1/1/2016
WELCOME TO CAPITAL BASS CLUB
As a new member you will be interested to know that this club was founded in 1966 with 54 charter members. Although its membership levels have varied throughout the years, one fact has remained constant – a large membership does not guarantee a good club – active membership will. The Capital Bass Club enjoys receiving support from its membership and looks forward to the added support you can provide as an active member.
Successful organizations establish rules and guidelines to promote understanding and develop harmonious relationships among its members. Likewise, the Capital Bass Club, on the basis of experience, has formulated a constitution and supporting policies that govern its operation. It is suggested that you read and refer to it, assuring your understanding of its intended purpose.
BYLAWS
ARTICLE I. NAME AND PURPOSE
The name of this group of fisherman shall be Capital Bass Club. It shall be a nonprofit organization.
The main purpose of the Capital Bass Club shall be educational. It shall strive to create an interest in bass fishing and to help others learn how to fish for Black, Spotted and Smallmouth bass.
ARTICLE II. MEMBERSHIP AND DUES
Dues will be forty Sixty dollars ($60.00)(Voted in Dec2022)
Jan – Mar $40.00 $60.00
Apr – Jun $30.00 $45.00
Jul – Sep $20.00 $30.00
Oct – Dec $10.00 $15.00
Dues for the year will be due January 1 and delinquent February 1 or prior to the first tournament fished by all members.
Failure to pay dues will result in that member being dropped from the club membership.
Life time members will not be required to pay dues.
Membership will be by application only and is subject to approval by a vote of the membership. The applicant must be present or recommended by club member in good standing if not able to be present.
Individuals under seventeen (17) years of age must be sponsored by a member over the age of seventeen (17). Sponsors of such individuals will be responsible for the actions of those so sponsored.
Applicants who have been accepted by the membership shall become voting members upon payment of their dues.
Membership may be cancelled for the following reasons:
- Violation of rules.
- Actions which will or tend to discredit the Capital Bass Club.
- Nonpayment of dues.
Membership may be canceled upon recommendation of the board and a two thirds majority vote of the membership present at the time of the meeting.
ARTICLE III. ELECTION OF OFFICERS
The officers of the club shall consist of:
President
Vice President
Secretary
Treasurer
Advisory Board (Three elected and three appointed).
Duties of the officers shall be as follows:
President shall preside at all meetings and functions of the club. He may preside at advisory board meetings. He will make decisions of his own if it is for the good of the club.
Vice-President shall, in the absence of the President, or at his request, assume all duties of the president. He will be responsible for the program at all regular meetings.
Secretary shall keep records that are necessary. He shall handle correspondence when called upon. He shall keep minutes of each meeting. He also shall keep minutes of the Advisory Board meetings. He shall also keep the Constitution, policies and the membership roster up to date.
Treasurer shall receive all money for the club. He shall keep on file all receipts, bills and canceled checks and make financial reports as directed.
Advisors shall help in all phases of club activities.
Tournament Committee, consisting of three or more members appointed by the president, will research the lakes that are considered “hot” and present this information to the club. The committee will submit two or more lakes to the club for vote. If the recommendation of the Tournament Committee fails by vote, the members will nominate new lakes and then vote.
Nominations of officers will occur at the September meeting.
Election of officers will occur at the October meeting. Vote may be by secret ballot or by a show of hands of members present. Outgoing officers will remain in office only to help and advice incoming officers for the club’s “Bass-O-Ree”.
ARTICLE IV. METHODS OF AMENDING THE BYLAWS
The bylaws may be amended at any regular meeting by a two thirds majority vote of the members present at the meeting, provided written notice of the proposed amendment has been sent to all members at least one meeting prior to the vote.
ARTICLE V. TOURNAMENTS
Entry fee is thirty dollars ($30.00$40.00) per adult member or fifteen dollars ($15.00) per youth member under 16 years of age is due and payable prior to tournament or at weigh-in. Member must notify an officer or the tournament chairman of his intention to fish prior to commencement of the tournament if he intends to pay entry fee at weigh-in.(Price increase voted in Dec2022)Lack of payment of entry fee to a tournament will render member ineligible to fish any future tournament until said entry fee is paid.
Pay-back schedule is as follows:
1st Place Team 50%
2nd Place Team 30%
3rd Place Team 20%
In the event of a tournament in which no fish are weighed in, all entry fees will be refunded. In the event of a tournament in which only one team weighs fish, 100% of the payback will be paid to that team. In the event of a tournament in which only two teams weigh fish, the payback will be as follows:
1st Place Team 60%
2nd Place Team 40%
In the event of a tie, the team members involved can chose to combine and split the prize money for the respective places or flip a coin to break the tie.
Five dollars ($5.00) from each member’s entry fee per tournament will go toward “big bass of the tournament”. Payback will be 100% to the member who weighs the biggest fish in the tournament.
One dollar ($1.00) from each member’s entry fee per tournament will go toward "big bass of the year". Payback will be 100% to the member who weighs the biggest fish in a club tournament and fishes a minimum of (3) three club tournaments during said year. A guest will not be required to pay the one dollar ($1.00) that goes toward big bass of the year.
A family member under 16 years of age and fishing as a club member would pay a $15 entry fee ($1 big bass of the year pot, $5 big bass of the tournament, and $9 tournament fee). A non-club member, family member would pay $14 ($0 big bass of the year pot, $5 big bass of the tournament, and $9 tournament fee).
Big bass rollover:Effective January 2024 big bass for the tournament must be at least 5.0 pounds to qualify for the big bass pot. If no fish qualifies, the pot rolls over in to the next tournament. The pot will continue to grow until a qualifying bass is caught.(Voted in 11/2/2023)
The lake, date(s), tournament chairman and weigh-in site will be determined by vote of a majority of the members attending that meeting.
The bag limit for each tournament shall be five (5) fish per day per man, or lake limit, if less. The club has the option of voting in a 3 fish limit when voting in the lake to better promote healthy fish for release at the end of the tournament day.
If a member is unable to secure a partner, he is eligible to compete as a team as long as he notifies an officer or the tournament chairman. In the case of a paper tournament you are allowed to participate by following the criteria defined within the Paper Tournament section below.
Standard Tournament hours shall be 5:30AM - 4:00PM for a one day tournament and the first day of a two day tournament. Standard tournament hours shall be 5:30AM - 2:00PM for the second day of a two day tournament. Alternate hours can be voted on when scheduling proposed tournaments.
All tournament participants must be within eye sight of the weigh in at designated weigh in time or be disqualified. Only exception is someone aiding another boat due to mechanical failure, in this situation you must contact another tournament participant and make it known you are assisting a disabled boat.
Tournament winnings will be paid at the first meeting following the tournament.
You may launch from any public or private ramp on the tournament lake which you have legal access. Trailering to the weigh-in site is permitted if your live well system is adequate to maintain your fish in a healthy condition.
Only one rod per person may be in use at any one time. Each cast must be completed before another is made.
Only artificial baits may be used, with the exception being pork rind.
Trolling with the combustion motor is not allowed.
No fishing is allowed from outside your boat or within 50 yards of another anchored or tied boat that has its trolling motor in the stored position without the express permission of its occupants.
All state, federal and local laws must be obeyed at all times.
All fish must be transported to the weigh-in line in a water filled bag.
No pale-gill fish (white or pink gills) will be weighed.
Dead fish may be put on ice in order to retain redness of gills.
A penalty of one-quarter pound (.25) per each dead fish weighed will be assessed against the individual member’s weight. If the big bass to be weighed is dead the one-quarter pound (.25) penalty will be subtracted from the big bass weight.
A penalty of one (1) pound per fish not meeting requirements as stated in article V Section 10.
A person may only fish in a tournament as a guest of an individual member once per year.
Paper tournaments will be conducted by drawing for partners thirty (30) minutes before starting time or at weigh-in time. Weight of fish shall be determined by weight chart provided by the club. All lengths will be verified by boating partner.
Please clearly indicate the 5 fish being used on the weight sheet to help speed up the weigh in procedure.
An individual will be permitted to fish by himself in a paper tournament using photos but must adhere to the following rules.
- The measuring device shall be a solid one piece measuring stick with .25 inch increment markings.
- Ensure the markings on the measuring device are clear and visible, if the markings are not clear or cannot be seen the fish will not be scored.
- Each photo shall be of the entire fish with the left side facing up and lip at the beginning of the ruler.
- The photo must be taken from directly over the fish, not from an angle, and must be clear of any obstructions.
- Please avoid taking more than 2-3 photos of each fish and use a numbering system that includes the date and time.
- Please indicate on the weigh sheet the photo number(s) of each fish being submitted for weigh in.
- If any of these criteria are not met your photo may not be scored at all.
- The tournament director and/or Capital Bass Club officers will verify each photo and reserves the right to declare any photo unacceptable.
Under special conditions rules may be changed by a majority vote.
ARTICLE VI. MEETINGS
Meetings occur every other Thursday for the months of January through April and then move to one meeting a month (first Thursday) from May through December. Standard meeting time is 7:30 P.M.
Each member will earn one point for attending each meeting from January through April and two points for attending the once a month meetings from May through December.
Full points awarded for in-person attendance and ½ points awarded for ZOOM attendance. Voted in 6/2/2022
ARTICLE VII. CLUB STANDINGS
The secretary shall maintain and publish individual club standings on the club website CapitalBassClub.com.
Standings will be determined as follows:
Each member will earn one bonus point for attending each meeting from January through April and then will earn two points for attending the once a month meetings from May through December.
Each member will earn two bonus points for each one day tournament he participates in and three bonus points for each two-day tournament that he participates in.
Each member will earn the actual weight of fish weighed in at each club tournament.
ARTICLE VIII. CLUB “CLASSIC” TOURNAMENT
A member automatically qualifies if a minimum of 8 tournaments are fished.
Members qualify by earning a minimum of 60 pounds by the last meeting and/or the last tournament of the calendar year.
60 pounds will be calculated by referencing club standings. A minimum of 16 pounds must be earned by weighing fish. A minimum of 24 pounds must be earned by attending meetings and tournament participation.
1ST quarter (Jan, Feb, Mar) total of 60 lbs / points with a minimum of 24 pounds in bonuses and a minimum of 16 pounds of actual fish caught.
2nd quarter (Apr, May, Jun) total of 45 lbs/points with a minimum of 18 pounds in bonuses and a minimum of 12 pounds actual fish caught.
3rd quarter (Jul, Aug, Sept) total of 30 lbs/points with a minimum of 12 pounds in bonuses and a minimum of 8 pounds actual fish caught.
4th quarter (Oct, Nov, Dec) total of 15 lbs/points with a minimum of 6 pounds in bonuses and a minimum of 4 pounds actual fish caught.
Capital Bass Club will contribute $750.00 bonus prize money towards the total entry fees. Payback will be split 50% / 30% / 20% for 1st, 2nd and 3rd places, respectively.
Entry fee: $25.00 per angler and $5.00 big bass pot (100% payback)
Format: Individual with the following exception. In the event that a non-boater or boater due to a hardship that qualified for the classic may fish with another qualified member by draw. All willing boaters (agreeing to have non-boaters of hardship boater to fish with them) names will be placed in a hat and will be drawn by non-boater or boater claiming hardship.
Date and locations will be determined by vote of qualifying members present at the end of the calendar year. Tournament will be held the following calendar year.
The “Classic” lake will be off limits to tournament anglers from midnight on the Sunday preceding the tournament until 5:00 A.M. the day of the tournament.
ARTICLE IX. NON-CLUB SPONSORED TOURNAMENTS
Eligibility to compete in non-club sponsored tournaments such as the Top Six, Best of BCA, etc. will be determined from club standings. All expenses associated with these non-club sponsored tournaments will be borne by the members unless the club assumes responsibility for all or a portion of the expenses as determined by vote of a majority of the members present at that meeting.
ARTICLE X. AWARDS
There will be no mounting of fish at the expense of the club.
There will be no monthly trophies awarded.
The Top Six individuals shall be rewarded annually in October of the following year of qualification. The rewards shall be monetary payments with the total not to exceed $1000 and shall be distributed in the following percentage increments:
1st – 30%, 2nd – 22.5%, 3rd– 17.5%, 4th – 12.5%, 5th – 10%, 6th – 7.5%
Revision History:
5/10/2017 – Corrected Classic entry fee to $25 +$5 from $20+$5
6/2/2022 – Added ZOOM meeting attendance rule
12/2/2022 – Updated dues and entry fees
11/2/2023 – Added Big bass rollover rule.