Century Bass Club
Membership Bylaws,
Tournament Rules and History  

2012 Officers
Nick Carroccio, President
Johnny Walker, VP/Tournament Director
Paul Zukosky, Treasurer
Mike Dysput, Secretary

 

Directors
Dan Phifer
Mike Hughs
Russell Roland
Ken Caldwell

(Past Officers/Directors)      

FISHERMAN OF THE YEAR HISTORY

CENTURY BASS CLUB BY-LAWS

ARTICLE I 

Section 1.     The name of this Bass Club is Century Bass Club. 

Section 2.    The purpose for which this Club is formed is to promote organized competitive fishing tournaments with high standards of sportsmanship.  The Club will also promote conservation and community service activities. 

Section 3.    To affiliate and qualify with The B.A.S.S. Federation Nation, dues are to be paid by December 1st for next year.  

ARTICLE II

Membership 

Section 1.     To become a member, a person shall:

(a)      Be at least 16 years old and have a signed parental consent form to join and participate in tournaments if between the ages of 16 & 18.

(b)     Complete a Three (3) tournament probationary period, then be nominated for and awarded membership by a vote of the current members.

                   (c)      Pay the Membership dues. 

Section 2.    New members shall receive: (when requested)

                   (a)      Club directory.

                   (b)     Tournament rules.

                   (c)      Club by-laws. 

Section 3.    Membership of the Club:

                   (a)      Unlimited membership.

(b)     A member in good standing is a member who has fished at least two (2) Century tournaments and has participated in at least one community event or conservation activity or a combination of the above events to equal three (3) events.

ARTICLE III

Membership Dues

 Section 1.     The membership fee is $25.00 a year per person. 

Section 2.    Dues paid on or after September 1 by a new member shall be considered dues for the ensuing year.

ARTICLE IV

Meeting 

Section 1.     The monthly meeting shall be on a weekday prior to the tournament as scheduled by the Board of Directors. 

Section 2.    The Board of Directors shall meet prior to the regular membership meeting. 

Section 3.    Unless impractical or inconsistent with other provisions of these by-laws, all meetings shall be in accordance with Robert's Rules of order. 

Section 4.    The By Laws and rule changes will be voted on in October each year and must pass by a vote of 60% of members in attendance.  These rule changes will take effect on November 1st each year. 

 ARTICLE V

Officers and Board of Directors 

Section 1.     The principal officers of the Club shall be the President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer.  The officers of the Club in each year will be members of the Board of Directors.  In addition, four (4) members shall serve as Directors. 

Section 2.    Each officer will be elected by the General Membership at the October meeting and assume their duties after the Grand Finale (Classic) Tournament.  Once elected, each officer shall hold office for one year, unless he shall resign or be removed.  The outgoing officers shall relinquish all properties of the Club accumulated during their term of office.  

Section 3.   Up to Four (4) Directors will be elected by the General Membership at the monthly membership meeting in October of each year.  An outgoing President and/or Vice President will automatically fill a Directors position.  Once elected, each Director shall hold office for one year, unless he shall resign or be removed. 

 Section 4.   In all elections each member shall be entitled to one (1) vote.  Proxy votes are not permitted.  

Section 5.    Duties:

President- The President shall be the chief Executive of the Club and shall preside at all the meetings.                

Vice President- The vice-president, in the absence of the president, shall assume duties of President and in addition, he shall assume the position of Tournament Director. 

Secretary- The Secretary shall keep the minutes, and shall prepare and keep all records of the Club.  He shall further receive all applications for membership, which have been approved by the Board of Directors, and is responsible for publishing the newsletter. 

Treasurer- The Treasurer shall be the custodian of all funds of the Club, collect all dues and tournament entry fees and is responsible for accounts payable for the Club. 

Board of Directors- The Board shall direct activities of the Club and vote on all matters pertaining to Club business.  Board meetings shall be chaired by the President or in his absence, the Vice President. 

Section 6.    Action taken by the Board of Directors shall be reported at each monthly membership meeting of the Club. Such action shall be deemed ratified unless objected to by any member, at which time a vote by the membership present shall be taken to either approve or reject such action.  

ARTICLE VI

Committee 

Section 1.     Board of Directors- The Board of Directors, headed by the President, shall be responsible for all tournaments and for procuring all awards and trophies.  

ARTICLE VII

Finance 

Section 1.     An accounting of Century Bass Club funds will be reported to the Board of Directors at each monthly meeting.  All major expenses over one hundred dollars ($100.00) must be approved by the Board of Directors. 

Section 2.    Any returned check must be redeemed in cash before the member can fish another tournament.  If the bank charges for the returned check, the member will be responsible for that fee.  

ARTICLE VIII

Expulsion 

Section 1.     The Board of Directors may expel any member from the club for misconduct. If twelve (12) members separately submit a complaint concerning a member to the President, the member may be expelled from the club by the Board of Directors. The expelled member has no rights to appeal.

Section 2.    The Board of Directors may review infractions of club and tournament rules that are brought to their attention. If decided by the Board of Directors punitive action may be taken. The member has no rights to appeal. 

CENTURY BASS CLUB

TOURNAMENT RULES AND REGULATIONS

1.                   RULE CHANGES:

·                    Great effort, study and research have gone into the formulation of these rules.  The tournament rules and regulations will remain unchanged, except as provided for in the Club by-laws, and interpretation of these rules shall rest exclusively with the Officers and the Board of Directors. 

·                    Rule changes will be voted on by the membership in October for the next year.

·                    The decision of the Board of Directors shall be final in all tournament matters.

2.                 PARTICIPANTS AND ELIGIBILITY:

·                    Participation in the tournament is open only to the members and guests of the Century Bass Club.

·                    Each member desiring to enter the tournament must have notified the Tournament Chairman at or before the Club meeting immediately prior to the tournament. 

·                    Each member will be allowed to bring One (1) guest per tournament. A person wishing to fish as a guest may only fish One (1) tournament as a guest per year. The guest must pay the entrance fee, will be entered as a non-boater and may participate in the payoff, if he qualifies.

·                    The fifty dollar ($50.00) entry fee must be paid in cash no checks please.  
 

·                    Once the drawing of partners has started, there shall be no refund of entry fee, except in case of emergency; Board of Directors will approve or disapprove the refund.  If a paring mistake happens after the draw has been announced the error will be corrected by moving a non-boater to the first alternate spot and if needed the boater to the last spot.

·                    The $50.00 entry fee will include ($10.00) for Big Bass Pot and $5.00 to help fund the “Top Six Team” trip to the State Championship. 

·                    Paid guides may not fish a tournament that they have guided on tournament waters within the last 30 days prior to a Century tournament.  NO EXCEPTIONS!! 

·                    A boater or non-boater not showing up for the tournament, either Saturday or Sunday, without contacting a member or their partner will be fined One Hundred (100) points after drops on there first violation and on their second no-show will be dismissed from Century Bass Club. The officers and directors will meet and make the final decisions on any questionable no-show. 

·                    The boater or non-boater affected by a no-show will be given the option to fish the tournament or to have his entry fee transferred to the next tournament. If the no-show occurs at the last tournament, the entry will be refunded, if requested. If a refund is granted the person receiving the refund will not be able to fish the tournament.

·                    The no-show will not have his entry fee refunded or transferred to the next tournament. The Board of Directors will make the final decision.

·                    No member may pay the entry fee with the intent of not fishing the tournament in order to receive Fifty (50) points.

·                    Any member who gets Two (2) new members to join the club and have paid their dues will receive free entry into one tournament. Both members must join during the same tournament season.

3.                 PRE-TOURNAMENT PRACTICE

·                    TWO DAY TOURNAMENTS: The tournament waters shall be off limits to all tournament participants starting at midnight of the Sunday prior to the first day of the 2-day tournament, unless Monday is a National Holiday.  If this is the case, pre-fishing will cease at Midnight on the Monday prior to the first day of the tournament. 

·                    ONE DAY TOURNAMENTS: The tournament waters shall be off limits to all tournament participants starting at midnight of the Sunday prior to the first day of pre-fishing on Saturday, unless Monday is a National Holiday.  If this is the case, pre-fishing will cease at Midnight on the Monday prior to the first day of the tournament.  Saturday practice hours will start one hour before sunrise and end no later than 30 minutes after sunset. 

·                    NIGHT TOURNAMENTS: The tournament waters shall be off limits to all tournament participants commencing at midnight Sunday, unless Monday is a National Holiday. If this is the case, off limits will be midnight on Monday the week before the tournament. The hours for night pre-fishing will be 6:00 PM Friday until 9:00AM Saturday.  

4.                  SPORTSMANSHIP:

·                    Participants in Century Bass Club tournaments are expected to follow high standards of sportsmanship, courtesy, safety and conservation.

·                    Any infraction of these fundamental sporting principals may be deemed cause for loss of days weight and review by the board of directors. Temperance in the use of alcoholic beverages is expected.

·                    Maximum courtesy will be expected at all times, especially with regard to boating and angling in the vicinity of non-participants. Any act of a participant, which reflects unfavorably upon Century Bass Club, shall be reason for review by the board of directors.

·                    This includes following all Coast Guard, Federal, State and local laws and includes specific waterway requirements.

5.                  TACKLE / EQUIPMENT / METHOD OF FISHING:

·                    Only artificial lures may be used. No “live bait” or “prepared bait” will be permitted, with the exception of pork rinds, strips, etc.

·                    Only One (1) casting, spin casting or spinning rod and reel may be used at a time. All other types are prohibited. Other rigged rods may be in the boat ready for use; however, only One (1) is permitted in use at any given time.

·                     All bass must be caught live and in conventional sporting manner.

·                    “TROLLING” with the gas motor is prohibited. 

6.                  BOAT AND MOTOR:

·                    Fishing boats may be used that are 16’ or longer. No barges or similar watercraft will be permitted.

·                    There is no horse power limitation; however horsepower may not exceed Coast Guard rating. An electric trolling motor may be used for slow maneuvering.

·                    All boats must meet all Coast Guard, Federal, State, and local standards, and must be equipped with an aerated live well and an operational Kill Switch.

·                    All participants must wear a Coast Guard approved life jacket and the driver must have the kill switch attached anytime the gas motor is running excluding loading, unloading and emergencies.

·                    Participants may use their own boat and motor if allowed under these rules. A participant not having or bringing a qualified boat will be paired with someone who does.  
 

7.                  BOAT OPERATION AND EXPENSE:

·                    A full discussion must be held between the boater and non-boater prior to departure as to the schedule of fishing waters. Each contestant shall retain the right to select the fishing waters for one half of the tournament day, including travel time.

·                    Any disagreement of partners fishing water shall be decided by a coin flip.

·                    Any contestant operating the boat handicapping his partner shall be considered to be acting in an un-sportsman manner and may have his weight zeroed for the day and be subject to review by the Board of Directors.

·                    In view of the large expense involved in operating, cleaning, and maintaining a tournament bass boat, it will be the responsibility of the non-boater to pay the boater the minimum sum of Twenty (20) dollars a day for each day he fishes.

8.                  PERMITTED FISHING LOCATIONS:

·                    Fishing on the tournament waters is permitted anywhere except: A) within Fifty (50) yards of another participant's boat, which is anchored and has the trolling motor in the up and stowed position B) within Fifty (50) yards of the first days fish release site on the second day of a two day tournament C) Marked no access areas or D) Areas designated by the Tournament Director.

·                    No participant shall permit selected competitors to fish within Fifty (50) yards claimed by him to the exclusion of any other competitor.

·                  All angling must be done from the boat. The contestants must not leave the boat to land a fish.  

9.                  OFFICIAL CHECKPOINT:

·                 There shall be only one official point for check-out/take off in the morning and check-in, in the evening.

·                 The Tournament Director at the Century Bass Club meeting prior to the tournament shall designate this point. At the time of checkout, all participants and their boats shall be in full compliance with all rules set forth by Coast Guard, Federal, State law, and Local standards and laws.    

10.              TRAILERING OF BOATS:

·                    The tournament director must be informed prior to the start of the tournament.

·                    Trailering boats may leave the designated tournament headquarters or launch ramp to the alternate ramp when the first boat number is called.

·                    All boats must start from official take off point.

11.              SCORING AND PERMITTED FISH:

·                    All the entries not weighing fish will be awarded Fifty (50) points on the basis of their participation in the tournament. Any participant finishing with a negative total weight will receive the Fifty (50) participation points only.

·                    One hundred (100) points will be awarded to first place. Ninety-nine (99) to second (2) place, and so on, until all points are awarded.

·                    The individual with the highest amount of points at the end of the year (after two drops) shall be awarded fisherman of the year.

·                    The points of each participant’s catch shall determine tournament standings, final winners, and awards during the days of the tournament.

·                    Total points will be accumulated for Eight (8) of the Ten (10) tournaments during the tournament year and is for the purpose of selection of the fisherman of the year, Classic qualifiers, and Century Top Six Team.

·                    Only Largemouth, Spotted, Red Eye or Smallmouth bass will be weighed. There will not be any roadrunner tournaments. All tournaments will be on a single lake for each tournament day.

·                    The limit shall be Five (5) of the above fish per day or session, unless otherwise regulated by State Law. All competitors are bound by prevailing statutes and regulations of the various lakes that they fish.

·                    Only bass which measure Fourteen inches (14”) or more in length shall be presented for weigh-in. Bass presented for weigh-in which fail to measure Fourteen (14) inches with mouth closed, on a flat board, shall receive penalties at the rate of One pound (1lb) for each bass, plus loss of the short fish.

·                   When fishing a slot lake, current State law for the slot on the tournament lake applies. No distinction is made for Spotted Bass.

·                    Any bass that appears to have been mangled, mashed or otherwise altered will be weighed and credited ONLY at the discretion of the tournament officials.

·                    A contestant having fish in excess of maximum limits shall have the weight of his largest fish deducted from their total, plus loss of big fish.

·                    There will be a penalty of One half lb (.50 lb). deducted from each dead fish presented at weigh-in. Dead fish may not be culled in accordance with state law. 

·                     A Contestant may allow another Contestant in the same boat to net their fish under the following conditions, A) all contestants must remain in their boat when landing a fish, no contestant may leave the boat to untangle a hooked fish regardless of whether that fish was hooked by them or their partner,  B) Contestants may not use any outside assistance in landing or untangling a hooked fish and,  C) Fish lost because of improper netting by either contestant may not be protested.

·                    Each competitor, or his designee, must present his catch to the weigh-in officials in person. After the competitor, or his designee, has delivered his catch to the weigh master, he may not touch said catch until the weigh-in procedure is completed. The Board of Directors shall decide all controversies.

·                    A courtesy board will be available to check fish prior to delivery to the weigh master.

·                    A Director will assist in the weigh-in and must measure all small fish.

·                    All Tournament participants must check-in at weigh-in, in person, or notify a club Officer or Director. Any Participant not checking in will receive a score of Zero (0) for the tournament, and be subject to review by the Board of Directors.

·                    The Club will have an official measuring board.  The Tournament Director and Board of Directors will decide on this board.  It will be used for the entire year.

·                    In the event of a tie for the Top Six qualifiers, ties will be broken by (in order): 1.Total weight of Eight (8) qualifying Tournaments. 2. Total Fish weighed in for Eight (8) qualifying Tournaments. 3. Coin Flip.

12.              LATE PENALTY:

·                    Competitors who are not in the launch area at the appointed time shall be penalized at the rate of One half pound (.50 lb.) per minute, deducted from the total weight of the catch for that day or session.

·                    Any competitor(s) more than fifteen minutes late shall lose all credit for that day. There shall be no excuse for tardiness, and in no case shall a competitor be allowed to make up lost time.

·                    After the tournament begins fishing is prohibited except during tournament hours. Exact starting and weigh in hours will be announced at the meeting. 

13.              PAIRING OF CONTESTANTS:

·                    The drawing will begin at 7:45 pm. All members wishing to participate must have entered their name by the cutoff time to be eligible for the draw. Late entries will not be accepted. Drawing's will pair boaters with non-boaters and assign order of take off.

·                    When there are more boaters than non-boaters at the draw, pairings will be made until the last boater and non-boater are paired.  All remaining boaters will be able to fish by themselves; however they will not be entitled to the non-boater fee.

·                    No Two-(2) contestants will fish together more than one day of a Two (2) day tournament.

·                    Members cannot draw the same person more than Two (2) times per year.

·                    Tournament officials shall have no responsibility in finding missing partners.

·                    It is the boater’s responsibility to pick up the non-boater at the tournament headquarters, unless an alternate time and place is designated by mutual agreement of both parties prior to the tournament take off.

14.              PROTEST:

·                    Any member wishing to protest a fellow contestant must do so in writing and submit the protest to the Tournament Director within Thirty (30) minutes after the official check in time.

·                    A protest relating to the conduct of a member during any club function shall be submitted to the Board of Directors in writing.

15.              TOURNAMENT FISHING HOURS:

·                    Tournament Director will determine competition hours for each tournament.  Weigh-in times for single day tournaments will be no later than 4:30 pm. Weigh-in times for Two Day tournaments will be: Saturday determined by the Tournament director. Sunday no later than 3pm.

·                    Night tournaments will be one night with two sessions. Payout will include 1 big bass and 1 heavy stringer. Tournament hours will be at the discretion of the Tournament Director.

16.       SAFETY: 

·                    Safe boating conduct must be observed at all times.  Each contestant is required to wear a chest type Coast Guard Approved personal flotation device and a kill switch properly attached to the operator when the gas motor is running excluding loading, unloading and emergencies.

·                    All boats must meet U.S. Coast Guard, Federal, State and Local regulations. 

17.       PAYOUT PERCENTAGES FOR MONTHLY TOURNAMENTS:

·                    Ten (10) percent of the entry fees go to the club. 

·                    When Fifteen (15) or less members fish a tournament, Three (3) places will be paid.  For every additional Five (5) members above Fifteen (15) that fish a tournament, an additional place will be paid up to a maximum of Six (6) places being paid a tournament.

·                    On one-day tournaments, half of the $10.00 Big bass pot will go for big bass, the other half of the pot will be split by the boat with overall combined heavy stringer.

·                    On two-day tournaments the pot will go for big bass one each day. 

·                   Free entry into the next tournament will be awarded to the first place out of the money.

18.       ELIGIBILITY FOR THE GRAND FINALE (CLASSIC):

·                    To be able to fish in the Grand Finale (CLASSIC) Tournament, you must be in the top Twenty (20) of the points standings, after drops and after the last tournament, or

·                    Have fished Eight (8) of the Ten (10) tournaments or Six (6) of Ten (10) for members Sixty-five (65) and older, or

·                    Competed in Seven (7) of the Ten (10) tournaments and participated in a club approved/sponsored conservation or community event.

·                    Any new member may qualify to fish the classic by fishing 80% of the remaining tournaments of the year, with a minimum of Four (4) tournaments to qualify. 

19.       LAKE FOR THE CLASSIC:  

·                    At the Wednesday meeting prior to the Classic each participant present shall have One (1) ballot to vote for the Lake that they prefer to fish.

·                    No proxy ballots will be accepted

·                    All ballots will be counted and the lake with the most number of votes will be the lake we fish that year.

·                    In the event of a tie, a coin toss will determine the selection of the lake to fish.

·                    The selected Lake will be off limits to all participants Thursday and Friday.

·                    The Classic Lake must be chosen from the lakes Century has fished the past Two (2) tournament seasons, including the lake fished during the last Classic.

·                    The Century Classic will be a 2-day tournament.

20.            CLASSIC PAYOUT PERCENTAGES: 

1st Place       25%             2nd Place     16%             3rd Place     13%             4th Place      10%                   5th Place      9%               6th Place      8%          7th Place      6%               8th Place      5%          9th Place      4%               10th Place    4%

21.              LAKE CHANGES:

·                    The Tournament Director and Board of Directors may, with cause, change any tournament lake during the year. 

·                    Two-week advance notice is required, except where events prevent such notice.

22.     TEXAS BASS TOP SIX TOURNAMENT:

·                    Century Bass Club will pay the entry fees and some expenses for the Six (6) fishermen who represent Century Bass Club at the Texas BASS Top Six Championship Tournament.

·                    Deducting $45.00 from the pay out of each tournament and deducting $5.00 from each entry fee during the year will fund sponsorship.