Roadrunner Bass Club Tournament Rules 2023

1. All tournaments will be held from daybreak to 3:00pm except the Toledo Bend Tournament, and the June, July, and August Tournaments will be a 2:00pm weigh in. All tournaments will have only one launchsite except Toledo Bend .

            A. The Toledo Bend Tournament will be a two day tournament with the launch site or sites, and times to be set by club members in Toledo Bend,                 depending on weather conditions and safe hours of daylight fishing.

            B. Only one launch site per tournament day will be allowed. There will be no sister launches to any launch site with the one exception being Doiron's may be nominated to be either side.

            C. It is allowed to nominate a launch site with designated boundaries to be voted on.

            D. Bob's Bayou Black Marina has been ruled out by member vote as a launch site option for future tournaments.

            E. Launch sites shall be nominated by members at the monthly meeting. Their is no limit to the number of sites that can be nominated. Only one site nomination per member, and members are required to vote for the site he nominated. Launch site selection shall require a majority vote of all present members except the President. If a majority is not determined by the first vote, a runoff between the two top vote getters shall be used to reach a majority. In case of ties, the President shall determine between the two sites.

2. The largemouth, smallmouth, and spotted bass will be the only eligible fish. Minimum length will be 12 inches measured with the mouth closed and tail pinched on a flat golden rule type board. No more than 5 fish per tournament day can be weighed if fishing with a partner. No member may weigh in a bass caught by another member trying to fill his limit. The weigh master or his designated substitute must verify any fish in question. The club will abide by state laws on minimum lengths and creel limits on waters the club may fish during the year. A member can only bring 5 fish when fishing with a partner or 10 when fishing alone to the club scale area. The penalty for bringing more than the allowed creel to the scale area is the loss of the members biggest fish for that day.

            A. All Toledo Bend fish must be 14 inches minimum.

            B. The District at Lake Des Allemands will be off limits. (Inside the levee line)

            C. Waters that are posted (off limits, No fishing, No trespassing, and private property) by State or local authorities or any posted water where the public is not allowed, is off limits to all competitors in the Bayou Black area.

3. Any member who may have to fish a tournament by himself will be allowed to weigh in 10 fish per tournament day. Only the 5 largest fish will be allowed to go toward his club standings. Any other fish weighed in will go towards his boat weight. The club will abide by state law on minimum lengths and creel limits on the water the club may fish during the calendar year.

            A. For 2 day tournaments, Rule #3 will apply for anyone having to fish without his original partner either day.

            B. Once a tournament begins, no pairings can be altered. However, members can fish together to share costs. Weights will be kept separate. This rule will apply to a 2 day tournament only. Pairings for a 2-day tournament cannot be altered.

4. The penalty for trying to weigh an undersized bass will be the loss of the largest bass plus one pound for that tournament. The weigh master or his substitute, prior to placing the fish on the scale, may verify any fish in question.

5. All members must declare, the night of the meeting, the tournament date he will fish. For a one day tournament, a member may fish the Sunday after his designated day, only for work related reasons. For a two day tournament, a member can fish his designated weekend ONLY. Any other work related exceptions depend on the boards approval.

            A. Any member who cannot make the meeting should designate his selected weekend to fish on the website, or notify either the club President or the Tournament Weigh Master prior to the monthly meeting. Members who fail to get their fishing day to the meeting will not be able to fish that tournament. All moneys will go towards the tournament payout.

            B. Any member without a work related excuse can volunteer to team with an odd or non boater member with a work related excuse on Sunday. That same member cannot volunteer in consecutive months.

6. All members must be paired up for tournaments if at all possible and make an effort to do so. Partners for tournaments will be selected by drawing of names at the meeting prior to the tournament.

            A. The Toledo Bend tournament will be a pick your partner tournament. Members must pick a club member to fish with. If the last member does not have a partner, he is allowed to fish with an outside partner. By the March meeting, if partners are not paired up, club members will be paired, by a drawing if needed.

            B. In case of an emergency after the March meeting, the board will have to approve the pairing of available members.

            C. Allow the top 10 anglers after the October results, the option to fish as an individual for the November tournament only.

            D. The club will keep a pairing board for all tournament pairings.

7. Any member, who is paired, but later finds out that he cannot fish, is responsible for notifying both his partner and the tournament coordinator as soon as possible so that suitable arrangements can be made to pairings.  If said member cannot reach the tournament coordinator, said member is responsible for contacting the club president. If the club president cannot be reached, said member is responsible for contacting the next officer in line until the official contact has been made.

8. Tournament points will be awarded as follows.

            A. One bonus point for each tournament fished, plus points for the total weight caught in each tournament.

            B. Eleven tournaments will be counted for the determination of the  final annual awards.

            C. All participation points and weights shall be nullified when a tournament is cancelled by the Board of Directors, for a natural disaster, or a State or Local issued Public Advisory that effects a club tournament.

9. Only artificial lures may be used. Trolling of lures and bank fishing are prohibited.

10. The boat to be used will be decided by a gentlemans agreement or a flip of a coin. Tournament expenses must be shared equally, as should the front of the boat during tournament fishing hours.

11. Both members of any team late for the weigh-in will be disqualified unless there is a legitimate reason as determined by the majority of members competing in the tournament that day. Legitimate reasons are as follows;

            A. Outboard motor or vehicle trouble.

            B. Unsafe conditions for traveling.

            C. The act of being a good Samaritan.

12. The tournament coordinator or next officer in line will have the official time of each and all tournaments. The official timekeeper shall call out the official time prior to the start of the tournament. That official timekeeper shall designate the take-off of the tournament day.

13. A member may bring in fish for another member who quits early or has boat trouble. After a member’s fish has been weighed and accepted, that weight stands. No fish weighed later will be accepted.

14. All regular monthly tournaments will be one day tournaments, except February, Toledo Bend and October will be two day tournaments.

15. Members are required to wear a life jacket when the outboard engine is running. If equipped with a kill switch, the members operating the boat is required to have the kill switch attached to his life jacket. This is a self-reporting violation that subjects the team to a fine of $25.00, to be deposited in the general club fund.

16. The club will practice catch and release during the months of January through April, except for the Toledo Bend tournament.

17. Club members must pay a minimum of $50.00 per month for the first three months by the beginning of each meeting in order to be able to participate in club tournaments. A total of $200.00 for the clubs dues must be paid in full by the March meeting.

            A. For new member candidates, the fee is $30.00 per month for two tournaments. If the candidate is voted into the club, they will owe the remaining balance of tournament fees for the remainder of the calendar year, before they can participate in another upcoming tournament. The new member will also owe $150.00 for the Toledo Bend tournament, if they decide that they are going to Toledo Bend.

18. Toledo Bend deposits of $150.00 are to be paid in full by the March meeting.

            A. Any excess money owed from Toledo Bend has to be paid in full by the meeting of the month following our Toledo Bend trip in order to continue participating in club tournaments.

19. Backing out rule:

            After backing out of fishing a tournament two times in a calendar year without a work related excuse, the club member will not be permitted to participate in his next available club tournament, except for Toledo Bend.  If Toledo Bend is the next scheduled tournament, the member will be allowed to fish, however he will not be allowed to fish the next tournament following Toledo Bend.

20. Late arrival rule:

            If a club member that has been officially paired with another member, causes a separation of that team because of is late arrival for that tournament, that member will be allowed to fish that day with the following penalties.

                        Member will only be allowed to weigh in a five fish limit. Member will be penalized his biggest bass and will not be eligible to win any big bass awards for that tournament.

21. The May tournament will be an individual members tournament.

22. Discrepancy and violations rule:

            Any violations of these club rules will be reviewed by the board of directors and all penalties will be directed by them.

Updated: 1-30-23 / by Mickey Bourgeois