FLORIDA BASS FEDERATION NATION
TOURNAMENT RULES

1. Introduction:
The following Tournament Rules were developed for the Florida BASS Federation Nation (FBFN) and approved by the Board of Directors. These rules shall apply to all FBFN Qualifier Tournaments and Second Chance Tournaments, as well as the State Classic (Championship) Tournament.

(Note: When conducting Special Tournaments, the FBFN Board of Directors may, at their discretion, choose to modify these tournament rules and add or remove certain requirements or special conditions.)

The interpretation and enforcement of these rules is the responsibility of the Tournament Director, who may impose appropriate sanctions for rules violations that may include but are not limited to disqualification, forfeiture of prizes or prize money or suspension from participation in future FBFN Tournaments.

Competitors, who wish to lodge a protest concerning a “rules violation” during a FBFN Tournament, must do so within thirty (30) minutes after the tournament weigh-in has been completed, but prior to the presentation of the awards. This protest must be presented in writing to the Tournament Director.

The decision of the Tournament Director and Tournament Officials shall be final in these and all matters.

2. Participants and Eligibility:
Participation in Florida BASS Federation Nation tournaments is by invitation and is open to “members in good standing “, who are sixteen (16) years of age or older, and who are active members of a Florida BASS Federation Nation affiliated club.

Note: Until his/her 18th birthday, affiliated club members may participate in FBFN Qualifiers and Second Chance Tournaments, as well as the State Classic (Championship) as non-boaters only. It is the responsibility of a potential competitor to provide the Tournament Director with the appropriate documentation to satisfy any “proof of age” questions or discrepancies.

In order for a competitor to operate a boat on tournament waters during the Official Practice Day(s) or during the actual competition days of a FBFN Tournament, he/she must submit proof of a minimum of $300,000 of boating liability insurance to the Tournament Director. The “proof of insurance” documents should accompany the competitor’s Official Tournament Entry Form.

A competitor, who wishes to operate a boat other than his/her own during an Official Practice Day(s) or an official FBFN Tournament, must furnish “proof of insurance” documents, which specifically names him/her as an “insured user”. This documentation must accompany the Official Tournament Entry Form.

A candidate for competition in a FBFN Tournament who, in the judgment of the Tournament Director, is handicapped in such a manner as to unfairly hinder or endanger the safety and well-being of his/her partner shall not be eligible to participate.

The Tournament Director must be in receipt of a properly completed and signed Official Tournament Entry Form on or before the established deadline date. Additionally, the Tournament Director reserves the right to suspend the acceptance of Official Tournament Entry Forms prior to established deadline, as well as the right to extend the acceptance date deadline.

FBFN Tournament Format:
The FBFN Tournament Format shall be Boaters vs. Boaters and Non-Boaters vs. Non-Boaters. This Pro/Am Format and the distinction and separation between these two categories shall be effective in all FBFN Tournaments, to include Regional Qualifiers and Second Chance Tournaments, as well as the State Classic (Championship).

During tournament hours, the Boater is in complete control of the boat, to include fishing location(s) and boat operation. Boaters may, at their discretion, choose to fish locations suggested by their non-boater partner. During tournament hours, boaters are to fish from the front of the boat and non-boaters are to fish from the rear of the boat, however one partner may assist the other, when requested, in landing a fish by using a net, etc.

It is suggested that a Non-Boater compensate his Boater partner with a minimum of $30 for fuel and other expenses for each tournament day.

3. Pre-Tournament Practice (Official Practice Days):
There will be an official practice period immediately preceding each FBFN Qualifier or Second Chance Tournament, as well as the State Classic (Championship). This period will be One (1) day for Qualifier or Second Chance Tournaments, and Two (2) days for the State Classic (Championship).

The exact dates and times of the Official Practice Day(s) of a FBFN Tournament will be published by the Tournament Director, and ALL tournament rules shall apply during these periods. It is the responsibility of each competitor in a FBFN Tournament to know and observe the dates of the Official Practice Day(s).

During the Official Practice Day(s), or the actual FBFN Tournament, a competitor may not have the assistance or advice of anyone, unless that person is a competitor in the tournament. Additionally, a competitor may not "SKIN DIVE" or "SCUBA DIVE" on the tournament waters during the Official Practice Day(s).

A competitor may not buy or barter a “fishing location” from another contestant for use during a competition day.

A competitor may not use a CB Radio, a VHF marine-band radio, a cellular telephone, or any other communication device for the purpose of locating or catching fish during the Official Practice Day(s) or an actual FBFN Tournament. A contestant may, however, listen to marine band radio to obtain weather information.

It is the duty and responsibility of every competitor in a FBFN Tournament to report any violations or infractions of these Tournament Rules to the Tournament Director. The failure to report violations or suggestions to violate these rules, falsify any official weigh-in form or any other Official FBFN Tournament document, will be cause for disqualification.

By his/her signature on the Official Tournament Entry Form, a competitor agrees to submit to a polygraph examination for verification of tournament results or inquiries, if deemed necessary by the Tournament Director. The administration and interpretation of this examination shall be the responsibility of the Tournament Director, or his agents, and it shall be administered at their discretion by a credible firm. The date, time, location and the scope of the questions to be asked shall be determined by the FBFN Tournament Committee, and the Competitor agrees to be available for the examination at the selected date and time. The failure of the competitor to cooperate completely in this matter is grounds for immediate disqualification, forfeiture of all FBFN Tournament winnings, or other sanctions determined by the Tournament Committee.

4. Registration:
All competitors must register in person with the Tournament Director, or his staff, at the date, time and location prescribed, and must attend the Tournament/Pairings Meeting in person. Failure to adhere to these guidelines for registration may result in the disqualification of a prospective competitor.

Partner Assignments and “Guaranteed” Status:
Whenever possible, boater competitors, who have properly registered for a FBFN Tournament, will use their boats during the tournament, and will not be drawn out of them as a result of a shortage of non-boater entrants. If a shortage of non-boater entrants occurs, the deficiency will be overcome, when possible, by the use of Junior Bassmaster Club members, or other qualified personnel, who will be assigned to ride with a boater, allowed to fish during the day, but who will not be entered in the official tournament competition. Absent qualified non-boaters or Junior Bassmasters club members, boaters may be paired with other boaters for the tournament.

The traditional “guaranteed” status for boaters and non-boaters remains in place with the FBFN. A boater competitor may ensure his/her tournament entry position by enclosing his completed Official Tournament Entry Form and appropriate entry fee in the same envelope with that of a non-boater.

5. Safety:
Safe boat operation is the responsibility of all tournament competitors, both during the Official Practice Day(s) and the actual FBFN Tournament. All competitors are required to wear a Coast Guard approved “chest-type” life preserver anytime the boat’s combustion engine is operating. The life preserver must remain securely fastened until the competitor reaches his fishing location and the combustion engine is shut off. A violation of this rule shall be reason for disqualification.

The Tournament Director may, at his discretion, delay or cancel the start of a FBFN Tournament for inclement weather or other factors that would endanger the safety of competitors. Additionally, tournament waters may be restricted because of inclement weather or other safety reasons during the event.

6. Sportsmanship:
Competitors in FBFN Tournaments are expected to follow the highest standards of sportsmanship, courtesy, safety and conservation. Any infractions of these basic and fundamental sporting principles may, at the Tournament Director’s discretion, be deemed cause for disqualification.

The use of alcohol or illicit drugs by a competitor during an Official Practice Day(s) or an actual FBFN Tournament, will not be tolerated and shall be cause for automatic disqualification from this and future FBFN Tournaments, at the Tournament Directors discretion.

It is the duty and responsibility of all FBFN Tournament competitors to show extreme courtesy toward non-competitors who may be angling or boating on the tournament waters. Any actions of tournament competitors that may reflect unfavorably on the Florida BASS Federation Nation’s efforts to promote fisheries conservation, clean waters, courtesy and safety may be, at the Tournament Director’s discretion, grounds for disqualification from the tournament.

A competitor who is properly registered for a FBFN Tournament and who fails to show up on tournament morning shall be considered to have committed a “sportsmanship” violation as defined in this rule. The penalty for a violation of the “sportsmanship” rule shall be exclusion from FBFN Tournaments for a period of one (1) year from the infraction date, or other appropriate sanctions issued by the Tournament Director. Petitions for reconsideration of penalties may be entertained by the FBFN Board of Directors in the event of a health or other emergency situation, which resulted in the “no-show” by the competitor.

Alcoholic beverages or other stimulants or depressants shall not allowed in a competitors boat during the Official Practice Day(s) or actual competition of a FBFN Tournament. This rule shall apply to the weigh-in area as well.

Chemical substance addiction or abuse, conviction of any felony, crimes involving moral turpitude, or other conduct which may reflect unfavorably upon the FBFN’s efforts to promote safety, sportsmanship, fair and healthy competition as well as compliance with these tournament rules shall be grounds for rejection of an application for participation or for disqualification.

Disqualification, suspension or any other disciplinary action taken against an angler by any other fishing organization shall be grounds for rejection of an application for participation in a FBFN Tournament.

7. Tackle and Equipment:
Competitors in a FBFN Tournament may use only artificial lures as bait. No “live bait” or “prepared bait” will be permitted, with the exception of pork strips, rinds, etc.

Only one casting or spin-casting or spinning rod (maximum length eight feet) and one reel may be used by a competitor at a time. Other similar types of rigs may be in the boat, ready for use, however only one (1) rig is permitted to be used at a time.

All bass must be caught alive, and in a conventional sporting manner. A competitor who is 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 to be counted as a legal fish. The use of “grippers” in landing bass is prohibited.

8. Outboard Motor Horsepower Regulations:
The maximum horsepower rating for all outboard motors used in FBFN Tournament competition shall be 250 hp. Additionally, the maximum horsepower of an outboard motor shall not exceed the rating set by the U.S. Coast Guard for the particular boat it is mounted on and listed on a “manufacturers” plate attached to the boat.

Any boat manufactured prior to November 1, 1972 must adhere to the rating set by the U.S. Coast Guard for similar boats. By their signature on a FBFN Official Tournament Entry Form, the competitor agrees to submit his/her boat and outboard motor to an inspection by factory trained personnel, if there is any reason to suspect the horsepower of the outboard motor exceeds the maximum rating (250 hp).

Normal maintenance to increase the performance of an outboard motor is authorized, however, changing or altering standard factory parts of an outboard motor to increase the horsepower over the factory horsepower rating is forbidden, and will result in disqualification.

9. Boat and Motor:
For safety reasons, ALL boats must be equipped with an operable ignition “kill” switch, which must be attached to the driver’s body anytime the combustion engine is operating.

Anytime a boat is “under way” with the combustion engine running, a driver/boat operator must be in the driver’s seat and in full control of the craft.

Fishing boats seventeen feet or more in length may be used in a FBFN Tournament. “Raised platforms” or decks may not be higher than the “gunnels” of the boat. This includes poling platforms and all rigging. An electric trolling motor may be used for slow maneuvering. The use of the combustion engine for trolling as a method of fishing is prohibited.

Bladder tanks and other types of auxiliary gas tanks that are not installed by the boat manufacturer are prohibited. Additional “factory options” gasoline tanks that are installed by a manufacturer’s authorized dealer are allowed. Boats that do not have factory installed gasoline tanks are restricted to a maximum of 18 gallons of gasoline in portable tanks, which must meet U.S. Coast Guard regulations, and must be properly secured in the boat.

During the Official Practice Day(s) or during an actual FBFN Tournament, no portable tanks or containers capable of holding gasoline may be placed anywhere on the tournament waters or shoreline, for use by any tournament competitor.

Barges or similar cumbersome water crafts are not permitted for use in a FBFN Tournament. Tournament boats must be capable of reaching all tournament waters and return in a reasonable amount of time, so as not to handicap any contestant.

Boats equipped with “Stick Steering” shall not be permitted to be used by any competitor during the Official Practice Day(s) or during an actual FBFN Tournament.

A competitor answering in the affirmative to the question, "Will you have a properly insured boat available for use during the tournament?” will be expected to make that boat and motor available for tournament use by himself and his daily partner, if so requested by tournament officials.

10. Basic Boat Equipment:
Every boat to be used in a FBFN Tournament must be equipped with all required U.S. Coast Guard safety equipment. In addition, the boat must have a functional “bilge pump” and live-well, properly aerated to adequately maintain alive, a limit catch of bass by both anglers in the boat. The Tournament Director shall have the sole responsibility for determining whether aeration and capacity is "proper and adequate."

11. Boat Identification:
Prior to the start of a FBFN Tournament, each boat operator will be assigned a boat/competitor number. At the end of the tournament day, a competitor will identify himself/herself to the tournament “check-in” boat with this assigned boat/competitor number. Any boat that fails to contact the tournament “check-in” boat at the end of the tournament day may, at the discretion of the Tournament Director, be subject to disqualification.

12. Boat Operation:
Boaters will fish from the front deck of the boat only, and Non-boaters will fish from the back deck of the boat only. Boaters will have complete control of boat operations and locations to be fished. Any boater who operates or positions the boat in such a manner as to unfairly handicap their non-boater partner will be subject to disqualification, at the Tournament Directors discretion.

During the multi-day FBFN Classic (Championship) tournament, a co-angler who shares their boater partner’s fishing locations with other competitors will be disqualified, along with the person utilizing this information.

During tournament hours, contestants may not obtain or receive assistance from non-competitors, follow a non-competitor’s boat or participate in the practice of “hole sitting” or the placing of markers by anyone. The use of mobile communication devices, including, but not limited to, cellular phones, marine radios, walkie-talkies, CB radios, etc., during tournament hours, is strictly prohibited except in an emergency (severe weather, disabled boat, etc.) or to communicate with lockmasters.
Contestants are expected to remain on the tournament waters and compete until the official end of the tournament, emergency situations not withstanding. Failure to do so may result in ineligibility to compete in future Florida BASS Federation Nation Tournaments.

13. Permitted Fishing Locations:
The Tournament Director shall establish the boundaries of the “tournament waters” for all FBFN Tournaments. It is the responsibility of each competitor to obtain this information from the Tournament Director prior to the Official Practice Day(s).

Fishing on tournament waters is permitted anywhere except with fifty (50) yards of the fuel pumps of any marina or within fifty (50) yards of another competitor’s boat that is anchored with the trolling motor raised in the storage position. The anglers in a boat, which is secured in this manner, are not permitted to allow selected competitors to fish within the fifty (50) yard circle, claimed by him/her, to the exclusion of any other competitor’s boat. Areas within the “tournament waters” that are posted “Off-Limits” or “NO Fishing” by an authorized State or Federal Agency shall be considered to be “OFF LIMITS” and no fishing by a competitor is allowed. (Note: A competitor may not position his/her boat outside of a “no fishing” or “off limits” area and cast into it. This action is strictly forbidden.)

The “Live Release Area”, established by the Tournament Director shall be considered to be “Off Limits” to fishing by all tournament competitors. (Note: Information establishing this specific area will be announced at the Tournament “pairings” meeting.) Only waters open to all public fishing will be considered “tournament waters”. Any waters closed to public fishing will be closed to tournament competitors as well, and all angling must be done from the boat.

14. Competitors must remain in boat:
A competitor may not leave the boat to land a fish.

A boat must remain in tournament waters at all times during tournament hours. Contestants must leave and return to the official check-in point by boat, and both competitors must remain in the boat at all times except in the case of “natures call” or a credible emergency.

In a credible emergency situation, such as an inoperable boat, one or both competitors may transfer to another tournament boat, or a rescue boat, for immediate return to the weigh-in site. Should one competitor elect to stay behind with the boat to await rescue, the returning competitor may transfer the catch of both partners to the rescue boat and transfer them to the weigh-in-site, under scrutiny of the rescue boat occupants.

If a competitor chooses to remain with the disabled boat to await rescue, by doing so he/she waives his right to protest or challenge the official weight of his catch, should this become an issue. All competitors involved in the rescue must cease fishing at this point, and their catch must be verified by a Tournament Official in order to be counted in official tournament weigh-in.

If after the resolution of the emergency situation enough time remains for the competitors to resume fishing, a “restart” will be allowed and the competitors may continue fishing and their catch will be counted. The aforementioned procedure applies only to a credible emergency.

(Note: The failure of a competitor to render assistance to another competitor in a credible emergency situation, when requested, may be cause for immediate disqualification.)

Loading a boat onto a trailer and driving to a ramp, other than the official tournament launch site, “trailering”, is strictly prohibited, except under the express direction and authority of the Tournament Director or other Tournament Officials.

15. Official Checkpoint:
Official launch and “check-in” points will be established by the Tournament Director for each FBFN Tournament. Prior to launch time, all competitors’ boats will be inspected by a Tournament Staff member for compliance with tournament requirements.

Upon return to the ramp at weigh-in time and regardless of whether you have fish to take to the scales, all boat operators must identify themselves by boat number to the official “Check-in” boat before proceeding to the weigh-in area. Failure to comply with these requirements may result in disqualification from this and future FBFN Tournaments. Partners must stay together until the weigh-in process is complete.

16. Scoring:
The pound and ounce weight of each competitor’s catch during the tournament shall determine the tournament standings, auxiliary awards and final winners of all FBFN Tournaments.

Only Largemouth, Smallmouth, Spotted, Red Eyes, Shoal and Suwannee Bass will be weighed. The tournament limit for each competitor shall be five (5) bass. A competitor may not have in his/her possession, in the “live well”, more that the tournament limit of bass. The Official Tournament Length for bass shall be fourteen (14) inches, unless the state limit is different, in which case the state limit will prevail. Only bass as described above, which measure 14 inches or more in length on an "Official Golden Rule" with mouth closed will be weighed. The exception to this rule occurs when “exemption” cards have been applied for, received and issued to each competitor prior to the start of the tournament. A “short” fish brought to the scales for weigh-in shall result in the loss of that fish and the competitor’s big fish of that day's catch.

A competitor should make every effort to maintain the welfare of his catch throughout the day. The culling of “dead” fish is strictly prohibited. All competitors are bound by prevailing State Statutes and other Fishing Regulations of the State of Florida.

A bass that appears to have been mangled, mashed, mauled or other wise altered may, at the Tournament Director’s discretion, not allowed to be weighed-in.

Each competitor must present his catch to the weigh-in official and the weight of his catch must be certified by the signature of his partner for that day.

The Tournament Committee will make available special weigh-in bags, which are designed to help increase the survival rate of the bass. These bags will be available to all competitors in the weigh-in area. No other bags are to be used to bring fish to the weigh-in area.

17. Don’t Kill Your Catch:
Each competitor is expected to keep his bass alive by use of a properly aerated livewell.

18. Penalty Points:
A competitor shall be penalized four (4) ounces of weight, which will be deducted from his daily total weight, for each legal sized “dead” fish presented to the weigh-in officials. The Tournament Director and his staff shall have sole authority for the assessing of penalty points for dead fish. NO culling of “dead” fish is permitted.

19. Late Penalty:
A competitor who has not arrived at the official checkpoint area, as described in Rule 15 of these FBFN Tournament Rules, at the appointed time shall be penalized at the rate of one (1) pound for each one (1) minute of tardiness, to be deducted from the total weight of his catch of the day. A competitor, who is more than fifteen (15) minutes late arriving at the official checkpoint, shall lose credit for that day’s catch. There shall be no excuse for tardiness and in no case shall a competitor be allowed to make up for “lost time.”

After proper recognition at the check-in point, all fishing must cease and competitors should immediately proceed to the weigh-in area. Upon the commencement of the two-day FBFN Classic (Tournament), fishing or being on the tournament waters is prohibited except during the tournament hours.

20. Ties:
In the case of a tie for first place, the following measures should be employed in this order:

1. The individual with the largest number of legal fish weighed in during the competition:
2. The individual with the largest number of legal LIVE fish weighed in during the competition:
3. The individual with the heaviest single day's catch during competition.
4. The individual with the second heaviest single day's catch during competition.

In the unlikely event that there is still a tie after these “tie breakers” have been employed, a “coin toss” will be used to determine the winner, and the monies for first and second place shall be evenly split between the two competitors. Ties for lesser positions shall be resolved by means selected by the Tournament Director.

21. Pairing of Contestants:
The FBFN Fishing Format for all Regional Qualifier Tournaments, Second Chance Tournaments as well as the State Classic (Championship) shall be “boater” vs. “boater” and “non-boater” vs. “non-boater.” Two anglers will be assigned to each boat. The announcement of your fishing partner shall be made at the tournament “pairings” meeting, which must be attended by each competitor.

Partners are responsible to establish a mutually agreed-upon meeting location, with sufficient time to reach the ramp area before the tournament launch time. FBFN Tournament Officials shall have no responsibility for finding “missing” partners. It is suggested that a minimum of sixty (60) minutes is required for preparation to depart to the launch area.

Once a boat leaves the launch area at the start of the tournament, the two anglers must stay together and within sight of each other, and each other’s catch, throughout the day until weigh-in is completed, except for “natures call” or a credible emergency. A competitor will not allow any bass caught by him to be counted on the score (weight) of another competitor. In such case, both competitors shall be disqualified from this tournament and from all future tournaments conducted by the Florida BASS Federation Nation.

Regional Qualifier Tournaments:
Each Region of the state shall conduct one-day Regional Qualifier Tournaments and a one day “Second Chance” Tournament to qualify FBFN Members for participation in the State Classic (Championship). Entry Fees for all of these tournaments will be $100.00 per angler. Optional “Big Bass” pots will be conducted as well.

The top 60% of all Boaters participants and the top 60% of all Non-Boaters participants in a FBFN Regional Qualifier Tournament will qualify for participation in the State Classic (Championship).

Note: All FBFN Tournament Rules and Entry Fees apply to these Qualifier tournaments.

Each Region will conduct a one-day “Second Chance” Tournament after the regular season has ended, but prior to the State Classic (Championship). All FBFN members from that particular region may participate in this tournament, and the top 60% of the anglers who have not previously qualified for the State Classic (Championship) shall qualify during this tournament.

Note: All FBFN Tournament Rules and Entry Fees apply to these tournaments as well.

No competitor in a FBFN Tournament may qualify for the State Classic (Championship), unless he/she presents a minimum of one “legal-sized” fish for weigh-in at the Regional Qualifier or Second Chance Tournament where he/she finishes in the top 60% of the field.

Paybacks in all Regional Qualifier and Second Chance Tournaments will be at 80% and will be based on one (1) payout for each five (5) boaters and one (1) payout for each five (5) non-boaters.

State Classic (Championship):
The FBFN will conduct a two-day State Classic (Championship), after all Regional Qualifiers and Second Chance Tournaments have been completed, in order to establish the State Champion. The location and date of the tournament will be established by the Tournament Committee.

Additionally, the State Classic (Championship) shall establish the Twelve (12) members, plus Two (2) alternate members “State Team” that will advance to the B.A.S.S. Southern Regional Tournament. This team will be made up of Six (6) anglers from the Boater category and Six (6) anglers from the Non-Boater category. The alternates will be one (1) Boater and one (1) Non-Boater.

Note: All FBFN Tournament Rules and Entry Fees will apply to the State Classic (Championship) Tournament.

22. Competitors are expected to obey all applicable Florida Boating or Fishing and Wildlife Statutes, Rules and Regulations. The violation of any of these rules may result in disqualification from the tournament. Repeated or flagrant violations will result disqualification and being banned from participation in future Florida BASS Federation Nation Tournaments.

23. None the aforementioned rules shall prohibit a properly designated Tournament Official from approaching or boarding any competitor’s boat at any time during the Official Practice Day(s) or during the actual FBFN Tournament competition for the purpose of inspecting the boat for violations of these rules. A Competitor who refuses to allow his/her boat to be inspected by a FBFN Tournament Official shall be disqualified from the tournament and all entry fees and prizes or prize money shall be forfeited. The Tournament Director, at his discretion, may impose additional sanctions regarding future FBFN Tournaments.

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