Launching from 48 Bridge Ramp. Entry fee is $40.00.  Blast off is at 5:30 AM.  Please make every effort to pay your entry fee at least 15 minutes prior to blast off.  Weigh in is at 3:00 PM.

­­ROSS MOUNTAIN BASS CLUB

A Solo Angler Club

CLUB RULES and REGULATIONS

1. All participants and boats must comply with state rules and regulations and conduct themselves in a sportsmanlike manner.

2. All necessary information can be found on our facebook page.

3. An Official Club Committee will consist of five club members who will serve for one season.  They will be nominated and voted on at our annual meeting held in January.  One of the five will be the Committee Chairman.  One of the five will be the Treasurer / Score Keeper.  One of the five will be the Weighmaster. Two of the five will serve as Alternates.  The Committee Members’ responsibilities will go as follows:

1. Committee Chairman

1. Oversee all Club actions.

2. Receive potential member names and communicate that name to the active Club members by starting a “yes” or “no” anonymous poll on facebook..

3. Receive complaints against active members.  The complaint should be written by the plaintiff, containing a detailed description of the reason of complaint.  The complaint will be taken to the Committee where they will vote whether or not to keep the person / persons as active members.  A single vote by a Committee Member to remove the member from the Club is all that is needed in order to officially remove the member from active status.

2. Treasurer / Score Keeper

1. Receive all entry fees for each derby and disperse awards to winners.

2. Post all movement of Club money on facebook page for active members to see.

3. Record individual derby results AND keep updated yearly results.  These results will be posted on weighfish.com and on facebook.

3. Weighmaster

1. Weigh legal fish during weigh-in time, measure fish of questionable length, and enforce penalties for illegal fish.

4. The Two Alternates 

1. Must be ready to assist with any aspect of the Club.

4. Yearly dues for membership will be $30.00 per year, paid at the angler’s first derby of the season, along with their $40.00 entry fee. The Committee Chairman, the Treasurer, and the Weighmaster will NOT be required to pay yearly dues.  The money collected from yearly dues will be used in totality for award money to be handed out to the top three anglers of the Classic Championship, distributed as so: 1st Place – 50%, 2nd Place – 30%, and 3rd Place – 20%.  IE: If 20 members pay their $30.00 yearly Club due, then $600.00 will be added to the award money to be paid to 1st place, 2nd place, and 3rd place in the Classic.

5. Regular season derby entry fees will be $40.00 per participant to be distributed as so:

1. The FIRST $40.00 entry fee will be set aside for big fish pot. The big fish winner will receive a reward of $40.00 regardless of number of derby entries (The big fish winner receives "his entry fee money" back).

2. After the first entry fee goes to Big Fish Pot in totality, $5.00 of every other entry is to go to the AOY fund (This money will be used for award money for the Yearly AOY, the runner-up to the AOY, and the Third Place Angler).

3. After the first entry goes to Big Fish Pot, $35.00 of every other entry is to be distributed as so for 1-5 anglers entered into derby:

• FIRST PLACE: 100%

4. After the first entry goes to Big Fish Pot, $35.00 of every other entry is to be distributed as so for 6-10 anglers entered into derby:

• FIRST PLACE: 60%

• SECOND PLACE: 40%

5. After the first entry goes to Big Fish Pot, $35.00 of every other entry is to be distributed as so for 11-15 anglers entered into derby:

• FIRST PLACE: 50%

• SECOND PLACE: 30%

• THIRD PLACE: 20%

6. After the first entry goes to Big Fish Pot, $35.00 of every other entry is to be distributed as so for 16-20 anglers entered into derby:

• FIRST PLACE: 50%

• SECOND PLACE: 30%

• THIRD PLACE: 15%

• FOURTH PLACE: 5%

7. After the first entry goes to Big Fish Pot, $35.00 of every other entry is to be distributed as so for 21 or more anglers entered into derby:

• FIRST PLACE: 45%

• SECOND PLACE: 25%

• THIRD PLACE: 15%

• FOURTH PLACE: 10%

• FIFTH PLACE: 5%

6. The Ross Mountain Bass Club will end every season with a zero-dollar balance.  All money taken in during the current season will be used for award money in that same season.  All money-movement will be on display on our facebook page.

7. All anglers must make every attempt to pay their entry fee at least 15 minutes prior to blast-off, and all anglers must blast-off from the same ramp no earlier than the appointed time.  Any exceptions to this rule, or sudden ramp changes, will be decided on by the Committee and then communicated to the rest of the active Club members.

8. Tournaments will start at blast-off time (which will be made known on the official schedule) and end at the appointed time.  IE: If the official schedule notes blast-off time for a particular derby at 6:00 AM, then blast-off and fishing may begin at 6:00 AM.  If the official schedule notes weigh-in time is at 3:00 PM, then all anglers are expected to be “inside buoys” by 3:00 PM (These are only example times and do not reflect blast-off and weigh-in times for every derby.)

9. Failure to be inside the buoys by the designated weigh-in time will result in inability to weigh-in fish.

10. There is a five fish limit per angler.  No culling inside buoys.  All bass must be measured with mouth closed.  Bass at all lakes, except Wedowee, that are acceptable for weigh-in must be 12” or longer. Our Wedowee derbies will require 16” largemouth and 12” spotted bass.  Attempting to weigh in a short fish will result in the loss of the angler’s short fish AND the loss of the angler’s biggest fish.

11. All fish caught during the tournament must be done so with artificial lures and no trolling.  All fish, with the exception of trophy bass, will be returned to the lake.

12. One dead fish is allowed; however, a dead fish cannot be weighed as a big fish.  After one dead fish, all others will receive a 0.15 of a pound penalty (about 2.5 ounces).

13. In the case of a tie for ANY position for a single derby OR for annual recognition; the person with the biggest fish will get the higher position.

14. There will be 8 regular season tournaments.  Months for regular season tournaments will be March through November while taking one of the hot summer months off.  The official schedule will be set at our annual Club meeting which will be held in January and the official schedule will be posted on our facebook page.

15. The Club Committee has the option to cancel or reschedule any tournament for any reason.  There must be a unanimous vote within the five Committee Members to do so.  If a particular derby must be cancelled, then the Club Committee can schedule a makeup derby during any month, so two derbies in a single month is a possibility.  Keep a check on the facebook page for any changes in the schedule.

16. Only the angler’s 7 best derbies will be counted toward their AOY total. The angler with the most points at the end of the regular season will be named the Angler of the Year.  AOY points will NOT be awarded at our Classic.

17. AOY scoring will be based on a point system which will go as follows:

• First place: 99 points

• Second place: 96 points

• Third place: 94 points

• Fourth place: 92 points…and so on and so forth

• Big fish winner will receive 1 extra point

• If you show up for the event and pay your entry fee but do not weigh in a fish, you are still awarded 40 points

• If you do not show up for the event and do not pay your entry fee, zero points will be awarded

18. AOY award presentations will go as follows:

• AOY will be presented during the weigh-in of the Classic with an award of 50% of total AOY money collected from each participant in each regular season derby.  The AOY will also be rewarded by NOT having to pay an entry fee into the Classic Championship.

• Runner-up to the AOY will be presented during the weigh-in of the Classic with an award of 30% of total AOY money collected from each participant in each regular season derby.

• The Third Place Angler will be presented during the weigh-in of the Classic with an award of 20% of total AOY money collected from each participant in each regular season derby

19. A majority of members present on the morning of a tournament may choose to end that day’s tournament at a different time. All present members of the Committee will vote on whether or not to change the time of weigh in.  If an even number of committee members are present at the ramp during the vote, a trusted member of the club will be added to the vote so the number of voters will equal an odd number and there can be no chance of a tie.

20. Each member is allowed a guest, but the guest can fish only one tournament per year (unless they join the club). Spouses of the member and their children, 18 years and younger, are the exceptions.  

1. Any individual not competing in the tournament is never allowed in the boat with a competitor (this includes one’s spouse and/or children).  Rule of thumb: The only way an individual can be in the boat during a derby is if they have paid their entry fee and are actively competing in the derby.

2. Guests of any kind are never allowed to compete in the Classic Championship.

21. Any club member, or their guest, not complying with the rules and regulations listed will be disqualified from that tournament and/or all remaining club tournaments.  The degree of disqualification will be determined by a majority vote within the Club Committee.

22. Club rules can be changed or modified by a majority vote of the active members present at our year-end appointed club meeting which will be held in January.  Must have at least 10 members presently voting in order to change a rule. The Club Committee can agree to change a rule anytime if there is a unanimous vote within the Committee to do so.

23. Our Classic will normally be held on a Saturday in February.  That date will be decided at our annual Club meeting held in January. In order to fish the Classic Championship, participants must qualify one of two ways:

• Finish in the top 5 for the season.

• Fish at least 5 tournaments.

  
  

24. The AOY will NOT be required to pay an entry fee for the Classic Championship.  Every other qualifying participant in the Classic shall pay a $40.00 entry fee. Additionally, the $30.00 annual Club Dues from each club member will be added to the award total.  The Classic will pay top 3 anglers regardless of amount of entries.

• Big Fish winner – receives $40.00

• 1st place – 50% of award total

• 2nd place – 30% of award total

• 3rd place – 20% of award total

25. Potential members will be nominated by a current member. The name of the potential member can be brought to the Committee Chairman’s attention.  The Committee Chairman will post an anonymous poll for the potential member on our facebook page.  The facebook poll will remain active for 7 days, or until a “NO” vote has been cast. The potential member can only become an active member if he/she receives a unanimous “YES” vote at the end of the 7 days.  However, a single “NO” vote will disqualify the nominee for 12 months to the date.  “Better luck next year.”

26. Anyone not participating in consecutive seasons in the club will be deemed an inactive member and have to be nominated for membership and voted on again.

27. Club members are allowed to fish in a non-club tournament while concurrently fishing in a club tournament. Members must first weigh-in their catch in the club tournament before weighing in for the non-club tournament.

28. If any of the “responsibility-holding” Committee Members cannot be in attendance at a particular derby, it will be their responsibility to find a suitable replacement.

29. Above all rules, “fun and fairness” will take precedence over all.  Any dilemma (A person, thing, circumstance, etc.) standing in the way of “fun and fairness” within the Club will be handled immediately by the Committee.  They will discuss the problem, vote if needed, and decide on a solution.