CONSTITUTION

AND BY-LAWS

Revised March 2003

ARTICLE 1 – NAME AND PURPOSE

SECTION 1 – NAME

This club shall be called the Triangle Bassmasters.

SECTION 2 – PURPOSE

To stimulate public awareness of bass fishing as a major sport. To offer our State Conservation Department our organized moral and political support and encouragement. To promote full adherence to all conservation codes, to demand adequate water standards and legal enforcement of existing regulatory standards. To detect and report any polluter and call public attention to their crime. To improve our skills as Bass Anglers through a fellowship of friendly exchange of expert bass catching techniques and ideas. To promote and encourage youth fishing and a love for this great recreation. To function as a dynamic and effective link with other clubs embracing the principles and purposes of the Triangle Bassmasters.

ARTICLE 2 – MEMBERSHIP

SECTION 1 – REQUIREMENT FOR MEMBERSHIP

To become a Club member a person shall:

(A) Voluntarily express a genuine interest in membership.

(B) A person may become a member of Triangle Bassmasters at any time he had two sponsors, attends one meeting, pays his dues and is voted in by a majority of the members present. Person must be a member in good standing with dues paid to be eligible for any major prizes. The prospective new member does not have to be present but must have completed an application for membership.

(C) Any new member must be resident of the New River Valley. Any exception to this rule must be approved by a majority vote of the Club members.

(D) All present members who reside outside of the New River Valley may continue to renew their membership annually, provided they continue to abide by all the Club By-laws

(E) Upon becoming a member of Triangle Bassmasters, each new member will be issued a copy of the By-Laws, Tournament Schedule and Membership Roster.

SECTION 2 – TYPES OF MEMBERSHIP

There are two types of membership.

(A) Active member – Should attend a minimum of two thirds of all Club meetings.

(B) Associate member – Children or grandchildren (15 years old or younger) of an active Club member may be added to the club membership at the request of the sponsoring member. Requirements for membership or Club dues do not apply.

SECTION 3 – MEMBERSHIP DUES

(A) The membership dues for active members shall be $20.00 per calendar year due annually in January, or upon being voted into the Club. Any person joining before August 31^st will be required to pay their dues in full for that year. Any person joining after August 31^st will only be require to pay half of the full years dues. All money collected for dues, projects and tournaments shall be used for the good of ALL members, for tournament prizes, social activities for their families, annual trophies and prizes.

(B) All Elected Officers shall receive free membership (Club dues) for that year.

(C) Tournament assistants appointed by the Tournament Director shall receive $10.00 off their yearly dues.

(D) All Elected Officers and Tournament assistants must serve full term o forfeit their above benefits. The Club must be refunded if the member fails to serve their full term.

(E) Any member that has 20 years or more collective membership of Triangle Bassmasters will be considered a “life” member and membership dues will not apply to that member.

ARTICLE 3 – OFFICERS AND THEIR DUTIES

SECTION 1 - THE OFFICERS OF THE CLUB SHALL CONSIST OF :

(1) PRESIDENT – Preside of all meetings and direct all official business. Appoint and direct all committee functions. Supervise all Club functions.

(2) VICE-PRESIDENT – Preside in absence of President. Assist on the Clubs behalf in anyway they can.

(3) SECRETARY – Maintain accurate minutes of all meetings. Maintain regular liaison between Club and Bass Anglers Sportsman’s Society National Headquarters and the VA BASS FEDERATION. Read the minutes of the last meeting to any member who calls or comes at a reasonable time. Will be responsible for keeping an inventory of approx. 5 copies of the By-Laws, Tournament Schedule and Members list be issued to all new members. Will be responsible for generating copies of the By-Laws, Tournament Schedule and Members list to be distributed to all members present at the March meeting each year. Any monies spent by the Secretary to perform his duties are the responsibility of the Club, as long as the Club first approves the expenditures.

(4) TREASURER – Maintain accurate financial records and report these records at each club meeting. Give financial report to anyone who calls or comes by at a reasonable time. Any Club transaction must be made by check and must be approved by the Club. All checks must be signed by two current officers and must be set up in an account that requires this. Anyone approved to send club money, who pays with cash, must have a valid receipt to be refunded. The Club shall not write blank checks.

(5) TOURNAMENT DIRECTOR – Chair all committee meetings associated with tournaments. Shall appoint three (3) assistants. Take charge of all tournament outings insuring correct starting and stopping of all club tournaments. Responsible for the weighing in of all fish caught and insuring that all rules are enforced. Maintain records of each tournament and maintain the yearly individual and team standings. Report yearly and team standings at each Club meeting. Give yearly and team standings to anyone who calls or comes by at a reasonable time.

SECTION 2 – ELECTION OF OFFICERS

The election of officers shall be held annually at the January meeting each year. Elections shall be by simple majority of members present.

SECTION 3 – ELIGIBILITY TO VOTE

Each current member is entitled to one vote. Effective Jan 1^st 1994, proxy votes are not permitted. Member must be present to vote.

SECTION 4 – TERM OF OFFICE

The term of office is one year, which will begin at the January meeting and will end in January of the following year.

SECTION 5 – VACANCIES OF OFFICE

In the event of an Office vacancy, nominations shall be asked for and an election will be held to fill the vacated term of Office.

SECTION 6 – ELIGIBILITY FOR HOLDLING OFFICE

To be eligible for Office, a member must:

(A) Have been a member for at least one year.

(B) Have attended at least 50% of Club meetings or 50% of all Club functions

(C) Have shown an active interest in all Club functions.

ARTICLE 4 – METHOD OF AMENDING THE CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS

SECTION 1:

(A) The constitution and by-laws may be amended at any club meeting by a two thirds vote of the Club members present. Proposed amendments must be presented to the president in writing, for presentation to the Club members.

(B) The constitution and by-laws will be reviewed and changes recommended where necessary annually in January by a voluntary Club committee.

(C) By-laws and Amendments are in effect for the year dated on the top of the first page only. A copy of the new By-laws with Amendments added and the new date of copy will be issued to all active members present at the March meeting of each New Year.

(D) The Secretary will be responsible for adding any Amendments to the file copy of the By-laws under Article 4 – Amendments. The secretary will make sure the Tournament Directors By-laws and kept up to date.

ARTICLE 5 – REMOVAL OF MEMBERSHIP

SECTION 1 - A MEMBER SHALL BE REMOVED FROM THE MEMBERSHIP ROLL FOR THE FOLLOWING -

(A) Failure to pay Club dues by the last meeting in November (dues are due in January)

(B) Any action that would reflect dishonor or disgrace on the Club.

ARTICLE 6 – TOURNAMENTS

SECTION 1 – TEN (10) CLUB SCHEDULED TOURNAMENTS

(A) To be eligible to vote on the ten (10) scheduled tournaments, the member must have fished at least five (5) of the previous year’s tournaments.

(B) The scheduled tournaments will be set up annually at the November yearly Club meeting by a committee. This schedule will be presented and voted upon by membership at the December yearly Club meeting. Once the tournament schedule has been voted upon, the Locations, Dates and Starting Times will not be changed unless there is an extreme emergency. Pounds and hundredths of pounds of eligible fish caught plus two (2) pounds for participation in each Tournament will be counted toward the yearly team and individual standings

(C) In each calendar year of ten (10) tournaments, each member must elect one tournament to be “dropped” from their individual yearly standings. Yearly team will be based on a total the ten (10) tournaments.

SECTION 2 – ELIGIBILITY TO FISH SCHEDULED TOURNAMENTS

(A) Any active or associate member in good standing (dues paid) is eligible to participate in all scheduled Club tournaments.

(B) Any active member can have a guest partner for one (1) tournament only. Guests cannot be used during the “Members Only” tournament (Money Tournament).

(C) Associate members are eligible for the “Members Only” tournament (Money Tournament).

(D) Any tournament fished will be added to the yearly individual standings.

(E) In each calendar year of ten (10) tournaments, each member must elect one tournament to be “dropped” from their individual yearly standings. Yearly team will be based on a total the ten (10) tournaments.

SECTION 3 – ENTRY FEES

The entry fee for all Club scheduled tournaments will be $20.00 per participant.

SECTION 4 – TOURNAMENT PAYOUT

Boats

Total $

Club $

Big Fish

Remainder

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

5th

SECTION 5 – “MEMBERS ONLY” TOURNAMENT (MONEY TOURNAMENT)

One of the ten (10) scheduled tournaments will be designated at the “Members Only” Tournament each year. “Members Only” Tournament must be scheduled on Claytor Lake. The club will add $150.00 to the pay out. All other rules apply to this tournament. This tournament will be 100% payback.

An active member must have paid his annual dues at least thirty (30) days prior to the “Members Only” Tournament to be eligible to fish that tournament. This includes his associate member.

ARTICLE 7 – TOURNAMENT RULES

(1) The only fish that will be counted in club tournaments will be LARGEMOUTH, SMALLMOUTH and KENTUCKY (SPOTTED) bass.

(2) All bass must at least twelve (12) inches long; all other laws apply to the water being fished. The method of measurement will be with the mouth closed and, with any part of the tail touching the correct mark, the fish will be considered legal. Fish will be measured on official rule only. TOURNAMENT DIRECTOR RULING IS FINAL.

(3) If the lake limit is five (5) fish per person, then a team can weigh in ten (10) fish total no matter how many one member catches. The limit for the boat is ten (10) fish. The fish will count toward the Tournament Awards and Top Team standings. If a member catches more that five (5) of the total fish caught, the remaining fish must be removed and the best five only will count toward their yearly standings. Their partner can only count the fish that they legally caught toward their yearly standings. This rule is based on the honor system. All limit regulations apply for the particular body of water being fished.

(4) Any person bringing a bass that does not meeting the minimum length will be penalized the weight of the fish plus three (3) pounds. This will be deducted from the tournament total and the yearly totals. Tournament officers are prohibited from pre-measuring any fish.

(5) Fish must be caught on artificial lures only in club scheduled tournaments.

(6) All participants must be present at the starting location at the specified time, or find another participant, pay their tournament fees and have their boat checked before they start to fish. Failure to do so will mean disqualification and loss of two pounds for participation. Before all tournaments, participants must draw for starting position. Boats will start one at a time. The highest number drawn will start the tournament only when told to do so by the Tournament Director.

(7) A grace period of five (5) minutes shall be allowed for each team to arrive at the specified weigh in site past the scheduled time. After the grace period, the team will be disqualified for that days catch and lose that weight but will still be awarded two pounds from participation.

(8) Trailering of boats during tournaments is prohibited.

(9) Only two (2) persons may fish per boat, except in the case of a boat malfunction on the day of the tournament. Upon a volunteer basis, there may be three (3) members to a boat. All fish must be separated and allotted to the malfunctioning boat’s team.

(10) In the case of a tie, the participants will split the prize money accordingly.

(11) There will be a four (4) ounce, (0.25lb) penalty for any dead fish weighed in. This will be deducted from the total catch.

(12) Each participant must present their fish for weighing in separate bags for ease of scoring. Teams failing to do so will have that days catch disqualified.

(13) Tournament officials cannot call the weight their fish or their partners’ fish. Another member must call their fish’s weight.

(14) Individuals may fish tournament, but cannot bring any more than a legal one person limit to the scales.

(15) Teams may switch partners on a two day tournament. Only the best single days catch will be applied to tournament prizes. Individuals two day catch will be added for yearly total only.

(16) Big fish money is a side bet and cannot be withheld from someone that is penalized for short or dead fish. Anyone disqualified is not eligible for big fish money and the Big fish money will be awarded to the next largest fish. Big fish bet is $2.50 per person and will be awarded to the heaviest fish caught in a tournament regardless of the number of tournament days.

(17) In the event that any or all prize money is not awarded due to lack of fish caught, the remaining prize money not awarded will be donated to the Club treasury.

ARTICLE 8 – ANNUAL AWARDS

Individual Standings

1^st Place – Trophy plus Triangle Bass Jacket (or monetary equivalent)

2^nd Place - Trophy plus Triangle Bass Jacket (or monetary equivalent)

3^rd Place – Trophy

4^th Place – Trophy

5^th Place – Trophy

6^th Place – Trophy

Yearly Biggest Fish

Largemouth – Trophy

Smallmouth – Trophy

Top Team

Trophy for each member

Note - All trophies will be awarded without regard to the number of trophies awarded to any one club member

ARTICLE 9 – YEARLY TOP TEAM AWARDS

During the ten (10) regular scheduled club tournaments each member has the option to fish with any member (or non member, Article 6 / Section 2-B) he wishes. However the team can have one substitute each per calendar year but only their weight will be counted toward the top team awards for that year. Any other substitute will be counted as a NEW TEAM.

ARTICLE 10 – CHAPTER TEAM (SIX MAN) AND MR BASS TOURNAMENTS

After the final tournament is completed and the yearly individual standings are completed. The top six members (by total weight) will be eligible to fish in the Chapter Team (Six-Man) Tournament held the next year by the Virginia BASS Federation. The top three members will qualify as “Boaters” and the remaining three will qualify as “Non-Boaters”. In the event that one of the top 6 cannot attend, or wishes not to attend the Chapter Team (Six-Man), the 7^th place member will be eligible and so on until the 6 man team is complete. In the event that one the top three eligible members does not own a boat, or cannot provide a boat for use in the tournament, then the fourth place member will become eligible as a “Boater” and so on until the three “Boater” positions are filled. It is acceptable for a member to finish ahead of an eligible “Boater” in the yearly standings and still attend the tournament as a “Non-Boater”. Members fishing the Chapter Team (Six-Man) tournament will receive free entry into the tournament (paid by the club) plus an amount of money for tournament expenses. This amount will be decided upon by a vote by the members present at the Club meeting prior to the Chapter Team (Six-Man) tournament.

After the final tournament is completed and the yearly individual standings are completed. The top two members (by total weight) will be eligible to fish in the Mr Bass tournament held the next year by the Virginia BASS Federation. The top finisher will qualify as the “Boater” and the second place finisher will qualify as the “Non-Boater”. In the event that one of the top 2 cannot attend, or wishes not to attend the Mr Bass tournament, the 3^rd place member will be eligible and so on until the 2 man team is complete. In the event that first eligible member does not own a boat, or cannot provide a boat for use in the tournament, then the next eligible member will become eligible as a “Boater” and so on until the “Boater” position filled. It is acceptable for a member to finish ahead of an eligible “Boater” in the yearly standings and still attend the tournament as a “Non-Boater”. Members fishing the Mr Bass tournament will receive free entry into the tournament (paid by the club) plus an amount of money for tournament expenses. This amount will be decided upon by a vote by the members present at the Club meeting prior to the Mr Bass tournament.

ARTICLE 11 –FEDERATION CLASSIC

Members of Triangle Bassmasters, who qualify, through the Virginia BASS Federation tournaments, to fish the “Fall Classic” will be provided with an amount of money for tournament expenses. This amount will be decided upon by a vote by the members present at the Club meeting prior to the “Fall Classic” tournament.

We the undersigned do hereby abolish all previous By-Laws and do hereby approve this Constitution and By-Laws. Interpretation of the By-Laws, if needed, will be accomplished jointly by the Club Officers with the President deciding when a majority of all Officers cannot agree.

SIGNED THIS _______________ DAY OF ______________ OF THE YEAR____________

PRESIDENT_________________________________________________________________

VICE-PRESIDENT­­____________________________________________________________

SECRETARY________________________________________________________________

TREASURER_________________________________________________________________

TOURNAMENT DIRECTOR­­­­­­­­­____________________________________________________

TRIANGLE BASSMASTER

5100 LIZZIE GUNN RD,

PULASKI, VA, 24301

540-980-3144