>> Plano Bass Anglers By-Laws - 2012

 
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 1A: Active membership is on an individual basis and any person of legal age, upon approval by a vote of the members present at the meeting, is allowed to join the Club and participate in its functions. Persons below the legal age limit must have a permission slip signed and notarized by their parent or legal guardian before being considered for membership. Prospective new members must pay for their membership dues in full at a regular monthly Club meeting. In the event that the members present do not approve the membership application the applicant will be refunded their membership dues and will not be allowed to fish as a guest.

Section 1B: The club will not accept applications for membership after the September meeting.  This includes new members, returning members and former members having not fished with the club within the past full year. Membership will then re-open at the January meeting for the new tournament season.

Section 2: All contestants must sign a liability release prior to fishing their first tournament of the season. 

Section 3:  Members are bound by the Club’s Privacy Statement specified on the Membership Application. 

Article 3:  Dues

Section 1: Annual membership dues are Fifty Dollars ($50.00). Yearly membership dues 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 1A: 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 (if acting President) can change time and/or location of meeting due to inclement weather, to support another Club function, or as needed to avoid a scheduling conflict with the meeting location.

Section 1B: Guests are welcome to attend the Club’s meetings but must follow accepted rules of respectful conduct during the meetings.

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: Amendment Procedures & Temporary Exceptions

Section 1 (By-Laws): 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.

Section 2 (Specific & 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.

Section 3 (Polices & Procedures): 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 Officers and presented to the membership before taking effect.

Article 6:  Officers

Section 1: The principal officers of the Club shall be the President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Tournament Director and Assistant Tournament Director.  All Officers must pay their membership dues at the first meeting of the year in which they assume office. Failure of an elected officer to pay membership dues by the February meeting will result in a new election being held to vote another member to the officer’s position.

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 Nation 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. In the absence of the Tournament Director, the Vice President will work alongside the Assistant Tournament Director concerning all tournament related 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 on a quarterly basis.

TOURNAMENT DIRECTORS – The Tournament Director is in charge of all Club Tournaments.  He/she will be the official timekeeper for all club tournaments. The Tournament Director will set all tournament times and MAY do so based upon feedback from the membership.  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.

Article 7:  Committees 

Section 1: The Officers 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. 

Section 2 (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. He/She will then pay the entry fee at the launch BEFORE the start of the tournament.  Failure to comply with these rules will lead to disqualification of the contestant. No exceptions.

Section 3 (Tournament Payout):

*Unless double entry is paid.  Double entry option only available if there are no unpaired non-boaters. 

100% of entries will be paid back, unless a boater fishing alone does not pay a double entry and places in the money.  In such case unpaid monies will revert to the classic fund.

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.

Section 4 (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. The 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 “#10 Tournament Rules under Tournament Format”.

B. Largest (Heaviest) Bass of the Year

C. The Rick Mobilia Memorial Sportsmanship Award

D. 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.
 
E. Appreciation Awards: May be made to the establishment providing a meeting place for the Club or representative of establishment and an additional award presented to a sponsor selected via a club vote by the membership present at the November meeting. Both awards will be presented at the year-end banquet.

Article 9:  Expulsion

Section 1: Any member may be expelled from the club by the Officers for: continued unsportsmanlike conduct, repeated public conduct that reflects poorly upon the club, continued behavior detrimental/disruptive to the club or violations of the by-laws/Rules and Regulations of the club. Such Member has the right of appeal at the following membership meeting. The membership will vote on any such appeal.

Section 2: Any guest/potential member may be restricted from participating in any club functions if:
The person has demonstrated a lack of sportsmanship with the club on more than one occasion.
Has threatened the club, its officers or members on one or more occasion.
Has demonstrated a willingness to be a constant negative distraction during club functions.
Under such circumstances a vote of the club officers would determine the extent of the person’s future interaction with the club up to and including expulsion from all club functions. The decision of the officers is final. In the event of the vote of the officers ends in a tie, a vote will be taken of the membership present at the time of the infraction or at the next club meeting.

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. The affected participants will vote as to any rescheduling or lake change concerning the tournament. The participants can also chose to deem the tournament concluded.

Article 11: Lake Selection 

Section 1: Lakes, and dates for the upcoming season will be set for the entire season at the December meeting. The officers will review the schedule in April for any new conflicts and will continue to monitor it throughout the year for any additional conflicts. There will be a restriction of 150-mile radius (plus/minus) of Plano with the exception of One (1) “Travel” Tournament.  This radius is centered at the intersection of the George Bush Tollroad at Hwy 75 in Plano, Texas.  If any part of the lake falls within the radius, the lake is deemed within the radius.

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.

Section 2: As a rule, the club will hold their tournaments on the 3rd full weekend of the month unless a major conflict or weather hazard dictates otherwise.

Section 3:  The number of tournaments will be ten (10), from January through October. 

Article 12: Club Standings Point System

Each member will receive ten (10) points for attending the regular monthly meeting.  A Member is allowed to receive points for one (only 1) missed meeting so long as the member submits the request to the officers.  The request must be submitted within the same week as the missed meeting.

First Place will receive one hundred (100) weigh-in points, Second Place 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; weight will be carried out to two decimal points to help prevent ties.

For purposes of YTD Standings the club works on a “2-Drop System”. This means each angler drops their two lowest scores of the FULL tournament season.

Article 13: 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.   Those fishing the Classic shall vote as to if it is a one or two day tournament. In the event the Classic is a two day tournament, both days will be held on the same lake with a 5 fish limit per day per team and the winning weights will be the combination of both days. A one day tournament will also have a limit of 5 fish per team. In either event the following provisions will apply:

A random draw for partners will be conducted at the meeting prior to the Classic in the following manner: All non-boaters qualifying for (and participating in) the Classic will have their names placed into a hat. Then, the qualifying (and participating) boaters will draw for their non-boater partner in order of their year-end standings finish. IE: The top finishing boater will draw first, then the second…and so on until all are paired. If there is a surplus number of boaters available, the remaining boaters’ names will be added to a second random draw to determine their partner for the tournament. It will be up to each team to decide which boat they use during the tournament.

Each team will submit one lake for consideration unless the membership decides to allow 1 vote per qualified person.

No guests are allowed to fish.

The Classic tournament shall not count toward Club Standings.

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.

Members must fish five (5) tournaments as a member during the season to qualify to vote for and fish the Classic.  A member may “purchase” one (only 1) tournament for purposes of meeting the 5 tournament requirement.  The angler must:  1- Attend the meeting prior to the tournament to be missed and 2- Pay a double entry for that tournament (at the meeting).  Half the monies paid will go to the prize pool for the missed tournament with the other half going to the Classic Fund.

The Classic Lake from the prior year and lakes that were fished during the current Calendar Year are not eligible as a Classic Destination.  

Entry fee will be a minimum of $40.00 to allow for Big Bass each day (for a 2 day tournament). A higher fee may be approved by a vote of those fishing the Classic if desired to increase the size of the tournament payout.  The payout for the Classic will be 1^st Place – 50 percent, 2^nd Place – 30 percent, 3^rd Place – 20 percent.  Big Bass will be a minimum of $5 per person, per day.

Policies and Procedures:
Tournament Rules

1A. 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. Any violation of local/state laws will be subject to disqualification from event.

1B. Protests: Any participant wishing to file protest having witnessed a rule infraction or act of unsportsmanlike conduct (during a tournament) must do so in writing and present it to the Tournament Director prior to announcement of the finalized results. The officers present will discuss the violation and determine if any punitive action is required. This action can range from deduction in weight to disqualification from the event. The decision of the officers will be final.

2. 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.)

3. 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.

4A. Being Late to Weigh-in: 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.

4B. Being Late to Weigh-in (Cont): Under any other circumstance, any participant returning lake to the weigh-in site will be subject to a penalty in the amount of ½ pound per person for each minute that they are late in returning. In the case of an individual fishing alone, an equal penalty will be deducted from the weight of the partner drawn for purposes of the combined team weight ONLY. In any case, the penalty cannot exceed the total team weight (no negative weights will result from the penalty).

5. 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 and must return for weigh-in so that all anglers are accounted for.

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.

6. 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 limit is five (5) Bass per person AT ANY ONE TIME (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), the regulations prescribed by the state for THAT LAKE will be in effect. 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.

In the event an angler turns over an undersized fish to the Tournament Director to be weighed, the angler will lose the weight of the “short” fish as well as the weight of his/her largest fish. On a second such infraction by the same angler (during the same year), the angler will be disqualified.

7. Tournament Fees: Tournament entry fees shall be thirty-five US dollars ($35 USD) per entry for one day tournaments and forty US dollars ($40 USD) per entry for two day tournaments. Each fee allows for five dollars ($5 USD) for the Big Bass Pot (per each day of the tournament).

8. 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.
 
9. Boaters and Non-Boaters:  The boater is the team member operating the boat and normally controlling the front deck and trolling motor.  The Non-Boater is the other team member.  The Boater must sign is as the Boater and the Non-Boater must sign in as the Non-Boater.

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.

10.  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.  A team fishing from more than one boat at the same time on the tournament lake during tournament hours will be disqualified from the tournament (Only one boat can be used by a team at a time).  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.

11. 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.

12. 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 FIVE (5) regular tournaments during the year, with the exception of immediate family members.  Two boaters paired together may be encouraged to fish separately to help accommodate non-boaters who are unpaired.

13. Guests:  A member may bring a guest to fish a tournament (except for the Classic).  The guest must pay the entry fee. Guests are limited to a total of one tournament 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.

All boats must have at least one cell phone OR marine radio on board (in working order) in case of emergency. Any penalty will be at the discretion of the Tournament Director.

15. Alcohol/Drugs: During official tournament hours, no participants shall use alcohol or controlled substances other than those prescribed by a physician. An infraction of this rule will lead to the immediate disqualification of the participant.

16. Off Limits: 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.

Download a pdf version of the Plano Bass Anglers – 2012 By-Laws