SECTION 1 NAME AND PURPOSE
1. The name of the organization shall be “The Colony Bass Club” and will be referred to as “the club”.
2. The purpose for which the club exists is to promote interest in bass fishing and to provide a program such that members and their families can enjoy the recreational benefits of bass fishing and the association with other people with the same interest.
SECTION 2 MEMBERSHIP DUES AND SEASON
1. A single membership is limited to persons 17 years of age or older. A family membership will include all members of a household regardless of age.
2. Membership in the club is contingent upon payment of annual dues. Dues shall be $30 per single membership and $40 per family membership. Dues shall be reduced to $15 for single and $20 for family at any time after July 1st. The club season shall be designated as the period from January 1st through December 31st of each year. Tournaments will be conducted during the months of January through October (10 tournaments) of each year.
3. All members will be provided a set of bylaws which is available on the website for download and phone list of members.
SECTION 3 MEETINGS
1. The regular meetings of the club shall be held monthly, at such time and place as the Executive Committee (i.e., all officers) shall designate, for the conduct of the club’s regular business.
2. Special meetings may be called at any time deemed necessary by the President or Vice President by notifying all members verbally, or in writing at least 24 hours in advance.
3. Three (3) points will be awarded to each member attending a regular or special meeting.
SECTION 4 VOTING
1. Each single member shall be entitled to one vote on all matters presented before the membership. Each family membership shall be entitled to two votes provided at least two family members age 17 or older, are present at the time the vote is taken.
2. All matters placed before the membership at a regular meeting shall require a simple majority of the members present at the time the vote is taken.
3. Voting for election of officers shall be by written ballot only. All other votes may be verbal or by a show of hands.
4. The “Trophy Bass Contest” is open only to members of The Colony Bass Club with an annual cost of $20.00. The participant having caught the heaviest largemouth bass weighting eight (8) pounds or more by the end of the tournament year will be awarded the accumulated prize money at the annual awards dinner or meeting. The money will be split evenly in the event of a tie. The winning bass must have been legally caught and retained during a regularly scheduled club tournament and be in accordance with club tournament rules. Fish caught and usable in “paper” tournaments are excluded unless that fish exceeds the upper limit of the slot. Fish must be alive. In the event there is no winner of the contest during the contest year, the money collected will be a part of the next year’s prize. The
contest will then be continued by each interested member contributing an additional $20.00. After the second tournament year, any new participants must have fished a minimum of five (5) club tournaments before being allowed to participate.
The Club Treasurer will collect the money, keep a record of the participants, and be able to provide the membership with a list of those persons involved and the amount of the prize money available.
SECTION 5 ELECTION OF OFFICERS AND THEIR DUTIES
1. All officers of the club will be elected by the voting membership at the annual club banquet and shall hold office for the term of one year, or until their successors are duly elected. All officers will be part of the Executive Committee with the President acting as chairman. All officers will have the authority to delegate a portion of their duties to another member of the club, but responsibility for the duty being completed shall remain with the officer.
2. The officers shall consist of the President, Vice-President, Treasurer, Program Director, and Web Master.
2a. PRESIDENT: The President shall preside at all meetings of the club and the Executive Committee and obtain a volunteer to take meeting minutes to be delivered to the webmaster to be posted to the website. The President shall also be responsible for presentation of a tentative list of lake sites and tournament dates for a vote at the January club meeting. He/she shall determine the agenda and any program for any regular or special meeting of members and shall preside at all elections. The President shall also be responsible for maintaining the tournament entry books, results of tournaments, attendance records for meeting attendance and for updating the point standings for the membership on a monthly basis. The President will notify the Vice President of the monthly tournament results within 10 days following the monthly tournament.
2b. VICE-PRESIDENT: The Vice President shall preside and act as President or Treasurer in the absence of that officer. The Vice President shall be responsible for all club publicity (including, but not limited to, obtaining, maintaining, and distributing T-shirts with the club’s logo), communications to club members regarding tournaments, events, or other club business, maintaining the membership list, and for preparation and publication of the monthly newsletter. The monthly newsletter will be published within 15 days after the monthly tournament, or meeting if no tournament for that month.
2c. TREASURER: The Treasurer will maintain the club’s bank account and account for all funds received by the club and paid out by the club. He/she shall also publish a monthly report at the monthly club meeting showing changes to the financial condition of the club. The Treasurer will take funds from all new members and have the new member complete a membership form. The membership form will be delivered to the Vice President for updating of the membership list. The Treasurer shall be responsible for obtaining all awards and presenting the annual awards.
2d. PROGRAM DIRECTOR: The Program Director shall be responsible for conducting all special events for the club.
2e. WEBMASTER: The Webmaster will maintain and timely update the website.
2f. Affiliate Coordinator: The affiliate coordinator will work with club approved affiliates such as Texas BASS Nation to submit required paperwork and coordinate with participating club members for affiliate events.
3. Any vacancies of officers shall be filled by appointment by the Executive Committee without delay.
SECTION 6 CONDUCT OF MEMBER
1. The duties of the member shall be to conduct themselves and to require their guests to conduct themselves in a proper and fitting manner, to uphold the dignity of the club at all meeting and on the lakes or other club functions; to be alert and mindful of the club’s interests and to be in compliance with all federal, state, and local laws, club rules and by-laws.
SECTION 7 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
1. The Executive Committee shall consist of all officers and shall have general management powers over the property, business and affairs of the club and shall be responsible for administering it to the greatest benefit of the greatest number of club members. Meetings of the Executive Committee shall be called by the President.
2. All expenditures of the club’s funds exceeding $100, must be approved by the Executive Committee.
SECTION 8 REMOVAL OF OFFICER OR MEMBER
1. Any officer missing three consecutive meetings, or not performing their duties, shall be eligible for removal from their office upon recommendation by the Executive Committee and a simple majority vote of the members present at a regular meeting.
2. Any officer or member violating the club’s bylaws and rules or applicable laws may be removed by simple majority vote of the Executive Committee at any regular or special meeting. No vote on removal may be taken unless 15 days’ notice, in writing, shall have been given to the officer or member notifying them of the charges against them and of the time and place of the meeting at which such vote on their removal is to be taken.
3. Charges against any officer or member may be referred by any member in good standing. The charges must be in writing, clearly stating the facts and circumstances and accompanied by all affidavits or exhibits supporting the charges. Such charges shall be filed with any Executive Committee member who will immediately notify the President. The President will notify all other Executive Committee members and schedule an Executive Committee meeting to make a decision regarding such charges.
SECTION 9 REVISING BYLAWS
1. Amendments to Bylaws shall be proposed at the regular meeting during the months of November and May only. All proposed Bylaw changes must be made in writing. Such proposed amendments shall not be voted on until the next regular meeting in either December or June. Amendments to the Bylaws may only be effected by simple majority made by voting members present at a regular meeting. Only in the case of urgency will any amendments be considered at any other time. Urgency shall be defined as a case where these Bylaws conflict with any local, state, or federal laws, or when deemed dangerous or unsafe to club participants in any activity.
2. All approved amendments to the Bylaws shall be furnished in writing to the club members in a timely manner by the Vice President and placed on the website within 30 days following a vote.
SECTION 10 TOURNAMENTS
1. The tournament year is designated as the period from January 1st through November 30th of each calendar year with ten (10) scheduled tournaments held within that period.
2. A preliminary tournament schedule shall be proposed by the Executive Committee and by the President of lakes, tournament dates (one day or two), for the entire year and will be presented to the club’s membership, at or before the January meeting. Either the Executive Committee or the President’s schedule will be chosen by a vote of all current members at the January meeting. Once a schedule is approved and published in the club’s newsletter, the schedule will be final. However, the President may change the schedule when circumstances are such that it may be a dangerous fishing or trailering environment. In the event of a change in schedule for a tournament, the revised schedule will require all participants to compete on the same weekend and at the same times. In all circumstances, members are encouraged to use common sense and sound judgment in deciding whether or not to proceed.
3. The schedule will include seven (7) draw, three (3) buddy, and one make-up tournaments each year. The makeup tournament will only be used if there is a cancelation earlier in the year. There will not be more than two (2) overnight tournaments on the schedule per year. The Executive lake lists proposed will consist of 10 lakes they chose. A buddy tournament shall be defined as one where members mutually choose their partners from among other members of the club. Members may “buddy-up” with the same member only once per year.
4. Partners for draw tournaments will be drawn at the regular meetings preceding the tournament. Only members, whose dues are current, will be eligible to participate in the draw. Each member is responsible for having their name placed in the draw, if unable to attend the meeting. Anytime a member wants to fish with a family member, guest, or alone they will advise the President, who shall list them as a team for the tournament and then withhold their name from the draw. In the event a member with or without a boat is left unpaired by the draw or the partner backs out, the member must contact the judge of the upcoming tournament for pairing from the standby list. If a pairing of members cannot be made, the member may bring a guest (potential new member) or fish alone. All pairings for a tournament made after the meeting must be approved by the President / Tournament Judge prior to the tournament. If, due to a draw, a member is not paired-up and therefore unable to fish, that member shall be the first name drawn for the next tournament. It shall be the responsibility of the member to so inform the President, prior to the draw, at the next scheduled draw tournament meeting. A member may only be left “un- paired” due to the draw, one time per tournament year. Should any member be left “unpaired” more than once, the names of the last two teams (i.e. four names) will be returned to the “draw” and the first name drawn will be paired with that member.
5. A member may fish with a guest a maximum of three (3) times per tournament year. A guest may fish as a guest at only one (1) tournament per year. A guest will be awarded the appropriate points in our tournament ranking results. A guest will be allowed to use those points toward top six, classic and angler of the year if they join the club in the year in which they were awarded.
6. Tournament Judges will familiarize themselves with the bylaws and tournament judge duties set forth in this document. All tournaments shall be conducted in accordance with these bylaws and applicable laws.
a) A legal tournament fish will adhere to the wildlife department posted acceptable lengths and include only largemouth, smallmouth, or spotted bass. All fish will be measured for length with the mouth closed and the fins pinched together and will be weighed at the conclusion of the set tournament hours. All persons fishing a tournament must keep individual stringers at all times (fin clipping not permitted). Paperweights will be permitted for fish with a length in the State required slot on a lake. The State mandated weights for lengths in the slot will be used for weights at the tournament.
b) All federal, state, and county game and safety laws must be observed at all times. Life vests must be worn while the big motor is running.
c) All club membership dues and tournament fees must be paid prior to the start of the tournament. The draw will be determined by the Tournament Judge at the regular meeting. A list of partner names, tournament times, weigh-in site, and any side-pot information will be given to the membership by the Vice President in an e-mail prior to the tournament. Once published the times are final unless changed by the President under Section 10, part 2 above.
d) Judges for each tournament will be those that volunteer at the January meeting, if no volunteers then the Tournament Judge (“Judge”) will be appointed by the President. The Judge will be responsible for weigh-in and enforcement of the laws, bylaws and rules. The Judge will be responsible for establishing the lake weigh-in site and tournament times. The Judge will record all necessary information in the tournament entry books and place his/her initials in the proper place to verify the big bass and total weight of the fish weighed. Judges are to be at the weigh-in site 15 minutes prior to the weigh-in time. The Judge will be responsible for designating the official time piece by which the tournament time will be kept. The Judge will be responsible for the weigh-in equipment and returning the tournament entry book to the President at the end of the tournament.
e) A participant is required to be in sight of the ramp by the weigh-in time posted in the newsletter. A grace period for contestants reporting late to the weigh-in site will be as follows:
a. Up to 5 min.: 25% of total weight (plus big bass will also be penalized 25% of wt.)
b. 5 to 10 min.: 50% of total weight (plus big bass will also be penalized 50% of wt.)
c. 11 to 15 min: 75% of total weight (plus big bass will also be penalized 75% of wt.)
d. 16 minutes or over: Total weight and big bass will be disqualified for that day.
e. In the event a boat is late to the weigh-in due to helping another member of the club in a timely manner who is in distress on the water, the weights of the assisting boat will not be disqualified or penalized for being late if they contact the Judge or an officer fishing the tournament at least 15 minutes before the weigh-in explaining the situation. The weights of the boater that was being helped will be subject to the regular late penalties according to the time they make it to the weigh-in.
f) All fish must be caught on artificial lures or pork rind. No trolling with gas engine allowed.
g) The yearly standings will be determined by a point system which will be awarded based upon an individual angler’s standings from the best 9 tournaments of each angler:
a. Points will be awarded at each tournament based upon an individual angler’s ending weight as compared against all other anglers participating in a given tournament. Points will be awarded based upon a 100 point system. 100 points will be given to the angler with the highest weight for a given tournament. Points awarded for each subsequent position will be reduced by 5 points until 7th place at which the point reduction will be reduced to 2 points and 2 points for each subsequent position for anglers with fish.
b. In the case of a tie (for anglers with fish brought to weigh-in), the points for the higher position will be given to each angler. The position of the angler that trails the tied anglers will be to add one to the total count of the number of anglers that caught more total weight in the tournament.
c. Anglers in a tournament and that end a tournament with a zero weight will be awarded points based upon one third of the points of the angler that weighed in the lowest weights of the same tournament. No fish will be weighed-in prior to the designated time.
h) Any protest related to violations of any law, bylaw or rule shall be made to the Tournament Judge or a present Board Member (as long as they are not involved in said protest) no later than 20 minutes after the designated weigh-in time. If a protest related to violations of any law, bylaw or rule that is not acted upon at the weigh-in site may be submitted in writing to the President within forty-eight (48) hours of the designated weigh-in time. The protest may be verbal or in writing at the time of the protest. Both parties involved will be told that a formal protest has been raised at the time of protest. Both parties will be given time to present what happened in their words. The Board and President will then discuss the issue at the earliest time possible and vote whether the protest meets the requirements of a violation of our laws, bylaws, or rules. If the protest is upheld by a simple majority vote of the Board and President then penalties will be dispensed per the below guidelines:
a. 1st offense – the member or members will be advised that a protest has been upheld against them constituting a 1st offense
b. 2nd offense – points for that tournament will be removed from the person or persons score.
c. 3rd offense – points for the year will be removed from the person or persons score and the person will be expelled from the club.
i) It is required that all participants check in at the weigh-in to receive their points for fishing a tournament to ensure no one is left stranded on the lake. In the event a participant must leave prior to the weigh-in, they must notify the Judge or an officer or leave a note on the Judge’s vehicle about their early departure.
j) Each member is also required to extend courtesy to other fisherman and boaters at all times. a. In addition to courtesy to other fishermen, it is suggested that courtesy between members should be maintained through allowing the non-boater to determine where they will fish for half of the tournament time.
b. Common fishing courtesy also dictates that the boater should be cognizant of the needs of the non-boater as to not “front end” them during the tournament.
k) All club members are responsible for their share of the expenses incurred to fish a tournament. Members are expected to settle the financial aspects of a tournament with their partners as soon as those expenses are known.
l) If two boaters are paired during a draw, the first boater drawn can choose between being the boater or non-boater.
m) When more non-boaters than boaters are in the draw at a meeting and a non-boater member is not present at the meeting, the non-boater at the meeting will be given preference when drawing teams for the tournament.
n) Boat proximity to other boaters fishing: 50 yards if not anchored. 100 yards if anchored.
o) A 1/2 lb. penalty will be assessed for each dead fish brought to the weigh-in.
p) Tournament fee is $15.00 and is dispersed as follows:
i $ 8.00 to the club for general expenses, and
ii $ 7.00 to the Classic Fund.
iii Youth anglers will pay a tournament fee of $ 5.00 and will not be able to fish the classic, except:
1 If the youth chooses to pay the full amount and intends to quality for the classic.
2 If the youth angler does not make the necessary points to quality for the classic, no refund of the difference in tournament fee charges are allowed.
q) Any excess funds at the end of the tournament year will be used at the discretion of the Executive Committee. Suggested uses are: a plaque for the “Angler of the Year”, “Junior Angler of the Year”, “Female Angler of the Year”, “Big Bass of the Year”, door prizes, and awards party.
r) TCBC Classic: Each year the club will have a Classic tournament during one of the last two months of the tournament year. The Classic will be a two day event (no nights) and is not to be held prior to the completion of the last regularly scheduled tournament of a given year:
a. The lake will be chosen at the August meeting. The lake chosen will not be a lake from the regularly scheduled tournament of the given year. Each member that qualifies will be allowed to nominate one lake, but only member present can vote for the lake. No lake can be nominated for the Classic tournament that has a slot or a minimum over 14”. All nominations will be combined and the two lakes with the most nominations will be offered before qualified members for a vote. The lake of the two that receives the most votes will determine the location of the Classic. Only Texas lakes within 275 miles of The Colony are eligible to be nominated.
b. For a member to qualify to fish the Classic, he/she must meet all of the following:
i. Be a member in good standing with no amounts owed to the club
ii. Obtain nine (9) qualifying points in the current tournament year, prior to the Classic. One (1) point is awarded for each tournament attended. One (1) point is awarded for each meeting attended. A minimum of five (5) points must be received from tournament attendance.
iii. Non-boater exception to five (5) points from tournaments – a non-boater with four (4) tournament attendance points who was in the draw for a fourth tournament but missed fishing the tournament because the club did not have enough boaters to allow the member to fish can still participate in the Classic.
c. Partners for the Classic will be made by draw only.
d. The qualifying members that wish to fish the tournament MUST have their name in the hands of the President at the time of the draw. There will not be additions to the list after the meeting is concluded, except in the case of emergencies; and that change must be approved by a majority of the Executive Committee. It is the responsibility of all qualifying members that wish to fish the classic to make sure their name is in the draw.
e. The draw will consist of the random pairing of boaters with non-boaters. A name will be drawn from the non-boater group and teamed up with a name drawn from the boaters.
f. If a husband and wife or parent and child both qualify and would like to be exempted from the draw and fish together at the Classic, they must state it before the draw begins.
g. If multiple qualified boaters remain unpaired, they will be matched together with other boaters by draw. In the case of a disagreement as to which boat is to be used for the tournament, the order of the drawing of the partners will identify which boat is to be used. The first boater drawn is to take his/her boat unless the partners agree to switch.
h. If multiple qualified non-boater(s) remain unpaired (more non-boaters than boaters in draw), members with a boat that did not qualify to fish the classic may be allowed to pair up with a qualified non-boater. The selection of the boater will be done by selecting the boater(s) with the highest number of qualifying points. In the case of a tie, a random draw will be made.
i. The draw will be final.
j. The tournament shall be conducted in accordance with the normal law, bylaw, and tournament rules. If there is a conflict between the regular rules and those in this section, those in this section will be followed for the Classic event only. k. Guests are not allowed during the Classic event.
k. No paper fish weight will be allowed. Each team will be allowed to only bring in five (5) Bass per day. Only smallmouth, largemouth, and spotted bass qualify.
l. The President will serve as judge for the Classic
m. The Classic will pay out based upon the following two criteria:
1 If there is less than $1,000 in prize money, the payout will be 50% first, 30% second, and 20% third.
2 If there is more than $1,000 in prize money, the payout will be to the top four teams at 40% for first, 30% for second, and 20% for third, and 10% for fourth.
n. There will not be an entry fee for fishing the Classic.
o. Members under the age of 17 may not qualify to fish the Classic, unless the youth angler paid full price during the year and fishes with a qualified parent.
p. Funds for the payout for the Classic will be obtained by reserving a portion of the funds received from each adult entry from each regular monthly tournament.
q. If a regularly scheduled tournament falls after the Classic, the portion of money paid in tournament fees which apply towards the Classic will be carried over into the following year. No qualifying points will be awarded for attending events after the Classic in the same year as the Classic.
SECTION 11 FISH TO BE RELEASED
1. All live fish, brought to the weigh-in, shall become property of the club to be released back into the lake. The two exceptions are:
A. A trophy fish that the angler wishes to mount
B. On a slot lake, fish under the minimum length for the slot may be retained for consumption in accordance with Texas Parks and Wildlife Management policies.
SECTION 12 CUT OFF DATES FOR STANDINGS
1. For the purpose of selecting the top fisherman in the club to participate in any tournament the cut- off shall be the standings after the October tournament.
2. Only members who are current in all fees owed to the club shall be eligible to participate in or receive any club-sponsored awards.
SECTION 13 DISSOLUTION PROCESS
1. This club may be dissolved by the simple majority vote of the club members at a meeting. In that event, the assets of the club, after payment of all current expenses, shall be donated to a non-sectarian charity by action of the Executive Committee and the Treasurer shall
