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SHAWNEE MISSION BASSMASTERS® Tournament Rules
Revisied February 2008

1. RULES: The following rules will be used for all Club tournaments. The tournament committee will consist of The Tournament Director, Assistant-Tournament Director and the first boater and first non-boater drawn from the pairings. If the tournament director or assistant tournament director are the first boater or first non-boater drawn, then the tournament director will designate fill-ins’. The Tournament committee will be the final authority of all tournament rule interpretations.

2. TOURNAMENT COMMITTEE: The Tournament Committee will have total control of all tournament weigh-ins. They will weigh measure and record all fish.

Once a member has handed his/her fish to the Tournament Committee, he/she is not allowed to handle his/her fish again. NOTE: The Tournament Committee will disqualify any member for violation of this rule.

3. PARTICIPANTS AND ELIGIBILITY: The tournaments are held for the benefit of the members of the Shawnee Mission Bassmasters. All contestants must comply with all federal, state and local rules and regulations.

4. SCORING: Each tournament results will be determined by total weight of all legal fish less any dead or short fish penalties.

5. ENTRY FEES: The entry fee for each Club tournament will be $40.00. The allocation of each entry fee will be as follows:

$25.00 Tournament Pot
$ 5.00 Heavy Boat
$ 3.00 Tournament Big Bass
$ 4.00 Retained by the Club
$ 2.00 Bassmaster of the Year
$ 1.00 Mr. Bass Award

6. TOURNAMENT AWARDS: A trophy will be awarded to first, second, third and fourth place as well as big bass for each tournament the tournament pot will be allocated and paid-out in accordance with the following schedule:
9 Entrants 10 to14 15 to19 20 to 24 25 or more
Place or less Entrants Entrants Entrants Entrants
1st 100% 60% 55% 50% 47.5%
2nd --- 40% 35% 30% 27.5%
3rd --- --- 10% 15% 12.5%
4th --- --- --- 5% 7.5%
5th --- --- --- --- 5.0%

In the event fewer contestants weigh in fish than there are places to be paid, the tournament pot percentages due those contestants weighing in fish will be paid to them for their respective places. Any remaining money in the tournament pot will then be divided equally among the placing entrants. Tournament monies will be dispersed later the same day of the tournament.

7. CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP AND AWARDS: The Club member who accumulates the most weight from participation in the Club tournaments during the year shall receive the Club's annual "Bassmaster of the Year" award.
" Bassmaster of the Year" The award will include a trophy, along with a cash prize . And a paid entry fee for a Kansas B.A.S.S. Chapter Federation Tournament to be held the following year. This entry fee would not total more than $150.00

“Mister Bass” The top eight weight leaders at the end of the year will hold a separate, one-day tournament, known as the "Shawnee Mission Bassmasters Classic" to determine "Mister Bass." This one-day tournament will be held the Saturday following the seventh qualifying tournament.

Set the Classic to ten anglers. Eight to be determined by total weight for the year plus the two-wildcard contestants. Each classic contender must bring an observer to the tournament. The observers can only be a member in good standing of Shawnee Mission Bassmasters. Observers will be switched at the Mr. Bass tournament. The observer cannot help the Top Ten contestant in any way

The "Top Ten" fish off would consist of the top eight anglers at the end of the regular tournament season and the two wildcard contestants. If the previous year's Mr. Bass did not qualify for the current year's Classic, he/she will be admitted as the eleventh participant if he/she participated in more than 50% of the current year tournaments. Mr. Bass will receive a trophy and a cash prize. Mr. Bass will represent the Club in the K.B.C.F. Mr. Bass Tournament the following year*. The observer cannot help the “Top Ten” contestant in any way.

*If Mr. BASS cannot fish the K.B.C.F. Mr. BASS TOURNAMENT, the next highest finisher, who can, will go to the K.B.C.F. tournament. That person’s entry fee will be paid by the club. The entry fee will be paid only after it has been determined who that person will be.
A wildcard tournament open to all members that did not qualify for the Club championship. The top two contestants (total weight) from this wildcard tournament will qualify for the “Top Ten Championship.” Each wildcard contestant must have fished in a minimum of four club tournaments in the current year. The wildcard tournament will be held after the last regular club tournament and there will be no entry fee.

“Back Seater of the Year” The highest weight leader fishing as a non-boater will receive a trophy for "Back Seater of the Year."

“Big Bass of the Year”, a trophy will be awarded to the club member that catches the big bass of the year while competing in a Club tournament.

“Team of the Year Award”, the 1st boater and the 1st nonboater/boater of the year would become your partner for the season. Total weights would be added together to determine the winners of the team competition. These two anglers will receive 1 free entry into the following year’s club buddy tournament. If these two anglers choose not to fish together in the buddy tournament, their team/s will be responsible for 1/2 of their entry.

“Guide of the Year” award will include a trophy. Guide of the year will be determined by the accumulated weight of all the non-boaters that fished with the boater while fishing in club tournaments.

8. REGISTRATION: Each contestant will submit an entry form along with the entry fee to the Tournament Director no later than the Tuesday Club meeting preceding the tournament. NO EXCEPTIONS WILL BE MADE and no one will fish the tournament whose money was not received by the Tournament Director on the preceding Tuesday. {Unless through the error or failure on the part of the club officers or tournament committee}.

Official tournament hours, take-offs, and check-in times and all other necessary tournament information will be announced at the Monthly Club meeting.

EACH CONTESTANT MUST ATTEND THE PRE-TOURNAMENT MEETING OR ARRANGE TO HAVE A REPRESENTATIVE IN ATTENDANCE.

Each contestant under 18 years of age must have their entry form signed by their parents or guardian or they will not be allowed to participate in the tournament. There will be no refund or transfer of tournament entry fees. NO EXCEPTIONS.

If a boater can only fish one day of a 2 day tournament he may enter as a solo boater as long as there are more boaters than non-boaters. They will not be eligible for the day they are missing.

9. SAFETY: Safe boating and fishing practices must be observed. Each contestant must have a Coast Guard approved personal floatation device. It will be worn and securely fastened anytime the combustion engine is operated above an idle speed. Violation of this rule will result in the immediate disqualification for the contestant. All boats must be equipped with a kill switch. A bilge pump is recommended.

If a tournament is cancelled due to safety reasons, it will be rescheduled the following month. It will be held the Sunday after the following month's tournament. EXAMPLE: April tournament fished in May. April and May tournaments would be fished on the same lake, same weekend. Each tournament would stand on its own, and not be a two day cumulative total.

10. SPORTSMANSHIP: Prime importance shall be given to high standards of sportsmanship, ethics, courtesy, safety, and conservation. These basic sporting principles and ethics are expected and demanded of all contestants at all times. Care shall be taken to present a good impression of bass anglers to the public at all times. ABSOLUTELY NO FIREARMS, ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES, DRUGS OR NARCOTICS WILL BE IN THE POSSESSION OF ANY CONTESTANT DURING THE TOURNAMENT HOURS. Any violation will be cause for disqualification from the tournament.

11. TACKLE AND EQUIPMENT: Only artificial bait or lures my be used. No "live" bait or "prepared" bait will be permitted, with the exception of pork strips, rinds, etc. Only casting, spin casting or spinning rods and reels may be used. Only one rod may be used at any given time. Rods may not exceed a maximum length of eight feet. All fish must be caught and landed from the boat. Trolling is not permitted. The use of landing nets, depth finders, temperature gauges. Oxygen meters, PH meters etc. will be allowed.

12. BOAT AND MOTOR: Any boat 14 feet or longer will be acceptable, provided it is powered by an engine of 20-horsepower or more. The outboard may not exceed the B.I.A. rating plate. Overpowered boats will not be allowed. A small motor, gas or electric, may be used for slow maneuvering of the boat. A live well is required and must be large enough and adequately aerated to maintain a limit of bass for both anglers. All bladder tanks and any other type of auxiliary gas tanks that are not installed by the boat manufacturer or authorized dealer are prohibited. Boats that do not have factory installed gasoline tanks are restricted to a maximum of 18 gallons of gasoline in tanks that meet U.S. Coast Guard regulations. Gas tanks must be properly secured or strapped in the boat.
All boaters must carry a minimum of $300,000 watercraft liability insurance in order to fish any Club tournament. Annually before the first tournament of the year, each boater will supply the Tournament Director with proof of this insurance consisting of a copy of what is commonly called a “Declaration page” or a certificate of insurance. Either of these must show all coverage has included plus an expiration date.

13. BOAT OPERATING AND EXPENSE: Partners must determine at the time of the drawing which partner's boat will be used. Each partner must be offered equal time in choosing the fishing locations and operating the trolling motor. It is required that the non-boater pay one-half of the operating expenses for the tournament day (minimum of $20.00 per day).

14. PERMITTED FISHING LOCATIONS: Contestants may fish anywhere accessible by boat, except areas designated as "off-limits" or "no fishing" by local, state or federal officials or within 50 yards of any other competitor's boat, which was first, anchored. An anchored boat is a boat held in a stable position by a line attached to a weight with the trolling motor in the up position. All angling must be conducted from the boat. At no time may a contestant leave the boat to land a fish or to make a boat more accessible to fishing waters. The boat must remain in the tournament waters during the tournament day. The contestants must leave and return to the official checkpoint by boat.

In the event of boat or motor failure, those contestants may bring fish into weigh-in via boat assistance. Boater may stay with boat while non-boater continues to weigh-in in another boat with both contestants fish.

15. SCORING: Only largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass will be scored. Each contestant will comply with the specified tournament lake laws and regulations concerning the size and number of fish, which may be legally taken. Where no obligation exists, the 12-inch minimum will apply.

Any short bass (under legal size) presented to weigh-in officials will result in loss of fish PLUS a one-pound penalty from stringer weight. If contestant has no other fish to weigh, he/she will then have a minus score for that tournament.

All fish will be measured with the mouth closed and the tail pinched or fanned.

Any fish that does not meet the legal length limit when caught must be returned to the water immediately. Any contestant culling short fish or fish at the weigh-in site will receive a penalty of 2 pounds per fish plus the largest fish will be culled..

The utmost care and handling to preserve and maintain the life of EVERY bass will be taken at all times. One fourth pound (.25 pound} will be deducted for each dead fish brought to weigh-in.

Big Bass will be weighed separately and no ounces for dead fish will be subtracted for the tournament Big Bass award. If there is a tie for Big Bass, the bass alive would take precedence over dead fish. Both fish alive, then the total string weight would break the tie, both fish dead, and then the string weight would break the tie. No cold or iced fish will be weighed. Any contestant having more than a legal limit of bass in his/her possession at weigh-in will have his/her catches culled down to the legal limit, starting with the largest.

Each contestant agrees to release all live bass with the exception of a trophy bass, which may be returned to the contestant after the fish has been weighed.

16. TIES: All ties shall be resolved by the Tournament Committee. Big Bass will break heavy stringer ties and heavy stringer will break Big Bass ties.

17. LATE PENALTY: A penalty of one pound per minute shall be imposed upon any contestant who does not check in within the prescribed time limit. Such penalty will be deducted from the contestant's total stringer weight. The late penalty will also apply to Big Bass. A contestant more than 15 minutes late to check-in will be disqualified from the tournament. No reason or excuses will be allowed for being late to check-in. Boats must be inside take-off area buoys and contestants not fishing. It will be the responsibility of the Tournament Committee to rule on and enforce late penalty.

18. PAIRING: Pairing will be the responsibility of the Tournament Committee. Contestants not having a boat will be paired with someone having a boat providing there are a sufficient number of boats furnished for the tournament. When two boaters are drawn out to fish together, if they both agree, they can fish by themselves, unable to bring a guest as mentioned in paragraph 2. Each contestant shall be responsible for having his/her partner at take-off time. Contestants arriving late for take-off will not be permitted to make-up any "lost" time. The same two people cannot fish together twice during the same tournament year.

When there are an uneven number of anglers in a given tournament, the individual drawing out to fish by themselves may elect it invite a guest of their choice to fish with them during the tournament. The guest would pay no entry fee and would not be eligible for any prizes or tournament monies.

19. PROTESTS: Any protests made must be made to the Tournament Director. However, late penalty protests will be ruled on by the Tournament Committee.

20. SPECIAL SITUATIONS: There will be a vote by Club membership to change the tournament dates for eliminating conflicting tournaments.

21. FUNDRAISER TOURNAMENT AND FORMAT. The Club has the option to operate buddy or fund raiser tournaments each year. When the tournament schedule is voted upon each year, the Club membership may vote to include a buddy, fundraiser or both of these tournaments in the current calendar tournament schedule. None of the buddy or fundraiser tournaments will count towards regular scheduled club tournaments standings or accumulated weights. Tournament rules, entry fees, payout schedule will be set by the tournament director.

DEDICATED TO THE CONSERVATION AND IMPROVEMENT OF BASS FISHING