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Nor-Cal Bass
2008 Pro-Am Rules
Dated January 15, 2008
Rule
Changes
Great effort, study and research have gone into the formulation of these rules.
Interpretation of these rules shall be left exclusively to Nor-Cal Bass. The
decisions of Nor-Cal Bass shall be final on all matters. Additional rules may be
added to adjust to individual tournament locations. Any contestant, who displays
poor sportsmanship, violates these rules, receives a law enforcement citation
for safety, speed zone violation, violates any fish and game laws shall be
disqualified. Disqualified contestants will receive no refund of any monies paid
for said event. Nor-Cal Bass Reserves the right to change these rules at anytime
before the new season begins.
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Participation and
Eligibility
Open to anyone 16 years of age or older, (Under 18 years will require a parent
or guardian release form), that meets the requirements contained within these
rules. Eligible individuals will hereby waive and release all other contestants,
hosts, sponsors and tournament officials from any and all claims of injury
and/or damage incurred in connection with this tournament. There are NO
restrictions on sex or race. Nor-Cal officials reserve the right to discontinue
acceptance of applications prior to the deadline and also have the right to
extend the acceptance time. All contestants must possess a valid California
Fishing License. All Contestants are subject to and may be required to take a
polygraph test before any tournament winnings are paid to said individual.
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Safety
Safe boating conduct
must be observed at all times by all tournament competitors. Each competitor is
required to wear a Coast Guard approved type 1, 2, or 3 life preserver. This
preserver must be worn anytime the combustion engine is operating. The preserver
must be strapped, snapped and/or zippered securely and maintained in that
condition until the competitors reach their fishing location and the combustion
engine is shut off. Violation of this rule shall be means for immediate
disqualification. All contestants shall provide their own life vest. All boats
must be equipped with some type of ignition kill switch, and said switch must be
attached to boat operator’s life vest at all times that combustion engine is
operating. All boats must be equipped with navigational lights that must be in
and operational until competitors reach their first stop in the morning.
Competitors without operational running lights will blast off last.
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Sportsmanship
Competitors in Nor-Cal
Bass tournaments are expected to follow high standards of sportsmanship,
courtesy, safety, and conservation. Outside scouting assistance during the
tournament and hole-sitting will not be tolerated and shall be cause for
disqualification from this tournament and all future tournaments conducted by
Nor-Cal Bass. The transmitting of information with any radio-transmitted device
(i.e. CB radio, two-way radio or Cellular phone) concerning any aspect of the
taking of fish during a tournament is prohibited. This includes information
relative to location, type of lures employed, number of fish caught, water
depths, temperature or any other information that could help another improve
their position in the tournament. Use of underwater cameras during tournament
hours shall be prohibited. Drunkenness by any competitor during the
tournament will not be tolerated and shall be cause for immediate
disqualification for this and all future Nor-Cal Bass tournaments. No alcoholic
beverages or other stimulants or depressants (prescriptions are accepted) are
allowed during fishing hours. Any infractions of these fundamental sporting
principles may be deemed cause for disqualification and forfeiture of said
individual’s entry fee. No two boats may touch or appear to touch during
tournament hours. This includes non-contestant boats as well as tournament
boats.
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Tackle and
Equipment
No rod longer then 8
ft. will be permitted. Only artificial lures may be used. "No live baits" or
"prepared baits" will be permitted with the exception of pork strip rind, etc.
Only one casting, spin casting or spinning rod and reel may be used at any one
time. Other rigs as specified above may be in the boat ready for use, however
only one is permitted in use at any given time. In the event of hang-ups the
lure must be retrieved immediately or the line severed and retrieved later, but
the fouled rod cannot be left in the water even though hung-up. All bass must be
caught live and in a sporting manner. Fish must be caught in a sporting manner
and must be hooked directly by bait that is tied to competitor’s line and
attached to competitor’s rod and reel.
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Boat and
Motor
Fishing boats may be
used that are 15 ft or more in length. No barges or similar cumbersome craft
shall be permitted. Motors must be 40 HP or greater. Engines may not exceed the
BIA horsepower rating for the boat. It having been determined that boats
equipped with "stick steering" present a greater than normal safety hazard, no
boat with said steering shall be permitted during tournament hours by any
competitor. Nor-Cal Bass officials shall make the definition of “stick
steering”. A small electric trolling motor is required for slow maneuvering.
Trolling as a method of fishing is prohibited. All boats must be equipped with a
functional depth finder. Every boat must have a functional live-well space,
aerated to adequately maintain a live limit catch of bass. Tournament officials
shall have the sole responsibility for determining whether aeration and capacity
is proper and adequate. All boats must meet BIA and Coast Guard requirements.
All boat owners are required to have personal liability insurance. Upon
complaint, tournament officials may deem a boat unsafe.
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Boat
Operation and Expenses
Am's do not choose
fishing locations nor do they operate the trolling motor unless they have the
approval of the Pro. Am’s are not required to share expenses for the day’s
fishing and Pro’s will not ask for compensation. However, the am contestant is
encouraged to contribute some financial assistance to the pro towards the day’s
expenses. Pro should instruct partner on boat operation in cases of emergency.
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Permitted
Fishing Locations
Fishing on the
tournament waters are permitted anywhere accessible by boat, except: within 50
yards of a main refueling dock of a marina, or any other area designated
off-limits by lake or tournament officials, or within 50 yards of another
competitors boat working a specific area. The use of marker buoys is permitted.
However a contestant may not use marker buoys to protect, reserve or make claim
to any area of more than a safe casting distance or 50 yards from his boat. If a
contestant desires to distribute marker buoys in excess of the 50-yard limit,
they may do so with the understanding that others have the right to fish any
areas located more then 50 yards distance from any boat. Contestants may not use
50 yard rule to block access to any cove as long as passing contestant does not
start fishing until 50 yard rule is met. Contestants may not use 50 yard rule to
lay claim to two banks of any cove. All angling must be done from the boat.
Contestants may not leave their boat for the purpose of carrying, towing, or
pushing their boat to fishing waters that are otherwise inaccessible.
Contestants may not get out of their boat to reduce weight or floatability for
the purpose of gaining access to fishing waters that are otherwise inaccessible.
Contestants may not depart from boat to land fish. Both competitors must remain
in the boat at all times except in cases of dire emergency. In such an
emergency, other competitors or a rescue boat so designated by tournament
officials may remove competitors. Under conditions cited above, the only other
exception to partner separation is as follows: Competitors A and B has a totally
disabled or sinking boat, either one requiring a tow. Partner B may enter into
competitors C and D’s boat with A and B’s marked catch for return trip to
official checkpoint. Boat must remain on tournament waters. Trailering of boats
during tournament hours is prohibited.
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Pre-Fish & Off Limits
There will be no
off-limits or official practice days before any Nor-Cal Bass Pro-Am event.
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Official
Checkpoint
There shall be only
one official checkpoint for checkout in the morning and check-in in the
afternoon; this checkpoint shall be designated at the draw. Contestants must
leave and return to official checkpoint by boat. Fishing hours will be announced
prior to the tournament and at registration. During the pairing of partners each
team will be given a start number (weigh slips will be kept by tournament
officials to prevent loss). A tournament official will inspect all boats for
safety equipment, live bait, and alcohol and colored ribbon will be placed on
boat. No fish shall be weighed in without proof of boat check. At the time of
checkout all competitors and their boats shall be in full compliance with all
rules set forth by the tournament officials. All competitors must checkout and
check-in at the official checkpoint. All fishing must cease upon check-in.
Disqualification will result from "culling" inside the five mile per hour buoys
at the official check-in point. There will be a tournament official posted at
the tournament check-in point and each team will be responsible to drive by
announcing their boat start number. This allows tournament officials to verify
each competitor’s return. Contestants may not weigh in until there is an
official available to start the weigh in.
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Penalties
Contestants who do not
check in at the official checkpoint at the official starting time of the draw
will be assessed a 2 lb. penalty and allowed 15 minutes to arrive. If at that
time they are still not present, they will be disqualified. Vehicle trouble or
other problems are no excuse for tardiness. Contestants who do not check in at
the official checkpoint at the end of the tournament will be assessed a 1 lb.
penalty per minute for a total of 5 minutes. If at that time they still have not
arrived they will be disqualified. Anyone weighing in a fish smaller then 13
inches in length will have 1 lb. per short fish deducted from their remaining
weight. Short fish will not be weighed. Measuring will be done with the fish's
mouth open at a 45-degree angle on a "Willie-go-Board". Any fish weighing more
then 5 lbs. shall be in a bag by itself. Once a contestant has turned in their
bag of fish to the tournament officials, those fish then become the property of
Nor-Cal Bass and cannot be added to or subtracted from. Any contestant weighing
in a larger limit than specified as the tournament limit shall be disqualified.
Any dead fish weighed in shall have a 20/100th of a pound for each
dead fish subtracted from the contestant’s total weight. If dead fish is
competitor’s big fish, then 20/100th of a pound will be deducted from
his weight in the calculation of big fish. Any contestant disqualified from any
event for any reason will forfeit their entry fee for that event.
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Pairing of
Contestants
Two contestants will
be paired as a team, (pro and amateur) to each boat by an open draw.
Announcement of partners will be made at the draw, which must be attended by all
contestants. It shall be the responsibility of each partner to appear at the
mutually agreed upon location with sufficient time remaining to check out at the
official checkpoint and start on time. Tournament Officials shall have no
responsibility for finding missing partners. Contestants will be allowed one no
questions asked redraw per tournament which must be immediately requested when
drawn. When contestants paired as a team checkout at the beginning of the
tournament, they must stay together and within sight of each other and their
catch throughout the day and until the weigh-in is complete.
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Point
System
Competition is based
on a shared weight format with scoring determined by the total weight of five
(5) fish per team during the event. There will be two separate divisions (Pro
and Amateur). Competitors will compete within their own division. Point system
is based on a 100-point system with 100 points awarded to the winner in each
division. Ten (10) show points will be awarded to all contestants that fish the
event. Points will be awarded to the highest position determined by weight. In
cases of a tie for a position, both contestants will receive the same points and
if there is any money involved, both places will be added together and split
50/50. If trophies are involved, they will be decided by the flip of a coin. Tie
for the big fish pot will be decided in the same manner. Any contestant
disqualified from any event for any reason will forfeit all points awarded them
for that event.
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Registration
Entry deadline will be
on Thursday of the tournament week. Entries received by mail after the deadline
will be subject to a $20.00 late fee unless they have been postmarked one week
in advance of the tournament. It is the responsibility of each contestant to
ensure that Nor-Cal Bass has received their entry. Entries accepted after
deadline will only be from paired partners and they must each pay the $20.00
late fee. No pairing of partners will be done by Nor-Cal Bass after deadline has
passed, but we will give you name and phone number of any available partners.
Nor-Cal Bass will help contestants find a partner by keeping an availability
list but it will be the responsibility of the anglers to contact each other to
ensure entry. Priority for match-ups will be in the order of payment for the
event. Contestants who have not paid will not be paired nor will their name go
on the availability list. Amateurs who pre-sign with a pro will be guaranteed
entry into the tournament unless their sign-up partner does not show on the
morning of the tournament. Contestants are required to check-in during the
official check-in time. Those not checking-in at the close of official check-in
time will be assessed a 2 lb penalty and allowed 15 minutes to arrive. After 15
minutes, late contestant will be disqualified. Disqualified contestants will
forfeit their entry fee. Contestants unable to fish an event must notify
Nor-Cal Bass 24 hours in advance of the tournament in order to have their entry
fee moved to the next event. Refund of entry fee will be at the discretion of
Nor-Cal Bass. Pro’s that no-show for a tournament will forfeit their entry fee.
The Am he signed up with, or was assigned with will be eliminated from the
event. Am entry may be transferred to next event or any remaining event. Am’s
that no-show for a tournament will forfeit their entry fee. The pro he signed up
with or was assigned with will have the choice to fish the event alone or have
his entry fee transferred to the next event or any remaining event.
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Official Boats
Officials may be on
the lake during contest hours and can approach, board or photograph any
contestant’s boat. Each contestant is requested to cooperate with all reasonable
requests from representatives.
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Damages
Damages of any nature
to a contestant's boat, equipment, or tackle during a Nor-Cal Bass supervised
event are the sole responsibility of that contestant.
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Protest
Any protest must be
registered with the tournament director within 30 minutes of the completion of
the weigh-in. Protest must be in writing on official protest form that is
available from Nor-Cal Bass officials. Nor-Cal Bass officials will review the
Protest and make a decision. All Nor-Cal Bass decisions are final and binding.
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Tournament of Champions
The top 20 pro and
amateur finishers
from each of our two divisions (Motherlode, Delta) will qualify for the Championship Tournament.
The top 40 pro and am qualifiers for the championship tournament will be based on the best
4 of 5 events fished in each of their respective divisions, (20 pro and am from
the Motherlode and 20 pro and am from the Delta). Anglers that fish all 5 events will keep their 10 show
points in the calculation of total points. Angler of the Year will be based on
total points for all 5 events with both Motherlode and Delta crowning a pro and
am division champion. The Championship tournament will be a two-day
event with contestants drawing separate partners each day of competition. The
winners in each division will be based on their total weight for the two days of
competition. Qualifying spots are based on total points for the year. In the
event of a tie for the last spot, total weight for the year will be the
tiebreaker. If
a qualifying competitor is unable to fish the Championship Tournament, then the
next position will be taken (21st, 22nd etc.).
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Travelers Division
The top 10 anglers
pro and amateur will qualify for the championship tournament from the travelers
division. Travelers Division qualifiers must fish a minimum of 6 tournaments
combined out of the two divisions. Qualifiers will be based on total points for
their 6 best events. In the case of less then 10 qualifiers, wildcard spots will
be selected from the two divisions to fill the 10 qualifying spots, all
wildcards will be selected from all non-qualified anglers from both divisions.
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