ARTICLE 1:   MEMBERSHIP                                                                                            

SECTION 1: Organization shall be limited to persons of at least 16 years of age.

SECTION 2: Members shall conduct themselves in a proper manner at meetings and tournaments. Members who feel that another member has conducted himself in a non‑sportsman‑like manner, or in a manner that is detrimental to the club as a whole, may submit that member's name to the officers for consideration. Officers may elect to reprimand the member or present his name to the membership for a vote of expulsion. It requires 2/3 majority vote of members present for a member to be expelled. Any member planning to use his boat in a tournament must sign and complete an application form and provide proof of insurance of at least $300,000.00 (policy or binder must be carried to all tournaments)

SECTION 3: The Bass Club fiscal year begins January 1st and ends December 31^st. Membership dues shall be paid in  November of each year, in the amount of $75.00.  Your $75.00 dues will include membership into the TBF.  All members must be current FLW members.  A member can choose to join BASS Nation, by paying an additional $20.00.  If a member chooses to join the BASS Nation, that member must also be a member of BASS. 

New members joining the club between September and December, will pay prorated dues.  Dues will be based on current TBF membership, plus 1/12^{th of}  the rest of the current dues, for each remaining month of the year.

SECTION 4: A copy of  these by-laws and Tournament rules will be given to all members. A guest or prospective member will be given a 'Welcome Letter.' Should the organization disband, all assets will be dispersed as decided by a simple majority vote of members.

ARTICLE II:  OFFICERS, VACANCIES AND ELIGIBILITY

SECTION 1:      Officers shall consist of:

A.  PRESIDENT ‑ preside over meetings, conduct official business, direct and appoint committee functions and maintain order during meetings.

B. VICE PRESIDENT ‑ Act as program chairman, conduct raffles and preside over meetings in    the absence of the President.

C. SECRETARY ‑ Keep accurate minutes of meetings, mail out monthly meeting news letters on

                     Thursday of week prior to meeting, handle club correspondence, maintain membership roster and keep B.A.S.S. Membership updated.

                     D. TREASURER ‑ Maintain accurate financial records and report financial status at each meeting.  Make bank deposits, purchases and receive and disperse all monies.

SECTION 2:  Elections shall be held annually at the regular meeting in November. Elections shall be by simple majority vote of members present. Proxy votes are not permitted. To be eligible for an office, a member must be in good standing.

SECTION 3:  In the event the presidency becomes vacant, the Vice President will assume the office of president and conduct an election for Vice President. FLW, TBF  and B.A.S.S. will be notified of the officer change.

SECTION 4:  Bylaws may be amended at any time of the year, by submitting the change in writing to the secretary.  The proposed change, must then be printed on the Fort Myers Bass Club website, and will be voted on at the following monthly meeting

SECTION 5: Any rule. decision, or action taken by any Officer or Committee may be overruled by a majority vote of the club members present at that meeting.

ARTICLE III:  TOURNAMENT COMMITTEE

SECTION 1: The Tournament Committee will consist of 5 members that are elected during the November meeting. The committee will select their own Chairman and Vice‑Chairman. The committee will meet in December and select the tournament dates for the following year. These dates will be given to the Secretary for inclusion on the Fort Myers Bass Club website.

SECTION 2: The Tournament Committee shall select tournament sites and announce the site (including any OFF‑LIMITS waters) to the members at the meeting the month before the tournament date. The safe light starting time, directions to launch‑ramp, and fishing report will be covered at the meeting just prior to the tournament.

January through April – tournament day will be on a Sunday.   May through December tournament days will be on a Saturday.  2 day tournaments will be Saturday and Sunday.

SECTION 3: The Tournament Committee will conduct the draw for fishing partners at the regular meeting. After the drawing has matched boaters with non‑boaters, remaining boaters have the option to fish alone, pair up by mutual agreement, or bring a paying guest. Members may also fish with a guest, 4 times per year, without participating in the draw. Members cannot be brought as guests. Prospective members may fish one tournament per year without joining the club, but they must participate in the draw. A prospective member will not have priority over a member in the event of an uneven draw. A member may not fish with the same member two tournaments in a row.

SECTION 4: Tournament Committee will conduct boat checks, announce official time, announce weigh‑in‑time and conduct weigh‑in. The Committee Chairman will maintain a weigh‑in log to determine winners and compute point standings. A copy will be given to the Secretary for inclusion on the Fort Myers Bass Club website. The Committee will also post the point standing board.

SECTION 5:  Tournament committee shall record points as follows:

                        Meeting attendance                                 5 points

                        Tournament attendance (or buy-in)          5 points

                        First Place                                                40 points

                        Second Place                                          39 points

                        Third Place                                             38 points

                        Down to 40th Place                                   1 point

Competitors that do not weigh‑in fish will receive equal points starting 10 points below last place competitor that weighed in fish. In case of ties, points and prize money will be divided equally. Fisherman of the Year, and the top thirty fish-off contenders, will be based on 12 tournaments, plus attendance, buy-in points, and fishing points.

ARTICLE IV: END OF YEAR AWARDS AND FISH‑OFF

SECTION 1: FISHERMAN OF THE YEAR

High point holder at the end of the year will receive $250.00 and a shirt indicating Fisherman of the Year with his name monogrammed on it or $55.00.

SECTION 2:  BIG BASS AWARDS

The club will present any member with a check for $100, for releasing alive, any bass weighing over 10 pounds, that is caught during an official club tournament – including the fish-off tournament.  Big Bass of the Year caught during regular tournament will be awarded a trophy or $ 100.00.

SECTION 3:  QUALIFING FOR FISH-OFF TOURNAMENT

A member must fish 4 tournaments and participate in one of the two special events to qualify for the Fish-off . Members that were unable to attend a regularly scheduled tournament, will have the opportunity to buy-in to qualify for the Fish Off Tournament.  In order to accomplish this, 100% of all missed tournaments for the year, will have to be included in the buy-in. The buy-in will be 25% of the entry fee($10.00), for each missed tournament.

SECTION 4:  FISH‑OFF TOURNAMENT

The tournament committee will conduct a draw for fishing partners at the December meeting.  If there are more boaters than non-boaters, the boaters with the highest points, have the option to fish alone.

The prize will consist of 90% of the treasury after Fisherman of The Year. Big Bass and all other organizational expenses are paid. Pay back will be as follows:

1st Place…..30%

2nd Place….25%

3rd Place…..20%                      

4th Place…..15%               

5th Place…..10%                       

This Tournament will be held on a Sunday in January. Nominations for the fish-off site, will be made at the November meeting and will be voted on by all anglers who are eligible to fish the Fish-Off-Tournament, and who are present at the November meeting.  Previous year’s Tournament Committee will conduct this Tournament.

ARTICLE V:  TOURNAMENT RULES

SECTION 1:     The Tournament Committee will conduct all tournaments as outlined in Article III and these rules. Live well checks will be done before the tournament begins. Boats late for the start must find another boat in the tournament and have their live well checked prior to fishing. The Tournament Committee will handle all protests or complaints, and their decision will be final. Any violation of a rule that doesn't carry a specific penalty shall result in total disqualification for the tournament day.

SECTION 2:  ENTRY FEES AND PAYBACKS

The entry fee is $ 40.00 per person payable at the drawing. The non-boater will pay the boater $25.00 per  day/tournament, toward the expenses of gas and travel. Big-bass pot is separate and will be handled by the tournament committee chairman. Tournament payback is 75% of the entry fees, and the remaining 25% will go toward the general fund.   Three places will be paid as follows.

1st Place                      50%

2nd Place                      30%      (Payback will be based on total weight and

3rd Place                      20%      points will be awarded per Article II, Section 5.)

SECTION 3:  LIMITS AND SIZES

Fish limits per tournament day, along with minimum lengths and maximum lengths, will be determined by the Florida permitting process.  If a permit is not obtained, the Club will fish the “Slot”.  Culling starts according to lake limits  (3 fish limits – culling will start when the 4^th fish is boated)   (5 fish limits – culling will start when the 6^th fish is boated).

SECTION 4:  PENALTIES

A 4 oz penalty will be given for each dead fish. Too many fish brought to scales is cause for total disqualification since it would violate state limit laws. Extreme care must be exercised when measuring fish on the water since a short fish will also violate state laws and will also be cause for total disqualification. Penalty for being late for weigh‑in is one pound per minute with total disqualification after 5 minutes. In case of breakdown. one member may transfer their catch to another members boat to be transported to the weigh‑in without penalty.

SECTION 5:   SAFETY

Safe boating conduct must be practiced at all times. Competitors must wear an approved Coast Guard check type PFD any time the combustion engine is operating. The boat owner is responsible to have all required Coast Guard equipment on board. No alcoholic beverages may be consumed on the water during the tournament

SECTION 6:   TACKLE AND EQUIPMENT

Only artificial lures may be used. No 'live or prepared bait' will be permitted, with the exception of pork strips, rind etc. One rod and reel is allowed to be in use at one time. Trolling with the big motor is prohibited. All bass must be caught alive in a conventional accepted fishing manner. Landing nets may be optional. Fly-rods are not permitted unless you are fishing alone or both fishermen agree prior to the tournament. Wading is not allowed.

SECTION 7:   SPORTSMANSHIP

Members and guests are expected to follow high standards of good sportsmanship, safety, courtesy and conservation. All fishermen must have a valid fishing license before they fish a tournament. Good Boater/Non Boater relationships are important to the future of our organization. The Non‑Boater has the option to ask for I/2 of the tournament time on his choice of water. Common sense must prevail especially on large bodies of water and during bad weather conditions. Non‑Boaters must respect the boat owners equipment and accept financial responsibility for damage caused by negligence. A full discussion must be held between the two fishermen prior to fishing to insure that these provisions are understood and an agreement is reached.

SECTION 8:   Any changes to these rules that may be necessary due to weather, safety, changes in laws etc. will be announced at the meeting and/or the launch site by the Tournament Chairman.

Article VI:  Special Events

Section 1:  All funds collected for special purposes shall be held separate from the general revenue.

Gary Paul, Secretary