WINTER HAVEN LUNKER LOVERS TOURNAMENT PROCEDURES
1. The tournament entry fee for a one-day tournament will be $25 and the tournament entry fee for a two-day tournament will be $35. The tournament payback will be calculated at 75% of the tournament entry fee. An additional charge of $5 per contestant will also apply. Of this additional charge, $1 will be for big bass for the year, $1 will be for the classic tournament payback and $3 will go to the Club treasury. Thus, the full tournament entry fee is $30 for a one-day tournament and $40 for a two-day tournament.
2. Members may elect to contribute $5 per day to a big bass pot. For two-day tournaments, there will be a separate big bass pot for each day. One hundred percent (100%) of the big bass pot will be paid. Seventy percent (70%) of the big bass pot will be awarded for the largest bass weighed-in by a member who has contributed to the big bass pot. Thirty percent (30%) of the big bass pot will be awarded for the second-largest bass weighed-in by a member who has contributed to the big bass pot. For determining the weights of the largest and second-largest bass, the dead fish penalty shall not be applied. Should no member who has contributed to the big bass pot weigh a fish for the second-largest bass, all the big bass pot will be awarded for the largest bass.
3. No pair of members will fish together for more than one monthly tournament per year, unless no other reasonable option is available in order that all members may fish. The decision of the tournament committee is final.
4. All members are expected to get in the draw and pay their entry fees at the draw meeting. A member is allowed to enter a tournament late no more than twice a year. This provision is to be used only in situations where the member could not reasonably know if he could fish the tournament or is otherwise unavoidably prevented from getting in the draw! Members may contact any officer or other member to ask to be put in the draw in situations where they cannot attend the draw meeting. The member must contact the tournament director by Friday, midnight, to enter one-day tournaments late or Thursday, midnight, to enter two-day tournaments late. Late entries will be paired in the order received by the Tournament Director. In situations where there are insufficient boaters to pair with all noboaters, the tournament director may solicit boater members not in the draw to pair with noboaters. Boater members who agree to fish under these circumstances will not be considered to have entered late and will not pay a late-entry penalty.
5. Should there be insufficient boaters to pair with noboaters in the draw for a tournament; noboaters not paired may fish with a boater observer who is not a club member. Such a boater observer must be approved by the Tournament Committee and he or she will not be a contestant in the tournament.
6. Once pairings are announced at a draw meeting, a member who enters the draw as a noboater may not change to a boater status except in situations where such a change is necessary in order to have sufficient boats for all noboaters entered in the tournament. Any such change from noboater to boater status will be at the request of the tournament director.
7. A member who fishes a tournament but does not pay the entry fee at or before the draw meeting will pay an additional $10. This amount will be placed in the treasury and not be included in the tournament pot.
(a) All entry fees must be paid prior to takeoff for a tournament. It is the responsibility of the member to seek out the treasurer and pay.
(b) All debts to the Club must be paid in full prior to a member competing in a tournament.
(c) A member who has not paid the tournament entry fee or who has other debts to the Club will not be allowed to compete in a tournament.
(d) The treasurer will certify to the tournament director that all members competing in a tournament have paid the entry fee and have no debts to the Club prior to takeoff for a tournament.
8. Guests are not allowed in tournaments.
9. A member entered in a one-day tournament who cannot fish the tournament must contact the tournament director by Friday, midnight, before the tournament. A member entered in a two-day tournament who cannot fish on one day or both days of the tournament must contact the tournament director by Thursday, midnight, before the tournament. The tournament entry fee is forfeited. Members who do not cancel properly, as defined in this paragraph, shall pay an additional one-day entry fee as penalty before fishing another tournament. However, the officers of the club may review any situation where a member does not cancel properly and waive the penalty upon a majority vote of the officers.
10. Members may fish one day of a two-day tournament, but the full entry fee must be paid.
11. Each boater must carry a minimum of $300,000 liability insurance on his boat. Proof of insurance must be furnished before fishing any tournament.
12. Plaques/tags for tournament winners will be presented at the first meeting following a tournament. Checks for tournament winners will be distributed at the tournament weigh-in site the day of the tournament. The Club will furnish tags. Members desiring plaques will pay for them from tournament winnings. Winners who cannot attend the first meeting following a tournament may arrange with the treasurer to receive the check by mail or other means after the first meeting following the tournament.
13. The tournament committee will define the waters on which each tournament will be fished and inform all contestants. Generally, contestants will be allowed to fish on any waters covered by the tournament permit. However, waters which require a special permit, such as game management areas, will be off limits. The tournament committee may adopt additional restrictions.
14. The tournament director or his/her designee(s) will ensure that the actions indicated below are taken at each tournament prior to takeoff. In addition, the status of any contestant not present at weigh-in will be determined and appropriate action taken to locate them, ensure their safety and offer any assistance necessary.
1. An attempt will be made to contact any member entered in the tournament who is not present.
2. The treasurer, or his/her designee, will be consulted to ensure that all contestants in the tournament have paid the entry fee and have no outstanding debts to the club.
3. The official time for the tournament will be announced.
4. The weigh-in site will be announced along with where the contestants must be at weigh-in time in order to not be considered late.
5. A timekeeper will be selected and will have the duty of identifying any contestant who is late for weigh-in and establishing the number of minutes the contestant is late.
6. Any off-limits waters that could be reached by boat from the takeoff site will be announced.
7. Boat checks will be conducted as appropriate.
15. Each club member may designate one member with whom they will not fish. Within a club year, a member may exercise this option only once and may not subsequently change the person with whom they will not fish. The member exercising this option may void the action at any time but cannot again exercise the option within that club year. The member who wishes to use this procedure will inform the tournament director of the member with whom he/she does not wish to fish. The tournament director will consider this information as confidential and share it only with other members whose function in the process of drawing partners necessitates such knowledge. The tournament director will ensure that the process of selecting partners precludes the undesired pairing.
Latest Revision 11/17/2009