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American Team Bass Club Constitution and By Laws Article I – Name and Purpose Section 1: Name
The club will be called “American Team Bass”. Section 2: Purpose The purpose of this club will be to promote good sportsmanship, preserve our waters and fisheries for the future and to promote the sport of fishing. The club will set the standard as a leader in fishing clubs and will maintain high standards by limiting active membership to new members that exhibit those qualities.
Article II – Membership
Section 2: Membership Requirements To become a club member, an individual must: 1 1. Be willing to follow all rules and by-laws of the club. 2 2. Partner substitutions are
allowed one time per year per team.
This will allow the team to maintain accumulated points and status.
3. Guides are not
accepted for membership.
** The Club is Intended for Weekend Anglers** Section 3: DuesAnnual club dues will
be $30.00. Membership must be renewed at the start of each new season to stay
active in the club.
Renewal membership will be $30.00 payable at the first or
second meeting of the New Year. Renewal membership MUST be paid by the start of the
2nd tournament. New members must have dues paid by the start of the 1st tournament. Section 4: Payback Schedule American Team Bass will operate as a non-profit organization. Regular Season Tournament Payback Entry fee will be $100.00 per team plus $20.00 big fish pot (optional) 80% of the entry fee will be paid back at the tournament. 20% of the entry fee will go to the “Tournament of the Year” tournament fund. Tournament payback will be 1 (one) place for every 5 entries with a minimum of 3 (three) places for that days tournament. Big Fish Pot pays as follows: 1st Big
Fish------------ 70% 2nd Big Fish-----------30% The same team cannot win 1st & 2nd place big fish. The club pays entry fees for the following officers: President, Secretary, Treasurer and Weigh Master. “Tournament of the Year” Payback “Tournament of the Year” tournament will payback all monies collected from regular season tournaments, monies collected from club sponsors ear marked for the “Tournament of the Year Fund”, monies raised by the club for the intention of supplementing the “Tournament of the Year Fund” and entry fees for the “Tournament of the Year” tournament. 1st place---------------35% 2nd
place--------------25% 3rd
place--------------20% 4th
place--------------15% Open Tournaments (Optional) open tournaments. Article III – Officers, Elections, Vacancies and Eligibility for Office
Section: 1 Officers and
Their Duties President
The President will:
1. Preside over all club meetings. 2. Direct and supervise all club functions. 3. Appoint all committees. 4. Act as tournament director. 5. Make final decisions with regards to matters of debate or alleged tournament violations. 6. Assist Weigh Master at weigh-ins. 7. Secure wildlife permits for tournaments. Secretary The Secretary will: 1. Maintain the official club constitution and by-laws. 2. Maintain accurate minutes of all club meetings. 3. Maintain permanent records of tournaments results. 4. Prepare all club correspondence. 5. Maintain permanent files for the club. 6. Perform all functions associated with club President in the event of their absence in accordance with existing regulations and policy. 7. Maintain records of attendance at club meetings. 8. Maintain the club website with tournaments results and points standings. Treasurer The Treasurer will: 1. Maintain accurate permanent record of all club financial transactions. 2. Submit accurate financial reports at each club meeting. 3. Maintain all club financial accounts in conjunction with club President. 4. Prepare checks for pay out at tournaments with the aid of the Secretary. 5. Assist President in securing all wildlife ramp permits for the tournaments. Weigh Master 1. Weigh all fish and report weight to secretary for recording. 2. Decide if fish are releasable, his decision is final. 3. Maintain scales and equipment for weigh-ins. 4. Conduct livewell check during boat launch. 5. Ask for support from any officer on judgment of dead or short fish. Club Representative 1. Break all ties in voting matters. 2. Represent the club for any activities that board members cannot attend. Section 2: Elections · Active members nominate candidates for office. · Two candidates for each office will be nominated. · Voting will be made by a show of hands. · One of two candidates will be elected by majority vote. · If no candidates are nominated for a particular office and an existing officer in that position agrees to maintain that position, then active members can vote by a show of hands for approval. Section 3: Voting Elections Section 4: Term of Office the next year. Section 5: Vacancies In the event that an officer’s position becomes vacant an election will be held. Section 6: Eligibility
for Office To be
eligible for elective office, a member must: 1. Be a member in good standing for not less than six (6) months. 2. Anticipate that he will remain in the locale for the term of the office.
Article IV – Meetings – Frequency and Attendance
Section 1: Frequency of
Meetings Section 2: Attendance /
Pre-Registration members in good standing. Only one (1) team member needs to attend the meeting to earn the five (5) points. If the team cannot attend the monthly meeting, the team can still earn five (5) points by preregistering for the tournament. Entries must be received no later than the Friday before the tournament.
Article V – Financial Records club officers other than the treasurer. The results of this audit will be reduced to a written report to include the items of information requited. The results will be provided to the secretary for inclusion in the minutes of the meeting. The report will be signed by the officer’s conducting the audit and will certify that the books are in order. If irregularities are detected, they will be thoroughly investigated and reported in detail. The officers conducting the audit will make recommendations regarding actions to be taken. Article VI – Constitutional
Amendments Any proposed amendments must be submitted to the secretary in writing at least one month prior to the September meeting. The secretary will announce the proposal under new business at the September meeting. The proposal will be read at the September meeting and members will have a chance of seconding the proposal. If the proposal receives a second then it will be voted on at the October meeting.
A majority vote is required to pass changes in the by-laws. Article VII – Termination of
Membership
Club
membership may be terminated for the following reasons:1. Violations of tournament regulations. 2. Any act or omission prejudicial to the good order, discipline or camaraderie of the club. Terminable offense should be submitted to any office in writing for
review by the board. A termination vote requires 70% majority of members to be present. Vote will be by secret ballot.
Article VIII –
Removal from Elected Office reasons which would justify the termination of membership of any member. A member who desires to initiate action to remove an elected official will enter a motion in writing for a vote of confidence for the individual officer, clearly citing the reasons for the motion. Based upon the results of the vote of confidence, a member may then submit a subsequent motion calling for the removal of the officer or his voluntary resignation. This subsequent motion will be presented to the membership for vote by secret ballot at the first meeting following the meeting at which the vote of confidence was made. Removal from office will require simple majority of the total general membership. Removal from office will not constitute automatic termination of membership. Article IX –
Banning from the Club A member may be banned for: 1. Theft 2. Use of illegal drugs during
club activities. 3. Any act that the officers deem
conduct unbecoming a club member. 4. Cheating of any sort. Tournament
Rules and Regulations
The following rules and regulations are applicable to all
tournaments conducted by this club. Final interpretation of them will be the
responsibility of the tournament director and club officers. 1. Tournament Schedule: This club will conduct eight (8) scheduled tournaments each calendar year, February – October. Tournaments will generally be held on Sunday. Directors prior to the January meeting will determine the exact schedule. In case of major event or holiday conflict, date may be changed 1 (one) month in advance by majority member vote. 2. Tournament Sites: Tournament sites will be selected by the club’s officers. Any given site may only be selected twice per year unless inclement weather forces a change in location. 3. Participation: All active members in good standing may fish club tournaments. 4. Tackle: No natural bait (i.e., minnows, worms, shrimp, etc.) may be used. Preserved pork baits are permitted. Only one rod may be in use at any time. Extra rods and reels (rigged or unrigged) may be in the boat. Electric fishing aids may be used. 5. Boats and Motors: Boats and motors must be properly licensed. Boats must carry all Coast Guard required safety equipment and meet Coast Guard regulations. Boats must contain a properly functioning livewell. 6. Expenses: Boat partners will make mutually agreeable arrangements for sharing expenses. 7. Safety: Any tournament director or weigh master may inspect all boats for safety before the start of the tournament. Life vests will be worn when the boat is on plane with the gas engine running. Boats must use running lights before official sunrise. Tournament director has the right to disqualify any contestant for dangerous conduct during the tournament or weigh-ins. Kill switches will be used when the gas engine is running and the boat is on plane. 8. Tournament Hours: Normal tournament hours will be from safe light till 3PM. (other hours may be accepted for special tournament conditions). 9. Scoring: Tournament standings will be determined by the total weight of the team stringer. Largemouth, Smallmouth, Kentucky and Spotted Bass may be weighed in. There will be a five (5) fish limit per team. Offering or asking to share fish will result in termination from the club. Mutilated or white-eyed fish will not be weighed in. Fish will be weighed in with mouth closed and tail pinched on the official club belly board. Any contestant weighing in undersized fish will be penalized by forfeiture of short fish plus a 1lb penalty. Prior to start of weigh-in a courtesy check may be performed before weighing fish without penalty. In the event of a tie, the team entering the largest bass will receive top honors. Each dead fish will result in a two tenths (.20) of a pound deduction from the total weight. 10. Courtesy: No participant will fish within 50 yards of another club member’s boat unless specific permission is granted. 11. Late Penalty: If you are late for blast off and all contestants have left the launch site you must find another team on the water and have that team perform a livewell check before you can start fishing. Contestants will be penalized 1lb for every 1 minute late. Any team arriving to weigh in more than 5 minutes late will be disqualified. Tournament director will keep the official time and have final say as to whether or not a contestant was checked in on time. 12. Inclement Weather: In the event of inclement weather, officers of the club will choose an alternate site. The club officers will have final say. If the tournament director determines conditions to be dangerous, he is to reschedule the tournament to another date to be determined by the club officers. 13. Protests: Any protests regarding violations of tournament rules should be logged with any officer during weigh-in. The officers will make determination and report the results that day at the tournament site or at the next club meeting. Club Rules
Tournament of
the Year
· Open to all active members of “American Team Bass” that fish 5 of the 8 regular season tournaments. Opens or special events do not count. · Payback for this tournament will be five places. Starting position will be determined by point standings. · Big fish will be the 1st and 2nd big fish of the tournament for both days and will be from different boats. Team of the Year · American Team Bass will use a point system to award this prestigious honor. · Winning team also receives ½ priced entry fees for the following season, excluding tournament of the year, opens or special events. $400 value. Points System · 20 points awarded for fishing a tournament · 25 to 1 point awarded for 1st to 25th place · 5 points awarded for attending the month club meeting or pre-registering before the tournament · Teams must weigh at least 1 fish to place in the tournament · 1 bonus point will be awarded to the team with first (1st) place big fish · In the event teams finished tied with the points lead, the tie will be resolved by total weigh for the year · Open or special events will not count towards points
Meeting A monthly meeting is held on the first (1st) Wednesday of
each month in Dunn, North Carolina, at the Sagebrush Saloon. Attendance is encouraged. At least one team member must be present to be awarded 5 points. Registration
· Pre-registers will be accepted at the monthly meeting. Pre-registers
will draw numbers for starting position at the meeting.
· Pre-registers sent in by mail will be placed behind the pre-registers that were accepted at the meeting for starting position. Mail pre-registers positions will be awarded based on arrival. 1st pre-register received will have the 1st position behind the meeting attendees. · Registration will also be accepted at the launch site the morning of the tournament. The 1st team registered at the ramp will be the 1st starting position behind the pre-registers. Officers will rotate launch duties at the tournaments. Each officer will be in charge of blast off twice (2x) a year. Tournament
Rules
1. Tournament director will keep the official time and will have final say in all time issues. 2. Five (5) fish limit, 14” or longer unless in conflict with local regulations 3. Short fish will not be weighed and a 1lb penalty will be assessed for each short fish. 4. Each dead fish will result in a .20oz deduction in total weight. 5. No participants will fish within 50 yards of another club member’s boat unless specific permission is granted. 6. Life vests must be worn anytime the boat is on plane and the kill switch must be hooked up. 7. Boats must carry all Coast Guard required safety equipment and meet all other Coast Guard regulations. 8. Boats must possess a functioning livewell. 9. All fishing must be done with artificial bait except for preserved pork baits. 10. No trolling allowed. 11. Ties will be broken by the team’s biggest fish. If the tie is not resolved the prizes will be combined and split. 12. At no time during the tournament hours may a team possess more than five (5) bass in their boat. If a team has a five (5) fish limit and a 6th fish is caught, a fish must be culled immediately. 13. Absolutely no alcohol or illegal drugs use is allowed during tournament hours. 14. All fish become the property of “American Team Bass” upon weigh in and will be released immediately after weigh-in. 15. No trailering of boats during tournament hours. You cannot trailer your boat during tournament hours for the purpose of moving to a new fishing location. 16. Violation of any rules will be cause for disqualification 17. Polygraph (“lie detector”) tests may be given to anyone at any tournament. Refusal to submit to a polygraph will result in forfeiture of the days catch. 18. Club officers will be solely responsible for any decisions that have to be made. Their decision will be final. Tournament
Hours Registration: Will be taken up until 30
minutes before blast off. Blast Off: Will be at safe light. Check-In: 3:oo PM. Weigh-In: Will begin as soon as possible
after check-in. Payback
Schedules American Team Bass operates on a non-profit format. 80% of entry fees are paid back at tournaments. The remaining 20% of the entry fees go
into the “Tournament of the Year” fund in which all money made throughout the
year is paid back to qualifying anglers. Payback: one (1) place for every five (5) boats with a minimum of three (3) places. 70% of big fish pot paid to 1st place big fish and 30% to 2nd place big fish. Entry Fees: $100.oo per team plus $20.00
optional big fish pot. To Qualify: Must be an active member of American Team Bass to fish any regular season tournament. Open Tournaments – open to all anglers, no membership required. Membership is $30 per year. All members can attend the end of the year banquet to be held in November.
Total membership is limited to a total of 50 teams. Guides are not accepted for membership. Guides are not allowed to enter any American Team Bass tournament. Guides are defined as individuals who are serving as a licensed guide or have guided without a license for pay within 30 days of a tournament. |