|
American Bass
Anglers, Inc
American Fishing Tour 2011 Season
Rules
Effective: Immediately
RULE CHANGES: The following rules
shall apply to American Bass
Anglers, Inc. American Fishing Tour
tournaments, with the following
exceptions: (i) rules for special
tournaments may differ from those
contained herein and (ii) these
rules may be changed by American
Bass Anglers at any time upon notice
by American Bass Anglers to its
members, which notice may be
published on the American Bass
Anglers internet site at
www.americanbassanglers.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 American
Bass Anglers, Inc. Headquarters 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/ABA Headquarters
shall be final in all matters.
Protests for any rule infraction
must be made in writing within 15
minutes of the official
announcement, “the scales are now
closed”.
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 American Bass
Anglers, Inc., events for a
period of time up to a
lifetime disqualification.
2. COMPETITOR'S CONDUCT CODE:
a. Members that participate
in American Bass Anglers,
Inc., 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,
American Bass Anglers, Inc.,
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 ABA events to include
permanent suspension.
American Bass Anglers, Inc.,
may use these actions
singularly or in combination
as deemed appropriate.
3. PARTICIPANTS AND ELIGIBILITY:
a. Participation is open to
current members of American
Bass Anglers, Inc., who are
14 years of age or older.
Proof of age to the
satisfaction of tournament
officials is the
responsibility of the
competitor.
b. Competitors must have a
valid fishing license for
the body of water the event
is being held on.
c. DURING THE OFFICIAL
PRACTICE AND COMPETITION
DAYS OF AN American Bass
Anglers, Inc., 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 A MINIMUM
OF $100,000 LIABILITY AND
VALID EXPIRATION DATE.
d. Anglers must sign the
Release of Liability form at
the event and if not
pre-registered with
headquarters must 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.
POLYGRAPH:
By signing the official entry form
contestants agree to submit to a
polygraph/voice test examination
should he/she be accused of any rule
violation. ABA may also conduct
random polygraph/voice test
examination throughout the year. Any
person convicted of violating
tournament rules or failing to
successfully pass a polygraph/voice
test in this or any other tournament
will not be allowed membership or
entry into any American Bass
Anglers, Inc., events. The
administration and interpretation of
the polygraph/voice test shall be
solely the responsibility of the
American Bass Anglers, Inc., its
tournament Directors or agents, and
shall be used (or not used) at their
discretion. Without limiting the
foregoing, the American Bass
Anglers, Inc., shall have sole
discretion to select the place at
which such polygraph/voice test
shall be administered, the
individual who administers such
polygraph/voice test, and the scope
of the questions, which may be asked
during such test. Failure to take
and pass the polygraph/voice test
examination, if required, will
result in immediate disqualification
without recourse.
5. PROFESSIONALS:
Individuals who have fished two or
more tournaments as a designated
Professional in a Pro/Am event
requiring an individual entry fee of
$675 or more in the preceding six
months are not eligible to fish.
This rule does not apply to Amateur
status anglers.
6. 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 American Bass
Anglers, Inc., events on that lake(s).
7. PRE-TOURNAMENT
PRACTICE/OFF-LIMITS:
There will be no official practice
period (Except for National
Championship or special events)
prior to the pre-tournament meeting.
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 17, will be
designated and explained at
pre-tournament meeting by the
tournament director.
8. REGISTRATION:
It is recommended that contestants
pre-register through National
headquarters. Contestant desiring to
register at the ramp must do so in
person during the official
registration period. Registration
period is defined as 1 and ˝ hours
preceding 5am local time during
daylight savings time and 6am local
time during standard time or the
time established by the local
tournament director. Once the Safety
and Rules briefing begins no
tournament entries can be accepted.
Failure to attend the pre-tournament
meeting of any American Bass
Anglers, Inc., tournament will
result in forfeiture of entry fee
and disqualification from the
tournament in question.
9. ENTRY FEE:
Entry fee for Divisional Qualifying
events will be $70.00 which includes
big bass. Entry Fee for Divisional
Championships will be $140.00, which
includes big bass. The entry fee for
the National Championship is $150.00
and does not include big bass.
10. LATE FEE:
All mail in entries must be
postmarked or called-in to
headquarters with a charge card 10
days prior to the scheduled
tournament. Divisional Qualifying
Events and Divisional Championship
entries not meeting this deadline
will be subject to a $5.00 late fee
(see Rule 24 for National
Championship Late Fee). All
pre-registrations must be sent to
the Athens office only, except where
noted on schedule. New or renewing
members signing up at the
tournament, active duty military
members, life members, visiting
directors, assistant director for
that division, and 2009 frequent
fishermen anglers are not subject to
the late fee for Divisional
Qualifying Events and Divisional
Championship tournaments ONLY.
11. 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 official
practice and 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 no longer in gear.
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
waters 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.
12. 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.
13. 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 feet 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 HAZARD. Partners must remain
together at all times, in sight of
each other and each other's catch,
under the conditions cited above, in
order for their catch of that day to
be scored in the tournament. 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.
14. HORSEPOWER
REGULATION:
MAXIMUM HORSEPOWER FOR ALL OUTBOARD
MOTORBOATS USED IN OFFICIAL
TOURNAMENT PRACTICE AND IN
TOURNAMENT COMPETITION WILL BE 250
HP. 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 nor
the horsepower maximum set by
American Bass Anglers, Inc. Each
competitor agrees to submit, by
their signature on the official
entry form, the boat and outboard
motor used in the tournament, to an
inspection by factory-trained
personnel, if there is any reason to
suspect the horsepower is in excess
of the rating. Changing or altering
standard factory parts of your
engine to increase the horsepower
over the factory horsepower rating
is forbidden, and will result in
disqualification. Falsifying
information on entry forms or
altering the horsepower-rating
numbers on the engine also would be
cause for immediate disqualification
from American Bass Anglers, Inc.,
tournaments.
15. BOAT AND
MOTOR:
ALL BOATS MUST BE EQUIPPED WITH SOME
TYPE OF IGNITION STOP SWITCH. This
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 by a driver in the
driver's seat in full control of the
boat. Fishing boats that are 16 feet
or more in length may be used. No
barges, cumbersome craft or boats
without steering wheel will be
permitted. Contestants may not use
boats equipped with "stick steering"
during official practice or during
tournament hours. Each boat must
also have a properly aerated or
re-circulating live-well to maintain
a live limit catch of bass by both
contestants. Boaters are required to
provide a back fishing seat for
co-anglers.
16. BOAT
OPERATION:
Any competitor answering yes to the
question: "Will you enter as a
boater?" will be expected to make
that boat available for the
tournament. Partners must discuss
sharing time for his/her selected
waters prior to ooze-off. Each
partner is entitled to an equal
number of hours to fish his/her
selected waters during divisional
and national qualifying events. Any
contestant who, in the judgment of
the tournament director, operates
the boat in such a manner as to
unfairly handicap their partner
shall be disqualified. It is the
responsibility of the co-angler to
reimburse the boater in an amount
mutually agreed. It is suggested
that reimbursement be ˝ of fuel cost
to defray daily expenses. (Based on
current fuel prices and running
time, cost could be from $30.00 to
$50.00). Co-anglers not paying their
share as prescribed here and at the
time of the event shall be cause for
being disqualified. This penalty is
not limited to the same event but
may also result in entries not being
accepted into future American Bass
Anglers, Inc., events.
17. 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. Any water within
tournament boundaries posted
Off-Limits or No Fishing by state or
federal agencies will be OFF-LIMITS.
18. OFFICIAL
CHECKPOINT:
There will be only one official
point for check-out in the morning
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 more than 15 minutes late
for send-off or 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 8 hours
fishing time. In the case of adverse
weather conditions, the tournament
director will open weigh-in at 12
noon for safety.
19. SCORING:
The total weight of each competitors
catch will determine tournament
standings and placement. Only
largemouth, spotted, red eye or
smallmouth bass will be weighed. The
creel limit shall be five (5) unless
the prevailing state/lake limit is
less. (The tournament director may
impose a creel limit of less than
five fish if they deem weather
and/or local conditions warrant 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. CULLING OF DEAD FISH IS
STRICTLY PROHIBITED. Minimum length
will be 12 inches (measured on a
flat board) 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 eight (8) ounces or
(.50) pounds will be deducted from
the total weight for each dead fish.
In the event the anglers' big fish
is dead a penalty of eight (8)
ounces or (.50) pounds will be
deducted from the big fish total
weight. A contestant that presents
more fish than the tournament limit
will be disqualified immediately.
Mangled, mashed, mauled or otherwise
altered fish will be weighed only at
the discretion of the tournament
director. 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 American Bass
Anglers, Inc. All live fish will be
returned to the tournament waters
and the tournament director will
dispose of any dead fish.
20. PAIRING:
Assignments of partners will be by
open draw. All angling must be
accomplished from the boat.
Competitors must stay on tournament
waters and in sight of each other
throughout the tournament day from
send-off until weigh-in (Exception:
Nature call). Any contestant
refusing to take or go with another
contestant in his/her boat will be
subject to immediate
disqualification. Tournament
directors have no responsibility for
finding lost partners. Each
contestant is to meet his/her
partner at least 30 minutes prior to
take-off. The tournament director
may reassign pairings prior to
morning ooze-off to accommodate
problems or emergencies. With prior
approval from AMERICAN BASS ANGLERS,
INC., headquarters, the tournament
director may allow paired boaters to
fish alone.
21. TIE:
In case of a tie, ties will be
broken using the following criteria:
• Largest
number of legal fish weighed
• Largest number of legal live
fish weighed
If the tie is
not broken by applying the foregoing
procedures, place monies will be
combined and split evenly, and place
points will be awarded accordingly.
Merchandize prizes will be awarded
as determined by the tournament
director. Standings will reflect
ties starting at place closest to
first. The tournament director may
decide to break first place ties
with a fish-off.
22. TRANSFERS:
Entry fees may be transferred or
refunded only if proper notification
is made to American Bass Anglers,
Inc., headquarters or tournament
director by 12 noon on the Friday
preceding the tournament. Refunds
will be assessed a 10% service
charge however, there is no fee for
transfers. Refunds for National
Championship will only be accepted
up to 10 days prior to official
practice.
23. POINT
SYSTEM:
One-day divisional qualifying
tournaments are worth 200 points.
Maximum points are awarded for a
minimum of 20 contestants. For
tournaments with less than 20
contestants, 1 point per person
short of the minimum will be
deducted from the total points
available. Points will be awarded in
1 point decrements 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 four places of
finish will be counted. The 2-day
Divisional Championships are worth
400 points. Maximum points are
awarded for a minimum of 20
contestants. Points will be awarded
in 2 point decrements depending on
place of finish. For tournaments
with less than 20 contestants, 2
points per person short of minimum
will be deducted from the total
points available. No contestant
weighing a fish in the tournament
will receive less than 150 points,
and 100 points will be awarded to
those not weighing fish. A
contestant may fish multiple 2-day
Divisional Championships, however
only their best two-day finish will
be counted. Contestants who are 15
minutes or more late for weigh-in,
will not be allowed to weigh their
fish, but will receive show points
for the event. Contestants must have
fished at least four (4) one day
tournaments to be eligible to
compete in any 2-day Divisional
Championship. A perfect score is
1200 points: 4 one-day tournaments
at 200 points each = 800 plus and 1
two-day Divisional Championship at
400 points.
24. National
Championship:
a.
Contestants must have met the
minimum requirements of
qualification which is the
successful completion of four
(4) one-day tournaments and one
two-day tournament.
b. The top 500 national point
holders plus 30 Active Duty
Military will be invited to
compete in the National
Championship. If one or more of
the top 500 do not accept the
invitation, the remaining slots
will be filled from a list of
qualified and pre-registered
anglers.
d. The Championship lake will be
off limits approximately 30 days
prior to the first official
practice day.
ALL TOURNAMENT INFORMATION
PERTAINING TO THE NATIONAL
CHAMPIONSHIP WILL BE PUBLISHED
ON THE ABA WEB SITE NLT
SEPTEMBER 1, 2010.
25. Angler of
the Year (AOY):
The top point holder from each
Divisional Championship (by points)
who meets the AOY point’s
requirement will be invited to
complete in the Angler of the Year
Final Round. SPECIFIC INFORMATION ON
THE AOY COMPETITION WILL BE
PUBLISHED ON THE ABA WEB SITE NLT
SEPTEMBER 1, 2010. |
