Mountain Bass Association
Mountain Bass Association bylaws and Rules
All participating anglers must acknowledge and understand Mountain Bass Association club bylaws and rules.
BYLAWS and RULES: These bylaws and rules shall remain in effect throughout the entire season and voted upon annually by membership. Interpretation and enforcement of Mountain Bass Association Rules shall be made exclusively by the Tournament Director of each event. Federal, State and local lake laws and rules shall be obeyed at all times and shall supersede Mountain Bass Association Rules, should a conflict arise.
BYLAWS
BYLAWS: Are a guide for the standard operating procedures of Mountain Bass Association. Suggested amendments to the Club Bylaws may be proposed at the annual end of year club meeting for consideration and approval.
CLUB OFFICERS: Mountain Bass Association currently has a President and Weigh Master. Should membership feel the need for additional officers, a proposal for those positions may be made at the annual end of the year club meeting.
MEMBERSHIP: All anglers participating in Club events shall be members of Mountain Bass Association with the following exceptions: Non-member guests may participate in ONE event per lifetime prior to joining the club; however, the guest angler must fish with a current member and only as a 2-person team. Membership is required by ALL anglers when competing with THREE in the same boat. Anglers under 18 years of age are not required to pay membership dues and may fish in any combination during an event. Should a Non-member be on a team which finishes in the payout, Dues will be deducted from the payout for that individual's annual membership.
MEMBERSHIP REQUIREMENTS: All new members should be residents of Plumas or Lassen Counties. Individuals from out of the area may fish with a current member, if necessary. This provision is to prevent a team of out of area anglers from joining the club to fish one of our travel events on a lake where they may have substantially more experience and knowledge; thus taking everyone's money and never be seen again. However, consideration will be given to non-local anglers wishing to join MBA. This will be on an individual basis requiring a majority vote of club members for approval. All current members are exempt from this bylaw.
MEMBERSHIP DUES: Annual dues are currently 25.00 per angler and 40.00 for a couple. A couple is a spouse or significant other, not a fishing partner. Anglers under 18 years of age are exempt from club dues.
SCHEDULE SETTING MEETING: The schedule setting meeting will be held annually on the 2nd Thursday of August. This meeting day will remain the same until voted to change by membership.
Angler of the Year (AOY): AOY will be determined by the angler with the most points accumulated at the end of the year, usually with one "throwout" event. Tie breakers will be determined by the biggest "big fish" weighed in for the season. AOY points are earned as follows: Winning boat earns 100 points for each angler, second place is 99 points and so on. The individual angler catching the heaviest fish each day is awarded one extra point. The AOY will win the following: $200 in cash, a trophy, a custom hooded sheatshirt.
LAKE ALMANOR: All MBA events held on Lake Almanor SHALL be for small mouth bass ONLY unless stated otherwise prior to blast-off.
CLUB BUSINESS: Outside of scheduled meetings or discussions during tournaments, Club business and communication will be primarily via email. Should a venue or launch ramp change be necessary, all club members will be contacted via email. It is important to respond in a timely fashion so a decision can be made promotly. Members who elect not to respond by the determined deadline will not have a say either way on the topic.
RULES
RULES: Are the interpretation of State, Federal and local laws accompanied by the Mountain Bass Association anglers code of conduct during Tournament Events.
TOURNAMENT DIRECTOR: Will normally be one of the club officers and annnounced prior to blast-off. Should no club officer be available, a member in good standing will be appointed as the T.D. prior to the event.
SAFETY: Boating safety shall be observed at all times during practice and competition. A U.S. Coast Guard approved Personal Flotation Device (PFD) TYPE III or higher, Shall be worn and properly fastened by all of the vessel's occupants anytime the boat is on plane. An engine kill switch must be attached to the driver with a lanyard no longer than forty eight (48) inches. All boats must be equipped with the minimum recommended USCG safety devices. These requirements can be viewed online at WWW.DBW.CA.GOV.
INSURANCE and LIABILITY: It is the sole responsibility of all boat owners competing in any Mountain Bass Association event to maintain the mandated state required minimum liability coverage for all occupants in their respective boats. Contestants should ascertain their insurance policies cover tournament participation; therefore, all participants should consult with their insurance company prior to competing in any Mountain Bass Association event.
SPORTSMANSHIP: All anglers are expected to act and conduct themselves in a professional manner. Competitors displaying poor sportsmanship; willful violations of rules and/or local, state and federal laws; bringing discredit to Mountain Bass Association and/or the sport of bass fishing shall be grounds for disqualification. If one team member is disqualified, that team shall be disqualified. Mountain Bass Association reserves the right to revoke membership at any time without remuneration. Mountain Bass Association also reserves the right to refuse entry to any angler seeking to participate in sanctioned events.
ALCOHOL and DRUGS: Alcoholic Beverages, Narcotic Drugs, Illegal Drugs or any other substances which place anyone's safety at risk are not be consumed nor allowed. Boat operators must be coherent at all times.
TOURNAMENT REGISTRATION: Advance payment is required to participate in all Mountain Bass Association tournaments. Registration fees are standard for a single or two person team. An additional 30.00 is required for boats with three anglers all over 18 years of age. Anglers arriving late to a tournament will be allowed to participate; however, that team is required to immediately check in with another boat/team fishing the event for a livewell check. Every attempt should be made to contact any of the club officers or any club member via cell phone prior to blast-off.
START of TOURNAMENT: A random draw will be conducted to determine the Blast order on the first day of each event. Two-day events will reverse the order of the day one blast. The Mountain Bass Open will draw for blast order prior to the event.
TACKLE and EQUIPMENT: Intentional snagging of fish is prohibited. Trolling with the aid of combustion or electric motors is prohibited. Only artificial lures may be used. Live bait or prepared bait (with the exception of pork rinds) is prohibited. Liquid fish attractants are allowed. Only one rod may be used at any one time by each angler. Other rods may be in the boat and ready for use; however, every cast and retrieve must be completed before another cast is made. The use of underwater cameras are not allowed during competition. Nets may not have a handle in excess of eight (8) feet in length.
BOAT and LIVEWELL CHECK: It is the angler's responsibility to assure their boat and livewells are checked by the Mountain Bass Association Tournament Director or designee immediately prior to competition.
LICENSES: Each contestant must have a valid and current fishing license in their possession. Appropriate stamps (if required) governing the fishable waters of the event shall also be in possession during the event. Penalty for such an offense is disqualification of the day's catch.
SPEED-RESTRICTED AREAS: No boat may pass another competitor's boat in a restricted speed zone in an attempt to gain advantage, unless directed to do so by that team or the Tournament Director or designee. Speeding in 5 MPH zone is grounds for disqualification should the violator be protested.
RESERVING AREAS: No person may hold or reserve a fishing area for a contestant at any time. Violation of this rule will result in disqualification of all parties involved.
LIMITS and WEIGH-IN: During all Mountain Bass Association events, teams may only weigh-in Five (5) Fish for the days catch. Adjustments shall be made for tournament limits on waters where State or lake limits dictate. Fish shorter than the legal tournament length will be deducted from the total weight of the bag. A penalty of .25 LBS per dead fish will be deducted from the total weight. Any team requesting a re-weigh will be given only one; however, regardless of the outcome, the result of the re-weigh will be that team's official weight. Re-weigh may be requested for total limit weight only. Big and Option fish shall not be reweighed. Big and Option fish shall be tagged at the time of weigh-in. Only one Big fish of each species may be weighed by a team. Only one Option pot fish may be weighed per team. The Weighmaster can not be consulted to choose any fish to be weighed.
CULLING of FISH: It is the responsibility of each team to possess no more fish than the local laws allow. If more fish than the local laws allow are present in the live well during an event that team will be subject to disqualification. Teams may not possess more than a five fish limit once inside the host marina. Culling is prohibited in the host marina.
BIG FISH PAYOUT: The big fish payout is included at all Mountain Bass events for the heaviest fish weighed in each day. Dead fish shall not be eligible to claim the big fish award. Tiebreakers will be awarded to the team with the heaviest bag. Big fish may not be re-weighed.
OPTION FISH POT: The Option Fish Pot will be included in every MBA event, except the Open. Participation requires an additional 10.00 per boat (15.00 for a team of three) with the entry fee but is not manditory. The total pot will be paid to the team weighing the winning fish. The option fish weight will be determined before blast-off on each day. Ties will be awarded to the team with the heaviest bag. Option pot fish may not be re-weighed.
Check-in Times for Official Weigh-in: It is the responsibility of each team to be at the pre-determined location at or before the specified time. Teams arriving late may be disqualified. Consideration will be given for boat or mechanical breakdowns, provided the team notifies the Tournament Director or designee prior to check-in time.
SCORING: Shall be determined by the total weight of each team's catch for the overall event, less any dead or short fish penalties. There is no bonus for live fish. Points are awarded to each angler of the event on a declining scale; starting at 100 points for first, 99 for second, 98 for third, etc. One (1) bonus point will be awarded to the angler with the biggest live fish weighed for the event. Bonus points may be awarded for big fish each day, depending on the event.
WINNINGS and PAYOUTS: Payout for all events will be in cash and/or check and will be based on the formats for either single or two-day events located in the Club business binder. Ties in total weight will be awarded to the team with the heaviest single fish. Single day events which draw FIVE or less boats will be a winner take all shootout.
PHOTOGRAPHS and VIDEO: All photos and/or video taken at a Mountain Bass Association event may be used for promotional purposes which include being posted on the MBA website.