New York B.A.S.S. Nation Tournament Rules for 2023 approved 3/4/2023)

1. RULE CHANGE:

The following tournament rules will remain unchanged during the calendar year the rules have been adopted except for special tournaments, safety concerns or fish care concerns. These rules are in effect for designated practice day(s), as well as tournament day(s). Interpretation of these rules shall be left exclusively to the Tournament Director. Rules have “loopholes”, however the “spirit of the rule” will apply in all decisions. The decisions of the Tournament Director shall be final in all matters. Any proposed rule changes for tournaments in the next calendar year will be proposed as new business by the Tournament Director at the December Executive Board meeting. Approval of rule changes must be adopted by the conclusion of the Annual spring Board of Directors meeting for tournaments in that calendar year.

2. PARTICIPANTS AND ELIGIBILITY:

The following tournament rules will remain unchanged during the calendar year the rules have been adopted except for special tournaments, safety concerns or fish care concerns. These rules are in effect for designated practice day(s), as well as tournament day(s). Interpretation of these rules shall be left exclusively to the Tournament Director. Rules have “loopholes”, however the “spirit of the rule” will apply in all decisions. The decisions of the Tournament Director shall be final in all matters. Any proposed rule changes for tournaments in the next calendar year will be proposed as new business by the Tournament Director at the December Executive Board meeting. Approval of rule changes must be adopted by the conclusion of the Annual spring Board of Directors meeting for tournaments in that calendar year.

  1. Participation in this tournament is by invitation and open only to members in good standing of the NY B.A.S.S. Chapter Federation.
  2. “In good standing” defined as having shown documentation before early registration deadline that you meet all the membership requirements for the NY B.A.S.S. Chapter Federation.
  3. Fifteen years or older.
  4. Any angler operating a boat during official practice and/or tournament must be eighteen years or older.
  5. Any prospective competitor who is under 18 years of age must submit written permission from their parent or guardian at or before the re-registration.
  6. Proof of age to the satisfaction of the Tournament Director shall be the responsibility of the prospective competitor.
  7. The Tournament Director has the right to refuse entry to any competitor
  8. Any entry form postmarked after the early registration deadline, midnight on the Saturday two weeks prior to the scheduled tournament date, can be assessed a $40 late fee that must be paid at or before the re-registration. The Tournament Director has the authority to waive the late fee if circumstances to do so are warranted.
  9. All anglers must have a properly completed and signed official entry form submitted prior to the end of the re-registration period.
  10. The Tournament Director reserves the right to discontinue acceptance of entry forms prior to the early registration deadline date and reserves the right to extend the acceptance period.
  11. The Tournament Director also reserves the right to limit the number of entry applications.
  12. Any refunds must be requested prior to the early registration deadline for that event; after that, entries will be non-refundable and nontransferable unless approved by the Tournament Director due to emergency circumstances.

3. PRE- TOURNAMENT PRACTICE:

  1. There will be no off-limit days prior to the start of official practice for any NYBCF points events.
  2. There will be an official practice period beginning at safe light on the Thursday before the first day of the tournament.
  3. Official practice period will close at 3 p.m. on the day prior to the tournament. All contestants must be off the water by this time. It is the responsibility of the contestant to know and observe these dates and times.
  4. During the official practice and during the official tournament a competitor may not have the assistance or advice of, nor enter the tournament waters with a professional guide, State or Federal wildlife employee, or any other person deemed a local expert on these tournament waters by the Tournament Director unless they are a contestant in the tournament.
  5. During the official practice days and official tournament days, competitors may not “SKIN DIVE”, “SCUBA DIVE”, swim, use swimming apparatus such as goggles, use underwater cameras or use any mechanical, optical or digital device which allows an angler to view beneath the surface of the tournament waters.FLOGGERS WILL BE ALLOWED (changed March 2022)
  6. Polarized sunglasses without any special digital enhancements i.e. google glasses and commercially
    manufactured sonar/depth finders are allowed.

4. RE-REGISTRATION:

  1. It is every competitor’s responsibility to know when and where re-registration is being held.
  2. If for any reason a competitor is unable to attend the official re-registration period, they must get authorization in advance from the Tournament Director seven days prior to the event date.
  3. FAILURE TO RE-REGISTER IN PERSON DURING THE DESIGNATED REREGISTRATION PERIOD SHALL RESULT IN tournament disqualification.
  4. Any angler that fails to re-register prior to the beginning of the tournament draw will be disqualified.

5. LINKED ENTRIES:

  1. It is the responsibility of tournament competitors to identify their respective linked boater or non-boater partner, before the early registration deadline when submitting their tournament entry forms and again during the re-registration process.
  2. Boaters may only link with non-boaters and non-boaters may only link with boaters.
  3. Boaters and non-boaters who link themselves (evening the field of competitors) and pay their entry fees prior to the early registration deadline will be given priority entry into each tournament they fish in.
  4. By linking, a boating competitor guarantees they will use their boat during competition and the linked non- boater will be guaranteed entry into the event.

6. SPORTSMANSHIP:

  1. Maximum courtesy and sportsmanship must always be practiced, but most especially when boating and angling in the vicinity of non-competitors who may be on the tournament waters.
  2. Any act of a competitor which reflects unfavorably upon the NY B.A.S.S. Chapter Federation’s effort to promote courtesy, safety and conservation may be deemed reason for disqualification.
  3. Use of alcohol or drugs including cannabis (other than those purchased over the counter or prescribed by a licensed physician) by any competitor during the official practice, re- registration or during the official tournament, which includes the weigh-in and awards presentation area, will not be tolerated and shall be cause for immediate disqualification for this and all future tournaments.

7. SAFETY:

  1. Safe boat conduct must always be observed by the tournament competitors.
  2. Each competitor is required to wear a Coast Guard approved chest-type life preserver. The preserver must be snapped, strapped or zipped securely and maintained in that condition any time the combustion engine is running.
  3. Use of inflatable life vest is allowed but U.S. Coast Guard regulations require there be a throwable devise on board for all participants. Life jackets are only useful if you have them on.
  4. Life jackets must be worn for the entire tournament by anglers under the age of eighteen.
  5. The tournament director always has the right to require the use of running lights, and the authority 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.
  6. Tournament waters may also be restricted at any time because of bad weather.  The NY B.A.S.S. Chapter Federation reserves the right to impose boat speed limits at any or all tournaments. Whether or not to impose a speed limit, the area covered by the speed limit and/or the actual speed limit imposed shall be left exclusively to the discretion of the Tournament Director.
  7. IN THE EVENT OF AN EMERGENCY SITUATION, COMPETITORS SHOULD CALL 911 FIRST AND THEN NOTIFY TOURNAMENT OFFICIALS. COMPETITORS ARE ALLOWED TO LEAVE THE BOAT AND SEEK SAFE SHELTER IN BAD WEATHER OR ANYTIME DANGER MAY BE IMMINENT, AT WHICH TIME ALL FISHING MUST CEASE.

8. LICENSE, TACKLE & EQUIPMENT:

  1. By signing the entry form you have stated that you have a current New York State Fishing License and any other license/permit required.
  2. If another state or country license is required, you must produce the proper license at reregistration. If an angler has not produced the required license prior to the send-off, the angler’s catch will be disqualified if they are unable to produce the required license(s) at the time of weigh-in.
  3. Use of grippers for landing bass is prohibited during tournament competition, landing nets are allowed.
  4. Penetrating cull tags of any kind are prohibited. This is inclusive of culling beams and scales with penetrating pins or hooks.
  5. During practice and competition no more than one artificial or biodegradable artificial lure may be attached to a line at one time. One lure is defined as a single manmade device designed to attract and/or catch one fish at a time.
  6. Adding trailer hooks, plastic trailers, blades, etc., to a single lure is acceptable. If multiple fish are caught on a single manmade lure, on a single cast, all fish are considered legal and may be added to the daily catch subject to scoring rules (17).
  7. No “live bait,” “dead bait,” or pork strips or rinds.
  8. Any umbrella-type rigging, harness, or other device designed to hold more than one lure at a time – with or without hooks – is allowed. Such rigging, harness, or device cannot be added to a single lure as described above. Local laws for Lake Champlain and Canadian border waters over ride New York State general laws as they pertain to umbrella rigs.
  9. 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. A hung or snagged lure that is not in or on the water is not considered in use and may be set aside while another is in use. Other rigs as specified above may be in the boat ready for use; however, only ONE is permitted in use at any given time.
  10. If a competitor breaks his line while setting the hook or retrieving a fish, he can try with a rod being used or with his hands to secure the visible line and land the fish for it to be counted as legal. He may NOT hook the line with another lure, rod and reel, or other device.
  11. No competitor may intentionally snag or foul hook a bass to be counted in their daily catch. Anyone guilty of snatching or snagging visible fish will have their catch disqualified.
  12. When visually fishing for bedding bass, to be counted as a legal fish, all bass must be hooked inside the mouth and must be verified by your partner before being unhooked. With the mouth closed naturally, you must not be able to see where the hook point enters the fish to be considered hooked inside the mouth.
  13. Competitors, including those who have been “cut” from competition in an event, can share baits and tackle with one another at any time.

Non-Boaters are to fish from the back deck area only during competition. The non-boater has access to casting outside a 45-degree angle from the center line of the boat and can cast forward as long as the cast is not within that area. Discussion MUST take place between the boater and non-boater as to the use of forward-facing sonar. The boater MUST have a sonar turned on from the console so that the non-boater can have a visual picture of the structure and depth. This sonar has to be operational for the full time of the tournament.

9. BOAT AND MOTOR:

  1. Any boats used during NY B.A.S.S. Chapter Federation events must be properly insured. During the official practice and competition days, no competitor may operate a boat unless that contestant has documented proof of a minimum of $300,000 per occurrence boating liability insurance that covers both the operator and the boat being used in the tournament. Proof of insurance must always be kept in the boat being used. Random checks will be conducted and any competitor who cannot provide proof of valid insurance with $300,000 coverage will be disqualified. Acceptance of this proof is by the decision of the tournament director.
  2. All boats must be equipped with some type of operable ignition kill switch device that must disconnect causing the engine to shut off anytime the operator leaves the operating position. Violation of this rule during the official practice or tournament days will result in disqualification.
  3. Fishing boats may be used that are 17 feet or more in length.
  4. An electric trolling motor may be used for slow maneuvering; however, trolling as a means of fishing is prohibited.
  5. No barges or similar cumbersome craft will be permitted. No boat equipped with “stick steering” shall be permitted for use on the official practice or tournament days by any competitor. The definition of stick steering shall be made by the Tournament Director.
  6. Bladder type and/or auxiliary gas tanks and cans are specifically not allowed, only tanks that were originally factory installed and/or dealer installed as permanent equipment are allowed.

No other gas may be stored onboard for use during a tournament.

10. HORSEPOWER REGULATIONS:

  1. The minimum horsepower for all outboard motors used in competition will be 90 HP.
  2. The maximum horsepower for all outboards used in competition will be 250 HP and must not exceed the horsepower limitations set by the U.S. Coast Guard rating plate.
  3. When required, each boat must have a U.S. Coast Guard horsepower rating plate attached to the boat by the manufacturer.
  4. Each competitor agrees, by their signature on the entry form, to submit the boat and outboard motor used in a tournament to an inspection by factory trained personnel.
  5. Normal maintenance to increase the performance of your engine is allowed.
  6. Changing or altering standard factory parts of your motor to increase the horsepower rating, falsifying information on the entry form, or altering the horsepower rating plate or numbers is forbidden, and will result in disqualification.

11. BASIC BOAT EQUIPMENT:

  1. Every boat must have all required Coast Guard safety equipment.
  2. Every boat must have a functional bilge pump
  3. Every boat must have a properly aerated live well with space to adequately maintain a live limit catch of bass by both anglers using the boat. The Tournament Director shall have sole responsibility for determining whether aeration capacity is “proper and adequate”.
  4. Boaters must make a back seat available for nonboaters each competition day.

12. BOAT IDENTIFICATION:

  1. Each boat will be given a flight and position # at the briefing following registration.
  2. Boaters will use the identification specified by the Tournament Committee until they are checked in by the timekeeper and have reported to the weigh-in area at the end of the tournament.

13. BOAT OPERATION AND EXPENSE:

  1. It shall be the responsibility of the pair to agree on sharing boat operational expenses prior to the send off, which should also include any additional expenses such as lock fees and launch fees.
  2. Additional fees are the responsibility of the anglers unless otherwise noted.
  3. Boaters will fish from the front boat deck and have the option to select the waters fished,
  4. non-boaters will always fish from the rear deck.
  5. Nonboaters may drive the boat to assist with the loading or unloading process, or in the event of anemergency

14. PERMITTED FISHING LOCATION:

  1. Tournament waters shall be established by the Tournament Director for each tournament.
  2. Only that water open to all public fishing will be considered tournament waters. It is the responsibility of each competitor to obtain this information.
  3. Unless otherwise stipulated in the re-registration briefing, fishing on tournament waters is permitted anywhere except within a 25-yard radius of a marina gas pump or within the area designated as too close to the weigh-in site.
  4. All angling must be done from the boat.
  5. Competitors wishing to change fish habitat by placing an object in the tournament waters may do so if such action does not violate local, State or Federal regulations.

15. COMPETITORS MUST STAY IN THE BOAT:

  1. Competitors must always remain in the boat except in the case of an emergency.
  2. In such an emergency, contestants must stay within sight of each other and their catch, to the extent the emergency permits.
  3. Under no circumstances should a competitor ever leave the boat to land a fish.
  4. Boats must remain in tournament waters during tournament hours.
  5. Contestants must leave and return to the official checkpoint by boat.
  6. Trailering of boats during the tournament hours is prohibited, except at the direction of the Tournament Director.
  7. Competitors may move from their boat to that of another competitor, or to a rescue boat designated by the Tournament Director. All fishing must cease until both contestants are back in an authorized boat.
  8. In the event of a needed restroom break, contestants can leave the boat at which time all fishing must cease until partners are back together in the boat.

16. OFFICIAL CHECKPOINT:

  1. There shall be only one official checkpoint for the sendoff in the morning and weigh-in in the afternoon. This checkpoint shall be designated at the re- registration tournament briefing.
  2. At the time of the sendoff, all competitors and their boats shall be in full conformance with the rules set forth by the Tournament Director.
  3. At weigh-in, all boats shall IDENTIFY THEMSELVES TO THE TIMEKEEPER and proceed immediately to the weigh-in area.
  4. PARTNERS MUST STAY TOGETHER AND CHECK IN WITH TOURNAMENT OFFICIALS, EVEN IF NEITHER HAVE FISH TO BE WEIGHED.

17. SCORING:

  1. Tournament standings, auxiliary awards and final winners will be determined by the weight of each competitor’s catch during the tournament.
  2. Only largemouth and small mouth bass will be weighed.
  3. Limit shall be a total of 5 largemouth or smallmouth bass per day.
  4. All competitors are bound by the prevailing statues and regulations of New York State.
  5. If a sixth fish comes to the scales, the catch will be made into a legal limit by removing the largest fish from the catch and an additional 2-pound penalty will be assessed to the remaining total weight.
  6. Culling a dead fish during a tournament shall be reason for disqualification.
  7. The official length for the bass shall be the state limit for the water being fished.
  8. All bass will be measured with their mouth closed and only bass that measure the official length or more on the straight line will be weighed in.
  9. Each bass presented for weigh-in that fails to measure the official length will not be weighed in as part of the competitor’s catch, plus each fish under the official length will accrue a ONE POUND penalty per fish. This penalty shall be deducted from the total weight of the competitor. Any bass that appears to have been mangled, mashed, mauled or otherwise altered will be weighed and credited at the discretion of the Tournament Director. Each competitor must present their catch to the weigh-in officials and the weight of their catch must be certified by their signature.
  10. Bass must not be stringered at any time during the tournament.
  11. Anglers who do not remove fin clips prior to weigh in verification will be assessed a 4-ounce penalty per clip.
  12. Specifically designed bags, which increase survival rates will be furnished by the Tournament Director. Only these bags will be used for weigh in.

18. DON’T KILL YOUR CATCH:

  1. Each competitor is expected to keep their bass alive using a properly aerated live well.
  2. For each dead bass presented to the weigh-in officials, the competitor shall be penalized .50 pounds of weight, to be deducted from that fish.
  3. If you choose to keep a lunker for mounting, it is considered a dead fish and there will be a .50-pound penalty assessed on that lunker weight as well as the total weight of your catch.
  4. The Tournament Director and their designated appointees shall have the sole authority for assessing penalties.

19. LATE PENALTY:

  1. Competitors who are not at the official checkpoint area as described in RULE #16, at their appointed time shall be penalized at the rate of ONE POUND PER MINUTE to be deducted from the total weight of their catch for that day, including any weight to be counted toward a lunker award.
  2. After fifteen minutes from the time a boat was due to check in, the anglers will be disqualified from the tournament and no weight will be recorded. We will not issue negative weight.
  3. There shall be NO EXCUSES FOR LATENESS, and in no case shall a competitor be allowed to make up lost time.
  4. After proper recognition at the check-in point, competitors will be given ample time to proceed to the weigh-in site.
  5. ALL FISHING MUST CEASE UPON CHECK-IN.
  6. Exact hours for starting and weigh-in times will be announced at the pre-tournament briefing.

20. TIES:

  1. Ties at all points tournaments split the dollars and the points except for first place.
  2. First place will be determined by a one-hour fish off to break the tie.
  3. Overall ties for determining placement on the state team only, will be determined by the alternate tracking system. If the tie is for points, the higher weight will have the higher placing. If the tie is for weight, the higher points will have the higher placing.

21. PAIRING OF COMPETITORS:

  1. Will be determined by a computer draw.
  2. If for any reason use of the computer is not available, the pairing will be determined by a manual draw. Two contestants will be assigned to each boat.
  3. Announcement of your partner shall be at the pre- tournament briefing, which MUST BE ATTENDED by each competitor, unless prior arrangements have been made with the Tournament Director.
  4. It is the responsibility of each partner to appear at a mutually agreed upon location and allow enough time to be at the official sendoff area. It is suggested that a MINIMUM OF 60 MINUTES be allowed prior to the first sendoff time.
  5. The Tournament Committee is NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR FINDING MISSING PARTNERS!
  6. A competitor must not allow any bass caught by them to be counted on the score of another competitor. In such a case, both competitors shall be disqualified from this tournament and all future tournaments conducted by the NYS B.A.S.S. Nation.
  7. Non-linked boaters will be put into the draw and will all be partnered with a nonboater. An equal number of linked boaters will be removed from the draw and then put in the tournament as fishing alone. The linked boaters will be selected in order of registration.
  8. Boat starting position will be determined once the draw is complete.
  9. Boaters fishing alone must wear their life vest for the entire day from takeoff to return. They must also call in to the shore Event Marshal between 11 am and 11:30 am to confirm they are OK. See tournament policies (21.) for additional information on this rule.
  10. An individual NOT attending any preregistered tournament is required to contact the tournament director through phone call, voicemail or text and give reason for their absence.
  11. An unexplained absence from a preregistered tournament will result in an exclusion from the next tournament.
  12. If the unexplained absence occurs at the last tournament of the year, the exclusion will occur at the first tournament of the following season.

22. TOURNAMENT OFFICIALS:

  1. Tournament officials under the direction of the tournament director are permitted to approach or board any boat of any competitor at any time during the official practice or tournament days.

23. VIOLATION:

  1. Possible violations should be REPORTED IMMEDIATELY to the TOURNAMENT DIRECTOR at the weigh-in or WITHIN 15 MINUTES of the completed weigh-in when scales have been officially closed.
  2. It is not necessary to submit a written report or protest.
  3. Each competitor agrees to report any violations or infractions of the tournament rules within the allotted time period.
  4. FAILURE TO REPORT VIOLATIONS or suggestions to violate these rules or FALSE VERIFICATION of weigh in slips or the official entry form will be cause for DISQUALIFICATION.
  5. EACH COMPETITOR AGREES TO SUBMIT, BY THEIR SIGNATURE ON THE ENTRY FORM, TO A POLYGRAPH TEST SHOULD THEY BE ACCUSED OF ANY VIOLATION.
  6. The administration and interpretation of the polygraph test shall be solely the responsibility of the Tournament Director and their agents.

24. COMMUNICATION DEVICES:

  1. The use of communication devices is forbidden during official tournament hours except, in the case of an emergency, to contact a tournament official or communicate with a lock attendant.

25. SEPARATE POOLS:

  1. Separate pools may be conducted at all points tournaments. See tournament policies (25.) for additional information on separate pools.

27. CLUB TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP:

All the above rules shall be followed for the CTC except for the ones stated below, or any additional rules that may become necessary which will be listed on the CTC packets distributed to all clubs.

  1. Effective as of the 2004 Club Team Championship to qualify for the CTC all anglers on the team and the club must be members in good standing and meet all the guidelines of the NYS B.A.S.S. Chapter Federation in the qualifying year, on or before September 1st of the qualifying year, as well as the CTC Tournament year.
  2. Each team angler will be fishing for a 5-fish limit for their individual weight for each tournament day. The club team total weight will be the sum of each team members individual weight over the two tournament days of fishing.
  3. In the event of a team tie with the top two CTC teams in total weight the following tie breakers will be used in this order:
    1. The team with the largest number of legal FISH weighed in during the competition;
    2. The team with the largest number of legal LIVE fish weighed in during the competition;
    3. The team with the heaviest single day catch during the competition.
D Effective for the 2023 CTC event, one team made up from the members of the NONE club can form one CTC team. Selection of the team will be done by the team captain (boat #1) which must be approved by the Tournament Director. Team members must have been registered in 2022 and selected from the 2022 Angler of the Year for both boaters and non-boaters.

All monetary prizes for first and second place will be equally shared.

Boat control for the CTC shall be one half the available fishing time to each competitor. A discussion of fishing locations and boat control must be made before launch in the morning each day. The rule is that the boater can choose which half of the day to fish from the front of the boat and the location, either first half or second half. The non-boater then takes the remaining half. Operation of the outboard is exclusive to the boat owner who is responsible to move the boat at reasonable speed to the partner’s fishing location. Each angler will fish from the front deck during their half of the day and has the option to fish alone or allow the other angler to fish from the front deck. The definition of half day is as follows. Half of the allotted fishing time from the point of takeoff. Each angler’s half starts and ends at the point of takeoff unless each angler’s fishing area is within proximity (5 miles or less) in one direction from the takeoff point. Travel time between the locations will be evenly split in this instance.

Rules approved and updated 03/15/2025

Tournament Policies:

Rule 1. (Rule change)

The Tournament Director can consult with the Tournament Advisory Board for rule interpretations and forapplying any conditions which are the result of those interpretations.

Rule 2. (Participants and eligibility)

Notice of changes to late fees or receiving tournament applications will be made by the Tournament Director on the NYBCF Website Forum, on the NYBCF Facebook page and by email notification to club contacts. Registration forms must be filled out completely. This includes proper address, home and cell phone numbers, email account, emergency contact information and social security number and all other information requested. It is the responsibility of the angler to have filled out the form completely. A form missing this information will not be considered entered until completed and may affect tournament draw positions. The Tournament Director has NO RESPONSIBILITY to inform an angler of an incomplete form until re-registration at which time, the angler must provide missing information before the end of the re-registration period. If information is not filled out completely at the end of re-registration, the angler will be disqualified from the event without refund of entry. The registration form is being changed. Any forms received by April 2014 using the older style form will be reviewed and on a one-time basis, any missing information will be requested by the Tournament Director without penalty. Payment is by check which must be included with the form. A credit card payment option will be available with separate instructions on how to use it and the application requirements.

All entries must be made using the approved NY BASS Nation current year entry form. This form along with a check or money order made payable to NYBCF must be mailed to the Tournament Director at the address listed on the form. Date of receipt by the Tournament Director NOT post date is the date used in determining order placement. Postmark is used to determine if late fees should be applied. Any late fees must be paid at re-registration if not included in payment. If a late fee needs to be assessed, the Tournament Director will send one notification by email.

Entry fees paid by credit card: Angler must fill out the entry form and indicate payment by credit card. There is a surcharge handling fee that the angler must pay when using a credit card. The angler must fill out the approved NYBCF current year entry form. Once completed, the angler goes to the NYBCF webpage and logs onto the M&T bank logo. Follow the instructions to make the payment. Once the payment is made, the angler can either mail the entry to the Tournament Director or make a PDF copy of the entry form an email it to the Tournament Director at [email protected] . Time and date of payment will be used to determine any late fee assessment. Any late fees must be paid at reregistration if not included in payment. For Tournament draw purposes, date of the receipt of the Tournament Application AND completed payment will be the receipt date of all entries.

Credit Card Payment Cutoff: No entries will be accepted by credit card payment after 5 pm on the Tuesday prior to the event. All entries will be at the discretion of the Tournament Director as of two weeks prior to the event (beginning of late entry fee penalty). Any special considerations or waiving of penalties will be announced publicly by the tournament director.

Refunds: A refund of a tournament entry will be made only if withdrawal is made prior to the start of official practice. Refunds will be paid by check within one week after the conclusion of the event. Once the tournament practice and tournament have begun, it will be the decision of the Tournament Director with advice from the Tournament Advisory Board if a refund should be made. Equipment failure, impending weather or partner draw during this time is not cause for a refund.

Rule 3. (Pre-tournament practice)

Rule 4. (Re-Registration)

Notice of absence from re-registration must be made to the Tournament Director at least 24 hours prior to the official start of the re-registration. All competitors who have not made such arrangements must appear during the posted re-registration times. Any competitor not in line at the posted re-registration times is considered late and will be assessed the penalty described. The Tournament Director will give a ten minute and a five-minute announcement of the close of re-registration. Once closed, any angler who did not make prior arrangements or who failed to attend the re-registration will be disqualified per rule 4. All anglers must be present for partner draw

Rule 5. (Linked entries)

Rule 6. (Sportsmanship)

Rule 7. (Safety)

The Tournament Director will consult with members of the Tournament Advisory Board with regards to on the water conditions to include having TAB members make on water inspections of conditions and to report their findings to the Tournament Director. Once a tournament has commenced, the decisions of safety are the combined responsibility of both the boater and non-boater. This is to include such concerns as speed for conditions and cover from extreme weather such as storms, lightning and wind. Tournament Director has exclusive responsibility to delay and or cancel an event due to weather conditions. Guidelines for visibility are that the Tournament Director can safely and clearly see objects at least one mile
distant.

It is strongly urged that all competitors take an approved Coast Guard safe boating course and possess a completion card.

Rule 8. (License, Tackle & Equipment)

Rule 10. (Horsepower regulations)

Rule 11. (Basic boat equipment)

Rule 12. (Boat identification)

Anglers are asked to please return boat identification numbers at the weigh in. A bucket will be placed near the weigh in station for return of the numbers.

Rule 13. (Boat operation and expense)

Rule 14. (Permitted fishing location)

License Requirements and Off Limits/Out of Bounds: The Tournament Director will determine off-limits areas and any license requirements when the tournament schedule is established. If a body of water not within the boundaries of New York state which requires purchase of an additional license(s), ALL contestants both boater and non-boater will be required to purchase and possess the required documents. Out of bounds areas will be clearly described and will be reviewed at the re-registration. Out of bounds areas will be determined based on legal requirements, safety concerns or public postings such as marinas. In all cases, the launch area of the event will be out of bounds. It is the responsibility of each contestant to know and understand all the Fishing Rules and Regulations for the bodies of water that are open for fishing. This includes not only New York State Fishing Regulations but also any adjoining state regulations, Canadian provincial regulations and all Coast Guard and Border Patrol rules and regulations. A listing of off-limits or out of bounds areas will be posted on the NYCF Website along with any other pertinent information. All tournament information will be repeated just prior to the tournament draw announcement.

Rule 15. (Competitors must stay in the boat)

Scales will be available for weigh in two hours prior to the first flight arrival time. No fish will be weighed prior to that point in time unless there is a severe weather-related safety concern. Once a boat is checked in, it cannot return to the body of water and all fishing for the two contestants is completed. The agreement to return to check in before the appointed time for that boat must be a jointly agreed upon decision between boater and non-boater. Any pressure or collusion to check in prior to the appointed time will be considered unsportsmanlike conduct.

Rule 16. (Official checkpoint)

Rule 17. (Scoring) 

In the event of scale breakdown, the backup scales will be used. The Tournament Director will oversee the changeover and will verify with the weighmaster that the replacement scales are performing correctly. If both digital scales are not useable, the manual dial scales will be used. Every attempt will be made to use the digital printout for weight slips. If there is an issue with the printer, manual weight slips will be issued. No catches will be re-weighed if a scale is replaced. If an angler thinks that the weight is not correct, they must request an immediate re-weigh before leaving the scales. Scales will be re-calibrated, and fish re-weighed. Once an angler has left the immediate area of the scales, their weight is locked and will not be changed.

Rule 18. (Don’t kill your catch)

All competitors are expected to possess and know how to use a “fizz kit” to relieve barometric bloating of a fish’s air bladder.  Each angler is responsible for fizzing their own fish. If fish are presented to the scales that have obvious barometric issues such as bloated belly, internal organs protruding from the mouth, or gill or eye discoloration, the angler will be directed to a secondary tank where a tournament official will observe the angler properly fizzing those fish. The fizzed fish for weigh in will be held in the observation tank for five minutes before weighing. If in the determination of the Tournament Director, the fish do not appear alive, the appropriate penalty will be assessed. It is recommended in warm weather tournaments anglers have extra ice on the boat for the purpose of fish care. It is recommended competitors keep all bass in live wells during the culling process. Placing bass on the boat carpet during culling is not advised. Small dip nets for culling purposes are encouraged.

Rule 19. (Late penalty)

The Tournament Director will make a public announcement five (5) minutes prior to closing the scales and again at the two (2) minute point. The Tournament Director will at the announced closing of the scales ask one more time for any presentation of fish to the scales and will then close the scales.

Rule 20. (Ties)

Rule 21. (Pairing of competitors)

Linked entries will be given priority listing for partner draw. Non-linked entries will be included in the partner draw. If there are excess non-boaters, every attempt will be made to allow a non-boater to use their boat in order to balance the field. The tournament director will ask for volunteer “boaters” from the entire non-boater field. The tournament director will randomly select from the available non- boater volunteer “boaters”, the necessary number of anglers needed to level the field. In this event those anglers will be allowed the use of their boats and will fish from the front deck. Both non-boater pairings will remain in the non-boater scoring and awards. When all attempts to balance the field have left un-paired non-boaters, the determining factor on refund of entry will be based on latest date of entry received.  

In the pro-am style events, the draw will be completely random with no regard for club affiliation and no adjustments will be made to the draw based on club affiliation.

For the CTC, each club will be allowed to fish with their own six-man team for both days of the CTC event. There will be a random draw prior to both tournament days by the Tournament Director to decide pairings of boaters and non-boaters amongst each respective team only.  

Draw position adjustments will be made for Fish care, Weighmaster and Tournament Director to be in the first flight. This is so that they can return, weigh their fish and assume their responsibilities as quickly as possible. 

If after the tournament draw has been announced and completed, a competitor must withdraw from the event due to personal illness, injury or a serious family issue involving an immediate family member defined as a parent, a spouse, or a child, the Tournament Director will follow this protocol:

Non –boater withdrawal:

  1. If an observer is available, replace the non-boater with an observer.
  2. If no observer is available but there is a non-boater observer in the field, that observer will be thanked and relieved and a boater-boater pairing will be made using previously listed guidelines for such a pairing.
  3. If there is no observer-based option available, then the non-boater from the boat of the first boater who registered for the event will be placed in the boat where the nonboater had to withdraw and the first boater who registered for the event will be allowed to fish alone.   This would be a rare exception but could happen.

In the event a boater fishes alone, they will be required to:

  1. Wear an approved life vest all day.
  2. Call in to the tournament director or designated event marshal and speak directly to that individual between 11:00 am and 11:30 am to confirm that they are safe.
  3. If a phone call connection does not go through, the go alone boater must attempt to text the tournament director or designated event marshal between 11:00 am and 11:30 am to confirm they are safe.
  4. Violation of these policies can result in disqualification from tournament. Tournament director has final say in this ruling.

Boater withdrawal:  Equipment failure is not grounds for withdrawal:

  1. Based on the above guidelines if a boater withdraws and an observer was placed in the field, the non boater left without pairing will replace the observer.
  2. If there is no observer in the field and the field is full, the Tournament Director will make every good faith effort to implement a satisfactory solution that allows the displaced nonboater to fish in the event.
  3. If there is no option and no available boat to use the non-boater will be offered a full refund of entry fees only.

Rule 22. (Tournament officials)

Rule 23. (Violation)

Rule 24. (Communication devices)

Communications devices including smart phones and advanced sonar units can be used to obtain weather data. No co-angler may use GPS capabilities of their communications device to record waypoints. Cell phone numbers including area code must be filled out on the tournament application in case Tournament Officials need to contact an individual during tournament hours.

Rule 25. (Separate pools)

  1. Lunker Pool- Each angler will be assessed a fee for the lunker pool as part of their entry fee. Ten percent (10%) of the lunker pool money will be collected from all points tournaments during the season and paid to the angler who weighed in the lunker of the year from those points tournaments.
  2. Over 50 anglers pool will be offered at the re-registration meeting. Money collected will be paid to the angler with the highest weight, boater or non-boater in the event.
  3. A 50-50 raffle will be offered at the re-registration meeting and the drawing will be done before the pairing announcement.

Rule 26. (Award presentation)

You are not required to be present to accept your award however, if an angler is not present to receive their check a $10 surcharge will be assessed and deducted from the payout amount to cover the costs to mail the check to the competitor. If an angler receives a plaque in addition to a check and is not present to receive their awards, an additional $20 surcharge will be assessed and deducted from the payout amount to cover the costs to mail the check and plaque to the competitor. Tournament Director can waive these fees if notified at reregistration of conditions such as employment that require an angler to leave before the awards presentation. A list of anglers leaving will be provided to the Treasurer after the reregistration. You must be present in order to receive any participation packages or goody bags you may be awarded.

Rule 27. (Club team championship)

Any angler intending to participate in the CTC must have their membership application to BASS Nation and NYBCF submitted and paid by September 1st of the CTC qualifying year and must be a current year member of BASS Nation and NY BASS Nation by July 1st of the tournament year. Equipment Failure: If a boater cannot present their registered vessel for use in the tournament, they must immediately inform the Tournament Director. An alternate boat can be used by that boating angler provided that the proper insurance is in effect. A boat can be used with only trolling motor capability.

BASS Nation and Regional Championship Tournament Qualifications:

  • Effective with the 2023 season (2024 qualifying), B.A.S.S. will initiate new qualifying process for both automatic entry into the BASS Nation championship and the four Regional Championships to qualify for
    the BASS Nation Championship and the three Bassmaster Classic positions available to the BASS Nation.
Define the sources to be used eg AOY CTC

All agreed that anglers from AOY and the individual top anglers from the CTC be selected.  CTC boater vs non-boater will be determined by how they are entered into the tournament.

Define positions to fill direct entry into the BASS Nation Championship.

The number of boaters and non-boaters will be determined based on 2023 membership and will be communicated to the President. Direct to BNC will depend on the number of boaters and non boaters we are allowed each year based on membership.

In that group shall include the top individual boater and non boater from the CTC and the remainder from the AOY. Backfill to fill withdrawals from which ever group the angler came from.

Define positions to fill the ten boater and ten non-boater preferred entry into the Regional qualifier.

This group will consist of eight(8) from AOY and two(2) from CTC Again any backfill will come from which ever group the withdrawing angler came from The entire 10 boater/10 non boater preferred anglers will be set so that no slots are left empty

Define qualified angler for filling remaining openings in Regional qualifier.

Qualified angler is defined as AOY anglers both boater and non boater that fished three events plus the anglers that competed and weighed fish both days in the CTC.

End of year Awards:

Angler of the Year – Will be determined by standings in each division from the points tournaments total points only.

Lunker of the Year – Largest bass weighed in each division from points tournaments.

Most Improved Angler – In each division, the angler who has the largest change in position higher than the previous year. In both years, the angler must have participated
in at least one points event and weighed at least one fish in total in both years.

Rookie of the Year – In each division, the highest finishing angler by angler of the year position who in the previous seven years had never participated in a points event in either division.  Switching between divisions counts as participation within the seven years.

Tournament policies approved and updated 03/15/2025