F.I.S.H. ( Fishing In the Shadow of Him )
2011 Rules and Regulations
1. Tournaments All tournaments will begin with prayer.
2. Fees An annual membership fee of $40 must be paid prior to the first tournament of the season.
3. Membership fee cover the cost of Jackets, and/or trophies, and/or plaques and food/beverages for the end of the season.
A. Website expenses
B. Items need for conducting club business. I.e. Baskets, scale, banner, etc.
4. Penalties There will be a penalty of 4oz (¼lb) subtracted for a dead fish.
5. Accountability Every participating Angler must check in before and after each tournament.
6. Each boat should try to have a weigh-in bag to transport their fish.
7. NO!! Fish less than 10” will be counted.
8. The club will be organized with the precedence that there will be no affiliation with a BASS Federation Organization and that all regulations and schedules will be made with the “Best Interest” of the club in mind.
9. Winners. Champions will be descided by totaling up weights from all ten tournaments.
10. Sportsmanship Contestants shall follow high standards of sportsmanship, courtesy, safety, and conversation at all times. Maximum courtesy must be practice at all times, especially in regards to boating and angling in the vicinity of the boating public, not involved in our tournament.
11. Practice Days No Restrictions
12. Equipment Every boat used in a tournament must be equipped with the basic equipment required by the state of Virginia and the U.S. Coastguard. The safety of our members is paramount.
13. Fishing Methods Only artificial lures may be used. NO LIVE BAIT or PREPARED BAITS! The use of pork products, feathers, or fur may be utilized to dress artificial baits. No trolling is permitted during tournament; however other rods and reels may be in the boat and ready to use.
A. Member who wish to bring small children along on a tournament may do so. They may also bring live worms for those children to use to catch fish. However we are a Christian bases club and we are relying on our members to release those fish caught by children not registered as members and those not participating in the tournament.
14. Boat Breakdown All teams shall leave and return to the official tournament site dock by boat. In the event of a breakdown, either one or both partners may take their fish, get into a boat operated by another team, and return to check-in. Trailering of boats during tournament hours and re-launch prior to check-in is prohibited unless prior approval of the Tournament Director is obtained. A team may not refuse to allow another team’s partner or partners to transport them and their fish to the check-in. Both teams must make every attempt possible to keep the fish alive, and tow the broken down boat if feasible. Any penalty for arriving late to check-in as a result of assisting a broken down boat shall be determined solely by the Tournament Directors. DO NOT EXPECT A WAIVER, but all circumstances will be taken into account in making a decision.
15. Handling of the fish A functioning aerated live-well is recommended. Every effort shall be made to maintain the health of the fish for its safe return to the water after weigh-in.
A. We recognize a strict Catch and Release policy as members of F.I.S.H.. NO fish caught during official tournament hours will be retained by fisherman. The only exception will be if the directors consider a fish a trophy. Fish become property of the weigh master at weigh-in.
16. Disqualification Any of the following actions found by the Tournament Directors in their sole discretion to result in undue advantage or violation of accepted standards of good conduct, good sportsmanship, courtesy, or safety may result in disqualification.
A. Weigh-in of another team’s fish A contestant may not be allowed any bass caught by him/her to be on the score of a different team nor may a team present for weigh-in any bass caught by a person not part of that team. This will result in automatic loss of membership for both teams!
B. State and Federal Regulation Violation of any prevailing statute or regulation of either state or federal government.
C. Rules Violation Any violation of the rules and regulations of the “FISH” (Fishing In the Shadow of Him) “club” except those where penalties are assessed.
17. Penalties Penalties shall be assessed by the Tournament Director as follows;
A. Late Penalty Late arrival at the check-in point in the afternoon shall result in a penalty of one pound per minute late, which shall be deducted for the day’s weight. Any boat 15 minutes or more late will be awarded last place for that tournament.
B. Dead Fish 4 ounces shall be deducted for each fish presented dead at weigh-in.
C. Live-well Check Participants found to have fish in the live-well at the launch site prior to start of tournament shall be disqualified and expelled for the club permanently.
18. Scoring
A. General Only fish caught on the tournament day shall be presented for weigh-in. The daily “creel” limit shall be five fish per team. Bass and only Bass shall be weighed in.(Large or Smallmouth)
B. Protest All protest shall be presented within 15 minutes following closing of the scales. Protest need not be in writing, but written protest will reduce any confusion. The decision of the Tournament Directors assessment or no assessment of penalties or disqualification shall be final.
C. Standing Tournament standings and final winners shall be determined by the total weight. If a team member fishes by themselves the weight shall be awarded to that team as long as the appropriate fees have been paid. Both members of a two man team will receive awards (i.e. Fisherman of the Year).
D. Tie Breakers In event of a tie between two teams, the procedure for a tie breaker is as follows
1. Five fish limits
2. Largest fish in creel (weigh your big fish)
3. Number of live fish presented for weigh-in
4. If still ties, teams will be awarded same position.
Each tournament weight will count towards the final standings.
19. Membership A fee of $40.00 will be collected from each member. This fee covers membership from January 1st thru December 31st . These funds shall be set aside for awards, prizes and/or gifts to be distributed by the Tournament Directors during and at the end of the year.
20. Directory Each member shall be compiled and will include each members name, address, and telephone number. Each member shall receive a copy upon completion. Please be ready to give this information the to Tournament Directors.
21. E-mailings If you provide an e-mail address a copy of the standings will be forwarded to you, otherwise a copy will be provided at the next tournament site.
22. Any monies in the General Fund which comes from membership dues or tournament fees shall be used for trophies/plaques, food/beverages and any other expenses incurred by the Anglers.
Our year end Trophies/Plaques/Certificates as chosen by Directors will include:
1. Angler(s) of the Year (Season Champs) - Jacket(s)
2. Second Place points - certificate
3. Third Place points - certificate
4. Lunker of the Year - Trophy
23. Throw outs There will be no throw outs, all tournaments will count to your total weight.
24. Hot days On days 90 degrees or hotter it will be at the directors discretion whither or not the tournament will take place. In the event of a No-Go, every member will be notified of the postponement and a reschedule of that tournament will be made at and for a later date.
25. Alternates Participation in a F.I.S.H. tournament is only open to members of the F.I.S.H. club with the exception of a guest which can fish with a F.I.S.H. member only twice per season and any “open” tournaments where membership may not be required. After the second time a guest may not participate in an non-open F.I.S.H . event with out becoming a member.