Club Rules and Regulations


1a: MEMBERSHIP FEES: New members and renewals are $50.00 per year. Fees can be paid either by mail, club meeting or at boat ramp.


1b: GUEST FEES: Guest fees are $25.00. If a guest joins the club the same year they were a guest the $25.00 guest fee will be deducted from their membership.


2: ENTRY FEE: Entry fees must be paid while the registration table is open at the boat ramp. The table closes ½ hour before the scheduled start time. The entry fee for each club tournament is $70.00 per boat which includes lunker.


2b: ADMISSION INTO SIDE POOLS & THEIR ENTRY FEES: Entry into the optional 6 Lb. Pool and Lunker of the Year Pool (Heaviest LM and SM) is available for paid club members only. Club members can join the side pools at any time during the season.


3: IN THE EVENT NO FISH ARE CAUGHT: If the event occurs that no fish are caught, the prize money will be decided by a raffle drawing.


4a: BOAT INSPECTION: No boat will be allowed to launch at the ramp until it has been checked for the following:


4b: Each angler must have a Coast Guard approved life vest. Life vest must be worn while gas engine is running. Waist Band (pfd) Personal Float Devices will no longer be accepted in any Big Bass tournaments. Out of concern for the safety of our members, it will be mandatory to wear a vest type (pfd) and they must be worn properly, meaning zipped up or snapped.

4c: Each boat must have a working live well & must be capable of keeping a limit of fish alive.

4d: Each angler must have a valid NJ state fishing license.


5: Table closes 30 minutes prior to the scheduled start of the tournament. Members arriving after the table closes will not be allowed to fish the tournament. If one member of the team is on time and partner arrives after the table is closed, the member that was on time has the option of fishing alone or refund of entry fee.


6: LATE PENALTY: Any contestant late for weigh-in will be penalized one (1) pound per minute and disqualified after ten (10) minutes late.


6b: Equipment Breakdown Which Results In Loss of Use of Electric Motor on Electric Only Waters:
In the event of fishing an electric only tournament and a contestant has an equipment breakdown resulting in loss of use of their electric motor, the team must notify a club official for assistance. If you start your gas motor, you will be DQ'D.


7: All state and federal laws and regulations on boating and fishing apply.


8: All laws and regulations must be followed for the body of water we are fishing.


9: No contestant can fish within 25 yards of another contestant’s boat.


10: No contestant can leave the boat to land or catch a fish at any time.


11: Only one pole may be used at a time.


12: No natural bait is allowed. Pork rind may be used.


13: Trolling of any sort is not allowed.


14: Non-members may fish only one tournament. To fish any other tournament they must become a member of the club. If a guest becomes a member they will be credited for a tournament and their weight will be added to the end of the year standings.


15: There is a five (5) fish limit per boat. Any boat found culling at the ramp or arriving at the ramp with more than a five (5) fish limit will be immediately disqualified.


16: There will be an eight (8) ounce penalty for each dead fish to be deducted from the total weight of their catch. Culling of dead fish is not allowed. A dead bass CANNOT qualify as lunker bass for the tournament, year end LOY contest, or the 6 LB POOL.


17: All fish must be a minimum of 12 inches (closed mouth, pinched tail). A person with a fish in the question of twelve (12) inches must ask for a courtesy check prior to handing the fish to the weigh-in official. Any fish less than twelve (12) inches will be returned to the water and will not be counted. If no courtesy check was requested, there will be a 1 pound penalty per short fish. Only 1 courtesy check per boat will be allowed.


18: Anyone helping the weigh-in official by placing their fish in the weigh-in bag will be disqualified.

19: NEW... There will be no Pre-Fishing of any tournament waters in the preceeding week leading up to the Sunday contest.
Specifically, the waters will be closed Monday - Saturday of the week before the Sunday contest.

20: Club scale, ruler and clock are official measuring devices.


21: A tournament may be canceled due to bad weather.


22: Any boat is subject to inspection at anytime during or after the tournament.


23: The rules can only be changed once a year at the annual January meeting.


24: Any protest must be brought to an officer of the club prior to the beginning of the weigh-in or prior to the closing of the table before the beginning of the tournament.


25: All decisions by the Rules Committee will be final.


26: All fees must be paid by cash only. NO CHECKS!!!


27: ANYONE FOUND CHEATING WILL BE THROWN OUT OF THE CLUB!!!!!!!


1. The fees for the classic will be $60.00 per boat which includes lunker.


2. The classic will be 100% payback. The money collected less $10.00 per boat for lunker will be divided at a 60/40 split for 2nd and 3rd place.


3. The club will payout 1st place with the remaining funds left in the club after all expenses have been paid.


4. Fish caught in the club classic do NOT count toward your year end points and total weight in the standings.


5. The Lunker of the Year Pools and the 6 Lb Pool are now eligible to be won during the Classic.


6. The classic is an eight hour tournament.


7. There shall be 8 votes cast for the classic location during the season. In the event that a club tournament is won by a guest team, the highest placing club member will get the vote for that tournament.


8. To qualify for the classic: You must have fished 5 of the 8 (point) tournaments throughout the year. Open and other Big Bass sponsored tournaments do not count.


9. Location of the classic: At the end of each point tournament the winning team will receive an envelope in which to place their votes. The team will make 3 choices per envelope. First, second and third choice for classic location. After they turn in their sealed envelope to the president or vice president the winning team and tournament officials will sign the back of the envelope across the seal. After the last point tournament of the year, the angler(s) of the year will pick 1 envelope. The president of the club will collect the envelope and open 1 week prior to the classic to get the necessary permit or reservation. If the classic cannot be held on choice 1, then choice 2 will be chosen and if necessary choice 3. All qualifying teams will be notified by email at approximately 3pm the afternoon before of the location of the classic. If you do not receive the email, it is the club members responsibility to call a club official to find out the location.


8. All other club tournament rules not mentioned above apply to the classic.


• Eligible fish shall be any largemouth over 6 pounds or any smallmouth over 5 pounds.


• Club rule at 2019 membership meeting states that if BOTH a 6 pound largemouth and a 5 pound smallmouth are caught in the same tournament, the pool will be split evenly.


• Eligible fish must be ALIVE at the time of weigh-in.


• The fee for this pool will be $10.00 per year and is available for paid club members only. Members can join at any time throughout the season.


• If pool is not hit, pool payout will carry over to next years tournaments.

 

• When the pool is hit, payout will happen immediately, and club members who want to participate again will start new contributions ($10 each member for current year)


• Both anglers in the boat must be entered into the 6 pound pool for payout.


• New members must pay $10.00 for EACH year the current pool has been active to enter.


• Club rules were changed in 2016 to allow a winning fish to be caught in the Club Classic.