1. RULE CHANGE: The following tournament rules will remain unchanged, except for special tournaments. These rules are in effect for designated practice day(s), as well as tournament day(s). Interpretation of these rules shall be left exclusively to the Tournament Director in conjunction with the Tournament Committee (referred to as Tournament Director hereafter). Rules have “loopholes”, however the “spirit of the rule” will apply in all decisions. The decisions of the Tournament Director shall be final in all matters.
2. PARTICIPANTS AND ELIGIBILITY: Participation in this tournament is by invitation and open only to members in good standing of the Good Ole Boys bass club (GOB) who are sixteen years or older. Proof of age to the satisfaction of the Tournament Director shall be the responsibility of the prospective competitor. Any prospective competitor who is under 18 years of age must submit written permission from their parent or guardian at or before the registration. Any boats used during GOB events must be properly insured.

During the competition days, no competitor may operate a boat unless that contestant has documented proof of a minimum of $300,000 per occurrence boating liability insurance that covers both the operator and the boat being used in the tournament. Proof of insurance must be kept in the boat being used at all times and a copy submitted to the Tournament Director prior to the beginning of the season. Random checks will be conducted and any competitor who cannot provide proof of valid insurance with $300,000 coverage will be disqualified. Acceptance of this proof is by the decision of the tournament director.

3. PRE-TOURNAMENT PRACTICE: There will be no off-limit days prior to any GOB event.
4. Registration: Competitors must register during the designated time period the morning of each event and pay the tournament fees to the Club Treasurer (or his/her designee if the Treasurer is not present at an event) before the end of the registration period. The tournament fees are $25.00 for boaters and $40.00 for non-boaters.  $15.00 of the non-boater fee will be given to the boater by the Treasurer at the end of the event (fees for qualifiers for the Classic will be $60 for boaters and $80.00 for non-boaters. Fees include $5.00 each day for Lunker). Failure to register or pay the tournament fees during the registration period will make an angler ineligible for that event.

Tournament fees will be allocated as listed below:

Regular Tournament ($25 each angler)

Lunker $3.00 /AOY $1.00/Lunker Year $1.00

Balance to be Divided As Follows

1st Place 35%    2nd Place 25%    3rd Place 20%     4th Place 10%    5th Place 10% 

6th Place Just out of the Money

If a tournament has 5 or less co-anglers they are guaranteed 1 payout(20% of purse). If there are 6 or more co-anglers they are guaranteed 2 payouts (25% and 10% 0f purse) If a co-angler places 1st overall, they get 1st place prize money – 35% of purse and the top boater gets 25% of purse.

Team Tournament($25 each angler)

Lunker $3.00 / AOY $1.00/Lunker Year $1.00

Balance to be divided as follows:

1st Place 42%    2nd Place 32%    3rd Place 26%    4th Place Just out of the Money

 

Club Classic($80 co-angler/$60 boater)

 Lunker $10.00($5.00 each day) /AOY $1.00/Lunker Year $1.00

Balance to be Divided As Follows

1st Place 35%    2nd Place 25%    3rd Place 20%     4th Place 10%    5th Place 10% 

6th Place Just out of the Money 

Lunker for each Regular and Team Tournament receives 100% of Big Bass fees collected

Lunker for the Classic Tournament receives 100% of the fees collected each day.

An Angler must have competed in at least ONE points tournaments during the competition year in order to be eligible to participate in the Classic Tournament.

5. SPORTSMANSHIP: Maximum courtesy and sportsmanship must be practiced at all times, but especially when boating and angling in the vicinity of non-competitors who may be on the tournament waters. Any act of a competitor which reflects unfavorably upon the GOB’s effort to promote courtesy, safety and conservation may be deemed reason for disqualification. Use of alcohol or drugs (other than those purchased over the counter or prescribed by a licensed physician) by any competitor during an event, which includes the weigh-in and awards presentation area, will not be tolerated and shall be cause for immediate disqualification for this and all future Tournaments.
6. SAFETY: Safe boat conduct must be observed at all times by the tournament competitors. Each competitor is required to wear a Coast Guard approved chest-type life preserver. The preserver must be snapped, strapped or zipped securely and maintained in that condition any time the combustion engine is running. The tournament director has the right to require the use of running lights at all times, and the authority to delay or cancel the start of an official tournament day because of bad weather or other factors that would endanger the safety of the competitors. Tournament waters may also be restricted at any time because of bad weather. The GOB bass club reserves the right to impose boat speed limits at any or all tournaments. Whether or not to impose a speed limit, the area covered by the speed limit and/or the actual speed limit imposed shall be left exclusively to the discretion of the Tournament Director.

IN THE EVENT OF AN EMERGENCY SITUATION, COMPETITORS SHOULD CALL 911 FIRST

AND THEN NOTIFY TOURNAMENT OFFICIALS. COMPETITORS ARE ALLOWED TO LEAVE

THE BOAT AND SEEK SAFE SHELTER IN BAD WEATHER OR ANYTIME DANGER MAY BE

IMMINENT, AT WHICH TIME ALL FISHING MUST CEASE.

7. LICENSE, TACKLE & EQUIPMENT: By participating in an event you have acknowledged that you have a current New York State Fishing License and any other license/permit required. ONLY artificial lures may be used. No live bait or prepared bait will be permitted, with the exception of pork rinds, strips, etc. Only ONE casting, spin-casting, or spinning rod (8 foot maximum length from butt of handle to rod tip) and reel may be used at any one time. All other types are prohibited. All bass must be brought to the boat in a conventional and sporting manner.
8. BOAT AND MOTOR: All boats must be equipped with some type of operable ignition kill switch device that must disconnect causing the engine to shut off anytime the operator leaves the operating position. Violation of this rule during the official practice or tournament days will result in disqualification. An electric trolling motor may be used for slow maneuvering; however, trolling as a means of fishing is prohibited. No barges or similar cumbersome craft will be permitted. No boat equipped with “stick steering” shall be permitted for use on tournament days by any competitor. The definition of stick steering shall be made by the Tournament Director. Bladder type and/or auxiliary gas tanks and cans are specifically not allowed, only tanks that were originally factory installed and/or dealer installed as permanent equipment are allowed. No other gas may be stored onboard for use during a tournament.
9. HORSEPOWER REGULATIONS: The maximum horsepower for all outboards used in competition will be 250 HP, and must not exceed the horsepower limitations set by the U.S. Coast Guard rating plate. When required, each boat must have a U.S. Coast Guard horsepower rating plate attached to the boat by the manufacturer. Normal maintenance to increase the performance of your engine is allowed. Changing or altering standard factory parts of your motor to increase the horsepower rating, or altering the horsepower rating plate or numbers is forbidden, and will result in disqualification.
10. BASIC BOAT EQUIPMENT: Every boat must have all required Coast Guard safety equipment. In addition, it must have a functional bilge pump and enough properly aerated livewell space to adequately maintain a live limit catch of bass by both anglers using the boat. The Tournament Director shall have sole responsibility for determining whether aeration capacity is “proper and adequate”. Boaters must make a back seat available for non-boaters each competition day.
11. BOAT OPERATION AND EXPENSE:

Boaters will fish from the front boat deck and have the option to select the waters fished, non-boaters will fish from the rear deck at all times. Non-boaters may drive the boat to assist with the loading or unloading process, or in the event of an emergency. In the event of excess boaters during the partner draw, boaters may use their boat and fish alone, or boaters may agree to fish together. A boater that fishes alone will not receive any gas money from the entry fees. In the event of excess non-boaters, the tournament director will ask that Club members designated as Non-boater/Boater use their boats for that event. The tournament director will randomly select from the available N/B anglers the necessary number of anglers needed to level the field. For this event those anglers will be allowed the use of their boats and will fish from the front deck.

13. PERMITTED FISHING LOCATION: Tournament waters shall be established by the Tournament Director for each tournament. Only that water open to all public fishing will be considered tournament waters. It is the responsibility of each competitor to obtain this information. Locking through to another body of water is not allowed. Unless otherwise stipulated in the pre-launch meeting, fishing on tournament waters is permitted anywhere except within a 25 yard radius of a marina gas pump or within the area designated as too close to the weigh-in site. All angling must be done from the boat. Competitors wishing to change fish habitat by placing an object in the tournament waters may do so if such action does not violate local, State or Federal regulations.
14. COMPETITORS MUST STAY IN THE BOAT: Competitors must remain in the boat at all times except in the case of an emergency. In such an emergency, contestants must stay within sight of each other and their catch, to the extent the emergency permits. Under no circumstances should a competitor ever leave the boat to land a fish. Boats must remain in tournament waters during tournament hours. Contestants must leave and return to the official checkpoint by boat. Trailering of boats during the tournament hours is prohibited, except at the direction of the Tournament Director. Competitors may move from their boat to that of another competitor, or to a rescue boat designated by the Tournament Director. All fishing must cease until both contestants are back in an authorized boat. In the event of a needed restroom break, contestants are allowed to leave the boat at which time all fishing must cease until partners are back together in the boat.
15. OFFICIAL CHECKPOINT: There shall be only one official checkpoint for the send off in the morning and weigh-in in the afternoon. This checkpoint shall be designated at the tournament briefing. At the time of the send off, all competitors and their boats shall be in full conformance with the rules set forth by the Tournament Director.
16. SCORING: Tournament standings, auxiliary awards and final winners will be determined by the weight of each competitor’s catch during the tournament. Only largemouth and smallmouth bass will be weighed. Limit shall be a total of 5 of the above species per day. All competitors are bound by the prevailing statues and regulations of New York State. At no time shall a competitor have reduced to possession more than the limit described above, nor will a competitor be allowed to cull a dead fish during a tournament. Violation of either of these rules shall be reason for disqualification. The official length for the bass shall be the state limit for the water being fished. All bass will be measured with their mouth closed and with the tail compressed and swept and only bass that measure the official length or more will be weighed in. Each bass presented for weigh-in that fails to measure the official length will not be weighed in as part of the competitor’s catch, plus each fish under the official length will accrue a ONE POUND penalty per fish. This penalty shall be deducted from the total weight of the competitor. Any bass that appears to have been mangled, mashed, mauled or otherwise altered will be weighed and credited at the discretion of theTournament Director. Each competitor must present their catch to the weigh-in officials. Bass must not be stringered at any time during the tournament. 

 

Points for Yearly Standings will be awarded in each tournament as follows based on a maximum of 40 points per Tournament (40 points for the Classic).  The Boater and Co-Angler divisions will be awarded separate points.  1st place in each division will be awarded 40 points.

1st Place 40 points

2nd Place 39 points

3rd Place 38 points and so on until the first 0 weight is recorded. All anglers recording 0 weight will receive the same number of points as the first 0 weight entry with a minimum of 10 points awarded for any tournament entrant.

(revised 3/15)

17. DON’T KILL YOUR CATCH: Each competitor is expected to keep their bass alive by the use of a properly aerated livewell. For each dead bass presented to the weigh-in officials, the competitor shall be penalized .25 pounds of weight, to be deducted from that fish. If you choose to keep a lunker for mounting, it is considered a dead fish and there will be a .25 pound penalty assessed on that lunker weight as well as the total weight of your catch. The Tournament Director and their designated appointees shall have the sole authority for assessing penalties. A dead fish will NOT be eligible for Big Bass awards. 
18. LATE PENALTY: Competitors who are not at the official checkpoint area as described in RULE #16, at their appointed time shall be penalized at the rate of ONE POUND PER MINUTE to be deducted from the total weight of their catch for that day, including any weight to be counted toward a lunker award. After fifteen minutes from the time a boat was due to check in, the anglers will be disqualified from the tournament and no weight will be recorded. We will not issue negative weight. There shall be NO EXCUSES FOR LATENESS, and in no case shall a competitor be allowed to make up lost time. After proper recognition at the check-in point, competitors will be given ample time to proceed to the weigh-in site. ALL FISHING MUST CEASE UPON CHECK-IN. Exact hours for starting and weigh-in times will be announced at the pre-tournament briefing.
19. TIES: Ties at all points tournaments will be broken for prize money by each angler’s largest bass. Each angler will earn the points for the tied place finish. For example two anglers tie for first by weight, each is awarded 40 points for first place (next weight gets 38 for third) but the angler with the largest bass by weight will win first place money, the other angler gets 2nd place money.
20. PAIRING OF COMPETITORS: Will be determined by a draw. Two contestants will be assigned to each boat. Boaters and Non-Boaters will be drawn so that a boater will only fish once with a specific Non-Boater during a season (excepting the Classic). In the event that anglers are matched a second time by draw, the tournament committee can adjust the line-up to ensure no one fishes with someone a second time. The launch order will also be a random draw, but a boater may only start first once a season. The two team tournaments will match the top ranked boater with the lowest ranked non-boater, 2nd best boater with 2nd lowest non-boater, and so on. Every attempt will be made to separate anglers that have already fished with each other if it can be done without affecting the pairings too much. A competitor must not allow any bass caught by them to be counted on the score of another competitor. In such a case, both competitors shall be disqualified from this tournament and all future tournaments conducted by the GOB bass club.
21. TOURNAMENT OFFICIALS: Under the direction of the tournament director are permitted to approach or board any boat of any competitor at any time during the tournament day.
22. VIOLATION: Possible violations should be REPORTED IMMEDIATELY to the TOURNAMENT DIRECTOR at the weigh-in or WITHIN 15 MINUTES of the completed weigh-in. It is not necessary to submit a written report or protest. Each competitor agrees to report any violations or infractions of the tournament rules within the allotted time period. FAILURE TO REPORT VIOLATIONS or suggestions to violate these rules will be cause for DISQUALIFICATION.
23. COMMUNICATION DEVICES: The use of communication devices is forbidden during official tournament hours except, in the case of an emergency, to contact a tournament official.
24. CLUB TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP: All of the above rules shall be followed for the CTC with the exception of the ones stated below, or any additional rules that may become necessary which will be listed on the CTC packets distributed to all clubs; (a) Effective as of the 2004 Club Team Championship to qualify for the CTC all anglers on the team and the club must be members in good standing and meet all of the guidelines of the NYS B.A.S.S. Chapter Federation in the qualifying year as well as the CTC Tournament year. (b) In the event of a team tie with the top two CTC teams in total weight the following tie breakers will be used in this order 1.The team with the largest number of legal fish weighed in during the competition; 2.The team with the largest number of legal LIVE fish weighed in during the competition; 3.The team with the heaviest single-day catch during the competition. All monetary prizes for first and second place will be equally shared. POLICY: Any angler intending to participate in the CTC must have their membership application to the state and national federation submitted by September 1st of the CTC qualifying year in order to have ample time to be processed. (revised 12/13/2020)

Updated: 2/9/2021