State Championship Agenda (PDF) | State Championship Entry Form (PDF)
Back to Championship Page

Texas B.A.S.S. Federation Nation
2007 State Championship
Official Rules and Regulations

1. RULE CHANGES: Great effort, study and research have gone into the formulation of these rules. In the event of a rule violation, the Tournament Director may impose such sanctions, as he deems appropriate, including, without limitation disqualification, forfeiture of prizes, entry fees and prohibition from participation in subsequent tournaments. The decision of the Tournament Director or tournament officials shall be final.

2. PARTICIPANTS AND ELIGIBILITY: Participation in this tournament is by invitation only.  This tournament is only open to members of the Texas B.A.S.S. Federation who are 16 or older. Proof of age to the satisfaction of tournament officials is the responsibility of competitor. DURING THE OFFICIAL PRACTICE AND COMPETITION DAYS NO CONTESTANT MAY OPERATE A BOAT UNLESS PROOF OF BOAT LIABILITY INS. OF $300,000 OR MORE WITH EFFECTIVE DATES DURING THE TOURNAMENT WEEK. Insurance will not be required to be sent in with the state tournament registration, but will be required to be on the boat and ready for check if asked. If the insurance binder is not available when/if requested the boater would be disqualified. All contestants will obtain a Mexico Fishing license. Any contestant that is handicapped in such a manner as to unfairly hinder his partner or endanger his safety shall not be eligible. ALL ENTRY FORMS MUST BE POSTMARKED NO LATER THAN FEBRUARY 16, 2007.

3. PRE-TOURNAMENT PRACTICE: There will be a practice period immediately proceeding the first day of the tournament. The tournament lake will not have an off limits period.  During the official practice, and during the tournament, a competitor may not have the assistance or advice of anyone for the purpose of locating or catching bass other than another contestant; the only exception to this rule is that a spouse or child may practice with their spouse or parent. No skin diving or scuba diving on the tournament waters during official practice or tournament days. No use of CB Radios, VHF marine band radio, cellular phones for the purpose of locating or catching fish. All of the above may be used in the case of an emergency for location purposes only. Each contestant agrees to report any violation of these rules immediately to the tournament director. Failure to do so could result in your disqualification.  By your participation in this event you agree to submit to a polygraph test should you be accused of any rule violation. The administration and interpretation of the polygraph test shall be solely the responsibility of the tournament director. The Tournament Director shall select the place, the individual, and the scope of questions. The contestant shall make themselves available at their expense for this examination.

4. REGISTRATION: Each competitor needs to try to register in person at the prescribed location on the agenda. If he/she can’t then at least 1 team member representative must check-in the team at registration. Failure to register during the prescribed hours will result in a 1 pound penalty for the team weight. No Exceptions.  It is your responsibility to check the agenda.

5. SAFETY: Safe boat conduct must be observed at all times by tournament competitors. During the official practice and tournament hours, each competitor is required to wear a Coast Guard approved chest type life preserver. This life preserver must be worn anytime the combustion engine is operating. The preserver must be strapped, snapped or zippered securely and maintained in that condition until the competitor reaches his fishing location and the combustion engine is shut off.  Tournament officials have the right to delay or cancel the start of an official tournament day because of bad weather or other factors that would endanger the safety of the competitors.

6. SPORTSMANSHIP: Contestants are expected to follow high standards of sportsmanship, courtesy, safety and conservation. Any infraction of these fundamental sporting principles may be deemed cause for disqualification. During official practice and all tournament hours no competitor shall use alcohol or drugs other than those prescribed by a physician. This will be an immediate disqualification. Maximum courtesy must be practiced at all times, especially in the vicinity of a non-competitor's boat.

7. TACKLE AND EQUIPTMENT: Dip nets are allowed. Dip nets cannot exceed 6 1/2 feet in overall length. If fish are netted, competitors must net their own, NO EXCEPTIONS. B.A.S.S. recommends the use of a rubber or vinyl-coated net.
Only artificial lures may be used. No “live bait” or prepared bait will be permitted, with the exception of pork strips, rinds, etc. Only one casting, spin casting, or spinning rod (8ft. max. from butt of handle to rod tip) and reel may be used at any on time. All other types prohibited. Other rigs as specified above may be in boat ready for use. However, only one is permitted in use at any given time. All bass must be caught live and in a conventional sporting manner. Anyone guilty of snatching or snagging visible fish will have their day’s catch disqualified. When visible fishing all bass must be hooked inside the mouth and must be verified by your partner before unhooking to be a legal fish. No gaffs may be used to boat a bass or be permitted in the boat at any time. The use of grippers in landing bass is prohibited.

8. HORSEPOWER REGULATIONS: Maximum horsepower for all competitors will be 250hp. No boat may exceed the maximum Coast Guard rating.  No altered motors to increase the horsepower over the factory rating allowed.

9. BOAT AND MOTOR: For the safety of all, boats must be equipped with some type of ignition kill switch. This device must be attached to the driver any time the combustion engine is operating. All boats must be 15ft or more in length. No raised platforms or decks higher than the gunnel. An electronic trolling motor may be used for positioning only. No trolling for the purposes of fishing. No bladder or auxiliary gas tanks that where not installed by the manufacturer permitted. No stick steering boats permitted to be used. Each contestant being considered a boater is expected to make that boat and motor available for tournament use by himself and his daily partner. It is the responsibility of the partners to mutually agree on sharing the operational expenses. If they can’t agree the tournament director shall make such determinations.

10. BASIC BOAT EQUIPTMENT: Every boat must have all required safety equipment. In addition it must have a functional bilge pump and livewell space, properly aerated, to adequately maintain a limit catch of bass by both fisherman using the boat.

11. BOAT OPERATION: A full discussion between partners must be held prior to the morning departure as to the schedule of boat operations. This schedule must permit each partner equal time to fish from the front of the boat and operate the trolling motor, so as to offer each partner the opportunity to fish his selected water an equal number of hours. Distance traveled to fishing locations must be considered in order not to deprive either partner fishing time. If a contestant waives the above rights, he/she shall retain the right to select the fishing water for one-half the tournament day.  In a continuous effort to promote fairness and sportsmanship a draw partner who shares or divulges a previous partners fishing locations with other competitors will be disqualified along with the person utilizing this information. Any contestant who, in the judgment of the officials, operates the boat in such a manner as to unfairly handicap his partner shall be disqualified. In view of the large expense in operating and maintaining a tournament boat, it is suggested that the non-boater at least share part of the cost of gas and oil for the competition day.

12. PERMITTED FISHING LOCATIONS: The Tournament Director shall establish Tournament waters. No fishing within 50 yards of another competitor's boat which was first anchored or secured in a fixed position with the trolling motor out of the water. All such boats are required to advise any other competitor when such boat believes the competitor is close to being within this 50-yard circle. Any posted off limits or no fishing by state or federal officials will be off limits. The live bass release area established by the tournament director will be off limits. This area will be announced at the tournament briefing. All angling must be done from the boat.

13. CONTESTANTS MUST REMAIN IN BOAT: Contestants may not leave their boat to land a fish or make the boat more accessible to fishing waters. Boats must remain in tournament waters during tournament day. Contestants must leave and return to official checkpoint by boat. Both competitors must remain in boat at all times except in case of dire emergency. Partners must remain together at all times, in sight of each other and each other’s catch under the conditions cited above, in order for their catch to be scored. If a competitor must violate this rule then both partners must cease fishing and have their catch verified by a tournament official in order for that catch to be scored. A restart will be allowed and the competitors will continue from that time.  The only exception to this rule will be when launching and loading the boat, one angler will be allowed to park and retrieve the launch vehicle. No trailering of tournament boats will be allowed except by the direction of the tournament director. 

14. OFFICIAL CHECKPOINT: There shall be only one official point for check out in the morning and check-in in the afternoon. The tournament director will designate this point.  Partners must remain together until their fish are weighed, with above-mentioned exception.

15. SCORING: Tournament standings, auxiliary awards and final winners shall be determined by the competitor’s catch during the competition days. Only Largemouth, Smallmouth, Spotted, Redeye, or Shoal bass will be weighed. The limit shall be 5 per day. At no time shall a competitor have possession of more than the tournament limit. Only bass measuring 14” or more when measured on a straight line will count as a legal catch. Bass presented at weigh-in, which fall short of the official length, shall disqualify that day’s catch.  Any bass that appears to have been mangled, mashed, or otherwise altered will be weighed and credited only at the tournament official’s discretion. The signature of his partner must certify each competitors catch. Once a competitor's fish has been measured and counted and verified by an official that contestant may not return to his boat until after his catch has been weighed and recorded. Bass must not be placed on a stringer at any time during the tournament.

16. KILLING YOUR CATCH: Each competitor is expected to keep his catch alive and properly aerated. There will be a .25lb penalty for each dead fish presented at the weigh in.

17. LATE PENALTY: Competitors who are not in the official checkpoint area as described in rule 14 at the appointed time shall be penalized at the rate of 1 pound per minute, to be deducted from the total weight of his catch that day. This will include big bass weight. Any competitor more than 15min. late shall lose all credit for that day’s catch. All fishing must cease when that contestant has checked in. After the tournament begins fishing, the tournament water is prohibited except during the tournament hours. Exact starting and check-in times will be announced at the tournament briefing.

18. TIES: In case of a tie for first-place team champion, 1) The team or individual with the largest number of legal live fish weighed in during the competition. 2) The team or individuals with the heaviest single day catch during competition. 3) The team or individuals with the second single day catch during competition day. In the unlikely event that there still remains a tie then a flip of a coin will be used to determine the winners and the money, if any, will be equally split.

19. PAIRING OF CONTESTANTS: Two contestants will be assigned to each boat. A boat allowance will be followed to insure fair and equal pairings of boaters and non-boaters.  No two competitors shall fish more than one day together. No contestant will be paired with someone from his own club. Announcement of your first day’s partner will be made at the kick off banquet, which must be attended by each competitor. Pairings for the following competition days will be posted at tournament weigh in site. It is your responsibility to find your partner for the following day. A contestant must not allow any bass caught by him to be counted on the score of another contestant. In such cases both contestants will be disqualified from this and all future B.A.S.S. Tournaments.

20. BOAT ALLOWANCE DURING TOURNAMNET DAYS:  Clubs fielding a team of six anglers are allowed three boats.  A team of five will be allowed two boats.  A team of four will be allowed two boats.  A team of three will be allowed one boat. And a team of two will be allowed one boat.

21. PROTESTS: Any protest must be in writing no later than 15 minutes after the close of the daily weigh-in to a state director and/or Tournament Director.

22. Boat Permits & Mexican Fishing Licenses: In order to fish on Amistad International Reservoir all boats will be required to have purchased a boat permit for daily use on the reservoir. In the interest of fairness to all anglers, each competitor will be required to have purchased a Mexican fishing license in order to fish the tournament. Each boater is also required to have a valid Mexican boating permit. In the instance a boater or non-boater desires to fish across International border this rule will eliminate the issue of unlicensed anglers not being able to legally fish anywhere they desire on the lake.

Back To Top | Back to Championship Page