that prevents the member from fishing the regular monthly tournament (i.e., Death in Family, Surgery, Childbirth). The tournament directors shall have the authority to grant or deny the make-up request. Should the tournament directors come to an impasse, the final decision shall be left up to the club president.
3) In the event that a club member should have an emergency (as outlined above) or should unexpectedly have to work, he must inform the tournament directors of his intention to fish a make-up tournament no later than the deadline set in the tournament rules for the effected tournament.
Any member fishing a make-up tournament must follow all of the rules established by the tournament directors in the tournament rules for the effected month. The score card must be witnessed by a club member and presented to the weigh master no later than the next club meeting.


i. Cancellations
Tournament directors must be notified of cancellations in advance in order to allow for pairing of odd contestants. The tournament directors must specify the time frame for cancellations in the rules for the given tournament.


j. Late Penalty
Contestants will be penalized one pound per minute for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, the late contestant(s) will be disqualified. No excuses will be accepted. Tournament Directors shall keep official time.


k. Weigh-In
All contestants should report to the weigh-in, even if no fish are to be weighed in. However, if this is not possible, at least one of the contestants should check in to the weigh-in.
Reporting to the weigh-in provides security for all contestants. Should a pair of contestants not report to the weigh-in, it will be presumed by the membership that the boat was somehow disabled. If the contestants' whereabouts do not surface within a reasonable amount of time, a search will be initiated.
l. Ties
In the case of a tie, the largest fish possessed by the tied contestants will break the tie. If the largest fish should be the same, then the next largest fish shall break the tie, and so on.


m. Jurisdiction
All decisions of the tournament directors shall be final.


n. Protests
Any protest must be presented to the Tournament Directors in writing within 30 minutes following the weigh-in.


3. Weights and Measures

All weights and measures shall be handled in accordance with the procedures listed below for all tournaments.


a. Club Sanctioned Scale
All contestants participating in a tournament are responsible for measuring their fish on a Gatorgrip Weigh Master Golden Rule measuring board (hereafter referred to as a Golden Rule), which is sanctioned by the Terrebonne Black Bass Club for all club tournaments. Only measurements that are attained on a Golden Rule shall be considered valid. (Exception is made for fish that are longer than the Golden Rule. See paragraph b line 6 below.)
Tournament Directors shall be responsible for having a Golden Rule at the weigh in for verifying all points.


b. Measurements
All measurements must be handled as such:


1. Only largemouth or Kentucky (spotted) bass of 12" or more in length shall be eligible unless declared otherwise.
2. The lengths and weights of fish shall be certified by the contestant's partner or another club member. A contestant unable to have his fish witnessed as outlined above must bring his fish to the weigh-in where they will be certified by one of the Tournament Directors.
3. Fish must be measured in such a manner that causes no harm to the fish. The fish's body must be positioned in such a manner that the fish's mouth remains closed and touching the base of the Golden Rule while the tail is manipulated in any appropriate fashion to result in an accurate measurement.
4. Measurements must be made in intervals of one-eighth (1/8th ") of an inch.. Any time a fish's tail extends beyond an incremental line for a measurement of 1/8th ", the next higher increment shall be recorded (i.e., a fish measuring 15" with the tail extending beyond the incremental line for 15" and not reaching the 15-1/8th " shall be recorded as 15-1/8th").
However, extension from 11-7/8" to 12" shall not be accomplished. Only fish with measurements that are exactly 12" may be recorded as 12".
5. After fish are measured, verified by the partner, and recorded, there shall be no requirement to keep the fish for verification by the tournament directors. Fish should be released immediately after recording. (Although the rules of the Terrebonne Black Bass Club do not require contestants to release fish, it is encouraged that all suitable fish be returned to the water in the interest of conservation.)
6. Fish having a length greater than the length of the Golden Rule shall be measured on a flat measuring board similar to the Golden Rule*. Measurements must be in increments of 1/8th ". The weight of fish must be determined by referencing the club sanctioned weight sheet for fish larger than the Golden Rule**.
*[The board must have a blunt end to place the nose of the fish against for proper measuring, which shall be accomplished in the same manner as with the Golden Rule.] ** [Sheet is provided by Golden Rule and is on file at the clubhouse.]


c. Weights
All weights must be handled as such:
All weights must be recorded in pounds and ounces. Each measurement on the Golden Rule has a corresponding weight. When a measurement falls beyond a given incremental line, the next higher weight shall be recorded. This must be handled in a manner similar to that of recording the lengths of fish (paragraph "b" above).


d. Points
Points for all tournaments must be determined as follows:
1. Total points for each contestant shall be determined by totaling all of the contestant's fish (up to a six fish stringer). Weights must be recorded in pounds and ounces as denoted by the Golden Rule.
2. Total weights for each contestant shall be tallied by the score keeper on a monthly basis and added to the yearly total.
e. Bass of the Month
Points for Bass of the Month shall be awarded to the club member(s) catching the largest bass within a given month.
1. In order to be eligible for Bass of the Month status, a fish must have been caught within the Bass of the Month Boundaries. These boundaries include all eligible Louisiana waters south of Highway 192.
2. Points shall be added to the designated club member(s) total points for the month in which the fish was caught. However, April Bass of the Month points will be added to the May points for the next fiscal year.
3. The fish must be measured, verified, and recorded by another club member or by some other competent person. (Note: Unless kept for a trophy, the fish should be released. Although the rules of the Terrebonne Black Bass Club do not require contestants to release fish, it is encouraged that all suitable fish be returned to the water in the interest of conservation.)
4. The score keeper should be notified as soon as possible in order to assure that all club members have access to information concerning the current Bass of the Month candidates.