EASTSIDE BASSMASTERS
CHAPTER CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS
Article I Purpose of the Constitution and By-Laws
The purpose of the Constitution and By-Laws is to set up governing rules
and regulations that shall be strictly adhered to by the members of the
Eastside Bassmasters.
A. Novice Membership
B. Meeting Procedure
C. Impeachment Procedure
D. Dismissal Procedure
E. Tournament Rules and Regulations
F. Amending Procedure
The above are considered part of the Constitution and By-Laws and can
only be amended in the same manner as the Constitution and By-Laws (See
Article entitled “Amendment to the Constitution and By-Laws).
Article II Name
This Chapter shall be called the Eastside Bassmasters.
Article III Purpose
The purpose of the organization shall be as follows:
A. Hold eight (8) bass tournaments a year.
B. Increase interest among the Chapter membership through:
(a) Fishing;
(b) The exchange of fishing information;
(c) Lectures and demonstrations.
C. Promote bass angling in the members’ family (wife and youth).
D. Actively support the Indiana Department of Natural Resources.
E. Work for improvements in conservation and fight pollution.
F. Actively support the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society (B.A.S.S.)
and the Indiana Federation of B.A.S.S.
Article IV Affiliation
The Eastside Bassmasters shall be affiliated with the following:
A. Bass Anglers Sportsman Society of America Inc.
B. Indiana B.A.S.S. Federation.
Article V Membership
Membership shall be open to any bass fisherman invited to join by an
Active Chapter Member. Total membership in the Eastside Bassmasters
shall not exceed 24 active members including Novice members.
Article VI Requirements for Membership
A prospective member MUST:
A. Voluntarily express a genuine desire and interest in becoming a
member.
B. Be willing to abide by the Constitution and By-Laws of the Eastside
Bassmasters.
C. Express a desire and interest in the stated goals of the Chapter (See
Article entitled “Purpose”).
D. Be a minimum of 21 years of age (Relatives of current members
who are at least 16 years of age may be accepted as NOVICE
MEMBERS by a 51% vote at a predetermined regular meeting).
Article VII Types of Membership
Section I – Novice Membership
A Novice Member is a new member to the chapter that has not
gained Active status. For further information see separate section
entitled “Novice Membership”.
Section II – Active Membership
An Active Member is a person who has successfully completed his
Novice Membership.
Section III – Honorary Membership
An Honorary Member is:
A. A person outside the Chapter that is of great importance to
the Chapter.
B. An individual who has distinguished himself in accordance
with the ideas and goals of the Eastside Bassmasters.
C. Voted on by the members present at the monthly meeting.
(Becoming an Honorary Member requires a 90% vote in
favor of the candidate.)
D. Pays no dues.
E. Has no voting rights.
F. Shall be invited to all special functions at the Chapter’s
expense.
G. Shall be presented with a plaque stating his Honorary
Membership presentation date, and the grateful appreciation
of the Eastside Bassmasters.
Article VIII Dues
A. Annual Active Membership and Novice Membership dues shall be
$120.00 per year, Dues may be paid in 2 installments with the 1st installment due at the February meeting and the 2nd installment due prior to the pairings for the 1st tournament in July. Failure of payment of dues will result not being paired.
B. In the event a Novice Member applies for membership between January 1, and June 30, they shall be required to pay the full years dues. If the Novice Member applies after July 1, they shall be only required to pay for a ½ years dues that year.
C. All Chapter members shall be responsible for keeping their B.A.S.S.
dues up to date and shall present their membership (B.A.S.S.) card
upon request.
Article IX Officers
The officers of the Chapter shall consist of a President, Tournament
Director and Secretary / Treasurer.
No salaries or forms of remuneration shall be paid to an Officer.
Article X Duties of the President
The President shall:
A. Preside at all meetings.
B. Appoint committee chairman (with the exception of the Tournament
Committee).
C. Act as an Internal Relations Chairman to settle all disputes between
individual members.
D. Keep in contact with each committee chairman and be able to report
the progress of the committee (in case of the chairman’s absence).
E. Keep records of future recipients of Good Sportsmanship and/or
special awards.
F. Act as liaison between the B.A.S.S. Federation and the Chapter.
G. In the absence of the Secretary/Treasurer, act as liaison between the
Chapter and the Secretary / Treasurer.
Article XI Duties of the Tournament Director
The Tournament Director shall:
A. Preside at all meetings and functions in the absence of the
President.
B. Maintain accurate minutes and financial records of the Chapter
Meetings in the absence of the Secretary / Treasurer.
C. Conduct the tournament in accordance with the Chapter’s
Tournament Rules and Regulations – see separate section entitled
Tournament Rules and Regulations.
D. Maintain accurate records of all individual tournament catches and point standings.
Article XII Duties of the Secretary/Treasurer
The Secretary/Treasurer shall:
A. Maintain accurate minutes and financial records of all Chapter
meetings.
B. Maintain regular liaison between the Chapter and the Bass Anglers
Sportsman Society.
C. Report the financial condition of the Chapter at each monthly
meeting.
D. Conduct all financial transactions of the Chapter.
E. Maintain accurate attendance for all Chapter functions.
Article XIII Procedure for Conducting a Meeting
The procedure for conducting a regular monthly meeting is outlined in a
separate section entitled “Meeting Procedures”.
Article XIV Eligibility for Holding Office
A. Any Active Member is eligible to hold a Chapter office.
B. An incumbent Officer may be re-elected.
Article XV Election of Officers
A. Nominations for Officers all be made annually at the regular
monthly meeting in October.
B. Election of Officers shall be held annually at the regular monthly
meeting in December.
C. Nominations and elections of two (2) members at large to serve on the
Tournament Committee with the Chapter officers shall be held at the
December meeting following election of officers.
D. Each active member is entitled to one vote per office and must be
present to invoke this right.
Article XVI Term of Office
The term of office for Chapter Officers is one year, which shall begin on
January 1 and end December 31.
Article XVII Impeachment of an Officer An Officer my be removed from office if the situation warrants their
removal.
Article XVIII Loss of Membership
An Active Member or Novice Member may lose their membership by:
A. Failure to comply with Chapter regulations.
B. Failure to pay their dues (National or Chapter).
C. Failure to attend 50% of the Chapter’s functions without a leave of
absence, during the period of one year commencing January 1.
D. Any act that would discredit or disgrace the Eastside Bassmasters.
Article XIX Dismissal of an Active or Novice Member
An Active or Novice Member may be dismissed from the Chapter for any
of the reasons stated in the preceding article.
For further information on the dismissal of a member – see separate section
entitled “Dismissal Procedure”.
Article XX Leave of Absence
An Active or Novice Member may request a temporary leave of absence by
submitting in writing to a Chapter officer specifying:
A. The reason.
B. The approximate length of absence.
C. Whether the leave of absence is for meetings or tournaments or
both.
The member shall:
A. Maintain their dues during the leave of absence.
B. Forfeit their voting rights if the leave of absence applies to the
meetings.
C. Be required to contact the Tournament Director prior to pairing for
each Tournament in order to be a contestant in the tournaments.
Article XXI Tournament Rules
For a list of rules and regulations see “Tournament Rules and Regulations”.
Article XXII Amending the Constitution and By-Laws
Amendment Procedures:
Since there is no annual meeting set aside to review or update the
Constitution and By-Laws, they may be amended at any regular monthly
meeting, provided prior notice of the proposed amendment and the date (the
vote is to take place) is given, in writing, and sent to the entire
membership.
A minimum prior notice of six weeks is mandatory in order to establish a
quorum at the monthly meeting. A quorum shall consist of one-half of the
entire active membership. If a quorum cannot be obtained at the specified
regular monthly meeting, the membership shall be asked to vote on the
amendment by telephone, and the results will be announced at the next
monthly meeting. Passage of an amendment shall be by two-thirds vote of
the quorum.
An Amendment to the Constitution and By-Laws shall go into effect
immediately upon its adoption, unless the motion to adopt specifies a time
for its going into effect.
Article XXIII Dismissal of a Member
Legal Rights of the Chapter and Trial of their Members:
Any member may file charges with an officer (preferably the President) for
Dismissal of another member. The President (or other officer will
determine the validity of the dismissal charge, and if necessary, will hold
a discussion with the Chapter members at which time a vote may be called
for. It shall take a 2/3 vote by the membership present at the meeting to
successfully dismiss a member. No monies will be refunded to the
dismissed member.
Article XXIV Eastside Bassmasters Novice Membership
A Novice Member is a new member to the Chapter that was invited to join
by an Active Member. Being a Novice Member does not necessarily
indicate the member is a poor fisherman or an inadequate fisherman, it only
indicates they have not been accepted into the Chapter as an active member.
A Novice Shall:
A. Be invited to join the Chapter by an Active Member in good
standing.
Fill out an application and submit their annual membership dues. The above dues may be submitted to any Officer of this Chapter.
B. Have all rights of an Active Member, except voting rights during
their Novice period.
C. Be required to spend a mandatory six month Novice period. During
this six month period the Novice Member shall be required to:
1. Fish one Chapter tournament with a Chapter Officer.
2. Fish one Chapter tournament with an Active Member,
excluding the sponsoring member.
3. Fish one Chapter tournament other than the above.
This tournament may be fished with the sponsoring member if the tournament drawing determines this.
D. Be required to fish all Chapter tournaments during their
Novice period as a non-boat owner. Exception to this rule, should there not be a Non-Boater position available, the Novice Member may fish from their boat, however, the Novice may not be awarded a Bye, an active Non-Boater member shall be paired with the Novice and an active member (Boater) shall be awarded the Bye.
E. Upon completion of the above requirements be voted on by ballot
by the membership at the regular monthly meeting. An 85%
vote in favor of the Novice member is required to become an Active
Member, however no more than one “no” vote may be cast for a
candidate to be accepted.
At the voting session the following members shall give a verbal report on the Novice member:
A. The Active Member that introduced the Novice Member to the
Chapter.
B. The Active Member that has fished with the Novice Member during
their Novice Membership.
C. The Chapter Officer that has fished with the Novice Member during
their Novice membership.
D. Any other Active Member who feels he has a valid report on the
Novice Member.
If the Novice is denied admission into Active Membership, the President
shall have the duty of informing the Novice of the denial. The
Secretary/Treasurer shall refund their dues.
If the Novice is accepted, the President shall notify the Novice of this. The
President shall also notify the Tournament Director to apply all points the
Novice has accumulated to their Active Membership point standing.
A Novice member not accepted to Active Membership may, by a majority
vote, serve a second Novice period as above.
TOURNAMENT RULES AND REGULATION
Great effort, study and research has gone into the formulation of these rules and regulations. The
following tournament rules and regulations may be changed by following the procedure outlined
in the section entitled “Amendment to the Constitution and By-Laws”.
ARTICLE I. Participants and Eligibility
Participation in any tournament is open to members of the Eastside Bassmasters.
The tournament entry deadline shall be the meeting prior to the tournament. The
tournament committee reserves the right to extend the deadline for contestant
entries if the need shall arise.
Members not present at the meeting must notify a Chapter officer of their intent
to fish the tournament to be paired.
ARTICLE II. Professional Guides
While on the lake during a tournament, the competitor may not have assistance or
advice of a professional guide, state or federal wildlife agency employee or any
other person deemed (by the tournament committee) a professional “expert” on the
tournament waters unless the “expert” is a contestant in the tournament.
ARTICLE III. Safety
Safe boating conduct must be observed at all times by all tournament competitors.
Each competitor is required to wear a Coast Guard approved chest type life
preserver. This preserver must be worn any time the combustion engine is
operating. The preserver must be strapped, snapped, or zippered securely and
maintained in this condition until the competitor reaches their fishing location and
the combustion engine is shut off.
The driver of the boat must have a kill switch attached to their person at all times the
combustion engine is operating.
ARTICLE IV. Sportsmanship
Competitors are expected to follow high standards of sportsmanship, courtesy,
Safety and conservation. Any infraction of these fundamental sporting principles
may be deemed cause for disqualification. Any type of intoxication by any
competitor during a tournament will not be tolerated and is cause for automatic
disqualification from all future tournaments. Maximum courtesy must be practiced
at all times, especially with regard to boating and angling in the vicinity of a
non-competitor who may be on the tournament waters. Any act of a competitor
which reflects unfavorably upon the Chapter’s efforts to promote fisheries
conservation, clean water, and courtesy shall be reason for immediate
disqualification.
ARTICLE V. Tackle and Equipment
Only artificial lures may be used. No “live bait” or “prepared bait” will be
permitted with the exception of pork strips, rinds, etc. Only one casting,
spincasting, or spinning rod and reel may be used at one time. All other types
are prohibited. All bass must be caught live and in a conventional sporting manner.
ARTICLE VI. Boats and Motors
All boats, with electric start, must be equipped with some type of ignition kill
switch. Fishing boats may be used that are 14 feet or more in length. The boat
must also be equipped with an aerated live well or wells capable of maintaining
two limits of bass. A small motor, or gas electric may be used for slow
maneuvering. Trolling is a method of fishing that is prohibited.
ARTICLE VII. Basic Boat Equipment
Every boat must comply with Indiana State Regulations pertaining to that specific
Boat size.
ARTICLE VIII. Boat Operation and Expenses
A full discussion must be held between the two partners prior to morning departure
as to the schedule of boat placement. This schedule must permit each partner equal
time in the fishing waters of their choice for one-half the tournament day. Any
contestant who in the judgment of the tournament officials, operates the boat in
such a manner as to unfairly handicap their partner shall be disqualified.
In view of the large expese involved in operating and maintaining a tournament
bass boat, it is expected that the partner at least assume 50% of the cost of gas and
oil for the trip (car and boat) based on a gentleman’s agreement as to the expense
of the outing.
ARTICLE IX. Permitted Fishing Locations
There shall be eight tournaments per year with no more than two out-of-state
tournaments. Tournaments shall be held in the months of March through October.
Tournament lakes, hours, dates and launch sites shall be chosen by the
Tournament Selection Committee, which shall consist of the three officers of the
Chapter plus two (2) members selected by popular vote of the membership at the
December meeting. The sole purpose of the Tournament Selection Committee is
the selection of fishing lakes, times and alternate lakes and times if necessary
during the tournament year. This shall in no way prevent the Tournament Director
from selecting their committee members as helpers for the tournament year.
A tournament schedule which lists the lake, ramp and contest time shall be
available to the membership prior to or during the March meeting.
Fishing on tournament waters is permitted anywhere except within 50 yards of
another competitor’s boat which was first anchored. No such anchored boat shall
permit selected competitors to fish within the 50 yard circle claimed by the competitor to the exclusion of any other contestant. All angling must be done from the boat. A contestant must not depart the boat to land a fish. The boat must remain in the tournament waters during tournament hours. Contestants must leave and return by boat to the official check-point. Both competitors must remain in the boat at all
times except in the case of dire emergency. Partners much remain together at all
times, in sight of each other and each others catch, under the conditions cited
above in order for their catch of the day to be scored in the tournament. Trailering
of boats during tournament hours is prohibited except in dire emergency.
ARTICLE X. Official Checkpoint
There shall be one official point for check-out in the morning, and check-in the
evening, and this point shall be designated at the pre-tournament meeting. At the
time of check-out all competitors and their boats shall be in full accordance with
all rules set forth by the Tournament Director.
ARTICLE XI. Scoring
Contestants will receive points each tournament based on one point for each ounce
of legal fish weighed in and this will determine each tournament winner. Based
on his weigh-in total, the tournament winner will also receive 50 points for first
place, the second place winner will receive 49 points, the third place, 48 points,
and so on in order of finish. No “place” points are awarded to a contestant who
did not weigh in fish.
A record will be kept by partners of non-keeper fish caught (boated) during the
tournament and each contestant will receive one point for each of these fish. These
points will apply only to the overall standings during the year. Each contestant
will be required to notarize their partner’s catch of non-keeper fish. In the case of
a member fishing alone, they will be on the honor system to accurately report their
non-keeper fish.
Only Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, and Kentucky Spotted Bass will be
weighed. The limit shall be five fish unless the prevailing rule on the body of
water is less than five, in which case that rule will prevail. All bass weighed in
shall meet a minimal size limit of 12 inches.
All contestants are otherwise bound by the prevailing statutes and regulation of the State
in which a tournament is held. Before each tournament, the Tournament Director will
review the regulation that apply and will determine the size limit and the bag limit
which will be enforced for the tournament and will inform all contestants of these rules.
Each fish shall be measured on a flat Golden Rule with the mouth closed and will
be counted when any portion of the tail touches a predetermined line according to
the size limit established above. No points will be deducted for fish that measure
short of the established size limit. Any fish that appears to have been mangled,
mauled, mashed, or otherwise altered will be weighed and credited only at the
discretion of the Tournament Director. A contestant shall not receive any credit
for any fish that was not caught by their self.
ARTICLE XII. Bonus Points
For each legal size bass weighed in alive and released to the lake, the competitor
shall be awarded one additional ounce of weight to be scored as ordinary weight.
The Tournament Director or their designated appointee shall have sole authority for awarding the above bonus points. A competitor may take home any trophy size fish that he wishes to have mounted.
Each competitor shall be awarded twenty (20) bonus points for fishing the
tournament. On two day tournaments ten (10) points per day will be awarded.
ARTICLE XIII. Weigh-In
Weigh-in time shall commence immediately following the designated cut-off time
of the tournament, allowing the Tournament Director reasonable time to prepare
the weigh-in equipment. All Contestants MUST attend the weigh-in.
Contestants who are late to the check-in point (designated by the Tournament Director at the pre-fish meeting) shall be assessed a penalty of one pound of weight per minute and after fifteen (15) minutes no weight shall be counted. Show points will be awarded for that day. Late time is assessed at the Tournament Director’s discretion.
ARTICLE XIV. Pairing of Contestants
New Novice members will be paired on time with a Chapter Officer in order
to meet the Novice membership requirement. All other tournament contestants
shall be paired by means of a Blind Draw at a regularly monthly meeting prior to
the tournament. The name of each contestant will be entered on a 3 x 5 index card
with boaters collected in group 1 and non-boaters collected in group 2.
A random draw from group 1 will determine the boater and their partner for the
tournament will then be determined by a random draw from group 2. In as much
as possible, each contestant will be paired with a different partner in each of the
tournaments during the year. Partners will remain the same during a two-day
tournament. If, on any pairing attempt, the person from group 2 has already been
paired during the current tournament year, fished a club tournament with the
person drawn from group 1, another random draw will be made from group 2 until
a pair is made, according to these guidelines. The name(s) of the person(s) from
group 2 drawn but not paired will then be re-entered in group 2 prior to the next
draw from group 1. Drawings will continue from group 1 and group 2 until all
contestants are paired.
If group 1 contains more names than group 2, the pairing will continue in the same
manner as the above with draw 1 being the boater and draw 2 the non-boater. This
does not, however, prevent these two contestants from reaching a gentleman’s
agreement to use the boat of draw 2. A boater will be placed in the non-boat
category no more than one time during a tournament year until all boaters have
fished at least one tournament as the non-boater. This does not, however, prevent
a boater from choosing to enter any tournament as non-boater, provided that
enough boats are available for the pairings.
If the above draw process leaves (boaters) from group 1 without partners (non-
boaters) from group 2, the remaining boater(s) will be asked by the Tournament
Director if they are willing to fish alone and cover their total expenses for the
tournament. Any boater who chooses not to cover the expenses will be re-
designated a non-boater in the drawing order. All other boaters that accept the
expenses for the “bye” will fish that tournament alone.
Boaters who take a “bye” will be obligated to be paired with a partner first for the
next tournament if possible. The awarding of a “bye” at a tournament does not
mean that a boater could not be assigned a partner for the tournament because of
an emergency or cancellation. If a partner is assigned to a “bye” contestant, the
new partner will be required to pay ½ of the expenses for the tournament.
If after all the pairings have been made and there remains a true “bye”, the
Chapter shall reimburse the “bye” contestant ½ of his expenses for the tournament
(car and boat) the same as their partner would have.
Only after each non-boater has fished a tournament with a different boater
according to the above draw process, will any contestant be paired with the same
person for the second time during the tournament year. Under these
circumstances, and in the event of situations beyond our control after the pairings
are made, the Tournament Director will have the responsibility to adjust the
pairings using discretion to promote fairness according to these guidelines.
ARTICLE XV. Ties
Ties for first place in a tournament will be decided at the ramp. If a tie exists,
non-keeper points will be used to break the tie to determine the winner. If after
all points are tallied and a tie still exists, we will have two first place winners and
no second place.
In the case of two or more individuals finishing in a tie in total points for the year,
total weight will be used to break the tie. The individual with the higher total
weight will finish in front of the other individual in the tie.
ARTICLE XVI. Live Well Check
None of the above rules shall prohibit a properly designated tournament official
from approaching or boarding any competitor’s boat at any time during or prior to
the tournament.
ARTICLE XVII. Partner Cancellation
In the event the boat owner cancels out on the non-owner partner, the non-owner
Partner shall receive twenty (20) points even if they elect not to fish the
Tournament. If the non-boater wishes to rent or borrow a boat for the purpose of
Fishing the tournament, the boat will conform to the specifications
listed in these Tournament Rules and Regulations. There shall be NO bank fishing
of any nature.
In the event of cancellation by non-boater, the boat owner may fish alone provided
that the guidelines stated in Article XIV, Pairing of Contestants, have been met.
In either case, regardless of which partner cancels, it shall be the responsibility of
the member canceling out to notify the Tournament Director as soon as possible.
The Tournament Director will have the responsibility to adjust the pairings using
discretion to promote fairness according to the guidelines stated in Article XIV.
ARTICLE XVIII. Landing Nets
Landing nets are allowed during Chapter tournaments.
ARTICLE XIX. Miscellaneous
Any member not present at the take off, who has missed the pre-tournament meeting, and whom no other fishing member knows they are present must report in to a Chapter member fishing the tournament prior to fishing.
Situations not covered in these Tournament Rules and Regulations are covered by the Indiana B.A.S.S. Federation Rule Book.