GENERAL:  The tournament Director will establish the dates, times and locations of all tournaments in June of each year and distribute that information to the membership.  Tournament permits will be submitted by July of each year to the Department of Fish and Wildlife.   

SAFETY:  Each contestant must practice safe boating and are required to have a Coast Guard approved personal flotation device (PFD).  This PFD must be worn any time the combustion engine is operating.    Consumption of alcoholic beverages or drugs on the part of any contestant during tournament hours will not be allowed and will result in immediate disqualification.

BASIC BOAT EQUIPMENT: Every boat must have all required Coast Guard safety equipment.    Each boat shall have a contest banner displayed on the engine cowling during contest hours.  It is the responsibility of all contestants to comply with the above stated requirements.

TACKLE AND EQUIPMENT:  With the exception of pork baits, only artificial lures are allowed during tournaments.  Absolutely no live baits will be permitted.  Only one rod and reel combination are allowed in use at any one time.  Trolling with the outboard engine is prohibited.

PERMITTED FISHING LOCATIONS:  Contestants may fish anywhere accessible by boat except areas designated as “off limits” or “no fishing” by the tournament director, local, state or federal officials.  There will be a twenty-five yard buffer zone between all contestants’ boats.  If a contestant wishes to fish and/or pass within that twenty-five yard zone they must obtain permission from the other boat operator.  Once permission is granted to fish within that twenty-five yard zone no other contestant may be denied.  There will also be a fifty-yard zone around an anchored boat.  Contestants may not leave the boat to land fish.  Contestants may not fish from shore, docks, float tubes, etc. during tournament hours.  Contestants must leave and return to the official area specified with the tournament hours.  Contestants ( boater and non boater ) that are not at the official area at the appointed time shall be penalized at the rate of one pound per minute.  Any contestant fifteen minutes or more late shall lose all weight for the day. 

TOURNAMENT WEIGHING:  Only largemouth and smallmouth bass will be weighed.  There will be no minimum size except for size limit regulations at the Jamboree.   The limit shall be five fish.  Contestants must immediately cull a fish upon boating a sixth fish.   In the event of a breakdown or unusual circumstance another contestant may transport contestants and/or fish and the fish legally weighed.  All uninjured bass must be released after the weigh in.


TOURNAMENT SCORING:  Tournament standings will be determined by the weight in pounds and tenths of pounds for each contestants catch, less any applied penalties.  A penalty of .4 pounds per dead fish shall be deducted from the total weight.    Points for Angler of the Year will be awarded as follows:  First place - 50 points, Second place – 49 points, etc.  Contestants that participate but weigh no fish will be awarded one point less than the points earned by the angler with the lowest weight.   In cases of ties, the contestant with the biggest fish ( less any applied penalties ) will be determined the winner of the tie.  Ties at the end the year will be determined by the highest total weight for the year, if still tied then the biggest fish of the year.   The highest total point score for a given year will be used to determine final standings.  

TBF NATIONAL SEMI FINALS:  Prior to the annual TBF National Semi Finals
 ( usually after the September club tournament ) a Angler and Co Angler will be chosen to represent the club by taking the two highest finishing anglers wishing to fish the TBF Semi Finals ( the highest as the Angler ).

BOAT EXPENSE:  In view of the large expense of operating and maintaining a bass boat, it is required that the non boater share the expense of gas and oil for the competition day.  It is both the boaters and non boaters responsibility to have a discussion concerning sharing expenses prior to a tournament. 

SPORTSMANSHIP:  Any contestant, who displays poor sportsmanship, violates any tournament, state or lake fishing laws will be disqualified from the tournament.