Tournament Rules

1. Only members of the Tioga County Bass Anglers are eligible to participate in club tournaments.

A. Guests will be allowed to fish club tournaments as a boater or co-angler as long as all members who wish to fish have a ride.

1. Guests will be required to pay a tournament fee equal to a member to be able to fish for prize money.

2. If a guest places in a tournament, they receive that position’s pay-out and they (do not receive points). All members then move up in points.

3. Members are allowed one guest per year.

2. Locations, dates, times and off limits for each tournament will be submitted by the Tournament Director.

3. Contestants pairing will be by random draw conducted by the Weigh Master-Brett Flynn.

A. All boaters that are not paired up are put into the draw and assigned an available co-angler.

B. Remote sign-up will be by cellphone to the Weigh Master- Brett Flynn by 9:00 pm the Thursday prior to each tournament.

C. The Weigh Master will e-mail all contestants Friday, notifying which boater has which co-angler. If you do not have a co-angler, you may bring a friend. Notify the Weigh Master.

1. If a member or guest sign-up to fish a tournament, and they don't show up, they are responsible to pay the entry fee, unless they notify the Tournament Director prior to not showing up.

D. Entry fees are to be paid to the Tournament Director prior to the tournament starting.

1. A boater fee of $25.00 ($20.00 toward tournament, $5.00 toward lunker) with a five (5) fish limit. Pay-back to three (3) places per tournament.

2. A Co-angler fee of $20.00 ($15.00 toward tournament, $5.00 toward lunker) with a three (3) fish limit. Payback to three (3) places per tournament.

3. Lunker payback is 100% of $5.00 received from each angler (boater and co-angler) entry fee. One (1) lunker per tournament and (1) lunker trophy per year.

E. There will be two contestants per boat.

F.  It will be the co-angler's responsibility to share equally in the boater's expense for the tournament day i.e.: gas, entry fees.

G. Junior members will be paired with their sponsor members.

H. The boater has control of the boat and decides where to fish.

I.  The co-angler fishes from the back of the boat, He or she may suggest places to fish and fish from the front of the boat if boater agrees.

J.  A co-angler must fish with each available boater before the co-angler can fish with a boater twice.

K. Every person in the boat must be a paying participant.

4. If an uneven number of members wish to fish a tournament the extra member will be allowed to fish under one of the following options:

A. If the extra member owns a boat; they may fish alone or take a friend. This will not count as a guest of the year.

B. If the extra member doesn't own a boat, they can bring a friend who does own a boat and will not be charged with a guest.

C. If a co-angler signs-up to fish a tournament, and we don't have a boat for them, the co-angler will get twenty-five (25) points and be the first draw pick for the next tournament.

D. If a rider no shows the boater may fish alone.

E. If two boaters are without co-anglers, they may pair up if agreeable to both.

F. An angler can elect to fish from the back of boat as a boater, with a five (5) fish limit in the boater point system, pay the boater's fee and go into the draw.

G. A boater may pair with another boater as all co-anglers have a ride. They must notify the Tournament Director on Thursday. All others will go into draw.

H. All participants must choose at the start of the season to be a boater or co-angler. No switching back and forth.

5. No alcohol or illegal drugs will be used prior to or during a TCBA to tournament.

A. Any contestant who shows up intoxicated will not be allowed to participate in the tournament.

B. Violation of this rule will result in disqualification from the tournament and all future club tournaments.

6. Bait type will be artificial only.

7. A maximum of one rod may be fished with at one time.

8. When starting a tournament, all tournament boats are required to stay within a 50-yard radius of the launch site until released by the Tournament Director. This may be changed at the discretion of the Tournament Director.

9. SAFTY AND BOATING REQUIREMENTS

A. All Pa. Fish and Boat Commission and Corps. of Engineers rules, regulations and boundaries must be followed. Violations will result in disqualification.

B. All boats will be at least 12 feet in length and meet all State and Federal regulations. No canoes, rafts or kayaks

C. Each boater is required to have all safety equipment require by Local, State and Federal Law.

D. It is the co-angler's responsibility to furnish his or her own approved life vest.

E. All life vest used in tournament competition will be Type III PFD and will be properly worn and zipped in kill switch attached to boat driver.

F. The PFD will be worn, and the kill switch will be attached to the driver any time the gasoline motor is running. If the tournament Director or Law enforcement Personnel observes otherwise, it will be automatic tournament disqualification.

10. Tournament water boundaries, special regulations, and off limit areas will be announced prior to each tournament.

A. Bass only (large/small mouth) will be weighed in for tournament consideration.

B. Fish length will be state legal minimum.

C. Creel limits will be (5) fish for boater, three fish for co-angler unless announced differently prior to tournament.

D. Payback will be three (3) places for boaters and three (3) for co-anglers.

E. Measurement of all fish will be on an approved board with fish flat, mouth closed, and tail in any position.

11. Each competitor will make every attempt to keep their catch alive.

A. A properly aerated live well with divider and/or an individual cull system is recommended.

B. All fish must be released alive.

C. No culling of dead fish. Each competitor must dispose of their own dead fish.

D. A 4 oz. (.25) penalty will be deducted for each fish that is kept or has died prior to the weigh-in. There is also a 4oz. (.25) penalty for any fish that is returned to the water that is unable to swim away.

E. No competitor shall give or catch fish for another competitor that will or could be added to their creel weight during a tournament.

F. Violation of rule "E" will result in disqualification for the tournament.

G. Presenting an under-size fish for weigh-in will result in disqualification from the tournament.

12. Each tournament will have a lunker competition.

A. A lunker fee is included in the tournament fee and shall be 100% payback.

B. Lunker fish will be the largest fish by weight. Fish must be alive to qualify for lunker.

C. It will be each competitor's responsibility to have the largest fish in their creel weighed to be eligible for lunker.

D. There will be one lunker per tournament and one lunker trophy per year.

13. No competitor shall violate another competitor's catch in any way. Such action will result in automatic disqualification from the tournament.

14. All boats are required to return to the weigh-in site by the official check-in time.

A. Late boat owner and rider will be penalized at a rate of one (1) pound per 5 minutes late.

B. Any boat owner and rider returning to the weigh-in site 15 minutes after the official check-in time will have their total weights disqualified for that tournament.

C. Breakdowns and boaters towing/helping are not penalized. You may send in your catch to be weighed if towing or repairs will take too long.

D. If leaving a tournament early, notify the Tournament Director or another person to report at the weigh-in.

15. Tie breaker.

A. Combine two payback places and split winnings equally.

16. Tournament standings will be done on a 100-point basis. (example 1st place = 100 points, 2nd place = 99 points, 3rd place = 98 points).25 points will be awarded to anyone not catching fish. Boater and co-angler have separate points system.

17. Points earned in either point system can't be transferred from one to another. If you fish as a boater and decide to fish as a co-angler your points stay in the boater system, same in the reverse situation.

18. Qualifying for the "Classic" is done by fishing 50% of all regular tournaments and or 100% of PA tournaments. Also, any angler that wins a regularly scheduled tournament or wins the previous years "Classic" will automatically Qualify.

A. A the "Classic" the co-angler may choose which boater to fish with each day.

19. Cancellation of a tournament