Little Rock AFB Bass Club
2007/08 Season Rules
RULE CHANGES: The following rules shall apply to Little Rock AFB Bass Club fishing tournaments, with the following exceptions:
(i) rules for special tournaments may differ from those contained herein and rules for special tournaments may differ from those
contained (ii) these rules may be changed by Little Rock AFB Bass Club at any time upon notice by Little Rock AFB Bass Club to
its members, which notice may be published on the Little Rock AFB Bass Club internet site at www.lrafbbassclub.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 Little Rock AFB Bass Club council 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/ Little Rock AFB Bass Club council shall be final in all matters. Protests for any rule infraction must be
made in writing within 30 minutes of the official check-in time in each tournament.
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 Little Rock AFB Bass Club events for a period of time up to a lifetime disqualification.
2. COMPETITOR’S CONDUCT CODE
a. Members that participate in Little Rock AFB Bass Club 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, Little
Rock AFB Bass Club, 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 Little Rock AFB Bass
Club events to include permanent suspension. Little Rock AFB Bass Club may use these action singularly or in combination as
deemed appropriate.
3. PARTICIPANTS AND ELIGIBILITY:
a. Participation is open to any active duty military, Retired Military, Guard, Reservists or DOD Contractor.
b. Competitors must have a valid fishing license for the body of water that the event is being held on.
c. DURING COMPETITION DAYS OF A LRAFB Bass Club 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 $100,000 LIABILITY AND VALID EXPIRATION DATE.
d. Anglers must sign the Release of Liability form at the event and 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. PROFESSIONALS: Individuals who have fished more than two tournaments as a designated Professional in a Pro/Am event
requiring an individual entry fee of $1100.00 or more in the preceding six months are not eligible to fish.
5. 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 Little Rock AFB Bass Club events on that lake(s).
6. PRE-TOURNAMENT PRACTICE/OFF-LIMITS: There will be no official practice period prior to the tournament. 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 15, will be designated and explained at pre-tournament meeting by the
tournament director.
7. REGISTRATION: Contestant will register at the designated launch site during the official registration period. Registration period is
defined as the time established by the tournament director(s). During the pre-tournament check-in, one member from each team will draw a numbered
stick to determine their starting position. The team with the highest numbered stick will be responsible for launching the boats for that tournament. Once
the Safety and Rules briefing begins no tournament entries can be accepted. Failure to attend the pre-tournament meeting of any Little Rock AFB
Bass Club tournament will result in forfeiture of entry fee and disqualification from the tournament in question.
8. ENTRY FEE: Entry fee for fishing events will be $60.00 which includes big bass. Entry Fee for Classic
Championships will be $120.00, which includes big bass. From the $60 entry fee $5.00 will be put into a pot for the Classic
Championship payout. Annual Membership Dues are $30.00 per person.
9. 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 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 shut off.
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 lakes 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.
f. For tournaments held on the Arkansas River: NOTE: IF THE RIVER FLOW IS EXPECTED TO BE 70,000 CFS OR ABOVE OR A SMALL
CRAFT ADVISORY/WARNING HAS BEEN POSTED THEN THE TOURNAMENT WILL BE HELD AT AN ALTERNATE
LOCATION.
The alternate location will be posted on the club website the Wednesday prior to the tournament.
10. 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.
11. 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 ft. 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 HAZZARD. 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.
12. HORSEPOWER REGULATION: 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.
13. BOAT AND MOTOR: ALL BOATS MUST BE EQUIPPED WITH SOME TYPE OF IGNITION STOP SWITCH. The
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 be a driver in the driver's seat in full control of the boat. Each boat must also have a
properly aerated or re-circulating live-well to maintain a live limit catch of bass by both contestants.
14. 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 or within 50 yards of another competitor's boat anchored or
not. Competitors invoking the 50- yard rule must hold their boats steady. Any competitor that allows any other competitor to fish
within 50 yards of their boat has suspended the 50-yard rule and opens the water to all competitors. Any water within tournamen
boundaries posted Off-Limits or No Fishing by state or federal agencies will be OFF-LIMITS.
15. OFFICIAL CHECKPOINT: There will be only one official point for checkout in the morning, (WITH LIVE-WELL CHECKS),
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 late for send-off or more
than 15 minutes late for 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 8hours fishing time.
16. SCORING: The total weight of each competitors catch will determine tournament standings and placement. Only largemouth,
spotted, or smallmouth bass will be weighed. The creel limit shall be five (5) unless the prevailing state/lake limit is less. (The
tournament directors may impose a creel limit of less than five fish if they deem weather and/or local conditions warrants 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. Minimum length will be 12 inches (measured on a flat board with tail pinched) 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 (.25 pounds) will be deducted from the total weight for each dead fish. Largest fish must be alive to
qualify for Big Bass competition. A contestant that presents more fish than the tournament limit will be disqualified immediately.
Mangled, mashed, mauled or otherwise altered fish will be grounds for immediate disqualification. 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 Little Rock AFB
Bass Club. All live fish will be returned to the lake.
17. TIE: In case of a tie, tie breakers will be decided in the following order: (1) largest bass, (2) number of fish. If still a tie the
tournament director will combine the awards and divide them equally among the tied contestants to resolve positions. The tournament
director may decide to break first place ties with a fish-off. Duplicate points will be awarded to each tied competitor.
18. POINT SYSTEM: One-day tournaments are worth 100 points. Points will be awarded in 1 point decreasing increments 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 SEVEN tournament places of finish will be counted. toward "Team of the Year".
19. CLASSIC CHAMPIONSHIP:
a. The Classic Championship will be a two (2) day event. Placement will be determined by two (2) day total
weight. Big Bass will be paid to the largest bass for each day.
b. Qualification for the Classic Championship will require a team to fisha minimum of five (5) events. Any designated "Open" tournaments
will count towards your five (5) required tournaments. If a member was on a contingency deployment for any events they will receive credit for the
missed events, but will have to pay the $5.00 Classic money per tournament missed up to 5,if all were missed. (Proof will be required.) All
teams will be allowed to buy back one tournament to receive credit for their 5th tournament to qualify for the Classic, but will have to
pay the full $50 entry fee.
20. TEAM OF THE YEAR:
a. A team is normally defined as two (2) persons fishing from the same boat. A club member may fish club tournaments alone; however the entry fee of
($60.00 for single day tournaments) specified in section 8 remains the same, as does the eligibility requirements in section 3. There will be no
substitutions allowed. If a single boater wishes to add a partner, he/she may do so with no penalty in points as long as the new partner is a club member
and has not fished with any other member for those years tournaments. If a two (2) person team loses a partner, he/she may continue fish alone for the
remainder of the year as long as the eligibility requirements in section 3 continues to be met. Two (2) members from different teams may fish together in
the same boat as long as the tournament director(s) is made aware of the situation prior to the pre-tournament check-in. Both members are required to
pay for each teams entry fee of $60.00 each and must weigh their catch separately. All other situations will be deemed as new teams and points will start
over. Any clarifaction must be made prior to the tournament by the tournament directo(s) or club board members.
b. Only points from the best SEVEN single day tournament finishes will be totaled for Team of the Year. Designated "Open" tournaments will not be
counted towards Team of the Year.
c. The Team of the Year will receive 80% ($400 max) of the year’s membership fees.
d. In case of a points tie, the tie breaker will be total fish weight weighed for the best SEVEN finishes through out the year or as determined by the club
board members.
21. BIG BASS OF THE YEAR The team that weighs in the largest bass of the year will be awarded $100.00. The Classic Championship will not be
included.