Last Revision: March 5, 2014
ARTICLE # 1: AREA AND ADDRESS
1.1- AREA
This chapter shall be called the Virginia B.A.S.S. Nation Region 6. This region includes the counties of Powhatan, Cumberland, Prince George, Amelia, Surry, Dinwiddie, Nottoway, Prince Edward, Sussex, Lunenburg, Charlotte, Greensville, Brunswick, and Mecklenburg, and the cities within them and the areas of Colonial Heights, Matoaca, and Enon in Chesterfield County.
1.2- PRINCIPLE ADDRESS
The principle address for Region 6 shall be that of the Region Director.
ARTICLE # 2: PURPOSE
2.1- PURPOSE
Region Six is established to preserve and promote the sport of angling for largemouth and small mouth bass, to introduce youth to the sport of fishing, and to support the local, state and national agencies which conserve and manage fresh water sport fishing.
ARTICLE # 3: CHAPTERS AND BUSINESS MEETINGS
3.1- CHAPTERS
(a) The chapters of Region 6 will be members of B.A.S.S. Federation Nation.
(b) The business meetings of the Region 6 shall be convened at a site selected by the director and held as needed and necessary for maintaining and running the region. The Region Director may hold these meetings telephonically in an effort to reduce travel cost for club presidents and other region members.
ARTICLE # 4: OFFICERS, ELECTIONS, VACANCIES, AND ELIGIBILITY
4.1- OFFICERS
(a) REGION DIRECTOR
Region Director will be responsible for representing Region 6 at state meetings. Region Director will organize and preside over all region meetings and direct all official region business. The director will appoint and be involved in all committees and supervise all functions region functions. When neither the director nor the assistant director can attend a region function, the Region Director will designate who will serve as the Acting Director for the event.
(b) ASSISTANT DIRECTOR
Assistant Director will represent Region 6 whenever director is unable to attend the state meetings. The Assistant director will work directly with the director in organizing meetings or any other region functions. In the absence of the director, the assistant director will serve as the director for the event or meeting.
(c) SECRETARY/TREASURER
Secretary/Treasurer will be responsible for taking minutes at all Region 6 meetings and keep record of minutes. The Secretary/ Treasurer will also keep records of all money collected at tournaments and distribution of money at tournaments. Additionally the Secretary/ Treasurer duties shall be to keep and maintain the official copy of the Club By-Laws and membership roster, maintain contact between the Region and the State and National Federation affiliates, and accurately record minutes of all meetings. At a minimum those minutes will consist of notes of all region business, votes, and new members. He/ she will report those minutes at the region meetings. The secretary shall work with and keep the officers and members informed of information that affects the region. He/ she will collect and disburse region funds, maintain an accurate accounting of region funds and to regularly report region financial status.
(d) YOUTH CORDINATOR
Youth Director will be responsible for organizing Region 6 youth events and working with State Youth Director when events are held for Region 6.
(e) TOURNAMENT DIRECTOR
Tournament Director will be responsible for organizing Region 6 tournaments and working with the tournament committee to run tournaments. Additionally, he/ she is responsible for the planning, organization and administration of all region tournaments.
4.2- ELECTIONS
Election of officers will be held bi-annually during the last meeting of the term.
4.3- VOTING
Each club will have one vote. Proxy votes are not permitted unless allowed under special needs or circumstances.
4.4- TERM OF OFFICE
(a) Terms of office will be 2 years. Office can be held only two consecutive terms.
(b) Terms of office will be from 1 December through 30 November.
(c) Term lengths may only be increased by unanimous consent of the all the region officers and club presidents
4.5- VACANCIES
In the event of an office becoming vacant, nominations shall be asked for and an election held to fill the unexpired term of the individual vacating the office. State BA.S.S. Federation Nation shall be notified immediately of the change of officers.
4.6- ELIGIBILITY FOR HOLDING OFFICE
(a) To be eligible for an office a member must:
(1) have been a member of this region for twelve months. (12 month requirement waived during first 12 months of chapter existence.)
(2) have attended at least 75% of the chapter meetings and 75% of chapter functions during the previous 12 month period.
(3) have shown an active interest in all chapter functions.
(4) maintain current B.A.S.S. and Bass Federation Nation memberships.
(b) These requirements cannot be waived without unanimous consent of all the region officers and club presidents
ARTICLE # 5: STANDING COMMITTEES
5.1- BOARD OF DIRECTORS
The Board of Directors will consist of seven (7) members. The Region Director, Assistant Director, Secretary/Treasurer, Tournament Director, Youth Director, and two (2) rotating Chapter Presidents selected at the beginning of the term of office. The board shall decide all protests and rule on violations of tournament rules and additional region matters that cannot be resolved. A region member who feels that an issue needs to be acted upon by the Board may bring up the issue at a region meeting or function or he/ she may call the Region Director. The Director will call a Board meeting to resolve the issue. If a member of the Board is the region member seeking resolution or is the subject of the protest, that member will not be allowed to confer in the settlement of the issue. In such a case, the Region Director will appoint a temporary board member (from another club) to replace the member with the dispute. The Board is empowered to administer disciplinary action up to and including removal of members. Board rulings are final and the issue is considered resolved after the ruling.
5.2- TOURNAMENT COMMITTEE
The tournament committee will consist of at least two region officers and two club members from the host tournament host club. The committee will be responsible for working directly with the tournament director (or his designee) to weigh, measure and record the weights of all fish presented at the weigh-in. They will also be responsible for launching all boats at the beginning of the tournament, setting up the weigh-in area and recovery of all materials used during the weigh-in process.
5.3- TOURNAMENT SCHEDULING COMMITTEE
The Tournament Scheduling Committee will meet (in person or telephonically) during the month of October to discuss the tournament schedule (dates and locations) for the upcoming tournament season. This committee will consist of the elected region officers and one representative from each active club within Region 6. The recommendation will be presented at the November Region meeting as the first order of new business and a vote will be held to approve the schedule. If the vote fails, the Region Director will immediately host a tournament scheduling meeting (during the November meeting) to resolve scheduling issues using the Region Officers and club representatives in attendance. The revised schedule will then be voted on and approved.
ARTICLE # 6: SPORTSMANSHIP
6.1- It is expected of all individuals participating in any Region 6 event to act in a professional manner. You are representing yourself, B.A.S.S., Bass Federation Nation, and your club. If there is a violation of this rule, it will be brought to the attention of the board and they will decide what will be done with the member in violation.
ARTICLE # 7: AMENDMENTS AND PROCEDURES
7.1- In order to amend and/ or change any part to the Constitution and By-Laws; the Tournament Rules; and to adopt the proposed Tournament Schedule, there must representation from at least 2/3 of the active clubs present for the changes to become official. A 2/3 majority is required to pass a motion. Any subject to be voted on must first have a motion made and a second to be brought up for voting. Voting will be done by a call on each club in attendance and one vote per club allowed. One representative from each club needs to be in attendance at each meeting. Any special conditions affecting State Federation Nation and/ or Region 6 Federation Nation will also be cause for a meeting.
ARTICLE # 8: TOURNAMENT RULES AND REGULATIONS
8.1- TOURNAMENTS
Region 6 will hold a minimum of three tournaments with a maximum of six tournaments a year.
8.2- TOURNAMENT SITES AND DATES
(a) Tournament hours will be determined at the time of tournament scheduling. This will be determined based on daylight saving time. Tournament hours are subject to change on the day of the tournament if the Tournament Director and the other present Region Officers feel that the conditions are not safe to adhere to the originally posted times.
(b) The Tournament Director is empowered to recommend changes to the tournament location due to ramp availability or water conditions. These proposed changes will be presented to the Region Director no later than 7 days prior to the tournament date. After examining the facts, the Region Director will notify the Club Presidents of the change to the tournament ramp location.
(c) The Tournament Director is also empowered to recommend changes to the tournament dates based on adverse weather or unsafe water conditions. These changes will be presented to the Region Director as soon as possible upon recognition of the hazard. The Director will host a special Board meeting to address the hazard and changes to the tournament. This Special Board will include all region officers and representatives from all the active clubs in the region.
8.3- TOURNAMENT SUPERVISION AND REGISTRATION PROCEDURES
(a) All tournament participants will register for the tournament by completing a tournament registration form on the day of the tournament. Tournament participants may elect to pay their entry fees in cash, by check or via PayPal. If PayPal is used, this payment must be completed prior to Mid-Night on the Friday prior to the tournament. Members are encouraged to bring proof of that payment to the registration.
(b) Region Tournament entry fee is: $100.00 per team. This fee includes the Big Fish of the Tournament and the Club Challenge fees.
(c) Registration will begin no less than 90 minutes prior to sunrise/ safe light and will end 15 minutes prior to launch. Members who are present prior to the 15 minute cutoff but who have not registered will be allowed to complete their registration.
(d) All boat livewells will be checked as a part of the registration process.
(e) Boat launch assignment will follow the following procedures:
(1) Teams that have registered and paid early via the Region’s PayPal account will receive launch numbers based on the order their registrations were received.
(2) Teams that have paid for the full season in advance will receive launch number based on the order their registrations and payments were received
(3) Teams that are registering on the morning of the tournament will receive their launch number by draw format. Numbers in the draw will start after the numbers reserved for prepaid region members.
Boat launch flight assignments will be issued on the day of the tournament. This region will use a flight system for launch and recovery based on 30 boats per flight. The start will be continuous with 15 minutes between flights staggered return time. For example, all boats will begin to launch at 6:30 am and the first flight (boats 1-30) is due in at 2:30 p.m., second flight (boats 31-60) is due in at 2:45 p.m., third flight (boats 61-90) is due in at 3:00 p.m.
(f) All region tournaments will be supervised by two region officers. One officer will launch first and will return no later than 10 minutes prior to the end of the tournament to begin the set-up of the weigh-in site at the conclusion of the tournament. The other officer will launch last and will launch all participants in the tournament.
(g) The two host club members identified to assist with the weigh-in will launch second (and third, if applicable) and will return no later than 10 minutes prior to the end of the tournament to begin the set-up of the weigh-in site at the conclusion of the tournament.
(h) Tournament place pay back will be based solely on the official Region 6 Payout Schedule. (see Annex #1)
8.4- TOURNAMENT PROCEDURES AND RULES
(a) All Region 6 tournaments will be held in a team format. A team may consist of up to two anglers fishing out of the one boat. Region members may elect to fish as a one-angler team.
(b) Region members do not have to fish with the same partner for all region tournaments.
(c) No co-angler member of the region will be left on the bank when a single angler team is available. All efforts will be made to pair the co-angler with a boater from his/ her own club. If not possible, the co-angler will be paired with another available one-angler team in the region. If more than one single-angler teams are available, the co-angler will be paired by blind draw executed by the tournament director or his/ her designee.
(d) If a one-angler team refuses to accept a co-angler, he/ she will not be allowed to fish the tournament and a Board of Directors meeting will be held at the conclusion of the tournament and weigh-in to address the refusal.
(e) There is a five (5) fish limit per team per tournament. Angler(s) must start culling when you reach your limit. Anyone who possesses more than 5 fish in their livewell will have their catch disqualified.
(f) Only artificial lures may be used. No "live bait" or "prepared bait" will be permitted during any tournament, with the exception of pork strips, rinds, etc.
(g) Only one (1) rod per angler may be used at a time.
(h) The minimum size for a legal tournament fish is 12 inches or larger. On bodies of water with a slot limit, the minimum length will be determined by the longest state limit covering the tournament waters. The only exception will be on bodies of water where there is a two fish of 12 to 14 inches and three fish over 14 inches. At these bodies of waters, state rules will be adopted as the tournament rule. The Tournament Director will determine the official length of fish presented at weigh-in, if in question. All measurements are final. Fish length shall be determined by state regulations
(i) The Tournament Director (or his/her designee) shall decide and announce all weights during all weigh-ins. This determination is final. Whenever possible, the scales will be set to measure weight in in pounds and 1/100 of a pound (e.g. 6.71 lbs instead of 6 lbs, 11 ounces)
(j) Only largemouth, smallmouth, and Kentucky spotted bass will be allowed to be weighed in.
(k) An angler(s) who brings in an illegal fish, (a fish that does not meet the minimum length requirements), will lose the illegal fish plus a one pound penalty per illegal fish brought to the scales.
(l) All tournament waters are open to any angler fishing a VA B.A.S.S. Nation Region 6 tournament with the exception of:
(1) Any state, federal or otherwise legally posted waters.
(2) Any waters not accessible by all anglers entered into the tournament.
(3) Any water declared off-limits by the Tournament Director (or his/ her designee) during the pre-launch/ pre-blast-off announcements.
(m) There will be no culling or measuring of fish once your boat has been checked in by check in boat. In the absence of a check-in boat, culling is not permitted within 50 yards of the ramp that was used for the tournament. The only exception is when an angler(s) is fishing near the ramp in legal waters and catches a fish during the regular tournament day. There will be no culling of any type after the end of the official tournament hours.
(n) All protest must be made within 15 minutes after the scales have closed and must be presented to the Tournament Director in writing. Protest forms may be obtained from the tournament director, treasurer or the protest may be presented on paper provided by the angler(s). The final disposition of the protest will be decided by the Board of Directors.
(o) Angler(s) are allowed to trailer their boat to the weigh-in. However, trailering of boats can only occur at the official tournament/ launch site in order for the angler’s catch to be allowed.
(p) Angler(s) returning to the ramp late will be assessed a late penalty of one (1) pound per minute; up to the 14 pounds (14 minutes). After 15 minutes, the angler(s) will be disqualified. The official time for the tournament is determined by the Tournament Director based on either GPS time or cellular telephone time.
(q) Trolling is not allowed during a tournament as a means of fishing.
(r) Each boat operator is responsible for the wake of their boat.
(s) No fishing within 50 yards of an anchored boat. A boat is considered anchored if it is not moving and the trolling (electric positioning) motor is out of the water and a rope and anchor or other device is deployed and holding the boat in its non-moving position.
(t) If a tournament participant leaves a tournament early, they are required to contact a region member before leaving.
(u) All fish presented for weigh-in will be brought to the scales in bags provided by the region tournament committee. Any fish brought to the scales in any other bags will be disqualified.
(v) In the event of a breakdown, your catch will be allowed if brought to the scales by another competitor’s boat before the scheduled tournament end time.
(w) Once checked in at the end of the tournament day, the angler’s fishing day is considered over. Any angler(s) returning to the tournament waters with their catch prior to being weighed by tournament officials will have their catch for that day disqualified and their catch will not be weighed. This includes the weighing of the fish for club purposes or per the individual angler’s request.
(x) Anglers will proceed immediately to the scales to have their fish weighed. The scales will not be held open for any angler(s). Once the scales have been closed, they will not be reopened to weigh the fish of [a] competitor(s) who was out on the water or in the parking lot but failed to report immediately to the scales. In such a case, the catch of the late reporting competitor(s) will be disqualified.
(y) Once in the water, anglers are not allowed to trailer their boat then re-enter the tournament waters for the purpose of fishing. Once trailered, the angler’s fishing day is considered over. Any angler(s) violating provisions of this paragraph will immediately be disqualified and their catch for the day will not be weighed. This paragraph does not prevent angler(s) who launch at the official launch location from trailering their boat early and waiting at the official tournament location for the weigh-in. Angler(s) choosing to end their day early must notify a region officer or member of the tournament committee. An angler(s) who launch at a remote location is not permitted to remove their boat from the tournament water and trailer to the weigh-in by any state roadway; e.g. the region tournament official launch site is the Morning Star Marina on Lake Gaston. An angler launches at Popular Creek Public Ramp and meets the region on the water at the marina for the official tournament start. The angler cannot remove his boat from the tournament waters at the end of his/ her day and transport their fish to the weigh-in by driving around to the marina.
(z) All Region 6 tournaments will be open to Region 6 members and BASS Nation Virginia College anglers. Verification of current state members status will be conducted prior to the start of the tournament during the tournament registration process.
8.5- SAFETY
(a) All angler(s) must wear a U.S. Coast Guard approved life jacket/ personal floatation device while the boat is under the power of the outboard engine. Under power is defined as the outboard motor is in gear.
(b) All boats used in region tournaments must meet the following requirements:
(1) minimum length of 16 feet
(2) minimum of 75 HP outboard motor
(3) steering wheel control system
(4) an installed and operational livewell system capable of holding and sustaining five (5) fish. A cooler with aeration will not be the primary livewell system on a tournament boat.
(5) a functional device, known as a kill switch, which will terminate the operation of the primary propulsion engine when the operator leaves the controls. The kill switch shall be attached to the operator whenever the engine is in operation (and in gear).
(6) a functional power operated pumping device, which will effectively remove water from the boat and in a manner acceptable to the Tournament Committee
(7) functioning running lights for low light conditions.
(c) All posted NO WAKE zones on the tournament waters MUST BE ADHERDED TO. Violators will be disqualified for that day’s competition.
(d) Running lights must be used during all low light conditions. Angler(s) are encouraged to use the bow light (red/green) light at all times while operating the primary motor.
(e) No alcoholic beverages or controlled substances will be allowed during tournament hours and in weigh in area until after the scales have been closed by tournament director. Violation of this rule will constitute an immediate disqualification. If this rule is violated more than once, it will be reviewed by the Board of Directors for whatever action is deemed appropriate. An angler’s membership in Region 6 could be revoked.
(f) All state and local laws, rules and regulations will be the final law. Anyone receiving a summons for a violation by a state or local law enforcement official during the tournament hours will be disqualified after a review of tournament officials. All decisions are final.
8.6- DEAD FISH PENALTY
(a) All fish must be kept in an appropriate livewell system to keep the fish alive. Any fish presented for weigh-in, which are judged to be dead, will result in an 4-ounce penalty for each dead fish. The penalty deducted from the total weight of fish unless the dead fish is the potential big fish of the tournament and/ or year. In that case that fish will have the 4-ounce penalty deducted from its weight and the reduced weight will be used to determine the big fish. The Tournament Director will have final say as to whether fish are alive or not if a dispute should arise.
(b) No culling of dead fish will be allowed
8.7- POINT SYSTEM
(a) All tournaments are based on a 200-point system.
(b) Individual points will be awarded by first place receiving 200 points, second place 198, third 196, fourth 194, fifth 192. Sixth place and beyond will separated by one (1) point beginning with 190 points until all positions have been exhausted.
(c) Angler(s) who has paid their entry fee and participated in the tournament but did not weigh in any fish will receive 50 points.
8.8- TIE BREAKERS
Tie breakers will be broke by the weight of the largest fish weighed in. If there is no big fish weight recorded, the most fish weighed in will determine the tie breaker. If there is still a tie it will be determined by the flip of a coin.
8.9 VIOLATION OF TOURNAMENT RULES AND PROCEDURES
Interpretation of these rules shall be left exclusively to the tournament director (through consultation with the Board of Directors). In the event of a rule violation, the tournament director and/or Board of Directors may impose such sanctions, as deemed appropriate, including but not limited to, disqualification, forfeiture of prizes, forfeiture of entry fee and prohibition from participation in subsequent tournaments. The decision of the tournament director or the Board of Directors shall be final in all matters. Protests for any rule infraction must be made in writing within 15 minutes of the official announcement, “the scales are now closed”.
(a) Every region members agrees to report any tournament rule infraction to the tournament director.
(b) Failure to report to the tournament director any tournament rules infractions or false reporting of tournament rules infractions will be cause for being disqualified.
(c) Rules infractions will result in penalties that may include
(1) Loss of weight for the day of the rules infraction.
(2) Disqualification from the event.
(3) Disqualification from future Region 6 events for a period of time up to a lifetime disqualification
ARTICLE # 9: CLUB CHALLENGE
9.1 FEES
A portion of the team entry fee will be used to fund the region club challenge.
9.2 PROCEDURES
(a) The club challenge is based on the two (2) team’s heaviest weights from each club totaled together.
(b) The club with the highest total will receive a check from the Region Treasurer for winning the club challenge.
(c) If two clubs are paired together in an effort to prevent a co-angler from being left on the bank, the following procedures will be utilized. The weight caught by this team can be used by a club to help their standing in the challenge. The entire weight will be applied to one or both club as required. This weight will count as one of the club challenge weights for each club that uses it. The total weight will not be separated, since the two members fished the tournament as a team
ARTICLE # 10: REGION BIG FISH OF THE SEASON CHALLENGE
The Region will host an optional big fish of the season challenge. This challenge will be separate of the big fish of the tournament however it will use the highest single fish weight during all tournaments. The following procedures will be utilized.
10.1 FEES
The entry fee for the optional Region Big Fish of the Season Challenge is $25.00 per angler.
10.2- PROCEDURES
(a) The entry fee must be paid prior to the start of the first tournament that the region member fishes. All members who attempt to pay the fee after the start of their first tournament will be denied entry into the challenge.
(b) While the tournament format is based on a team format, this is an individual challenge. When a big fish is presented at the weigh-in, the team will announce who caught the fish. This information will be recorded by both the Tournament Director and the Region Treasurer.
(c) At the end of the last tournament of the season, the angler with the heaviest single fish (who entered the challenge) will be deemed the winner and will receive a check for 100% of the fees received.
ARTICLE # 11: FALL CLASSIC
11.1 Eligibility
The fall classic will be the top 30 anglers in the Region based on tournament standings.
11.2 REGION FUNDING OF PERSONNEL
(a) Region 6 will fund one day of the State two-day Fall Classic for at least the top 20 anglers in the region as determined by the region final score sheet. The final standing is based on all 6 tournaments of the season.
(b) The actual number of region members who will receive the State Fall Classic entrance fee offset will be determined by an average of the number of boats that fish the tournament season. The maximum number of entrance offset will not exceed 30 region members.
(c) To qualify for Fall Classic entry fee offset, the angler must have fished a minimum of four (4) tournaments during the tournament season.
(d) If an eligible region member chooses not fish the Fall Classic, the Region Treasurer will not offset the entry fee of any replacement anglers.
ARTICLE # 12: ANGLER OF THE YEAR AWARD
Region 6 will award the top angler as determined by their ranking using all 6 tournaments. This award can include more than one angler due to the team format. In recognition of this achievement, the Region 6 Treasurer will pay the State and National dues of this/ these angler(s) for the future tournament season. Additionally Region 6 will present the angler(s) with the Region 6 Angler of the Year plaque(s). This plaque will be distinctive and representative of the achievement of the AOY title.
ARTICLE # 13: TOURNAMENT CHAMPION AWARD
For every scheduled tournament, Region 6 will award the tournament winner(s) with a plaque that recognizes this achievement. These plaques will be at least 6”x 9” in size and will not exceed 9” x 12” in size.
