Spokane Bass Club By-Laws
Updated: October 30th, 2017
ARTICLE 1: MEMBERSHIP
SECTION 1: Organization shall be limited to persons of at least 15 years of age. Members 18 and under require parent or guardian signature.
Membership Limitations – Club membership will be limited to – one more boater than non-boater. When non-boater membership reaches this limit, new non-boater members will be put on a waiting list, to be accepted according to sign up date. New boaters who sign up with a non-boater, will receive priority. Treasurer will be responsible for managing club membership ratios.
SECTION 2: Members shall conduct themselves in a proper manner at meetings and tournaments. Members who feel that another member has conducted himself in a nonsportsmanlike manner, or in a manner that is detrimental to the club as a whole, may submit that member’s name to the officers for consideration. Officers may elect to reprimand the member or present his name to the membership for a vote of expulsion. It requires 2/3 majority vote of members present for a member to be expelled. Any member planning to use his boat in a tournament must sign and complete an application form and provide proof of insurance of at least $300,000.00 (policy or binder must be carried to all tournaments)
SECTION 3: The Bass Club fiscal year begins January 1st and ends December 31st. Membership dues shall be paid starting in December of each year, in the amount of $70.00 for non-TBF members and $35 for existing TBF members.
SECTION 4: A copy of these by-laws and tournament rules will posted on the Spokane Bass Club website. Should the organization disband, all assets will be dispersed as decided by a simple majority vote of members.
ARTICLE II: OFFICERS, VACANCIES AND ELIGIBILITY
SECTION 1: Officers shall consist of:
- PRESIDENT Presides over meetings, conduct official business, direct, and appoint committee functions and maintain order during meetings.
- VICE PRESIDENT Act as program chairman, conduct raffles and presides over meetings in the absence of the President.
- SECRETARY Keep accurate minutes of meetings and handle club correspondence.
- TREASURER Maintain accurate financial records and report financial status at each meeting. Make bank deposits, purchases and receive and disperse all monies, maintain membership roster, and maintain rooster with TBF.
SECTION 2: Elections shall be held annually at the regular meeting in November. Elections shall be by simple majority vote of members present. Proxy votes are not permitted. To be eligible for an office, a member must be in good standing.
SECTION 3: In the event the presidency becomes vacant, the Vice President will assume the office of president and conduct an election for Vice President
SECTION 4: Bylaws may be amended at any time of the year, by submitting the change in writing to the secretary. The proposed changes will be posted on the web site before the next meeting.
SECTION 5: Any rule, decision, or action taken by any Officer or Committee may be overruled by a majority vote of the club members present at that meeting.
ARTICLE III: TOURNAMENT COMMITTEE
SECTION 1: Spokane Bass Club members will elect three members for tournament committee with specific obligations.
- Tournament Director: Will obtain permits and submit reports to the state. Final say in tournament related rules decisions. Will create off limit areas, launch site and times. Will weigh all fish.
- Assistant Weigh Master: Responsible for recording weights at all events. Will be the tournament director if director is absent. Also responsible for weighing the fish of the tournament director.
- Assistant Tournament Director: Conducts/oversees all live well checks and invasive species reports. Responsible for directing release of fish after weigh-in. Will act as assistant weigh-master or tournament director in the absence of Tournament Director and Assistant Weigh Master.
- Tournament lakes and dates will be voted on by these individuals as well the club Board of Directors, President, Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer. The committee will meet in the spring and select the tournament dates for the following year. These dates will be posted on the Spokane Bass Club web site.
SECTION 2: The Tournament Committee shall select tournament sites and announce the site (including any OFFLIMITS waters) to the members at the meeting the month before the tournament date. The safe light starting time, directions to launchramp, and fishing report will be covered at the meeting just prior to the tournament. All regular tournaments will be held on a Saturday unless scheduling or permit conflict arises, with one annual tournament to be a two-day event.
SECTION 3: The Tournament Committee will conduct the draw for fishing partners at the regular meeting. After the drawing has matched boaters with nonboaters, remaining boaters have the option to fish alone, pair up by mutual agreement, or bring a paying guest. Members that do not participate in the drawing must fish as a guest and will not receive angler of the year points. If a boater draws a non-boater and does not show up for the event more than once, they are subject to tournament suspension until they meet with the board of directors and tournament committee to discuss the situation and explain their case. If a guest is not paired with a member in good standing the non-boaters will be redrawn until all guests are paired with a member.
Prospective members may fish one Spokane Bass Club tournament (excluding opens) without joining the club, but they must participate in the draw. A prospective member will not have priority over a member in the event of an uneven draw. A member may not fish with the same member two tournaments in a row and a guest must fish with a member in good standing.
SECTION 4: Tournament Committee will conduct boat checks, announce official time, announce weighin time and conduct weighin. The Committee Chairman will maintain a weighin log to determine winners and compute point standings. The results and standings will be posted on the web site. The Committee will also post the point standing board.
SECTION 5: Tournament committee shall record points as follows:
- First Place 40 points
- Second Place 39 points
- Third Place 38 points
- Down to 40th Place 1 point
Competitors that do not weighin fish will receive equal points starting 10 points below last place competitor that weighed in fish. In case of ties, points and prize money will be divided equally. Angler of the year will be based on all tournaments held during the season. Angler of the Year points are calculated with one “dropped” tournament, which can be either a missed event or the lowest point total of the season for that angler.
In case of a tie at a regular season tournament, the biggest bass weighed will settle tie. In the event that both total weight and biggest bass are the same, the prize money will be divided equally, and each angler will receive the same amount of points. At the conclusion of the season if the Angler of the year points are tied, the tie will be settled by total weight during the season.
ARTICLE IV: END OF YEAR AWARDS
SECTION 1: ANGLER OF THE YEAR
High point holder at the end of the year will receive a trophy and a prize valued at $200. The Top 3 in year-end points will all receive a plaque or prize.
SECTION 2: BIG BASS AWARD
Big Bass of the Year caught during regular angler of the year eligible point tournament will be awarded a trophy. There will be two awards, the biggest largemouth and biggest smallmouth of the year. Only members in good standing will be eligible for these two awards.
ARTICLE V: TOURNAMENT RULES
SECTION 1: The Tournament Committee will conduct all tournaments as outlined in Article III and these rules. Live well checks will be done before the tournament begins. Boats late for the start must find another boat in the tournament and have their live well checked prior to fishing. The Tournament Committee will handle all protests or complaints, and their decision will be final. Any violation of a rule that doesn’t carry a specific penalty shall result in total disqualification for the tournament day.
SECTION 2: ENTRY FEES AND PAYBACKS
The entry fee is $ 45.00 per person payable at the meeting. The non-boater will pay the boater $20.00 per day/tournament, toward the expenses of gas and travel. Co-anglers who do not pay their boater will be required to before entering another event. Big-bass pot and additional options are separate and will be handled by the tournament committee chairman. Tournament payback is 75% of the entry fees, and the remaining 25% will go toward the general fund.
For under 30 entries: three places will be paid as follows.
- 1st Place 50%
- 2nd Place 30% (Payback will be based on total weight and
- 3rd Place 20% points will be awarded per Article II, Section 5.)
For 31-50 entries: four places will be paid as follows.
- 1st Place 40%
- 2nd Place 30% (Payback will be based on total weight and
- 3rd Place 18% points will be awarded per Article II, Section 5.)
- 4th Place 12%
For over 50 entries: five places will be paid as follows.
- 1st Place 40%
- 2nd Place 27% (Payback will be based on total weight and
- 3rd Place 18% points will be awarded per Article II, Section 5.)
- 4th Place 10%
- 5th Place 5%
SECTION 3: LIMITS AND SIZES
Fish limits per tournament day, along with minimum lengths and maximum lengths, will be determined by the state permitting process. Culling starts according to lake limits (5 fish limit – culling will start when the 6th fish is boated).
SECTION 4: PENALTIES
A 4 oz penalty will be given for each dead fish. Too many fish brought to scales is cause for total disqualification since it would violate state limit laws. Extreme care must be exercised when measuring fish on the water since a short fish will also violate state laws and will also be cause for total disqualification. Penalty for being late for weighin is one pound per minute with total disqualification after 5 minutes. In case of breakdown, one member may transfer their catch to another member’s boat to be transported to the weighin without penalty.
All members are responsible for releasing their own fish away from the launch site. Anglers releasing their fish at the launch site are subject to disqualification for that event and a 50% weight penalty for the next event the angler enters.
SECTION 5: SAFETY
Safe boating conduct must be practiced at all times. Competitors must wear an approved Coast Guard check type PFD any time the combustion engine is operating. The boat owner is responsible to have all required Coast Guard equipment on board. No alcoholic beverages may be consumed on the water during the tournament.
SECTION 6: TACKLE AND EQUIPMENT
Only artificial lures may be used. No ‘live or prepared bait’ will be permitted, with the exception of pork strips, rind etc. One rod and reel is allowed to be in use at one time. Trolling with the big motor is prohibited. All bass must be caught alive in a conventional accepted fishing manner. Landing nets may be optional. Fly-rods are not permitted unless you are fishing alone or both fishermen agree prior to the tournament. Wading is not allowed. All boats must have a properly running aerated live well large enough to support two limits of bass.
SECTION 7: SPORTSMANSHIP
Members and guests are expected to follow high standards of good sportsmanship, safety, courtesy and conservation. All fishermen must have a valid fishing license before they fish a tournament. Good Boater/Non Boater relationships are important to the future of our organization. The NonBoater has the option to ask for 1/2 of the tournament time on his choice of water. Common sense must prevail especially on large bodies of water and during bad weather conditions. NonBoaters must respect the boat owner’s equipment and accept financial responsibility for damage caused by negligence. A full discussion must be held between the two fishermen prior to fishing to ensure that these provisions are understood, and an agreement is reached.
SECTION 8: Any changes to these rules that may be necessary due to weather, safety, changes in laws etc. will be announced at the meeting and/or the launch site by the Tournament Chairman. The board members are able to make decisions that may not align with these by-laws in extreme or uncovered situations.
These are the Official By-laws of the Spokane Bass Club as adopted by the general membership and board of directors on February 4th, 2014.
Darren Tabor, President