RAYTOWN BASS CLUB - 2010 BYLAWS

ARTICLE I - OFFICERS

1. PRESIDENT:
   The President shall conduct all routine business of the club and shall assist in directing the activities of the Tournament Vice President, Administrative Vice President and the Recording Secretary/Treasurer.

2. ADMINISTRATIVE VICE PRESIDENT:
   The Administrative Vice President will assume the duties of the President when the President is unable to preside. The Administrative Vice President will be responsible for the Bylaws and Constitution, and will preside over all club committees required for club sponsored events other than fishing tournaments. In addition, The Administrative Vice President will be responsible for activities and promotions to recruit new members.

3. TOURNAMENT VICE PRESIDENT:
   The Tournament Vice President will assume the duties of President when the President and Adm. Vice President are unable to preside. In addition, he is responsible for keeping and maintaining all tournament equipment, making sure tournament equipment is transported to and from tournament sites, and is responsible for the activities of the tournament directors. Also, he will be responsible for keeping a record of weights and scores for each tournament.

4. RECORDING SECRETARY/TREASURER:
   The Recording Secretary/Treasurer shall keep an accurate account of all finances, club correspondence and meeting minutes. In addition, he is responsible for permanent records for each tournament.

5. EXECUTIVE BOARD:
   The Executive Board shall consist of the President, Administrative Vice President, Tournament Vice President, Recording Secretary/Treasurer, two members of the general membership elected by the general membership and Past President who is not serving in another capacity. If the Past President is serving in another capacity, then a third Executive Board member will be elected. This board shall be responsible for assessing penalties for violation of the Bylaws after the violation has been brought before the board.
   
   The Executive Board will also act as a Review Board to evaluate any new or existing members on that member's own merit. Evaluation is to be based on involvement in club functions, sportsmanship, fellowship, integrity and general conduct. Any member that is questionable in any of the aforementioned categories must be brought to the attention of the general membership for appropriate action. The Executive Board will meet between the November and December general membership meetings.
   
   Two members of the Executive Board shall audit the Treasurers book quarterly and make a report to the membership at the next meeting following the audit.

ARTICLE II - TOURNAMENT DIRECTORS

1. The Tournament Vice President and any other club officers present at the tournament shall be the tournament directors.

2. Tournament directors shall be responsible for:

1. Conducting the weigh-ins.

2. Resolving any tournament disputes.

3. Breaking stringer and/or big bass ties, should any occur.

4. Policing the tournament site.

    

ARTICLE III - REQUIREMENTS FOR MEMBERSHIP

1. Must fish with a club member in one club tournament prior to being eligible for the club.

2. Must pay annual dues to Raytown Bass Club. The annual dues will be the lesser of A) $50, or B) $25 plus $4 per month for the remaining months in the calendar year. $25 of the annual dues will be reserved and used as prize money for the year-end Classic tournament. Minimum age for new members is eighteen (18) years.

4. Club membership will not exceed fifty (50) members.

5. Members will have until the February meeting to pay dues and renew membership. After the February meeting, new members and renewals will be accepted on a first-come basis.

6. When a prospective member fishes a tournament, he shall be eligible to win the money and trophy for that tournament. In order to be recognized for any other club benefits, he must apply for membership and be accepted, no later than the next regular club meeting.

7. Prospective members fishing the last tournament of any year may join the club that year.

    

ARTICLE IV - TOURNAMENTS

1. Tournament sites, date, start and finish times shall be decided by the club membership at the December meeting of each year from a slate submitted by the Executive Board.  Selection of the tournament sites will be voted on one-by-one rather than voting on all the tournaments on the same ballot.  This one-by-one vote will insure that one lake is not missed in a year or that one lake is not fished too heavily in a year.

2. There will be no changes or deviations in tournament hours as set by the Tournament Committee after the schedule has been approved, except as needed due to hazardous circumstances. In such cases, the club members present at tournament site shall decide changes. If the decision is to have the tournament, any member who had rather not fish due to adverse conditions, may withdraw from the tournament and not be subject to any penalties, which would otherwise apply due to his failure to fish.

3. Partners will be drawn at the club meeting prior to the tournament or assigned by the tournament directors at the tournament site.  If there are more boaters than non-boaters, all boaters shall be put into the draw for non-boating partners so that there is an equal chance for all boaters to draw a non-boating partner.

4. A club member may draw another club member as a tournament fishing partner only one time each year providing circumstances permit. If a boater is drawn to fish with a non-boater that he has already fished with that year, the non-boater is set aside and another non-boater is drawn. The next boater drawn will fish with the non-boater who was set aside.

5. Boaters and non-boaters:

• It shall be the duty and obligation of each member to see that his name is in the tournament draw, as either a boater or non-boater. The draw will alternate between boaters and non-boaters, i.e. a boater will be drawn and then the non-boating partner will be drawn. If there are more boaters than non-boaters, once all non-boaters are exhausted from the draw, boaters will be paired up in the order that they are drawn, i.e. A boater is drawn, then the next person drawn will be a non-boating partner even though they had entered as a boater unless the drawn boater agrees both shall fish alone.

• If the participants choose to fish by themselves, Raytown Bass Club, Inc. waives all responsibility for their safety, well being and financial expenses so incurred.
• Any late entrant will be considered a non-boater if there is still a vacancy to be filled in that category and paired with the first available extra boater according to the original draw.  If the late entrant is a boater, that entrant may fish alone if the extra boater agrees.

• Any additional pairing and/or changes shall be handled by the Tournament Directors as deemed necessary.

• It is preferred that there are two (2) anglers per boat.  Any non-boater not drawn to fish with a boater can fish as a 3rd member in a boat at the discretion of the boater.  

6. Tournament Entry Fees:

• All regular club tournaments will be self-sustaining. Tournament entry fees are thirty ($30.00) dollars per member, with an optional Big Bass pot of ten ($10.00) dollars per member.

• A penalty of five ($5.00) dollars will be assessed to any member who has not paid his fees prior to the day of the tournament. The penalty will go into the club treasury. 

• Any member wishing to pay by check or money order must submit the tournament fee to the Treasurer no later than the club meeting prior to the intended tournament. If the tournament fee is not paid by the meeting prior to the intended tournament, it must be paid in cash. Any bank penalty fees relate to a returned check or money order submitted by a standing member of the Club shall be reimbursed by that member within 10 business days of notice from the Club. 

7. Any member who does not show up for a tournament is responsible for any expenses incurred on their behalf, such as motel deposits, that are not refunded due to that member not participating in the tournament.  In addition, if that member does not notify his partner and a club officer by the Wednesday before the tournament, they will forfeit the $30 tournament entry fee.

8. All regular club tournaments shall be 100% payback tournaments. Tournament winnings will be paid back as follows:
   
      1 winner     1st Place -  100%

2 places      1st Place -  60%

                                    2nd Place - 40%

3 places      1st Place -  50%

                                    2nd Place - 30%

                                    3rd Place -  20%

The number of places paid for each tournament will be based on the number of participants in that tournament.  The number of places paid will be as follows:

    1 to 4 participants ……… 1 Place

    5 to 8 participants ……… 2 Places

9. The club point standings for each member shall consist of the total of all tournaments for the year minus one tournament with the lowest points awarded. For example, if the club has 8 tournaments during the year, the club point standings for any member shall be the total of their 7 best tournaments. Points for club standings will be awarded as follows:

POINT STRUCTURE

Any member weighing in fish that finished after 30th place will receive 20 points. Any member who does not weigh-in fish will receive 10 points. Points will only be awarded if the tournament entry fee has been paid and the member has participated in the tournament meeting at the take-off site.

BONUS POINT STRUCTURE - FRACTIONS

10. Only artificial baits or lures may be used. Pork type baits may be used. No trolling is allowed.

11. Late penalty shall be: One (1) pound - Up to five minutes.

    Two (2) pounds - Over 5 but less than 10 minutes.
    Disqualification - Over l0 minutes.

     

    Except in the case of disqualification, total weight of largest fish will be considered for "Big Bass" award.
    Length limit shall be state limit for the tournament lake. Tournament Directors will make a ruling on "Slot" limit, when applicable.
    All fish submitted to the weigh-in shall be considered property of the Tournament Directors. All short fish will be termed illegal and a penalty of one (1) pound per short fish will be applied. On lakes that have a fifteen (15) inch limit, short fish penalty will be a two (2) pound penalty per short fish. Short fish will not be weighed and will not be included in the total weight.

14. Measurement of fish shall be with closed mouth and pinched tail.

15. Each dead fish submitted for weigh-in will receive a 0.2 lb. penalty.

16. All mangled, mauled or discolored fish will be counted at the discretion of the Tournament Directors.

17. All live fish submitted for weigh-in shall become property of the club for the sole purpose of their release back into the lake. Any fish over four (4) pounds or any dead fish will be returned to the participant.

18. Ties shall be resolved by the tournament directors. Big bass will break total weight ties and total weight will break big bass ties.

19. Only largemouth bass, Kentucky bass or smallmouth bass, or a hybrid between the three (for example, the meanmouth bass), shall be counted. The number of keeper bass to be weighed-in shall be one (1) less than the state limit for that lake, but not more than (5) fish.

20. Live well and kill switch inspection will take place prior to the take-off at each tournament. The inspection will be made by the occupants of the last boat in take-off sequence.

21. Prior to the start of the tournament, the Tournament Vice President will designate any off limit areas.

22. Year end ties will be broken by total weight of the participant's tournament weigh-ins for the year.

23. All tournament participants must wear a Coast Guard approved life vest while the big motor (combustion engine) is running.

24. At least 20 minutes prior to each tournament, a meeting shall be conducted at the take-off site.  This meeting shall be chaired by boater one.  The purpose of the meeting is to address any questions or special situations, such as off limit areas, change in tournament hours, length limits, creel limits or number of fish that can be weighed, weather conditions, etc.  No decisions shall be made that conflict with the bylaws.  Members fishing the tournament and unable to attend the meeting will be responsible for contacting boater one for any decisions made during the meeting.

25. Any tournament participant who leaves prior to the weigh-in shall notify another club member participating in the tournament before leaving the tournament site.  This is to assure that all tournament participants are accounted for and are not experiencing difficulty on the tournament lake.

26. The Classic is a non-point tournament, held after the regular tournament schedule for that year has ended. The tournament committee will determine the location, date, and time of the Classic by December of the previous year. The entry fee for the Classic will be decided upon by the membership at the monthly meeting immediately prior to the Classic. 100% of the entry fees will be paid as prize money, according to the schedule in Article IV.8. In addition to the entry fees, $25 of the yearly membership dues will be included in the prize money (see Article III.2). To participate in the Classic, the person must have fished at least one (1) club tournament that year, paid their $50 membership fee, and be a member in good standing meeting the requirements of Article III. 
    

ARTICLE V - AWARDS

1. A minimum of three and not more than six annual trophies will be awarded to top point holders. Number of trophies awarded will be decided by the Executive Board based on number of members fishing tournaments and available funds. A trophy will also be given to the member weighing in the largest bass of the year.

    

ARTICLE VI - BOAT OPERATION AND EXPENSE

1. The partner who does not own the boat is to pay 50% of the daily lake expense with a minimum of twenty-five ($25.00) dollars. Until this responsibility is met, that member will be ineligible for any future tournaments or club functions.

    

ARTICLE VII - AMENDMENTS TO BY-LAWS

1. Effective as of January 1of each year, all by-laws and amendments to the by-laws will be in force and shall stand as written.

2. Any and all proposed amendments and or changes to the by-laws must be submitted in writing to a member of the Executive Board not later than the OCTOBER meeting of the year. The proposed changes will be mailed to all active club members prior to the November meeting. These proposals may be discussed at the November meeting before a vote is taken. Any proposal may be modified or withdrawn at this time if the member who submitted the proposed change is present and agrees. No new proposals will be accepted at this meeting.

3. Action on newly proposed amendments will only be taken at the November meeting (and December meeting if not completed during the November meeting), if a quorum of paid members is present. When a proposed change or amendment is approved to become a part of the bylaws, then other parts of the bylaws may be changed to agree, if a conflict exists.

3. The Executive Board may bring bylaw changes before the membership as necessary to conform with local, state or federal laws and regulations or other extenuating circumstances.

4. Matters of club business that warrant immediate attention for the welfare of the club can be taken care of without a quorum of members present. If five (5) members of the Executive Board are present, the business can be acted upon by those members present with the majority vote of those members being final. (A simple majority of votes cast by those who are eligible to vote.)

    

ARTICLE VIII - ELECTIONS

1. Preliminary nominations will be held in November. Elections will be held at the regular December meeting.

2. Anyone may nominate from the floor at the Election meeting.

3. A notice of the nominations will be published and mailed to all members prior to the December meeting. The notice may be used as an absentee ballot for members who cannot be present at the December meeting.

4. Under certain circumstances, absentee ballots will be accepted if request is made to an officer.

5. Only members meeting ARTICLE III may vote.

    

ARTICLE IX - CLUB CORRESPONDENCE

1. All Club correspondence shall be addressed to:
   
   Raytown Bass Club, Inc.
   11047 N Madison Av
   Kansas City, MO  64155

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