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Pennsylvania Bass FEDERATION, INC.
Tournament Official Rules & Regulations 2007
Download a Federation Tournament Application: Adobe PDF
NOTE: This is a fillable form! Fill out the form on your PC, then print.
Download a Regional Application Team Form: Adobe PDF
1. Rule Changes: All Pennsylvania Bass Federation Inc.
sanctioned tournaments will by governed by current BASS
tournament rules where applicable or otherwise specified
in the Pa Bass Federation tournament rules. Great
effort, study, and research have gone into the
formulation of these rules. The following rules will
remain unchanged during this tournament year. Each
competitor agrees to report to the tournament officials
any violation or infraction of these tournaments rules.
In the event of a rule violation the tournament director
shall impose such sanctions as deemed necessary,
including, (but not limited to) without limitation;
disqualification, forfeiture of prizes and cash awards,
and prohibition from participation in subsequent
tournaments. The decision of the tournament director and
tournament committee shall be final in all matters.
2. Participants and eligibility: Participation
in all PA Bass Federation tournaments is limited to its
members listed on the most current rosters.
a.
Contestants will no longer be required to submit copies
of insurance or MEMBER cards on applications.
i. The tournament application will contain
questions pertaining to the applicant having the
required insurance if applying as a boat owner and up to
date membership in The PA Bass Federation and the TBF.
Answering yes to these questions and signing the
application will be considered as proof that all
requirements for entering a PA Federation are met.
ii. Contestants will be required to present proof of
$300,000 liability insurance and proof of and PA Bass
Federation membership upon request from the state or
district tournament director. As of Jan. 1, 2004 minimum
boat insurance for Pa. Federation tournaments will be
$300,000.
iii. Any falsification of
information will be grounds for disqualification.
b. Failure to provide proof of insurance or the
required membership will be reason for disqualification
and forfeiture of any monies or points standings awarded
in the tournament. Verification will be at the
discretion of the presiding Tournament Director. It is
suggested proof of insurance and membership is carried
in the boat or on your person at all times...
c.
Sponsors may pay the entry fee.
3. Pre-tournament: There will be no designated
practice or off limits preceding the tournament unless
specified on the application.
4. Registration: Each competitor must register at the
time and place prescribed on the tournament confirmation
sent in the anglers self-addressed stamped envelope
which shall be included with each tournament
application. Registration is to be open 1 and ½ hours
before blastoff. If the tournament is to start 5:30 AM,
the registration should be 3:30 AM to 5:00 AM. This will
allow a 30-minute buffer for the blast off. This buffer
period shall be used to readjust the field for boat
failure or no show contestants. Persons registering
after 5:00 AM and before 5:30 Are at the discretion of
the Tournament Director. Any contestant showing up after
scheduled blastoff time shall be considered late and
disqualified from the tournament. If it is a two-day
tournament the disqualification shall be for the day the
contestant is late. Partner paring should be displayed
on a printed list accessible to all contestants.
Tournament starting and weight-in times are decided by
the Tournament Director and or State Tournament
Director, (Mr. Bass, the Classis and Regional
Tournaments).
5. Safety: Safe boating conduct must be observed at
all times by all tournament competitors. Each competitor
shall have a Coast Guard approved life preserver that
will be worn, strapped, snapped, or zippered securely
any time the internal combustion (outboard) engine is
operating. No contestant will ride in an
elevated-fishing seat when the boat is underway with the
outboard operating. All anchors must be inside the boat
or secured by an additional safety-locking device while
underway. The boat must be equipped with a Coast Guard
approved fire extinguisher and any other local or
regional safety equipment that is required. Sight
fishing can not be done by standing on the combustion
engine. Any violation of these rules will result in
immediate disqualification.
6. Sportsmanship: All competitors in Pa. Bass.
Federation Tournaments are expected to follow high
standards of sportsmanship, courtesy, safety, and
conservation. Any infraction of these fundamental
sporting principals shall be deemed cause for
disqualification. Competitors deemed under the influence
of any intoxicant shall be immediately disqualified from
the tournament, and placed on prohibition for one year
of active membership in The Pa. Bass Federation, and no
refunds will be considered. Maximum courtesy must be
practiced at all times, especially with regards to
boating and angling in the vicinity of non-competitors
who may be on tournament waters. Any act of a competitor
which reflects unfavorably upon the Federation’s effort
to promote fisheries conservation, clean waters, and
courtesy shall be reason for immediate disqualification.
No alcoholic beverages, stimulants, or depressants shall
be used during the tournament or weigh-in. If any
contestant is, in the opinion of the tournament
director, (providing situation is made known) physically
unable or not able to safely compete, the contestant
will be disqualified. Any angler, who leaves a multiple
day tournament, without informing the tournament
director, shall be disqualified from that tournament and
be suspended from fishing Pa. Bass Federation
tournaments for a period of one year of active
membership in Pa. Bass Federation. If an angler shows up
at a tournament with the smell of alcohol on their
breath, they will disqualified by the tournament
director. If they refuse to cooperate the tournament
director may notify the local law enforcement agencies,
and the individual will be subject to suspension from
The Pa. Bass Federation for one (1) year.
7. Tackle and Equipment: Only artificial lures may be
used. No live or prepared bait will be permitted, with
the exception of pork rind or pork strips. Only one
casting, spin-casting, or spinning rod may be used at
any given time. The length limitation is to be eight (8)
feet in length, from tip to butt. Other rigs may be in
boat ready for use however ONE is permitted in use and
in water at any one time. Snagged line-lures must
retrieved or broken off immediately, don’t lay down
snagged rod and fish with another rod. All bass must be
caught live and in a conventional manner, trolling as a
method of fishing is prohibited. Use of underwater
cameras will be permitted in practice periods only. Use
of under water cameras are not permitted during
tournament hours by any contestant. The Pa. Bass
Federation will permit the use of landing nets in
Federation tournaments. The handle of the net is not to
exceed 6.5 feet. Contestants may assist in netting each
other’s fish.
A treble hook lure is considered one lure.
Suspender life preserver is permitted as long as an
extra life preserver is in the boat as well. Anyone
under 16 years of age are not permitted to use the
suspender life preserver.
8. Boat and Motor: All boats must conform to Pa. Fish
and Boat Commission laws and to any additional laws that
may be required for waters which are going to be fished.
When required, each boat must have an U.S. Coast Guard
horsepower rating plate attached to the boat by the
manufacturer. Maintenance to increase the horsepower
over factory rating is forbidden and will result in
disqualification. Falsifying information on entry forms
or altering the horsepower rating numbers on the motor
will result in immediate disqualification. No boats
shall be permitted if equipped with an engine larger
than the rating on the Coast Guard rating plate. Boat
lengths of 15 feet or more with a minimum capacity plate
rating of 25 horsepower are permitted, with the
exception of “small boat “tournaments, where horsepower
is restricted, to lengths of 14 feet. All Pa. Bass
Federation tournaments, state sponsored (i.e., Mr. Bass,
Classic, and Regionals), will carry a minimum horsepower
restriction of 40 horsepower due to safety
considerations, all district tournaments will have a
minimum horsepower of 25. Maximum horsepower for
any boat in Pa. Bass. Federation tournaments is 250
h.p. as long as the Coast Guard rating plate allows. Any
small motor, gas or electric may be used for
maneuvering. No barges or similar cumbersome craft will
be permitted. It has been determined that boats equipped
with “stick steering” present greater than normal safety
hazards, no boats so equipped having greater than 50 h.p.
Engine or exceeding the B.I.A. rating plate shall be
permitted to be used during tournament hours by a
competitor. Small boat tournaments: small boat
tournaments shall be permitted provided they meet all
other tournament rules with the following exceptions,
(a) are to be conducted on lakes with a maximum of a 10
h.p. Motor, (b) 14 feet minimum length, with rating of
at least 20 horsepower, (c) no kill switch required but
highly recommended.
9. Basic boat equipment: Every competitor’s boat must
have a 10-gallon minimum separate or divided live
well, properly aerated to adequately maintain (alive) a
limit of bass for both anglers using the boat.
Flashlight battery operated aerators are not acceptable.
Bass may not be put onto a stringer at any time during
the tournament. Specially designed bags which increase
the survival rate will be furnished by the tournament
director or worker; fish brought to the scales in bags
other than the designated bags will not be weighed.
Every competitor’s boat must have a seat readily
available for both decks for the non-boater if he/she
wishes to use one. The term seat applies to a “pro seat
“or standard folding seat.
10. Boat identification: Each boat will be given, prior
to each day’s start, a boat check by a tournament
official. Upon passing, the boat will receive a colored
ribbon to designate boat flight for that day; all
previous ribbons shall be removed. This ribbon should be
displayed in an easy to see location on the boat. (i.e.,
trolling motor or front pedestal)
11. Boat operation and expense: The competitor may use
his/her boat if it is allowed under these rules. A
competitor answering affirmatively to the question,”
Will you bring a boat”, will be expected to make that
boat available for tournament use by themselves and
their daily partner. A full schedule must permit each
partner equal time to fish from the front of the boat
and to operate the trolling motor so as to afford each
partner the opportunity to fish their selected waters
for one-half of the tournament day. Any contestant
who, in the judgment of the officials operates the boat
in such a manner as to unfairly handicap their partner
shall be disqualified. In view of the expense involved
to operate a tournament boat, it is suggested that the
riding partner contribute $20.00/day to help offset this
expense. Each partner shall be financially responsible
for any damage caused by them to the boat, if damage is
done and not taken care of by the responsible party, a
one year suspension from fishing Pa. Bass. Federation
tournaments.
12. Permitted fishing location: Fishing on tournament
waters is permitted anywhere except, within 50 yards of
the Headquarters marina.
All angling must be done from the competition boat. A
competitor may leave the boat in case of imminent danger
to seek shelter and for rest room use. All fishing stops
until the partners are back together again. Competitors
wishing to change fish habitat by placing any object
into the tournament waters may do so if such action
doesn’t violate any State or Federal regulations. Boat
must remain in tournament waters during tournament day.
Contestants must leave and return to official checkpoint
by boat. Contestants may not leave boat to land fish.
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 or a rescue boat. Partners
must remain together at all times, in sight of each
others catch, under the conditions, due to an emergency,
or any other reason, his/her catch of that day shall not
be counted in the tournament. Trailering of boats during
designated fishing hours is prohibited. The Pa Bass
Federation will permit the use of landing nets in
Federation tournaments. The handle of the net is not to
exceed 6.5 feet. Contestants may assist in netting each
other’s fish.
Fishing in an off-limits area is prohibited.
Off
limits areas: If a buoy or sign indicates; Keep Out, No
Fishing, or No Boats, this also means that you can not
cast past the buoy or sign either. Off limits to boats
and anglers means off limits to lures also.
13. Official Checkpoint: There shall be only one
official check-out in the morning and check-in in the
afternoon, and this point shall be designated at the
registration. At the time of check out, all competitors
and their boats shall be in full conformance with all
the rules set forth by the tournament committee; at
check in, all boats shall identify themselves and
proceed immediately to the weigh-in area. Partners must
stay together! Cell phones may not be used until fish
are weighed in unless there is a medical emergency then
use 911 first, then notify tournament officials.
14. Scoring: Tournament standings, auxiliary awards,
and final winners shall be determined by the pound and
ounce weight of each competitor catch during the
tournament. Only Largemouth, Smallmouth, or Spotted Bass
will be weighed. The tournament committee shall retain
the right to set the limit, and/or weigh-in time due to
weather conditions, local regulations, or live well
size. (i.e.; small boat tournament) The prevailing
statutes and regulations of the various states within
which they fish bind all competitors. At no time shall
any competitor have in his possession more than the
limits described above. The tournament director will
conduct checks for violation of this provision, and in
the event a competitor has produced more than the
above-described limit to his possession, shall cull the
largest bass first down to the limits described. Only
Bass described which measure 12 inches with the mouth
closed and the tail slightly compressed or more, or
the prescribed lake length or slot limit, will be
accepted for weigh-in. Bass which fail to meet the
minimum length requirements shall accrue a penalty of
one pound per fish plus loss of that fish. Any bass that
appears to have been mashed, mangled, mauled or
otherwise altered will be weighed only at the discretion
of the tournament officials. Each competitor must
present their own catch to the weigh-in official and
must be certified by his or her own signature and the
signature of their partner of that day. False
verification of weigh-in forms will be cause for
disqualification. After the competitor has delivered
their catch to the weigh master they may not touch said
catch until weigh-in procedure is completed. Weigh-in
shall be conducted with every effort to conserve the
resource. Official weigh-in bags designated by the
tournament director as well as the number of bags are to
be used. No fish shall be weighed if not in the official
bag
15. Penalty points: One pound per fish plus loss of
that fish for every one brought to the scales that is
under the minimum length. For each legal bass brought to
the scales dead, ann 8-ounce penalty (.50 lb. on digital
scales) will be imposed. Deductions of penalty points
shall not affect determination of Lunker but shall be
included in the anglers overall scoring, thereby
affecting the position of finish. Competitors who are
not at the check in point at or before the prescribed
time will be penalized at the rate of one pound per
minute to be deducted from the total weight of their
catch, including any weight to be counted toward a
“Lunker award”. Any competitor that is 15 minutes or
more late to the check in shall loose all credit for
that day’s catch. Each boat will receive their boat
number for the day at registration, so there shall be no
excuse for tardiness to weigh-in, and no competitor will
be allowed to “make up any lost time”. After proper
recognition at the checkpoint, competitors will be
allowed ample time to proceed to the weigh-in site;
however, all fishing must cease upon check in. After the
tournament begins, fishing is prohibited except during
tournament hours. Exact starting and check in times will
be announced at registration. The only exception to rule
15 would be in the event of a contestant rendering
assistance in a boating accident or some other
life-threatening emergency.
16. Ties: In state tournaments the case of a tie,
individual or team, the following tie breakers will be
used in order: the largest number of legal fish weighed
during competition, largest number of legal live fish,
the heaviest single day’s catch during the competition,
second heaviest single day weight. IF A TIE STILL
EXISTS, AFTER EXAUSTING ALL TIEBREAKERS, THEN PLACES ARE
TO BE COMBINED-SPLITTING MONEY AND POINTS EQUALLY.
District single day tournament tie breakers:
Greatest number of legal fish weighed, number of live
fish weighed, lunker. After all of these options have
been exhausted and a tie still remains, the points and
monies will be split.
17. Paring of contestants: Two contestants will be
assigned to each boat; there shall be no “singles” or
three in a boat. No contestants from the same club will
be allowed to fish together, nor shall two competitors
fish together for more than one day. Announcement of the
first and second day’s partners will be announced at
registration. It will be the responsibility of each
partner to appear at a mutually agreed upon location
with sufficient time to check out at the official check
boat. If partners cannot make connections, each should
report to the official boat check station. Tournament
officials will have NO responsibility for finding
missing partners. It is suggested that a minimum of 30
minutes be allowed for preparation for boat check. All
contestants must not allow any bass caught by them to be
counted on the score of another contestant. In such a
case, both contestants shall be disqualified from that
and all future Pa. Bass. Federation tournaments. In the
event that there are too many boat owners, after trying
to balance the field by changing owners to riders by
using the application numbering system, one “observer “
may be used to assure that there are two persons in
every boat. The “observer” may participate in the
“Lunker pool” if they desire.
18. Trickle start: All Pa. Bass. Federation
tournaments will be conducted with a trickle start. A
drawing for boat position will be conducted at
registration. Tournament officials have the right to
delay, shorten or cancel the start of an official
tournament day. Every effort to start tournaments
on time shall be made; delaying tournament starts for no
shows will not be tolerated.
The trickle start will begin with boats being called by
order of release and going through a drive by boat
inspection when possible. The inspection shall consist
of:
Live wells open and running.
Life jackets on both contestants zippered
and or snapped
Running lights up and on as necessary
Testing of kill switch as the boat pulls
away from dock.
Failure of any of the above items automatically puts the
boat to the last position of blastoff and requires that
the failed equipment be repaired before boat can reenter
the tournament.
19. None of the above rules shall prohibit a properly
designated tournament official from approaching or
boarding any competitor’s boat during the “warm up”
period of the competition days.
20. Forfeiture of entry fee: No refund policy shall
apply. Refunds must be for a valid reason, in writing
and mailed to the tournament director, postmarked prior
to the cut-off date. The Tournament director whom is
running the event must approve it. If turned down, you
may appeal to the Executive board or the District board
of directors. A $5.00 handling fee will be retained for
all refunds issued.
21. Official measuring board: The “Gator Grip Golden
Rule” will be the official measuring board of the Pa.
Bass Federation.
22. Tournament Hours (Start and End): Tournaments start
when registration for the tournament opens in the
morning. Exact time is set by the tournament director.
For two-day tournaments, registration is at the
pre-tournament meeting the night before. Tournaments end
at the close of the scales. For two-day tournaments, the
tournament will end at the close of the scales of the
second day.
23. Tournament ineligibility: Any member shall become
ineligible to participate in District or State
tournaments if a check that is issued by them would
“bounce”. Said member will not be permitted to fish
until all checks and related fees are paid to the
treasurer, State or District, whichever applies. Any
angler leaving (without a valid excuse) a multiple day
tournament without notifying the tournament director
shall be declared ineligible to fish any Pa. B.ass
Federation tournaments for a period of one year of
active membership in this federation.
24. Owner-rider guarantee: This option will guarantee
the owner spot as long as the designated rider shows up
for the tournament. If a rider should drop out or not
arrive for registration the owner would be eliminated
from the tournament, unless an angler is needed to even
the field. The rider will be dropped from the tournament
draw pool if their owner doesn’t arrive for the
registration or drops out for any reason. The guarantee
doesn’t grant a tournament slot nor does it eliminate
the partners from the other rules of the tournament,
written or stipulated at the registration.
Non-guarantee: All non-guaranteed owners and riders will
be assigned an application number when received. All
guaranteed option entries submitted for consideration
must be received in the same envelope. The higher
application numbers take the chance of being dropped
from the tournament if a balanced field can’t be
achieved. (Full fee refund will be given in this case.)
25.
Any Pa Bass Federation tournament lunker pool will be
run independently, no tournament director will be
responsible for the collecting or disbursing of monies.
Policy changes, 2003
Protests will be ruled on and decided by the tournament
director at the tournaments.
- Appeals can be filed with the State Tournament
Director within seven days of the protest.
Appeals must be in writing and signed. E-mails
will be accepted as long as all pertinent
information is contained. This includes full
name, address and phone number of person filing
the appeal.
- The state tournament director will within seven
days forward appeal to the state tournament
committee. The state tournament committee will
consist of the seven district tournament
directors.
- Within seven days the tournament committee will
review the appeal and send their individual
ruling to the state tournament director in
writing or e-mail. Majority rule will decide the
appeal.
- Ruling of the tournament committee is final.
There is no recourse past the tournament
committee.
New
process for districts picking Regionals, MR BASS, and
the Classic.
- Responsible districts will summit three choices
in order of preference to the state tournament
director by Oct. 31st of the year
before the schedule being planned.
- The state tournament director will review the
selected sites for:
i. Adequate parking and access to the proposed launch site.
ii. Hotels and lodging within reasonable distance of launch
site.
- The state tournament director will apply for
permits in order of the submitted lists until
one is approved.
- If none of the proposed sites are approved, it
will be the responsibility of the state
tournament director to secure a tournament site.
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