1. RULES CHANGES: Interpretation and enforcement of these rules shall be left exclusively to the Executive Board. In the event of a rule violation, the Tournament Director (upon meeting with the Execute Board) may impose such sanctions, as he deems appropriate. Including. Without limitation, disqualification. Forfeiture of prizes and prohibition from participation in subsequent tournaments. The decision of the Tournament Director and/or Executive Board shall be final in all matters.

2. PARTICIPANTS AND ELIGIBILITY: This tournament is open only to members of the GCBC who are 16 years of age or older and who are active members of GCBC. Any candidate for competition who, in the judgment of the tournament Director, is handicapped in such a manner as to unfairly hinder his partner or endanger the safety and well-being of his partner or himself shall not be eligible.

3. SAFETY: Safe boat conduct must be observed at all times by tournament competitors. During the tournament, each competitor is required to wear a Coast Guard approved chest-type life preserver. This preserver must be worn anytime the combustion engine is operating.This preserver must be strapped,snapped or zippered securely and maintained in that condition until the competitor reaches his fishing location and the combustion engine is shut off. Violation of this rule shall be reason for disqualification. The Tournament Director has the right to delay or cancel the start of an official tournament day because of bad weather or other factors that would endanger the SAFETY of the competitors. Tournament waters may also be restricted at any time because of bed weather.

4. SPORTSMANSHIP: Competitors in GCBC tournaments 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. Use of alcohol or drugs (other than those purchased over the counter or prescribed by a licensed physician) by any competitor during the tournament will not be tolerated and shall be cause for automatic disqualification from this and all future GCBC tournaments. Maximum courtesy must be practiced at all times, especially with regard to boating and angling in the vicinity of non-competitors who may be on tournament waters. Any act of a competitor which reflects unfavorably upon GCBC’s effort to promote fisheries conservation, clean waters, and courtesy shall be reason for disqualification. No alcoholic beverages or other stimulants or depressants. Prescription or otherwise shall be allowed in the boats during competition days. Chemical substance addiction or abuse. conviction of a felony or other crimes involving moral turpitude, or other conduct reflecting unfavorably upon GCBC's efforts to promote SAFETY. sportsmanship and compliance with tournament rules shall be grounds for rejecting any application for participation and for disqualification.

5. TACKLE AND EQUIPMENT: Only artificial lures may be used. No "live bait or "prepared bait will he permitted. With the exception of pork strips, rinds, etc. Only ONE casting. spin-casting or spinning rod (8 foot maximum length from butt of handle to rod tip) and reel may be used at any one time. All other types prohibited. Other rigs as specified above may be in boat ready for use; however, only ONE is permitted in use at any given time. All bass must be caught live and in a conventional sporting manner. Anyone guilty of snatching or snagging fish on spawning beds will have their day’s catch disqualified. When visually fishing for bedding bass, all bass must be hooked inside of the mouth and must be verified by your partner before unhooked to be counted as a legal fish. The use of grippers or gaff in landing bass is prohibited.

6 HORSEPOWER REGULATIONS: MAXIMUM HORSEPOWER FOR ALL OUTBOARD MOTORBOATS USED IN TOURNAMENT COMPETITION 'WILL BE the horsepower limitations set by the U.S. Coast Guard in their ruling of Nov. 1.1972. When required, each boat MUST have a U.S. Coast Guard horsepower rating plate attached to the boat by the manufacturer. The horsepower of the outboard engine must NOT exceed the rating specified on this rating plate. Any boat manufactured prior to Nov. 1. 1972 must adhere to the ratings set by the U.S. Coast Guard for similar boats. Each competitor agrees to submit, by his signature on the official entry form, the boat and outboard motor used in the tournament to an inspection by tournament officials, if there is any reason to suspect the horsepower is in excess of the rating. Normal maintenance to increase the performance of your engine is allowed. Changing or altering standard factory parts of your motor to increase the horsepower over the factory horsepower rating is forbidden, and will result in disqualification. Falsifying information on entry forms or altering the horsepower rating numbers on the motor also would be cause for immediate disqualification from the tournament.

7. BOAT AND MOTOR: For the safety of all contestants. ALL BOATS MUST BE EQUIPPED WITH SOME TYPE OF OPERABLE IGNITION KILL SWITCH. This ignition kill device must be attached to the driver’s body anytime the combustion engine is operating. Anytime the combustion engine is operating and in gear, there must be a driver in the drivers seat in full control of the boat. Fishing boats may be used that are 15 feet or more in length. Any raised platform or decks cannot he higher than the gunnel of the boat. A small electric trolling motor may be used for slow maneuvering. However, trolling as a method of fishing is prohibited. All BLADDER tanks and any other type of AUXILIARY gas tanks that are not installed by the boat manufacturer are prohibited. Additional gas tanks that are factory options and installed by a manufacturer’s authorized dealer are legal. Boats that do not have factory installed gas tanks are restricted to a maximum of 18 gallons of gasoline in tanks that meet U.S. Coast Guard regulations. Gas tasks must be properly secured or strapped in a boat. No "barges" or similar cumbersome craft will be permitted. NO BOAT EQUIPPED WITH "STICK STEERING" SHALL BE PERMITTED TO BE USED DURING THE TOURNAMENT BY ANY COMPETITOR. The definition of "stick steering" shall be made by the Tournament Director.

8. BOAT IDENTIFICATION: Each boat MUST be given prior to each day’s start, an inspection check by a tournament official, also a numbered button which MUST remain in your boat until turned in each day at the check-in. This button must be displayed upon the request of tournament officials, and turned in to the officials at each check-in. (Button information applies to KBF participation, this button will not be used at GCBC monthly tournaments.)

9. BOAT OPERATION AND EXPENSE: A full discussion MUST be held between the two partners prior to a mornIng departure as to the schedule of boat operations. This schedule must permit each partner equal time to fish from the front of the boat and to operate the trolling motor, so as to afford each partner the opportunity to fish his selected waters an equal number of hours. Distance traveled to fishing locations must be considered in order not to deprive either partner fishing time while traveling to and from fishing waters. If a contestant waives the above rights, he shall retain the right to select the fishing waters for one-half the tournament day. Any contestant who, in the judgement of the officials, operates the boat in such a manner as to unfairly handicap his partner shall be disqualified. In view of the large expense involved in operating and maintaining a tournament bass boat, it is suggested that the non boat owner partner at least share cost of gas and oil for the competition day.

10. PERMITTED FISHING LOCATIONS: Tournament waters will be established by the Tournament Director for each tournament. Fishing on the tournament waters is permitted anywhere except: within 50 yards of another competitors boat which was first anchored or secured in a fixed position. No such boat shall permit selected competitors to fish within the 50-yard circle claimed by him, to the exclusion of any other competitor. Any water within boundaries posted Off-Limits or No Fishing by state or federal agencies will be OFF LIMITS. Also, the live-bass release area established by the Tournament Director will be OFF LIMITS and will be announced at the Tournament Briefing. Only that water open to ALL pubic fishing will be considered tournament waters. Any waters closed to public fishing will be closed to this tournament’s contestants All angling must be done from the boat. Competitors wishing to change fish habitat by placing any object in the tournament waters may do so if such action does not violate state or federal regulations.

11. CONTESTANTS MUST REMAIN IN BOAT. Contestants must not depart the boat to land fish or to make the boat more accessible to fishing waters. Boats must remain in tournament waters during tournament days. Contestants must leave and return to official checkpoint by boat. Both competitors must remain in boat at all times except in case of dire emergency. In such an emergency, competitors may be removed from their boat to: A boat operated by other competitors or a rescue boat. Partners must remain together at all times, in sight of each other and each other's catch under the conditions cited above, in order for their catch of that day to be scored in the tournament. If a competitor must violate any of the above conditions (to contact a tournament official by phone or other means or to report an emergency or breakdown), both competitors must cease fishing at this point, and their catch must be verified by a tournament official in order to be counted in the tournament. If after the emergency situation is resolved by the tournament officials and enough time is left for the competitors to resume fishing, a RESTART will be allowed and the competitors will continue and their catch will be counted. This applies only to dire emergency situations. Trailering of boats during tournament hours is prohibited, except by the direction of tournament officials.

12.OFFICIAL CHECKPOINT: There shall be only one official point for check-out in the morning, and check-in in the afternoon and this point shall be designated at the toumannent briefing. At the time of check-out, all competitors and their boats shall be in full conformance with all rules set forth by the Tournament Director; at check-in, all boats shall identify themselves by means of the numbered buttons and proceed immediately to the designated weigh-in area. Partners must stay together and buttons must be turned in at check-in.

13. SCORING: Tournament standing, auxiliary awards and final winners shall be determined by the pound and ounce weight of each competitors catch during the competition days of the tournament. Only Largemouth, Spotted, Red Eye or Smallmouth bass will be weighed. The limit shall be 6 of the above species and varieties per day, unless the state limit is lees than 6,or a special limit is established for a particular tournament by the tournament officials, in which case the state limit, or special limit, shall be the tournament limit. All competitors are bound by the prevailing statutes and regulations of the various states within which they fish. At no time shall a competitor have reduced to possession more than the limits described above. Tournament officials will conduct checks for violation of this provision, and in the event a competitor has reduced more than the above-described limits to possession, we shall cull the largest bass first, down to the limit described. The official length for bass shall be determined by theTournament Director and announced at the Tournament Briefing. In most cases it will be the LONGEST state limit covering the tournament waters. Only bass as described above which measure the official length or more on the longest straight line shall be weighed in. Bass presented for weigh-in which fail to measure the official length shall, accrue penalties at the rate of 1 pound for each such bass. This penalty shall be deducted from the total score of the competitor. Any bass that appears to have been mangled, mashed, mauled or otherwise altered will be weighed and credited only at the discretion of tournament officials. After a competitor checks in at the official checkpoint he MUST present all LEGAL fish in his possession to a toumament official to be counted measured and weighed. His catch must be certified by the signature of his partner of that day. Once a competitors catch is measured, counted and verified by a tournament official, that contestant may not return to his boat until his catch has been weighed and recorded. Weigh-in bags will be furnished by the Tournament Director, and only these bags must be used for the weigh-in.

14. DON’T KILL YOUR CATCH: Each competitor is expected to keep his bass alive by use of a properly aerated livewell.

15. PENALTY POINTS: For each legal dead bass presented to weigh-in officials, the competitor shall be penalized 4 ounces of weight (0.25 lbs), to be deducted from his daily score. The Tournament Director and his designated appointees shall have sole authority for accessing penalty points.

16. LATE PENALTY: Competitors who are not in the official checkpoint area as described in Rule 15 at the appointed time shall be penalized at the rate of 1 pound per minute to be deducted from the total weight of their catch that day. Including any weight to be counted toward a "lunker award", for each one (1) minute he is late. Any competitors more than 15 minutes late shall lose all credit for that days catch. There shall be no excuse for tardiness and in no case shall a competitor be allowed to make up "lost time." After proper recognition at the check-in point, competitors will be allowed ample time to proceed to the weigh-in site; however, all fishing must cease upon check-in. After the tournament begins, fishing the tournament waters is prohibited except during the tournament hours. Exact starting and check-in times will be announced at the Tournament Briefing.

A. In case of a tie for top 4 positions the following tie breakers will be used in order: 1) The individual with the largest number of legal fish weighed in during the competition; 2) the individual wth the largest number of legal LIVE fish weighed in during the competition; 3) The individual with the heaviest single day’s catch during the competition; 4) The individual with the second heaviest single day’s catch during the competition. In the unlikely event that they remain tied after these four tiebreakers are employed. Then a flip of a coin will be used to determine the winner(s) and the money, if any will be equally split. Ties for lesser positions shall be resolved by means selected by the Tournament Director.

B. All ties will be split equally between the places involved:

1st Place tie 1st & 2nd will split money

2nd Place tie 2nd & 3rd will split money

3rd Place tie 3rd & 4th will split money

4th Place tie those 2 individuals will split 4th place money (applies only at GCBC Classic)

18. None of the above rules shall prohibit a properly designated tournament official from approaching or boarding any competitor boat at any time during the competition day.

19. Boats equipped with a single livewell shall be the sole responsibility of the two individuals fishing together to determine proper method of sorting\separating each fisherman’s catch for the day.

20. Monthly tournament and Classic starting position shall be by the Draw method.

21.Fishing partners shall be determined by the Draw.

22.WEIGH-IN: No fish will be weighed until all boats have been trailered. On late arrivals--weigh-in will start upon disqualifications as per time limits. See Rule 16

24. These Tournament rules were adopted by a majority vote of members present at the monthly meeting on November 5, 1997. Any previous rules have been abolished and are no longer to be used.