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Effective: Immediately
RULE
CHANGES: The following rules shall apply
to American Bass Anglers, Inc. American Fishing
Tour tournaments, with the following exceptions:
(i) rules for special tournaments may differ from
those contained herein and (ii) these rules may
be changed by American Bass Anglers at any time
upon notice by American Bass Anglers to its members,
which notice may be published on the American Bass
Anglers internet site at www.americanbassanglers.com.
1.
Interpretation of these rules shall be left exclusively
to the tournament director. In the event of a
rule violation, the tournament director and/or
American Bass Anglers, Inc. Headquarters may
impose such sanctions, as deemed appropriate,
including but not limited to, disqualification,
forfeiture of prizes, forfeiture of entry fee
and prohibition from participation in subsequent
tournaments. The decision of the tournament director/ABA
Headquarters shall be final in all matters. Protests
for any rule infraction must be made in writing
within 15 minutes of the official announcement, “the
scales are now closed”.
a. Each contestant agrees to report any tournament
rule infraction to the tournament director.
b. Failure to report to the tournament director
any tournament rules infractions or false reporting
of tournament rules infractions will be cause for
being disqualified.
c. Rules infractions will result in penalties that
may include
(1) Loss of weight for the day of the rules infraction.
(2) Disqualification from the event.
(3) Disqualification from future American Bass
Anglers, Inc., events for a period of time up to
a lifetime disqualification.
2. COMPETITOR'S CONDUCT CODE:
a. Members that participate in American Bass
Anglers, Inc., events will at all times observe
the Competitor's Conduct Code and all applicable
tournament/conduct rules for the tournament event
in which they are participating as stated here.
All Contestants shall conduct themselves professionally
at all times. Their actions may not reflect unfavorably
on the sport of bass fishing, American Bass Anglers,
Inc., its members or affiliates, officers or representatives,
tournaments or sponsors.
b. All competitors will in their best efforts provide
a high degree of professionalism, integrity and
conservation in the sport of professional angling.
Any Competitor who violates any of the Competitor's
Conduct Code may be penalized which may include:
fines, disqualification from events, forfeiture
of winnings, and suspension or non-acceptance of
entries from ABA events to include permanent suspension.
American Bass Anglers, Inc., may use these actions
singularly or in combination as deemed appropriate.
3. PARTICIPANTS AND ELIGIBILITY:
a. Participation is open to current members of
American Bass Anglers, Inc., who are 14 years of
age or older. Proof of age to the satisfaction
of tournament officials is the responsibility of
the competitor.
b. Competitors must have a valid fishing license
for the body of water the event is being held on.
c. DURING THE OFFICIAL PRACTICE AND COMPETITION
DAYS OF AN American Bass Anglers, Inc., TOURNAMENT,
NO COMPETITOR MAY OPERATE A BOAT UNLESS THAT CONTESTANT
HAS DOCUMENTED PROOF OF A MINIMUM OF $100,000 BOATING
LIABILITY INSURANCE ON THAT PARTICULAR BOAT. PROOF
OF INSURANCE MUST BE WITH THE BOAT BEING USED AND
MUST COVER THE COMPETITOR USING THAT BOAT. RANDOM
CHECKS WILL BE CONDUCTED. EACH POLICY MUST SHOW
A MINIMUM OF $100,000 LIABILITY AND VALID EXPIRATION
DATE.
d. Anglers must sign the Release of Liability form
at the event and if not pre-registered with headquarters
must present their entry fee to the tournament
director prior to the tournament. Tournament officials
reserve the right to refund any membership and/or
entry fee, if they shall choose for any reason
not to accept the application for entrance.
e. Any person entering a tournament that is under
18 years of age must have the signature of his/her
parent or legal guardian on the entry form.
4. POLYGRAPH:
By signing the official entry form contestants
agree to submit to a polygraph/voice test examination
should he/she be accused of any rule violation.
ABA may also conduct random polygraph/voice test
examination throughout the year. Any person convicted
of violating tournament rules or failing to successfully
pass a polygraph/voice test in this or any other
tournament will not be allowed membership or
entry into any American Bass Anglers, Inc., events.
The administration and interpretation of the
polygraph/voice test shall be solely the responsibility
of the American Bass Anglers, Inc., its tournament
Directors or agents, and shall be used (or not
used) at their discretion. Without limiting the
foregoing, the American Bass Anglers, Inc., shall
have sole discretion to select the place at which
such polygraph/voice test shall be administered,
the individual who administers such polygraph/voice
test, and the scope of the questions, which may
be asked during such test. Failure to take and
pass the polygraph/voice test examination, if
required, will result in immediate disqualification
without recourse.
5. PROFESSIONALS:
Individuals who have fished two or more tournaments
as a designated Professional in a Pro/Am event
requiring an individual entry fee of $675 or
more in the preceding six months are not eligible
to fish. This rule does not apply to Amateur
status anglers.
6. GUIDES:
Individuals who are serving as a licensed guide
or are paid for guiding on tournament waters
within the previous 30 day period are not eligible
to compete in American Bass Anglers, Inc., events
on that lake(s).
7. PRE-TOURNAMENT PRACTICE/OFF-LIMITS:
There will be no official practice period (Except
for National Championship or special events)
prior to the pre-tournament meeting. No contestant
may enter the tournament water for the purpose
of catching or locating possible fishing locations
after day one weigh-in in multiple day tournaments.
Off-limits areas not covered in Rule 17, will
be designated and explained at pre-tournament
meeting by the tournament director.
8. REGISTRATION:
It is recommended that contestants pre-register
through National headquarters. Contestant desiring
to register at the ramp must do so in person
during the official registration period. Registration
period is defined as 1 and ½ hours preceding
5am local time during daylight savings time and
6am local time during standard time or the time
established by the local tournament director.
Once the Safety and Rules briefing begins no
tournament entries can be accepted. Failure to
attend the pre-tournament meeting of any American
Bass Anglers, Inc., tournament will result in
forfeiture of entry fee and disqualification
from the tournament in question.
9. ENTRY FEE:
Entry fee for Divisional Qualifying events will
be $70.00 which includes big bass. Entry Fee
for Divisional Championships will be $140.00,
which includes big bass. The entry fee for the
National Championship is $150.00 and does not
include big bass.
10. LATE FEE:
All mail in entries must be postmarked or called-in
to headquarters with a charge card 10 days prior
to the scheduled tournament. Divisional Qualifying
Events and Divisional Championship entries not
meeting this deadline will be subject to a $5.00
late fee (see Rule 24 for National Championship
Late Fee). All pre-registrations must be sent
to the Athens office only, except where noted
on schedule. New or renewing members signing
up at the tournament, active duty military members,
life members, visiting directors, assistant director
for that division, and 2009 frequent fishermen
anglers are not subject to the late fee for Divisional
Qualifying Events and Divisional Championship
tournaments ONLY.
11. SAFETY:
a. Contestants understand that participating
in fishing tournaments in an open boat is inherently
dangerous. Safe boating conduct will be observed
at all times.
b. During the official practice and competition,
each competitor is required to wear a U.S. Coast
Guard approved chest-type life preserver (PFD).
This preserver must be worn any time the combustion
engine is in gear. This preserver must be strapped,
snapped or zippered securely and maintained in
that condition until the combustion engine is no
longer in gear.
c. The boat operator must have a safety-stop switch
attached to his/her person when the combustion
engine is in gear. During practice and tournament
hours extreme caution must be exercised by boat
operator during bad weather.
d. In addition, extreme caution must be exercised
and boat operator must be aware that there could
be large cruisers and/or barges operating on tournament
waters that displace extremely large volumes of
water, which create unusually large wakes and turbulence.
e. Weather and water turbulence can be extremely
hazardous and extreme caution should be exercised
at all times. Violation of either the PFD or safety-stop
switch portion of this rule will result in disqualification.
12. SPORTSMANSHIP:
a. All contestants are expected to follow high
standards of sportsmanship, courtesy, safety and
conservation.
b. All contestants must adhere to all State, Federal
and local laws governing water activities. Any
infraction of these fundamental sporting principles
may be deemed cause for disqualification.
c. No alcoholic beverages or other stimulants or
depressants, shall be allowed in the boats during
the official practice or competition days, or when
in the weigh-in area.
d. Each contestant must keep the waters clean and
bring trash back to the dock for disposal.
e. Chemical substance addiction or abuse, conviction
of a felony or other crimes involving immoral turpitude,
or other conduct reflecting unfavorable upon efforts
to promote safety, sportsmanship, fair competition,
and compliance with tournament rules shall be grounds
for rejecting applications for membership, participation
and for disqualification.
f. Any disqualification or suspension from, or
other disciplinary action regarding any tournament
or fishing organization, shall be grounds for rejecting
any application for membership, participation and
for disqualification.
13. TACKLE AND EQUIPMENT:
Only artificial lures may be used. No "live
bait" or "prepared bait" will be
permitted during official practice and competition,
with the exception of pork strips, rinds, etc.
Only one rod and reel combination may be used at
one time. No fly rods or rods over 8 feet are allowed.
Trolling as a method of fishing is prohibited.
All bass must be caught live and in a conventional
sporting manner. All angling must be done from
the boat and anglers must stay on tournament waters
during tournament hours. Anglers are not permitted
to leave the boat to land a fish or leave the boat
to gain access to secluded waters. Boats must remain
in tournament waters during tournament day/days.
Competitors must leave and return to official checkpoint
by boat. Both competitors must remain in boat at
all times except in case of dire emergency. In
such an emergency, competitors may be removed from
their boat to: A BOAT OPERATED BY OTHER COMPETITORS,
A RESCUE BOAT DESIGNATED BY THE TOURNAMENT DIRECTOR
OR TO DISLODGE THEIR BOAT FROM A HAZARD. Partners
must remain together at all times, in sight of
each other and each other's catch, under the conditions
cited above, in order for their catch of that day
to be scored in the tournament. Citizen band radios,
marine radios and cellular phones are allowed in
the boat for emergency use only. Any transmission
of information via any communicative device concerning
any aspect of fishing is prohibited during tournament
hours.
14. HORSEPOWER REGULATION:
MAXIMUM HORSEPOWER FOR ALL OUTBOARD MOTORBOATS
USED IN OFFICIAL TOURNAMENT PRACTICE AND IN TOURNAMENT
COMPETITION WILL BE 250 HP. Horsepower cannot
exceed the limitations set by the U.S. Coast
Guard. It is required that all boats have a U.S.
Coast Guard or Manufacturer's horsepower-rating
plate attached to the boat by the manufacturer.
The horsepower of the outboard engine must not
exceed the rating specified on this plate nor
the horsepower maximum set by American Bass Anglers,
Inc. Each competitor agrees to submit, by their
signature on the official entry form, the boat
and outboard motor used in the tournament, to
an inspection by factory-trained personnel, if
there is any reason to suspect the horsepower
is in excess of the rating. Changing or altering
standard factory parts of your engine to increase
the horsepower over the factory horsepower rating
is forbidden, and will result in disqualification.
Falsifying information on entry forms or altering
the horsepower-rating numbers on the engine also
would be cause for immediate disqualification
from American Bass Anglers, Inc., tournaments.
15. BOAT AND MOTOR:
ALL BOATS MUST BE EQUIPPED WITH SOME TYPE OF IGNITION
STOP SWITCH. This ignition-kill device must be
attached to the driver's body any time the combustion
engine is in gear. Also any time the combustion
engine is operating and in gear, there must by
a driver in the driver's seat in full control
of the boat. Fishing boats that are 16 feet or
more in length may be used. No barges, cumbersome
craft or boats without steering wheel will be
permitted. Contestants may not use boats equipped
with "stick steering" during official
practice or during tournament hours. Each boat
must also have a properly aerated or re-circulating
live-well to maintain a live limit catch of bass
by both contestants. Boaters are required to
provide a back fishing seat for co-anglers.
16. BOAT OPERATION:
Any competitor answering yes to the question: "Will
you enter as a boater?" will be expected to
make that boat available for the tournament. Partners
must discuss sharing time for his/her selected
waters prior to ooze-off. Each partner is entitled
to an equal number of hours to fish his/her selected
waters during divisional and national qualifying
events. Any contestant who, in the judgment of
the tournament director, operates the boat in such
a manner as to unfairly handicap their partner
shall be disqualified. It is the responsibility
of the co-angler to reimburse the boater in an
amount mutually agreed. It is suggested that reimbursement
be ½ of fuel cost to defray daily expenses.
(Based on current fuel prices and running time,
cost could be from $30.00 to $50.00). Co-anglers
not paying their share as prescribed here and at
the time of the event shall be cause for being
disqualified. This penalty is not limited to the
same event but may also result in entries not being
accepted into future American Bass Anglers, Inc.,
events.
17. PERMITTED FISHING LOCATIONS:
Tournament Director for each tournament shall establish
Tournament waters at the tournament briefing
and define any known OFF-LIMITS areas including
locking from established tournament waters. Fishing
on tournament waters is not permitted: within
50 yards of a marina gas pump. Any water within
tournament boundaries posted Off-Limits or No
Fishing by state or federal agencies will be
OFF-LIMITS.
18. OFFICIAL CHECKPOINT:
There will be only one official point for check-out
in the morning and check-in in the afternoon,
as designated by the tournament director. Competitors
not at the checkpoint at the designated time
will be penalized at the rate of 1 pound per
minute, deducted from their total weight for
the day. Any competitor more than 15 minutes
late for send-off or check-in will be disqualified
for the day. Official start and weigh-in times
will be announced at the pre-tournament meeting.
Our best effort will be given to allow at least
8 hours fishing time. In the case of adverse
weather conditions, the tournament director will
open weigh-in at 12 noon for safety.
19. SCORING:
The total weight of each competitors catch will
determine tournament standings and placement.
Only largemouth, spotted, red eye or smallmouth
bass will be weighed. The creel limit shall be
five (5) unless the prevailing state/lake limit
is less. (The tournament director may impose
a creel limit of less than five fish if they
deem weather and/or local conditions warrant
the reduction.) At no time shall a competitor
have in his/her possession more than the tournament
limit. Culling must be done immediately upon
catching a sixth fish. CULLING OF DEAD FISH IS
STRICTLY PROHIBITED. Minimum length will be 12
inches (measured on a flat board) unless the
prevailing state/lake rule is larger. In most
cases the state's longest length limit will be
used. A penalty of 1 pound will be deducted from
the total weight for each short fish and a penalty
of eight (8) ounces or (.50) pounds will be deducted
from the total weight for each dead fish. In
the event the anglers' big fish is dead a penalty
of eight (8) ounces or (.50) pounds will be deducted
from the big fish total weight. A contestant
that presents more fish than the tournament limit
will be disqualified immediately. Mangled, mashed,
mauled or otherwise altered fish will be weighed
only at the discretion of the tournament director.
No regurgitated baitfish will be weighed. Fish
will not be put on a stringer at any time. All
fish presented at the weigh-in become the property
of American Bass Anglers, Inc. All live fish
will be returned to the tournament waters and
the tournament director will dispose of any dead
fish.
20. PAIRING:
Assignments of partners will be by open draw. All
angling must be accomplished from the boat. Competitors
must stay on tournament waters and in sight of
each other throughout the tournament day from
send-off until weigh-in (Exception: Nature call).
Any contestant refusing to take or go with another
contestant in his/her boat will be subject to
immediate disqualification. Tournament directors
have no responsibility for finding lost partners.
Each contestant is to meet his/her partner at
least 30 minutes prior to take-off. The tournament
director may reassign pairings prior to morning
ooze-off to accommodate problems or emergencies.
With prior approval from AMERICAN BASS ANGLERS,
INC., headquarters, the tournament director may
allow paired boaters to fish alone.
21. TIE:
In case of a tie, ties will be broken using the
following criteria:
• Largest
number of legal fish weighed
• Largest number of legal live fish weighed
If the tie is not broken by applying the foregoing
procedures, place monies will be combined and split
evenly, and place points will be awarded accordingly.
Merchandize prizes will be awarded as determined
by the tournament director. Standings will reflect
ties starting at place closest to first. The tournament
director may decide to break first place ties with
a fish-off.
22. TRANSFERS:
Entry fees may be transferred or refunded only
if proper notification is made to American Bass
Anglers, Inc., headquarters or tournament director
by 12 noon on the Friday preceding the tournament.
Refunds will be assessed a 10% service charge
however, there is no fee for transfers. Refunds
for National Championship will only be accepted
up to 10 days prior to official practice.
23. POINT SYSTEM:
One-day divisional qualifying tournaments are worth
200 points. Maximum points are awarded for a
minimum of 20 contestants. For tournaments with
less than 20 contestants, 1 point per person
short of the minimum will be deducted from the
total points available. Points will be awarded
in 1 point decrements depending on place of finish.
No contestant weighing a fish in the tournament
will receive less than 75 points regardless of
place of finish. All contestants not weighing
fish will receive 50 show points. A contestant
may fish multiple one-day tournaments for point
accumulation, but only the best four places of
finish will be counted. The 2-day Divisional
Championships are worth 400 points. Maximum points
are awarded for a minimum of 20 contestants.
Points will be awarded in 2 point decrements
depending on place of finish. For tournaments
with less than 20 contestants, 2 points per person
short of minimum will be deducted from the total
points available. No contestant weighing a fish
in the tournament will receive less than 150
points, and 100 points will be awarded to those
not weighing fish. A contestant may fish multiple
2-day Divisional Championships, however only
their best two-day finish will be counted. Contestants
who are 15 minutes or more late for weigh-in,
will not be allowed to weigh their fish, but
will receive show points for the event. Contestants
must have fished at least four (4) one day tournaments
to be eligible to compete in any 2-day Divisional
Championship. A perfect score is 1200 points:
4 one-day tournaments at 200 points each = 800
plus and 1 two-day Divisional Championship at
400 points.
24. National Championship:
a. Contestants must have met the minimum requirements
of qualification which is the successful completion
of four (4) one-day tournaments and one two-day
tournament.
b. The top 500 national point holders plus 30 Active
Duty Military will be invited to compete in the
National Championship. If one or more of the top
500 do not accept the invitation, the remaining
slots will be filled from a list of qualified and
pre-registered anglers.
d. The Championship lake will be off limits approximately
30 days prior to the first official practice day.
ALL TOURNAMENT INFORMATION PERTAINING TO THE NATIONAL
CHAMPIONSHIP WILL BE PUBLISHED ON THE ABA WEB SITE
NLT SEPTEMBER 1, 2010.
25. Angler of the Year (AOY):
The top point holder from each Divisional Championship
(by points) who meets the AOY point’s requirement
will be invited to complete in the Angler of
the Year Final Round. SPECIFIC INFORMATION ON
THE AOY COMPETITION WILL BE PUBLISHED ON THE
ABA WEB SITE NLT SEPTEMBER 1, 2010.
© 2010
American Bass Anglers MBAA Since 1975 - All Rights
Reserved American Bass Anglers, Inc. Logos and
other data within this website is the property
of American Bass Anglers, Inc and may not be
copied or reproduced without express permission
of American Bass Anglers, Inc.
American Bass Anglers, Inc PO Box 475 Athens, AL
35612 email: |
