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BIG SHANTY BASSMASTERS

CHAPTER CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS

(REVISED 01-2010)

  

ARTICLE I – NAME AND PURPOSE

SECTION 1: Name

This Chapter shall be called the Big Shanty Bassmasters of Georgia

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 and to demand adequate water standards and legal enforcement of existing standards. To detect and report any polluter and call public attention to his crime.  To improve our skill as bass anglers through a fellowship of friendly exchange of expert bass catching techniques and ideas, and to promote and encourage youth fishing and a love for this great recreation.

 

 ARTICLE II- MEMBERSHIP

SECTION 1: Number of Members

The active roster for the club shall not exceed 35 members.

SECTION 2: Requirements for Membership

1)       Voluntarily express a genuine interest in membership.

2)       Be sponsored and/or recommended by two (2) members at a regular meeting.

3)       The prospective member will personally submit a membership application at a regular meeting and be paired by drawing to fish two (2) tournaments with a regular member, but not the same member twice.  If the prospective member at the time of application has a boat and intends to be a boater, then for 1 (one) of his two tournaments he must take his boat & be paired with a regular non-boater member. This is to be done primarily to ensure the prospective member operates his craft in a safe manner and. knows the proper boating regulations and laws. Members will verbally report on the applicant at the next regular meeting following the second completed tournament.

4)    For the tournaments that the prospective member participates in, the prospective member will not be eligible to place in said tournaments or participate in the progressive Big Fish pot.

5)       Be voted on by membership. Vote shall be by secret ballot. Unless two (2) or more negative votes are received, the vote shall be affirmative and full membership shall then be awarded.  After the affirmative vote and prior to theie next tournament fished, the prospective shall have the option to back pay for the two prospective tournaments and have the weight  for those two tournaments count towards the year to date total or opt not to back pay and start with zero weight.

6)       Any member may leave the Chapter for a conceivable reason, for up to 3 months, after submitting in writing to the secretary/treasurer for Board of Directors approval.

7)       Applicant must be at least sixteen years of age prior to submitting an application for membership to this Chapter.

8)       Any member, who left in good standing, may submit his application with dues and be voted on in the current meeting.

9)       Be a member of FLW OUTDOORS.

SECTION 3: Honorary Membership

All previous members who left in good standing are honorary members

SECTION 4: Membership Dues

1.        The annual membership dues shall be forty-five ($45), payable at the first regular meeting of each year, or, in the event of new membership, upon receipt of application. $15 shall go for Federation dues and $30 shall be for Chapter dues.

SECTION 5: Afilliation

Big Shanty Bassmasters shall maintain it membership with FLW OUTDOORS and The Bass Federation (TBF) and with the Georgia State Federation.

a)       Requirements for affiliation

1)       Approval of Chapter Charter and By-laws by FLW OUTDOORS/TBF

2)       Update FLW OUTDOORS/TBF with a chapter roster once each year upon receipt of current. roster at year end

3)       Submit name and address of  new members joining the club as they occur

4)       All club members must be members of FLW OUTDOORS The club must maintain 100% membership.

5)       Affiliate with the state federation and support its conservation and youth programs. Any additional requirements that the State federation establishes for chapters such as membership dues, attendance at meetings, etc., which would be necessary for the chapter to participate in the State federation qualifying tournament(s), or any other Federation sponsored tournaments or events.   

  

ARTICLE III- OFFICERS, ELECTIONS, VACANCIES, AND ELIGIBILITY

 SECTION 1 - Officers and their Duties

The officers of the Big Shanty Bassmasters shall consist of:

A)        PRESIDENT: Preside over all meetings and direct all official business, appoint and direct all committee functions, supervise all club functions. This shall be an elected position.

B)        VICE-PRESIDENT: Assist the President in his duties and preside in the absence of the President, act as chairman of the rule change committee, the nomination committee, the youth and sponsorship committees and chairman of additional committee’s. This shall be an elected position.

C)        SECRETARY/TREASURER: Maintain accurate minutes of all meetings, maintain accurate financial records and make a financial report at each meeting, maintain an accurate record of all meetings and club rosters. This shall be an elected position.

D)        TOURNAMENT DIRECTOR: Be responsible for and conduct all tournaments and related functions for the club. This shall be an appointed position by the club President.

E)        WEBMASTER: For as long as the club maintains a web site, there shall be a Webmaster whose duties will include, monitoring, maintaining, and maintenance of the site, as well as updating the site on a regular basis with club information.

GUIDE LINE (S) AND RULES FOR THE BIG SHANTY WEBSITE.

          1. The webmaster shall have the only access to the web site (unless he has an assistant, who must first have club approval)

          2. There will be no offensive, abusive, pornographic, or any material that would be offensive to anyone allowed on the site. Once it is found or noted it must be removed immediately. That is to say the club website is to be family orientated

          3. No club member may benefit personally from the web site, (I E No popup ads and received compensation from them personally) The webmaster may allow pop-up ads & affiliation programs for compensation but must report this to the club and all funds from said ads are to be placed in the club treasury, provided that said ads do not violate section b above. (Club members may advertise their own business’s website through the links section) .        

F)         BOARD OF DIRECTORS: The Board of Directors shall consist of the President, Vice President, Secretary/Treasurer, and appointed Tournament Director plus 3 at large members from the General membership who shall be elected from the general membership and shall have met the eligibility requirements as set for officers. The duties of the Board of Directors shall include review of membership, disciplinary action when associated with tournaments or any other club functions, and overall club well being.

SECTION 2: Elections

A)     Each member in good standing is entitled to one vote. Proxy vote is not permitted.

1) Members may receive, after approval by the Board of Directors, an absentee ballot on rule changes and officer elections. Said Ballot must be turned in by the Nov. meeting

B)      The President shall appoint nominating committee at the August club meeting. Formal nominations for officers shall be made during the October meeting. Election of Officers shall be held during the November meeting.  Nominations from the floor will be taken prior to the vote at the November meeting. 

SECTION 3: Term of Office

A) The term of office shall be for one calendar year beginning on January 1 and terminating on December 31

 B) Any member may make a motion to have an officer impeached from office.  Said motion must be in writing stating the reason for impeachment and be accompanied by any evidence (if any), signed by 5 members, and be presented to the Board of Directors. After review by the Board, The Board at a specially called meeting or at a regular scheduled meeting shall put forth the motion before the general membership for vote. If 2/3 of the membership present vote in the affirmative then the officer in question shall be removed. If the officer is the President, then the Vice president shall immediately take office and finish the term. The vacant Vice president position shall then be filled as according to the by-laws.

SECTION 4: Vacancies

In the event an office become vacant prior to the term expiring, nominations shall be taken at a regular meeting with a majority vote of members present required to fill the unexpired term of the individual vacating office. 

SECTION 5: Eligibility for Holding Office

To be eligible for an office a member must;

A)       Have been a member for at least 6 months

B)        Have attended at least ¾ of the Chapter meetings and ¾ of Chapter functions

C)        Have shown an active interest in all Chapter functions 

                          

  ARTICLE IV- AMENDING THE CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS-METHOD OF

 SECTION 1:  Amending the Constitution and by-laws

The Constitution and by-laws may be amended once a year and this is to be at the November meeting. The changes must be approved by a 2/3 vote of the members present. Notice of the proposed amendment must have been presented to the membership at least 1 regular meeting prior to the vote.

The Board of Directors, in their discretion may call a special meeting to review, add, amend, or  veto rules and By-Laws for the betterment of the club and its members provided that the board of directors must have presented said change to the general membership for discussion, table said change for one month, and be voted on by the general membership. Said change must be approved by 2/3 vote of the members present at said meeting.

 

                                             ARTICLE V- REMOVAL OF MEMBERSHIP

 SECTION 1: Removal of Membership

A member shall be dropped from the membership roster for the following:

A)     Failure to pay dues within 90 days.

B)      Infractions or flagrant disregard of fundamental sporting principals as sportsmanship, safety, courtesy, and conversation.

C)      Any action that would reflect dishonors and disgrace on this chapter and/or FLW OUTDOORS and TBF

D)      The Board of Directors will review any member failing to attend 75% of club functions every six months. No member shall be removed, however, who missed functions because of employment.

E)       Disqualification for any reason from participating in FLW sponsored events including disqualification for use of drugs and/or alcohol.

 

ARTICLE VI-AFFILIATION

 SECTION 1: Requirements for Affiliation

A)     Approval of chapter Charter by FLW OUTDOORS/TBF.

B)      Update TBF with a chapter membership roster once each year upon receipt of current TBF roster at years end.

C)      Names and address of new members joining the chapter during the year must be submitted to TBF as they occur. (See Article 2 Section 3 for dues requirements.)

D)      Maintain 100% FLW OUTDOORS membership

E)       Affiliate with the State federation and support its conversation and youth programs, and perform any additional requirements that the State Federation establishes for chapters such as membership dues, attendance at meetings, etc., that would be necessary for the Chapter to participate in any of the State Federation Qualifying tournament(s) or any other Federation sponsored tournament of event.

 

ARTICLE VII- RULES OF THE CHAPTER

THE FOLLOWING SHALL APPLY TO ALL CHAPTER MEETINGS AND FUNCTIONS.

 

SECTION 1: Meetings

The Big Shanty Bassmasters shall hold its monthly meetings on the first Monday of each month. The President may call special meetings as needed.

SECTION 2: Tournaments

a)    A minimum of twelve (12) regular tournaments, January through December, will be held each year.  A Twenty-Five ($25) dollar entry fee/club dues will be charged to each member whether they participate or not in a tournament.

b)    The tournament director will be responsible for the conduct of the tournaments, to include the weigh-in, and the recording of all weights & points. The tournament director and tournament committee will select the lake, date(s) and time of each tournament. Changes in tournament site can be made at the discretion of the tournament director, but in no case within seven (7) days of the original date (LAKE ONLY). Exceptions to this rule will be made in the case of emergency, (tornadoes, high water, or other dangerous conditions) after approval of all Board of Directors, and full notification of all members participating in the next scheduled. The incoming Tournament Director shall at or before the First regular meeting of the year, produce a tournament schedule for the year. If he cannot, then he will produce a January-June schedule with the July- December tournament dates to be produced by the April meeting. This will allow for the incoming Tournament Director and Committee extra time if needed to research lakes and date.

c)    Any member, who elected not to fish in pairings at a regular club meeting, must then have approval of the tournament director to fish and must be paired with a club member if possible. No one shall intentionally stay out of pairings in order to fish by themselves. Failure to notify the tournament director, or President, that you are fishing in the tournament with-in 24 hrs of the start of the tournament, or at the discretion of the tournament director, will result in the loss of weight, points, and place for the tournament in question.

d)    The official measuring board will be the Golden Flat Rule for everyone.

e)    Every effort will be made not to pair members more than two (2) times in a regular tournament within a calendar year.

f)    Tournament payout shall be as shown on the attached payout scale shown in  Exhibit A.

g)    A member may not put in as a boater if he has knowledge that his boat isn’t fully operational.  This means items such as, but not limited to, malfunctioning livewells, outboard, trolling motor, Etc. If there are any doubts or questions, the final decision will be made by the tournament director.

  SECTION 3: Committees

a)    Tournament committee: the Club President will appoint The Tournament Director. The Tournament Director will then appoint (2) members from the general membership to form a 3-man tournament committee. This committee should consist of at least one member who has never served on a tournament committee for the purpose of educating each member as to the selection of tournament locations, dates and times. This Committee will consist of the tournament director, assistant tournament director, and weigh-in assistant. The assistant tournament director shall fill in for the tournament director in the case of his absence. Acceptance of these appointments is strictly voluntary.

b)    Program Committee: The program committee, as appointed by the president, shall be responsible for club programs.

 SECTION 4: Delinquency in Tournament Dues

a)    In no circumstance will a member be delinquent more than 1 (one) month in tournament dues. Tournament fees are due at the same time the drawing takes place. If a member participates in a tournament and is delinquent and doesn’t back pay his dues at the next scheduled meeting, he will forfeit any weight for the month in question and shall be ineligible to fish the next month’s event until he gets current.

SECTION 5: Tournament Rules

a)       Any member failing to show for a tournament without giving 24 hours prior notification to the Club President, Tournament Director, or his selected partner, will be fined $25 dollars for a one-day tournament or $50 for a two-day tournament. Said fine shall be paid to his selected partner. The President shall be responsible for collecting the restitution and, if the member due the restitution does not desire to be compensated, the collected fine shall be placed in the club treasury. Only in the event of an emergency shall this rule not apply.

b)       All boats and participants will be in the water and ready to be checked prior to fishing time. Boats may be checked at the discretion of the tournament Director.

c)       Any time a boat is in operation and on plane, a Coast Guard approved life vest must be worn.

d)       In the event a member is left without a partner and he has a boat, he will be checked out and permitted to fish alone. If the member is left without a partner and is a no-boater, he may stay until the completion of the tournament and, in either event, be awarded the weight of the club average for that tournament.

e)       All fishing must be done from the boat. In the event someone wants to depart the lake for the day, don’t leave without letting someone know that you are leaving. Any emergency will be handled according to the situation.

f)        No participant will fish within fifty (50) yards of a public gas dock. No boat will fish within seventy-five (75) yards of an anchored tournament boat. No boat will come in on a bank where another tournament boat is drift fishing, drop anchor or ask the other boat to leave. No boat will cut in ahead of another boat fishing a bank.

g)       Trolling is not allowed, however the use of an electric motor as a means of moving the boat while drift fishing is allowed.

h)       Each partner will have equal time to fish chosen water. No member will position his boat in such a manner as to deliberately handicap his partner. The partners are expected to work out satisfactory fishing arrangements.

i)         Official measurement of fish will be determined by placing fish on the official Golden Flat Rule, bought by the Club, with the mouth closed. Any portion of the tail thereof touching the twelve- (12) inch mark, or size and species designated by the tournament Director, will be considered a legal fish. Any tournament Committee member may measure any fish except his own. All questionable fish will be measured. If there is an undersized fish, it will be culled along with the largest fish in that catch. In the event a member has only one fish and it is undersized, FIVE (5) POUNDS will be deducted from the members’ annual weight.

j)         Any member checking in to the weigh-in station with more than the allotted limit of fish will have his catch culled down to the legal limit starting with the largest fish in his catch.

k)       Only artificial lures will be used with the exception of pork trailers, which will be allowed.

l)         The Tournament committee will conduct the weigh-in. Any member arriving late for the weigh-in will be penalized eight (8) ounces of his total weight for each minute late. Fish WILL NOT be weighed after fifteen (15) minutes. Time will be counted from tournament finish time until constant’s boat is at the weigh-in site.

m)      Weigh-In will proceed within fifteen (15) minutes after the tournament ends. All fish should be weighed as a matter of record. If there is a discrepancy of any kind, officer should vote depending upon members present.

n)       In the event of a tie, the number of fish will be used as a tiebreaker. If the Fish numbers is the same then big fish will be used to break the tie.

o)       No member will give, buy, sell, nor weigh any fish, other than those caught legally by himself.

p)       Any member wishing to file protest will do so in writing to the Tournament Director. The Tournament Director must be notified of the protest within five (5) minutes after the weigh-in of all fish and written protest must be completed within fifteen (15) minutes of notification.

q)       In the event a boat breaks down near the end of a tournament, another participating boat may bring in the passenger and the other members fish from the disabled boat as soon as possible.

r)        Only five (5) fish (bass) in the livewell dead or alive. When the sixth (6) fish is caught, culling must take place immediately. Failure to meet this rule will result in disqualification. No culling of dead fish.

s)       Alcoholic beverages will not be carried in the boat or consumed during the tournament or the weigh-in. Drunkenness on the part of any member will not be tolerated and will be deemed cause for termination of membership. No illegal drugs of any kind will be consumed or in a members possession during tournaments or on tournament trips. This means no member will participate in Big Shanty Bassmasters if he uses drugs

t)        Partners will be selected by drawing at a regular monthly meeting. Nobody shall leave their boat home more than once.

u)       The decision of the Tournament Committee and the Board of Directors will be final on any rule infraction, which has a penalty of disqualification. The penalty of membership termination will be decided by a 2/3-majority vote of the membership at a regular meeting. A quorum of 2/3 of the current membership must be present.

v)       Any fish brought to the weigh-in will be considered an eligible fish and is subject to measurement. Initial measurement should take place immediately upon catching.

w)      After the drawing for partners, all unpaired boaters may fish alone, together or invite anyone.

x)        All live fish will be returned to the lake immediately after they are weighed. Exception to this rule will be trophy fish and selected other fish as needed in other club functions.

y)       For safety reasons, all boats must have a working kill switch upon acceptance into the club. Each member must furnish his own Coast Guard approved life vest> Each boat must have an approved throwable flotation device.

z)        A penalty of two (2) ounces will be deducted per dead fish at the time of weigh-in. 

aa)    Monthly tournament scoring shall be based upon weight caught for that tournament.  The Top Six Anglers for the calendar year shall be based upon a point system.  Tournament wins will be worth 100 points with each position diminishing by 3 points per position.  In the event of a tie for the place, each angler tied will receive that positions point value.

bb)   The Top Six Team (TPS) shall consists of the top 6 finishers for the calendar year and they shall have the opportunity to represent the club in the TOP SIX-Federation tournament

If one or more of the TPS elect not to attend, then the remaining spot(s) shall be opened to the general membership starting with the highest placed member who participated in the youth function requirement and working down the list to the next placed member who participated in the youth function requirement. If spots still remain open after those who participated in the youth function requirement then the remaining spots will be open to those who did not participate in the youth requirement 

 

ARTICLE VIII- TOURNAMENT EXPENSES

Tournament expenses to be charged to the non- boater by the boater shall equal one-half (1/2) of the cost of vehicle gasoline, outboard gasoline, and outboard oil, used in the tournament, not to exceed the maximum values set at the time the drawing takes place.

 Payout for the top Six Anglers

 1st place  - $125.00 - paid on 4 active members.

2nd place - $75.00 - paid on 8 active members.

3rd place - $60.00 - paid on 12 active members.

4th place - $50.00 - paid on 16 active members.

5th place - $45.00 - paid on 20 active members.

6th place - $40.00 - paid on 24 active members.

Big Fish            $50.00

 

EXHIBIT “A”

 BIG SHANTY BASSMASTERS MONTHLY PAYOUT SCALE

Tournament payout shall be as follows based on Ten paid members:

 1st Place: $50.00

 2nd Place: $30.00

 3rd Place: $20.00

For every additional Five paid members each $10.00 will be added to each place.  If a member decides on a plaque for the placement, the cost of the plaque will be deducted from the winnings.