Rules below. Any reference to years prior to 2011 are still current and in effect.

PARTICIPATION AND ELIGIBILITY

1.1.       Tournaments (and/or contests) are open to any 18 year old* or older member of the North Stars, Roughriders, or Maplewood Bass clubs. (*Younger members voted into the club are the exception).     

1.2.       Guests:  Members are encouraged to bring a guest to tournaments during the year.  The guests must be 18 years old* or older and have their own gear, to include tackle, flotation vest, rain gear (if necessary), and personal items, i.e. adequate food, clothing, beverages.   The guest may fish only one tournament a year and will pay all entry fees and be eligible for all tournament winnings.   The guest cannot enter the “Tournament Lunker of the Year” pot.     If guest is under 18 years of age, all care; liabilities, and responsibility for said guest are the sole responsibility of the member/sponsor who brought the guest, not North Star Bass Club.  

1.3.       To register and participate as a “boater” in a club tournament, a signed Statement of Liability Insurance must be on file with the club Tournament Director.  

 

2.     PRACTICE AND COMPETITION:

2.1.       Decisions regarding official time, boat inspections, weigh-in procedures, penalties, and points will be determined by the Tournament Director and his designated assistant(s), or in their absence or incapacity, the highest raking club officer present.

2.2.       Club tournament lakes are “Off Limits” to contestants from 12:01 a.m. Monday (Sunday night), prior to the contest, until the actual take-off on the day of the tournament.  Indirect violations of this rule (having others ”fish the lake for you”, for example) will be viewed as grounds for disqualification from the tournament.  The club membership will determine disqualified member’s eligibility for future tournament.

2.3.       During the official competition day(s) of the tournament, a contestant may not use a CB Radio, a VHF marine-band radio, a cellular phone, or any other type of communication device for the purpose of locating or catching fish.   Contestants are permitted to transmit by radio or telephone only in the event of an emergency.   If so equipped, contestants may listen to the marine-band weather information. 

2.4.       The tournament director must be granted access to the contestant’s boat at any time during the competition day(s).    Failure to grant such access may result in immediate disqualification. 

 

3.     REGISTRATION

3.1.       Each contestant must register in person with the tournament director at the designated pre-tournament meeting place at least a half hour before the tournament begins.   The designated meeting place that will be determined before the tournament and a time of at least two hours before scheduled take-off. 

3.2.       Tournaments will commence at 7:00 a.m. with weigh-ins at 2:00 p.m. during the months of June, July, and August.  The “Fish Off” will start at 8:00 a.m.   Contestants who are late (arrive less then 1/2 hour before the tournament begins) for the morning registration will be assigned to the last-boat-out position and will direct the “ease-off” start for all other contestants.  Contestants who arrive after the tournament has begun must find the tournament director, pay the fees and register before beginning to fish. 

3.3.       Entry fee is $10 per designated club tournament except for the “Fish Off” where the entry is $10 per each club tournament missed prior to the “Fish Off”.

3.4.   Only members are allowed to participate in the lunker pot for our annual “Member Mate” event.

 

4.     PARTNERING

4.1.       Partners will be paired at an open drawing.  Election to enter the contest as a boater or non-boater will be made at the pre-tournament registration.  Boater and non-boater contestants will be paired as long as there are available pairings.  If two non-boaters are paired when all available boaters have been paired, those non-boaters must either find a boat or elect not to compete.

4.2.       No boat will be allowed to compete with more than two contestants. Partners who both registered as “boaters” may elect to fish from either boat or alone from their own boats.  If you are registered as a “boater” and fish alone, you will have priority to be paired with a “non-boater” partner at the next club tournament.  A “non-boater” may not fish with the same person more than once during the six (6) North Star Bass Club Tournaments.

4.3.       Guests are paired with their said sponsor/member for one tournament.  For the Mystery tournament, guests are not allowed.  

4.4.       Any member who fishes as a “non-boater” will be fishing for the Non-Boater Award (plaque) with top weight taking the prize.  There will still be an annual Rookie of the Year plaque at the Winter Banquet.

 

5.     SAFETY

5.1.       All U.S. Coast Guard and state safe boating regulations must be observed.  A PROPERLY FASTENED personal flotation device (no belts) must be worn while the main motor is under operation.  Non-compliance will be grounds for disqualification.

5.2.       Tournament officials have the right to delay, shorten or cancel the start of an official tournament day because of bad weather or other factors that would endanger the safety of the contestants.      Tournament waters may also be restricted at any time because of bad weather.  

5.3.       In the event of an emergency situation, contestants should call 911 first then notify the tournament officials.     

5.4.       Contestants are allowed to leave the boat and seek safe shelter in bad weather where danger may be imminent.    

 

6.     BOAT OPERATION AND EQUIPMENT

6.1.       Operation of the boat motor(s) is the responsibility of the boat owner. 

6.2.       Tournament boats must contain aerated live wells, which need not be “built-in’, but a working aeration system must be in place before take-off.  

6.3.       Trailering of boats during the contest is prohibited. 

6.4.       All contestants must remain in the boat during tournament day unless they are traversing shallow water inter-lake channels or in the case of dire emergency where safety is involved.  If contestants leave the boat to traverse shallow water channels, they both must have at least one hand in contact wit the boat at all times during the time they are out of the boat. 

 

7.     TOURNAMENT WATERS

7.1.       Only that water open to ALL public fishing will be considered tournament waters.  The tournament director will inform contestants if any water is off limits in additional to any water posted off-limits by local, state or federal authorities.   

7.2.       All angling must be done from the boat.  

 

8.     SPORTSMANSHIP AND COURTESIES

8.1.       Fishing is permitted anywhere on the designated tournament waters except within 50-yards of another tournament boat.  Two or more boats fishing the same area will use common sense when meeting or following; however, the 50-yard rule must be followed if a boat is anchored (trolling motor in the raise position will be used to indicated an anchored boat).    Floating markers will not be used to determine distance. 

8.2.       Each partner shall have the right to choose the fishing water for half of the fishing day.   The casting positions should be discussed before the tournament begins.   

8.3.       All Club tournaments will use an “ease-off” start.  An open drawing held prior to the start of each tournament will determine the boat positions.

8.4.       Alcohol or drugs (other than those purchased over-the-counter or prescribed by a licensed physician) are NOT ALLOWED in tournament boats during hours of said tournament.  Violations of this rule are grounds for immediate disqualification.  The club membership will determine disqualified member’s eligibility for future tournaments. 

8.5.       Maximum courtesy must be practiced at all times, especially with regard to boating and angling in the vicinity of non-contestants who may be on tournament waters and homeowners.   Any act of a contestant which reflects unfavorably upon efforts to promote fisheries conservation, clean waters and courtesy, shall be reason for disqualification.  

 

9.     TACKLE AND EQUIPMENT

9.1.       Landing Nets are allowed (not required), in all club tournaments, including “team contest”.  You may net your partner’s fish, if agreed on. The boat partners should decide this before taking off. (This is to eliminate the possibility of losing a fish for your contestant and also allows the other contestant to continue fishing without interruption.

9.2.       Only artificial and biodegradable artificial lures (including pork rind) may be used.  Electric motors may be used to position the boat for casting, but trolling as a method of fishing is prohibited.  Electronic depth sounders, graphs, LCD’s and other devices may be used, but all state fishing regulations regarding number of lines, hooks, rods fished, and culling must be observed. 

 

10. QUALIFIED BASS

10.1.   On a given body of water, all local, state and federal regulations on type, possession, size, or slot limits of fish must be obeyed and will govern.

10.2.   The limit will be 5 largemouth and/or smallmouth bass per contestant.  Only 5 fish per contestant will be allowed in the livewell at any time.  The Mystery “team” tournament limit will be 8 fish if there is an even number of contestants due to pairing.  If there are an odd number of contestants, the limit will be 6 fish as one person will not be able to be paired.  (Note that it is illegal to cull bass if you have 6 fish in the livewell.)

10.3.   Only bass with a length of 12 inches or over, measured from closed mouth to the tip of the tail (may be fanned), will be weighed toward total weight.  Any undersized fish will subtract 2-pounds from the total weight for the day. 

10.4.   No stringered fish will be weighted.

10.5.   Four ounces will be subtracted from the total weight for each dead (or determined later to be dead) fish weighted in.  This penalty does apply to the “Lunker” fish award. 

10.6.   Questionable “live” fish will be held in the tournament lake for a reasonable length of time to determine delayed mortality.  If fish released back into lake appear unlikely to survive, those fish must be placed in limbo until morality is determined.  

10.7.   No contestant will allow any fish caught by his/herself to count towards the total catch of any other contestant (except in the case of “team contest”) 

 

 

11. WEIGH-IN

11.1.   All boats must be checked in at the weigh-in site REGARDLESS IF FISH WERE CAUGHT OR NOT.  Contact the tournament director if you must leave before weigh-in time.    

11.2.   A contestant not in the official weigh-in area on time at the end of the fishing day shall be penalized 5% of their total catch for each minute that they are late.  This also applies to the “Lunker” pot.    Any contestant who is more than 15 minutes late will be penalized his entire catch for the day.  Boat and motor problems will not be an excuse for tardiness.  

 

12. POINT SYSTEM FOR 2011 SEASON WILL BE AS FOLLOWS:

12.1.   For each club tournament, the standings will be decided by total weight, minus penalty points

12.2.   For the Yearly standings, to determine Angler of the Year, each tournaments standings will be given points:  1st place – 50 points, 2nd place – 49 points, 3rd place – 48 points, etc. until each tournament entry in that specific tournament has been assigned points.  You must have caught 1 legal bass for that tournament to be assigned points.  Any entries that did not catch at least 1 legal bass will be given 1 participation point for that tournament.  The total points for the best 6 out of 7 club contest including the “Fish Off” will determine “ANGLER of the Year”.  In case of ties, then each case will be decided by total weight of fish in pounds and ounces for the 6 tournaments selected.  Maximum possible points for “ANGLER of the Year” are 300 points. 

12.3.   Non-members (i.e. guests) will not receive any points.

 

 

 

13.  YEAR END AWARDS

13.1.   Angler of the Year, Top 6 Awards, Rookie of the Year, Outstanding contributions by a member, will receive plaques at the annual awards banquet.

For 2011 – Angler of the Year (Mr. Bass) shall also receive free membership to the North Star Bass Club for the season and shall also receive free entry fees to the 6 club tournaments.

(Note: Starting in 2008, there was no more Lunker Out of Season award.)

13.2.   Tournament “LUNKER” pot of the year (optional) - Winner is the person with the largest fish caught in one of the clubs 7 tournaments.  Fee ($5.00) must be paid prior to any tournament catching that fish.