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Article 1: Name and
Purpose
Section 1: The name of this
Bass Club is PLANO BASS ANGLERS, hereafter referred to as the
"Club".
Section 2: The purpose for
which this club is formed is to provide a program of water safety,
conservation, and observance of the law, sportsmanship, and
fellowship among its members and to promote organized competitive
fishing tournaments between its members and between similar clubs.
Article 2: Membership
Section 1:
Active membership is on an individual basis and any person is
allowed to join the Club and participate in its functions. New
members must pay for their membership dues at the meeting prior to
the tournament scheduled for that month. They will not be allowed to
pay at the ramp. All applications for active membership are subject
to approval by majority vote of the members present at the meeting.
The application is presented for approval at the meeting following
submission of the application. In the event that the membership
rejects an application, the applicant will be refunded their
membership dues.
Section 2: All members must
sign a liability release prior to fishing their first tournament of
the season.
Article 3: Dues
Section 1: The
annual dues per active membership are Fifty Dollars ($50.00). Club
dues for the year will be due by the first meeting in January and
delinquent after the first meeting in February. Failure to pay club
dues by February will result in a member being ineligible to fish
until dues are paid
The Club will only accept CASH for payment
of dues.
Article 4: Meetings
Section 1: The
monthly membership meeting of the Club shall be at 7:00pm on the
Monday prior to the tournament. Club President and or Vice-President
can change time and/or location of meeting due to inclement weather
and or to support another Club function.
Section 2: The
officers shall meet as required. At the end of the year, a meeting
shall take place between the incoming and outgoing officers to
discuss plans and actions to be taken for the upcoming year.
Section 3: Unless
impractical or inconsistent with other provisions of the by-laws,
all meetings shall be conducted in accordance with Roberts Rules of
Order.
Article 5: Ratification
of Action - Specific and Temporary Exceptions
This By-Law allows the Officers of the Club
to make temporary decisions that can and probably do violate other
By-Laws when in their best judgment; these decisions are for the
good of the Club. Any such change will only be in effect for a
specific incident or event and MUST be approved by a membership
majority vote. The change will not constitute any real or perceived
permanent change to the effected By-Laws and shall not be considered
an established precedence.
Article 6: Officers
Section 1: The
principal officers of the Club shall be the President, Vice
President, Secretary, Treasurer, Tournament Director, Assistant
Tournament Director and an appointed Federation Liaison. All
Officers must pay their membership dues at the first meeting of the
year in which they assume office.
Section 2:
Each officer will be elected by the active membership at the
October meeting unless a vote dictates otherwise. They shall assume
their duties in December after all the awards are presented and old
business has concluded. Once elected, each officer will serve for
one year unless he/she resigns or is removed from office. In the
event that an elected officer resigns, a new vote by the membership
will elect a replacement except for the position of President. The
elected Vice-President will assume the position of President in
his/her absence and or resignation.
Section 3: Officer’s
Duties
PRESIDENT
The President shall be Chief Executive Officer of all Club
meetings. He/she shall arrange all membership meetings. He/she will
appoint a member(s) to maintain the web site and/or Trophies/Awards.
President will appoint a member to handle all Federation
responsibilities (Federation Liaison). He/she will assume the duties
of the Tournament Director in the absence of both the Vice-President
and Tournament Director. The President will have an active role in
Club events to include: Committees, Community events and fundraisers
and Federation events requiring representation from a Club Officer.
The President can appoint member(s) to assist with above
responsibilities.
VICE PRESIDENT The
Vice President (VP), in the absence of the President, shall assume
the duties of the President. VP will be responsible for scheduling,
marketing and managing Club functions to include…Membership
recruiting, Community and Fundraising events. VP can appoint
member(s) to assist with above responsibilities.
SECRETARY The
Secretary shall attend all meetings and keep the minutes. He/she
will maintain club standings, club roster and monthly newsletter to
be posted on the website.
TREASURER The
Treasurer shall be the custodian of all Club funds. He/she will
collect all club dues and tournament fees. He/she will submit a
treasurer’s report at least every other month.
TOURNAMENT DIRECTORS
The Tournament Director is in charge of all Club Tournaments.
He/she will be the official timekeeper for all club tournaments.
Director will be responsible for measuring and weighing fish at club
tournaments. Maintain club scales. Act as a point of contact for
tournament information including coordinating members that need
partners. Enforce all tournament rules. The Assistant Tournament
Director will provide assistance to the Tournament Director during
tournament events. In the absence of the Tournament Director, the
Assistant will assume his/her responsibilities along with the
Vice-President.
FEDERATION LIAISON: The Bass
Federation Nation Liaison shall be responsible for accepting the
National and State Federation dues and forwarding said dues to the
proper State/National representatives. The Liaison is responsible
for conveying local and national Federation Nation news to the club
and will act as the club’s representative on all Federation Nation
conference calls. The Liaison is responsible keeping a tally of
points earned by the club pertaining to the N.E. Division’s club
eligibility point system as he/she works closely with all other club
officers in assuring the club remains qualified for the State
Tournament. In such an event where assistance is needed in
completing these tasks, the Liaison can appoint a competent
assistant in which he/she can delegate certain tasks.
Article 7: Committees
Section 1: The board shall add
committees as needed and will ask for or appoint active members to
participate as needed.
Article 8: Finances
Section 1: All Club funds
shall be CASH ONLY, and subsequent disbursement of all Club funds
shall be made in CASH. No disbursement of Club funds shall be made
without the express approval of the Club Officers, except that of
the President and Treasurer may together approve a bill for current
expenses.
Article 9: Expulsion
Section 1: Any member may
be expelled from the Club by the Officers for misconduct or
violation of the By-Laws and/or Rules and Regulations of the
Club. Such member has the right of appeal to the membership at the
next meeting. The membership will make the final decision.
Article 10: Emergencies/Hazardous
Conditions
Section 1: Hazardous
conditions are defined as weather conditions such as severe
thunderstorms, high winds or other violent weather that create
unsafe boating and fishing conditions. The President, Vice
President, or Tournament Director, may declare an emergency in which
a tournament location, date, time, weigh-in, or pre-fish date may be
changed. If an emergency comes up after the meeting and before the
tournament or during a tournament, the Tournament Director can
declare an emergency in accordance with the majority of the officers
present. In such event, the Tournament Director can change the date,
time or location of the tournament.
Section 2: If a boat breaks
down or a boater encounters problems with his boat and cannot make
the weigh-in on time, and when/if assistance of another boater is
required, the Tournament Director has the right to allow both teams
to weigh in their fish. The Tournament Director’s decision is final.
Article 11: Tournament Rules
1. State Laws:
Anyone competing in an event must
follow state and local lake rules and regulations which includes,
but not limited to, having a valid fishing license on your person.
Members must provide Secretary with proof of valid fishing license
prior to first tournament of the year and prior to September
tournament. Any violation of local/state laws will be subject to
disqualification from event.
2. Lake and Weigh-in Selection:
Lakes, and dates for the upcoming season will be set for the entire
season at the November meeting. There will be a restriction of
150-mile radius (plus/minus) of Plano with the exception of One (1)
“Travel” Tournament. The lake having the most votes for that month
will be the primary lake and the lake having the second most
votes will be the backup lake. No more than two tournaments are
allowed on a single lake within the year, with two new lakes
(different from the previous year) each year, with the exception of
hazardous conditions, which may dictate otherwise.
Article 12: Classic Tournament:
The Lake shall be determined by luck of the
draw. The lake must be within the state of Texas and within a
150-mile radius of Plano, Texas. The draw for the lake and weigh-in
site will be held at the meeting preceding the tournament. The
Classic tournament will be a 2-day event on the same lake, 5 fish
limit per day per team and the winning weights would be the
combination of both days with the following provisions:
A.
Draw for partners will be done at the meeting prior to the Classic.
Each team will submit one lake for consideration unless the
membership decides to allow 1 vote per qualified person.
B.
No guests allowed to fish
C.
The Classic tournament shall not count toward Club Standings
D.
There is no pre-fishing allowed. The lake is off limits starting at
the conclusion of the meeting prior to the Classic and remains so
until the official start time of the Classic.
E.
Members must fish five (5) tournaments as a member during a season
to qualify and be able to vote for the Classic Lake.
F. The Classic Lake from the prior year
and lakes that were fished during the current Calendar Year are not
eligible as a Classic Destination.
G.
Tournament fee will be $40.00 to allow for Big Bass each day and
standard payouts will apply.
Policies and Procedures
1. Tournament Weigh-ins:
Tournament hours will be set by the Tournament Director prior to
each Tournament and announced at the monthly meeting. (Weigh-in
will be 30 minutes after the end of the tournament. The tournament
shall end no later than 4:00p.m. On regular tournaments with the
exception of approved night tournaments.)
A. Trailering: Contestants may
launch their boat at a ramp other than the designated (official)
launch location, but all contestants must come through the official
checkpoint location for inspection prior to take off.
Contestants launching from a ramp
other than the official ramp who do not wish to take off from the
official checkpoint - must report to the official ramp for
inspection and must wait until take off at official ramp before
driving to the ramp of their choice. Contestants launching from
another ramp are allowed to drive back to the official ramp for
weigh-in as long as they are at the official ramp at weigh-in time.
Vehicle malfunction, road traffic, etc., are the responsibility of
the Contestants choosing to launch from a ramp other than the
official ramp and will not be considered a “Safety Hazard” if
arriving late for the weigh-in.
2. Method and Limit:
Anglers must use the casting of artificial baits with rod and reel
method. No trolling with the gas-powered engine is allowed. Only
Black, Spotted and Smallmouth Bass are allowed at weigh-in. The
five (5) Bass limit per person (you may not give fish to your
partner) with a 14" minimum length measured per state regulations
will be observed. On all Statewide Special Exception Lakes (slot
lakes), a Club imposed minimum length limit of 10’’ will be observed
on all allowed species. Fish will be measured on a Check-It Stick
flat board.
A penalty of 1/2lb. per dead fish will be
assessed at weigh-in for all dead fish brought to weigh-in.
3. Tournament Registration:
All contestants must sign-up and pay CASH at the meeting prior to
the tournament or at the launch site. If a contestant cannot attend
the meeting, he must notify the Tournament Director or any other
Officer of the Club of his intent to fish the tournament by 5:00pm
on the Friday before the tournament the Friday before the
tournament. He/She will then pay the entry fee at launch unless
otherwise approved by an officer. Failure to comply with these
rules will be at the discretion of the Club Officers, and could lead
to disqualification of the contestant.
4. Alternate Weigh In: The
Tournament Director will select an alternate weigh in site if the
weigh in must be changed at the last minute due to weather
conditions.
5. Tournament Fees and Awards:
Tournament fees shall be thirty-five US dollars ($35.00 USD) per
entry, which includes Five Dollars ($5.00 USD) for the Big Bass
pot. All entry fees must be paid in CASH. Failure to pay the entry
fee to a tournament fished will render the member ineligible to fish
any future tournaments until said entry fee is paid.
6. Live Well Inspection:
Live wells are subject to inspection by a club officer at all
tournament launch sites and must be in good working condition. In
the event that a live well is not working, the member is responsible
to make the appropriate repairs. Tournament Director and/or Officer
in Charge will make a decision on proper course of action if live
well cannot be fixed. This decision may include but is not limited
to; (1) - providing member with alternate fish retention
equipment and/or
method. (2) -
Restrict participation due to faulty equipment (boater and
non-boater will be credited their entry fees for future use). The
officer’s decision will be final.
PAYOUT BASED ON TOURNAMENT FORMAT
1st Heavy Team- 45% of Purse or 20% of Purse
if fishing alone (Unless double entry paid)
2nd Heavy Team- 30% of Purse or
15% of Purse if fishing alone (Unless double entry paid)
3rd Heavy Team- 15% of Purse or
10% of Purse if fishing alone (Unless double entry paid)
4th Heavy Team- 10% of Purse or
5% of Purse if fishing alone (Unless double entry paid)
This format is based on 12 or more teams.
If less than 12 teams, the payout will be
50%, 30%, 20%.
100% of entry fees will be paid back. **
Trophies will be awarded to 1st place "Best
One Day Individual Heavy Stringer" Boater and Co-angler and to "Big
Bass" winner. In case of a tie for Big Bass, the money will be
split among the winners. All payouts will be paid at the ramp at the
conclusion of the tournament in the form of cash. In the event of a
tournament in which only one team weighs fish, 100% of the payback
will be paid to that team. It is the Club members' responsibility to
locate sponsors for trophies. If no sponsor is found for that
month, the cost of trophies will be covered from the Club operating
funds.
7. Boaters and Non-Boaters:
A Boater is the team member supplying the boat for the tournament.
A Non-Boater is the team member not providing a boat for the
tournament.
All non-boaters will be required to
share gas expenses with their boater. It is recommended that a
minimum (but not limited to) contribution of $30.00 be paid to the
boater. Distance or any other unusual circumstance should be taken
into consideration when deciding how much to pay the boater. Any
payment over the required $30.00 will be at the discretion of the
non-boater
8. Tournament format: All
sanctioned Plano Bass Angler tournaments are team events. A team
may be made up of a Boater and a Non-Boater fishing from the same
boat or a Boater fishing from a boat alone. One and only one boat
is allowed per team with both team members fishing from the same
boat. A Team fishing from more than one boat on the tournament lake
during tournament hours will be disqualified from the tournament.
In the event there is an odd number of Non-Boaters entered into the
tournament, the remaining Non-Boater(s) has the option to fish from
the bank or by means of obtaining a boat on their own (rental boat,
etc). In this event, the Non-Boater would then be classified as a
Boater for this tournament only and would be allowed to randomly
draw the name of a Non-Boater from the tournament roster after the
weigh-in. This “Team” would have their weights combined for
purposes of competition in the tournament. The Non-Boater having to
compete as a Boater for purposes of this tournament would still be
considered a Non-Boater for purposes of the Non-Boater of the Year
award.
In the event that more than one Non-Boater
is left without a partner, the two can be considered a team at the
discretion of the Tournament Director and their means of fishing
decided as prescribed above. In the event there is an odd number of
Boaters entered into the tournament the Boater(s) fishing alone can
randomly draw the name of a Non-Boater(s) from the tournament roster
after the weigh in. This “team” would have their weights combined
for purposes of competition in the tournament.
A Boater or Non-Boater not showing up for
the tournament, either Saturday or Sunday, without contacting their
partner and/or an officer of the club, will be fined 50 points after
drops on the first violation and will be subject to dismissal after
the second no show upon approval of the Board of Directors. The
boater or non-boater affected by a no-show will be given the option
to fish the tournament or to have his entry fee transferred to the
next tournament. The no-show will not have his entry fee refunded
or transferred to the next tournament.
9. Tournament Types:
1-Day Tournament: One day
tournaments will start and end on the same day. Winners will be
determined by total stringer weight. If a conflict arises due to
another tournament(s) on the same lake, the members present may
change the date(s) to an alternate weekend with a majority vote.
2-Day
Tournament: Two day tournaments will consist of 2 consecutive
days on the same lake. The winner will be determined by the
combined weight of both days’ stringers. Big Bass will be awarded
for each individual day. If a conflict arises due to another
tournament(s) on the same lake, the members present may change the
date(s) to an alternate weekend with a majority vote.
Night Tournaments: Night tournament
hours will start no earlier than 6:00 PM on Saturday afternoon and
end at a time set by the Tournament Director on Sunday but no later
than 8:00 a.m. There will be a maximum of 2 night tournaments per
year.
All tournament waters are off limits 8 hours
prior to tournament with the exception of the Classic, which is off
limits as soon as it is voted on.
10. Partner Selection:
Partner selection will be on an individual basis (unless otherwise
stated). It is the Tournament Director’s responsibility to pair
members without partners. Special consideration will be made to
non-boaters. A member may not fish with the same partner more than
FOUR (4) regular tournaments during the year, with the
exception of immediate family members.
11. Club Standings Point System:
Each member will receive five (5) points for
attending the regular meeting. One Day Heavy Stringer will receive
one hundred (100) weigh-in points, Second Heavy Stringer will
receive ninety-nine (99) weigh-in points, and so on until all
members weighing fish have been awarded weigh-in points. Those
members participating in the tournament but who do not weigh any
fish will receive 10 points less than the last person weighing in
legal fish.
Each member weighing fish will receive one (1) point per pound of
fish weighed.
12. Number of Annual Tournaments:
The number of tournaments will be ten (10), from January through
October.
13. Guests: A member may
bring a guest to fish a tournament (except for the Classic). The
guest must pay the entry fee. One tournament per guest per year.
Guests are eligible for cash awards, but are not eligible for
trophies. Everyone in the boat must be in the tournament. No guest
may fish without a member in the boat.
14. Safety: Safe boating
should be observed at all times. Each participant MUST wear
a Coast Guard approved personal floatation device any time the
combustible engine is in operation. Plano Bass Anglers is not
responsible for any accidents, theft, or vandalism at any time. All
state boating regulations apply at all times.
Awards
The Awards presented will be:
A. Club Champions - Angler of the Year and
Co-Angler of the Year based on total points accumulated in the
Official Club Standing Point system.
B- Co-Angler of the Year is awarded to a
Non-Boater who has fished as a Co-Angler the entire year with the
only exception being prescribed in “#7 Tournament Format”.
C. Largest (Heaviest) Bass of the Year
D. Sportsmanship Award
E. Classic Champions (Angler and
Co-Angler)
1. Member must be present at membership
meeting to collect awards. If the member is unable to make the
meeting, the award will be presented at the next membership meeting.
2. Appreciation Award may be made to the
establishment providing a meeting place for the Club or
representative of establishment.
Plano Bass Anglers – 2008 Amendment
Procedures
By Law Amendments
1. By-Laws cannot be changed in part
or in full during the course of a tournament season. They can only
be changed during the November meeting with a majority vote from the
members present.
Specific and Temporary Exceptions -
This By-Law allows the Officers of the Club to make temporary
decisions that can and probably do violate other By-Laws when in
their best judgment; these decisions are for the good of the Club.
Any such change will only be in effect for a specific incident or
event and MUST be approved by a membership majority vote. The change
will not constitute any real or perceived permanent change to the
effected By-Laws and shall not be considered an established
precedence.
2. Policies and Procedures may be
changed during the course of the tournament year when it is in the
best interest of the club to do so. Any changes made will be at the
discretion of the board of directors and presented to the membership
before taking effect.
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