Plano Bass Anglers – 2008 By-Laws

 

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.

 

 

This information can be found on our website at: http://www.planobassanglers.com/Info/bylaw.asp