Bass Anglers Federation By-Laws:

The Bass Anglers Federation (BAF) is a bass fishing club that is affiliated with the B.A.S.S. Federation Nation. Although BAF is affiliated with the Federation Nation, it is not mandatory to be a member of B.A.S.S. or the Federation Nation to become a member of BAF. BAF is a group of anglers that enjoy the competitive nature of fishing and the camaraderie of the other anglers in the group. This club has a good mix of competitiveness and good humor fun all mixed into one. To become a member of the club you must show interest in the club and want to participate in the events and meetings held every month. There is no probationary period for this club but you can at any time be voted out of the club for not participating or rule violations on a regular basis. This will not be a ghost club for the Federation Nation so participation is a must.

Membership Dues:

Annual dues will be collected every January of the new year. BAF dues are $30.00 and are to be paid to the Treasurer. If dues are not collected by the February tournament then that member will not be allowed to participate and will be in bad standing with the club until the dues are paid. Club fees go towards awards for the year and permit fees for the tournaments. Any left over funds will be dispersed either in championship funds or prizes or an end of the year party. Dues are never used for personal gain.

Federation Nation dues will be paid to the Treasurer. The dues are $30.00 per year and are to be paid in December every year. State dues are $15.00 and are due the same time as the Federation dues. In order to participate in the Federation Nation the member must be a B.A.S.S. member and give their member number to the Secretary of the club to get enrolled into the Federation Nation. Any member not paying their Federation Nation dues on time will be in bad standing and may become ineligible for fishing activities held by the Federation Nation. It is the individual members responsibility to ensure their B.A.S.S. membership is current.

Meetings:

Meetings will be held on the first Thursday of every month and are currently held at Bass Pro Shops in the fine gun room upstairs at 6:30 p.m.

Officers:

BAF will have 4 board members, they will be President, Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer. The President will run the meetings, if the President is unable to attend the meetings then the next officer inline will run the meetings and so on. If there are any discrepancies with rules or rule violations the board members must meet and come to agreement on how to correct the issue. Any complaint with the club must be dealt with by the board members and their decision about the complaint is final.

New Board Members can be voted in every year in the December meeting. Term of office will be January to December. If a board position becomes vacant then BAF will hold elections at the next meeting to fill the vacancy.

Tournaments:

The club will hold 12 tournaments a year. The points season will begin in January and end in September with our championship being in October. November and December tournaments will be non-point tournaments. During our point tournaments an angler will be able to throw away 2 of their worst finishes. The Points leader will be determined by their best 7 of the 9 points tournaments.

The sites for the tournaments will be decided in the December meeting of every year. It is highly recommended that every member attend this meeting so they can vote on the dates for the upcoming fishing season. Once the dates are set they are final. Only the Board Members may allow for a date change if an unforeseen circumstance arises.

Tournament Payouts:

Tournament payouts will be calculated on the number of boats fishing in the tournament. The layout is as follows:

1-6 boats pays 1st place only

7-12 boats pays 1^st and 2^nd place

13-18 boats pays 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd

19-and up pays 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd, and 4^th

the lowest paid finisher (except for 1-6 boats) will receive winnings totaling of $60.00

Tournament Points:

1^st. 100 pts.

2^nd. 97 pts.

3^rd. 94 pts.

4^th. 92 pts.

5^th. 90 pts.

6^th. 89 pts.

7^th. On down 88, 87, 86 and so on.

Teams weighing in 0 fish will get last place points as long as they show up to the weigh in. (ex. Team 7 and 8 have 0 fish to weigh but show up to weigh in, each team gets 88 points.)

Tournament draws and fees:

The draw for tournament partners will be done at the monthly meetings. The draw will be done random by the members attending the meeting. No boater/non boater combination will fish back to back tournaments together. People at the meeting especially non-boaters will have first preference to get into the draw, then people who have phoned in or posted on the forum that they will not be able to make the meeting but want to fish. If a non boater is not selected for a boat and attends the meeting, that member will be first selected at the next tournament draw. If by chance there are not enough non-boaters, boaters may fish by themselves. NO boater may ask to be withheld from the draw. The fee for a tournament is $60.00 no matter if you are fishing by yourself or with a partner. $10.00 from each boat is pulled out for big fish for the tournament. $5.00 is pulled out from each boat for angler of the year prize fund. The rest of the tournament entry ($45.00) is paid out in full for the top finishers.

Non boaters are to pay their boaters gas money for each day fished. Minimum amount to be $20.00. It is the non-boaters responsibility to communicate with their boater as to how much they owe. It is on the Boaters discretion if the amount is to be over $20.00 (obviously if you make a long run the gas used will be higher therefore more gas money due) If there is an issue with gas money it is to be directed to the officers of the club and discussed to a resolution.

Any boater/non-boater no call/no show for a tournament or shows up after launch without proper notification that individual owes their partner $30.00 to be paid by the next meeting or that member will be in bad standing in the club.

Pre-fishing:

There are no off limit days for pre fishing club tournaments. You must read Federation Nation rules for off limits for those tournaments. Only legal fishing areas are allowed for all tournaments fished in BAF, if unsure check with your local law agency for legal fishing areas.

Citations:

If a member receives a ticket on the water for any infraction, the BOATER will lose all pounds of fish and all points for that tournament, the non-boater will not be penalized for the boaters mistakes and will receive the fish weight and points and all prize money if any is won. This rule will flip flop if the non-boater is responsible for the ticket.

Life Vest:

It is the responsibility of each angler to wear a legal life vest. Under new laws the boater must wear a life vest and have the kill switch attached ANY time the big motor is under power. It is the non-boaters responsibility to have a life jacket prior to the tournament. It is not the boaters responsibility to provide a life jacket for his non-boater.

Size and Limit:

There is a 5 fish limit with a 13” length limit. All fish will be measured closed mouth and tail pinched. BAF will use a B.A.S.S. approved measuring board and it is the anglers responsibility to make sure that their boards measure the same as the approved board. Dead fish will be penalized 2 oz. (0.12 lbs.). Short fish will be penalized 8 oz. (0.50 lb.) and loss of that fish weight. Late to weigh in will be deducted a pound per minute with a disqualification coming after a length of 15 minutes.

There will be NO alcoholic beverages until the weigh in has commenced and ALL competitors boats are out of the water and on trailers. NO EXCEPTIONS

Challenges to a Ruling

Rule challenges can be made to a club officer 30 minutes after weigh in has concluded. The board members will meet with the angler, hear the rule challenge and then make a ruling as voted on by the board members present at the tournament.