CONSTITUTION
(Revised 03-2008)
ARTICLE I
Section 1: The name of this group of fishermen shall be the River City Bass Club and it shall be a non-profit organization.
Section 2: The main purpose of
the River City Bass Club shall be educational. It shall create an
interest in bass fishing and help others learn how to fish for bass. The
River City Bass Club hopes to promote sportsmanship, fellowship, courtesy,
conservation and safety.
ARTICLE II
MEMBERSHIP AND DUES
Section 1: Any person voted into the Club and who has paid dues shall become a voting member. A person must be fourteen (14) years or older to join.
Section 2: Dues shall be $40.00
per year and pro-rated for any member joining after April 1st. Dues for
the year will be considered delinquent after the first tournament in January
and the member will be dropped from the roster and will have to be voted
on to rejoin the Club. Membership shall not exceed 100. Other
affiliation dues (if any ) will be paid for by RCBC.
Section 3: Any member who is
convicted of a felony, or whom takes part in any action which would reflect
dishonor or disgrace to the Club, will be subject to removal from the
membership roster as determined by review of the Advisory Board.
ARTICLE III
OFFICERS: ELECTION, DUTIES & ELIGIBILITY
Section 1: The officers of the Club shall consist of a President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Tournament Director and three (3) to seven (7) advisors.
Section 2: The election of
officers shall be held annually at the first meeting in December by secret
ballot. Election shall be by majority of members present. Nominations
shall be made the last meeting in November, and from the floor the night of the
election.
Section 3: Duties of the
President. The President shall preside at all meetings and functions of the
Club. He shall preside at all meetings of the Advisory Board. He
will make decisions on his own if they are for the good of the Club, unless it
concerns a violation of a Policy, then the Club must vote on the matter and
majority rules.
Section 4: Duties of the Vice
President. The Vice President shall, in the absence of the President or at
his request, assume all duties of the President. He will also be
responsible for the programs at all regular meetings.
Section 5: Duties of the
Secretary. The Secretary shall keep records of all Club activities and
functions.
Section 6: Duties of the
Treasurer. The Treasurer shall receive all money for the Club and pay bills
incurred by the Club. He shall keep on file all receipts, bills,
cancelled checks, and make financial reports as directed.
Section 7: Duties of the
Tournament Director. The Tournament Director shall measure questionable
fish at weigh-in to ensure that they meet all state, federal, lake and Club
rules.
ARTICLE IV
ADVISORY BOARD
Section 1: The Advisory Board shall consist of the five (5) Club officers, (President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer and Tournament Director), and a minimum of three (3), but not more than seven (7) advisors appointed by the President.
Section 2: The Advisory Board
shall meet and discuss the activities of the Club, and offer suggestions to
create more interest in the Club. These suggestions will be brought to
the Club for approval. They will also hear and review problems rising
among Club members that may conflict with current policies and procedures, and
present their suggestion to the Club for majority vote.
ARTICLE V
POLICIES
Section 1: Policies may be amended at any regular meeting by a two-thirds vote of the members present and voting. At the last meeting of each year the two-thirds will be reduced to a simple majority. Proposed amendments to policies must submitted in writing prior to the beginning of any meeting, except at the last meeting of each year.
ARTICLE VI
METHOD OF AMENDING THE CONSTITUTION
Section 1: The Constitution may be amended at any regular meeting by a two-thirds vote of the members present. At the last meeting of each year the two-thirds will be reduced to a simple majority.
Section 2: Voting will be by
secret ballot.
ARTICLE VII
POINTS SYSTEM
Section 1: The RIVER CITY BASS CLUB shall have a points system.
Section 2: Points will be awarded
to members on total individual weight in each RIVER CITY BASS CLUB points
tournament with 100 points for the heaviest stringer, 99 points for the second
heaviest stringer, 98 points for the third heaviest stringer, and so on.
Section 3: Each member who fishes
a RIVER CITY BASS CLUB points tournament, but does not catch a weighing fish,
will be awarded 20 points. Any member that weighs in a dead fish, will be
penalized ¼ pound from the weight of that fish.
Section 4: Each member who
attends a Club meeting will be awarded 1 point per meeting.
Section 5: Each members lowest
score throughout the year will be dropped to determine their total score after
the November Tournament.
Section 6: RCBC
Open Tournament Points (Revised 11-2007)
Additional points may be earned through various
activities in support of the RCBC open tournament. For flyer add sales, one point will be
awarded for each business card add sold, 2 points for each quarter page, 3
points for each half page, and 4 points for a full page. Additionally, a member can earn RCBC Open
Tournament Points through volunteer activities such as preparation of the add
flyer, pick-up of entries, procurement of raffle prizes, setup of the weigh-in
site, and tournament day work. Points
awarded for these items are to be determined in advance by the advisory
board and open tournament director based on the level of effort involved. A maximum of 10 Open Tournament Points per
person, per year may be earned. All
points awarded under this section will be shown separately from tournament
points and attendance points in the Club Standings bulletin.
Open Tournament Eligibility: A minimum of 5 RCBC Open Tournament Points
must be earned for a member to be eligible to fish the current year’s RCBC Open
Tournament.
END
POLICIES
A. The policies of the RIVER CITY BASS CLUB may be amended at any regular meeting by two-thirds vote of the members present and voting. At the last meeting of each year the two-thirds will be reduced to a simple majority. Proposed amendments to the policies must be submitted in writing prior to the beginning of any regular meeting, except at the last meeting of each year.
B. Membership.
(Also see Article II of the Constitution)
1. Application for membership may be by written application.
2. Application for
membership can be voted at the first meeting that person attends until the
membership reaches ninety (90). At that time, applicants will have to
attend two (2) meetings before a vote can occur. Also, all applicants for
membership must be voted in and all dues paid at or before the last meeting
prior to any points tournament. The annual dues will be pro-rated for any
member who joins after April 1st.
3. All prospective new
members will be voted on separately, by name.
4. A negative vote by three (3)
members will be cause to reject an eligible applicant for membership. The
members who voted “no” must state their reasons before the Advisory Board.
5. A member will be dropped
from the membership roster for the following:
a. Failure to pay all dues by the end of the first tournament in January.
b. Conviction of a felony.
c. Any action that would
reflect dishonor or disgrace to the Club.
d. (See Article II of the Constitution)
6. Should a problem arise involving any of the above, the President shall appoint a five (5) member committee to investigate the problem and report its findings to the Club. A hearing will be granted upon the request of the individual involved, with continuing membership contingent upon approval of the Club.
7. All matters of
disqualification, dismissal from the Club or any other personal issues must be
voted on by secret ballot. (E.G. majority of members present and voting.)
C. The Advisory Board will formally review all members on an on-going basis, or as necessary for possible removal from the membership roster.
D. The dates for the Points Tournaments will be recommended by the Advisory Board and approved by the Club, no later than March’s first meeting.
1. There will be eleven (11) Points Tournaments during the course of the year.
2. A Traveling Trophy Tournament will be held each December. The member having the heaviest stringer will be awarded the Traveling Trophy for twelve (12) months. If there is a Big Bass Pot after the November points tournament, it will be awarded to the member who catches the largest bass in the Traveling Trophy Tournament, regardless of weight.
3. The entry fee for each tournament is $10 per person. (Also see D-6 below) One dollar of this amount will go into a Big Bass Pot for the contestant who catches the largest bass five (5) pounds or over during that tournament. The pot will accumulate and be added to each tournament until a five (5) pound bass is caught. (Also see D-2) Any side pot will follow the current RIVER CITY BASS CLUB weight in the policies.
4. A member may fish with a guest at any points tournament. The guest will pay the regular entry fee, and will share in any prize money won by the team. If the guest wins the Big Bass Pot, it will be the pot from the tournament only. A person may only be a guest once per year unless they are a child or spouse of a member.
5. Tournaments will be held on Sundays and will be of duration no more than ten hours per day. The exception to the above rules are:
Night Tournaments
*There will be a maximum of three night tournaments per year.
*Night tournaments may start Saturday evening and conclude Sunday during daylight hours.
*There will be a maximum of one marathon tournament per year.
*A marathon tournament is considered to be a night tournament.
*A marathon tournament may be longer than ten hours total.
Two-Day Tournament (Revised 3-2008)
*There will be a maximum of two(2) two-day tournaments per year.
*There will be a weigh-in each day. The total of the two weigh-ins will apply toward the points standings and prizes.
Draw Tournaments
*There will be a maximum of two draw tournaments per year.
*Each member that does not bring a non-boater must fish alone.
*The draw will occur approximately one hour prior to the tournament start time.
6. All Points Tournaments held by the RIVER CITY BASS CLUB will be self-sustaining on a yearly basis. Any funds advanced by the Treasurer will be paid from the proceeds of future tournaments. Eighty (80) percent of the proceeds from tournament entry fees (after subtracting the one dollar for the Big Bass Pot) will be put toward prizes and/or trophies. Twenty (20) percent will be placed in the Club treasury. There will be three places paid out for up to 24 teams (50%,30%,20%). There will be four places paid out for 25 or more teams (40%,30%,20%,10%).
7. All RIVER CITY BASS CLUB members will use a live release for all fish caught. This does not apply to dead or trophy bass.
8. One point will be added to each member’s club point total for each meeting attended. These points will be shown separately from the tournament points in the Club Standing Bulletin. Each member must sign the Meeting Attendance Sheet at the meeting to qualify for the points.
E. The following rules shall prevail at all RIVER CITY BASS CLUB tournaments.
1.
2. Tournaments will have a five (5) fish limit per entrant, unless local lake regulations state smaller limitations. Polling of fish will result in disqualification of both team members.
3. Pre-fishing will be limited to one (1) day before any one-day tournament or three (3) days before a two-day tournament beginning the Monday prior to the tournament. Pre-fishing must end eight (8) hours before the start of the tournament.
4. Size restriction for weighed fish to be 14 inches for large-mouth, small-mouth, spotted, and Guadalupe bass.
a. Any fish that shows evidence of being stretched will be disqualified prior to weigh-in (fish with broken neck, cut, or other wise mutilated).
b. Any fish brought in to be weighed by the Club that is under 14 inches or violated federal, state, or lake size restrictions will disqualify the entire stringer including all points for that day.
c.
All
5. All members must have a RIVER CITY BASS CLUB shirt, jacket, vest, jumpsuit, or hat unless these items are not available for purchase during Club meetings. This apparel should be worn at the starting and weigh-in times set for each tournament. It may be taken off during the tournament.
6. All contestants in Club tournaments must wear life jackets any time the outboard engine is running during the tournament. Failure to do so will result in disqualification and loss of all points and/or prizes for that day. (Exception is during boat loading and unloading.)
7. Fish caught on natural bait (minnow, crawfish, live or dead earthworms, chubs, hellgrammites, slugs, pinworms, grubs, eels, and in general, any live bait) are not eligible at weigh-ins. (See F-6) Fishing with pork rinds, pork eels, pork frogs, or pork salamanders is permitted. FOR FISH TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR WEIGH-IN CREDIT, THEY MUST BE CAUGHT ON ARTIFICIAL BAIT. If a member of the club questions the nature of any specific bait, the Advisory Board will make the Final decision of its acceptability.
8. Trolling during a tournament is not permitted. Failure to abide by this rule will result in disqualification for that day.
9. Only one rod may be used per contestant at any one time during a tournament.
10. Casting distance between boats involved in a RIVER CITY BASS CLUB tournament should be maintained at all times during the tournament hours.
11. No two members of the current tournament year in the top eight point standings may fish together during a points tournament beginning with the April tournament. The exception is spouses may fish together.
12. No fish in live well prior to tournament. If done, there will be automatic disqualification of the team from the tournament.
13. Any team or person that brings over the legal limit of fish in their boat or vehicle to the weigh-in is automatically disqualified from that tournament. (See E-4c)
14. All protests of a policy violation must be lodged at weigh-in to the tournament director of Club officer. Any member of RIVER CITY BASS CLUB has the right to lodge a protest. If a protest is lodged, a decision involving tournament disqualification will be made by the Advisory Board members present within one (1) hour. Weigh-in will be officially over immediately after the secretary announces the results of the weigh-in. No protests may be lodged after this time.
15. All fishing must be done from a two-person boat. There will be no wading, bank fishing, or fishing from inner tubes or one person rafts during tournaments.
16. It is permissible for a member to fish without a partner if they have tried unsuccessfully to find a partner. They would eligible for only one-half of the prize money for placing in the tournament. The other of the money will be placed in the Club treasury.
17. All sign-ups for a tournament should be made by the conclusion of the meeting preceding the tournament. In the event they cannot be made the following will apply:
a. In cases where a member cannot sign-up prior to the tournament they should call any officer or member of the Advisory Board no later than 10 p.m. the night before the tournament stating their intention of fishing the tournament.
b. Entry fee(s) must be paid before you weigh your fish.
c. If a person signs up to fish a tournament and an emergency arises where they can’t fish, they must notify any officer or member of the Advisory Board by 10 p.m. the night before the tournament and their entry fee will be refunded.
d. Any member who signs up to fish a tournament but does not attend weigh-in must call any officer or member of the Advisory Board by 10 p.m. the evening of the tournament and report the status of their team whether they fished or not.
18. Any team that starts before the tournament starting time or is late to weigh-in, as determined by the Tournament Director, will be disqualified.
19. There will be 30 minutes of traveling time permitted at the conclusion of each one-day tournament prior to weigh-in. There will be one (1) hour of traveling time permitted at the conclusion of each day of every two-day tournament prior to weigh-in.
20. In the event of a tie for eighth place position in the yearly Club standings, the December “Traveling Trophy” tournament will be the tiebreaker. The angler who catches the heaviest stringer will be declared the winner. In the event of a tie for the tournament, a coin toss at weigh-in will decide the winner.
F. BIG BASS AWARDS: (Note: Big Bass is defined as being five (5) pounds or larger.)
1. Recipient must be a member of the RIVER CITY BASS CLUB when fish is caught, and at time of awards presentation.
2. Multiple Big Bass awards will be made:
a. Tournament Big Bass (See D-3 above) - caught during monthly RIVER CITY BASS CLUB points tournament and December tournament.
b.
Monthly Big Bass – caught any time in
c.
Annual Big Bass (5) – Top 5 Annual Big Bass awards will be any Bass weighing 5
pounds or more caught in the 11 RCBC Points Tournaments and the December
Traveling Trophy Tournament. In addition, one Annual Big Bass award will
be given for the largest bass caught any time in
3. Recipient of tournament and/or monthly Big Bass award may choose from a) $25 gift certificate, b) a trophy, c) a plaque or $25 cash. If a same fish wins both categories, only one award may be claimed and it will acknowledge both categories. If there is a tie, both members will receive their choice of awards.
4. Recipients of annual Big Bass awards will receive a $50 gift certificate, a trophy or $50 cash. If a member wins two or more of these awards, their trophy will have separate plaques for each bass. Note: A member must attend at least 50% of the meetings per year and not miss four consecutive club meetings and/or three consecutive club points tournaments to be eligible for annual Big Bass awards.
5. Member must submit a weight slip for each Big Bass not caught in a Club monthly tournament. This slip should contain members’ name, date of catch, bass weight, where fish was caught, and signature. Weight slips will be accepted under the Honor System and a Club officer must be notified within ten (10) days of catching the bass.
6. All Big Bass must be caught using rod, reel, and artificial lures. (See E-7 above)
G. If for some reason, beyond his or her control, a member is unable to attend tournaments or meetings on a regular basis he or she may present their case before the Advisory Board. The Advisory Board will review the case and present their recommendations to the Club for majority vote.
H. There is a NO SMOKING policy at all RIVER CITY BASS CLUB meetings.
I. Any member who finished that year in the Top Eight (8) must be paid up, continuously active member the following year to be eligible to represent the RIVER CITY BASS CLUB in the Top Eight (8) tournaments. All Top Eight (8) finishers are eligible to receive a trophy, plaque, a $50 gift certificate or $50 cash. Top Eight (8) replacements and/or alternates will be chosen in sequence below eight place.
J. The RIVER CITY BASS CLUB will provide financial assistance to the Top Eight (8) fisher persons representing the Club using the following guidelines:
1. The Club will provide each of the Top Eight (8) Anglers with $200.00 cash.
2. If Club is affiliated with any other association, entry fees will be paid for the Championship Tournament.
THE END