2021-22 - Illinois Bass Fishing Coaches Association  ICASSTT  Trail  Rules

Changes from the 2020-21 season are highlighted in yellow

Section 1 -  ICASSTT  Trail Qualifying Event Rules

Section 2 - ICASSTT State Championship

Section 3 -  ICASSTT  Team of the Year Award (TOY)

Section 4 - ICASSTT All-State, Coach of the Year, and Sportsman of the Year Awards

Section 5 - ICASSTT Fishing Rules

Section 6 - ICASSTT  Schedule of Events

Section 7 - ICASSTT Registration and Financials

Section 8 - ICASSTT Hosting a Qualifying Trail Tournament

Section 9. - ICASSTT Juniors

Section 1 -  ICASSTT  Trail Qualifying Event Rules

1. A school may enter an unlimited amount of teams (boats) per event
2. All members of the team must attend the same high school. Graduating seniors will be extended a grace period and allowed to compete through our State Championship in June once their senior year has been completed. Graduating seniors can not participate in events that will count for the following year's State Championship qualifying tournaments.

1. 8th graders can fish on the high school team for their school district in which they live

3. Individual anglers on the same team may fish with different partners in the Trail Tournaments.

1. Once a team (defined as 2 anglers) qualifies to the  ICASSTT State Finals, those 2 individuals MUST fish together in the  ICASSTT State Finals and can no longer fish with different partners.
2. The qualifying team must fish at least 3 events to be eligible to fish in the state championship
3. If one of the qualifying anglers cannot fish in the  ICASSTT State Finals for any reason they must send an email explaining why to ibfcacontact@gmail.com  at least 24 hours before the State Championship 7:00 take off.

1. With the IBFCA President’s approval, the coach may replace the missing angler with another NON-QUALIFYING angler from the team, provided they have a current B.A.S.S. membership.

4. Tournaments will cost $52 per team (boat) up until 7 days before the event.  The tournament will cost $62 if a team signs up 7 days or less prior to the event. ($50 for the tournament and $2 for PayPal surcharge or $60 for the tournament and $2 for PayPal surcharge).

1. Each student will need to join B.A.S.S. for $10.00 (one-time payment per year)
2. The time stamp on the registration will determine the take off order for each qualifying tournament
3. Host schools will always be in flight 1 to help with volunteer work at weigh ins

5. The 1st place team will win 20% of the entry fees in scholarships (example: 30 boats - $1,500 in entry fees. Students will get $300 to split) See Section 5 item 2, d. i. for distribution of scholarships
6. The 2nd place team will win 10% of the entrance fees (ex: 30 boats - $1,500 in entry fees. Students will get $150 to split) - this is a new rule based on coaches feedback.
7. Coaches can fish but cannot put any fish in the livewell
8. 5% of the entry fees will go to a conservation organization
9. The remaining money from the Trail tournaments will be earmarked for the  ICASSTT State Championship payouts
10. The following number of boats will qualify for the State Championship based on the number of boats in the tournament.

1. Less than 30 boats = 2, 30-39=3, 40-49=4, 50-59=5, 60-69=6, 70-79=7, 80-89=8
2. If a boat has already qualified to the state championship then the qualifying boat will go to the next highest placing boat

11. Teams must fish at least 3 of the tournaments to be eligible for the State Championship

1. This means the qualifying team of the same 2 anglers must fish 3 events together
2. Or be registered to fish

12. All tournaments shall be 7 hours of length unless otherwise noted.

1. A completed tournament must be at least 4 hours in length
2. Any tournament lasting less than 4 hours will not be counted as a tournament

1. Incomplete tournaments will give no awards, payouts, or state qualifying teams
2. The IBFCA will try to reschedule any incomplete tournaments
3. If an incomplete tournament cannot be rescheduled all participating teams will be issued a full refund of $52

 Section 2 - ICASSTT State Championship 

1. The 2020-21 State Championship will be a 2 day Tournament
2. ICASSTT State Championship will have a $26 entry fee to cover tournament expenses.
3. The Takeoff order for the State Championship will be a random draw. The order will be emailed to the coaches prior to the tournament.(Will be drawn on Facebook live)

1. The Takeoff for day two of the state championship will be reverse order.

4. Participants have the ability to qualify for the B.A.S.S. National Championship 

1. National Championship Qualifiers - (based on the total boats in our entire tournament trail) 50 = 2, 100 = 3, 150 = 4, 200 = 5, 250=6. 300=7, etc...
2. The top placing teams at the ICASSTT State Championship will qualify for the B.A.S.S National Championship.
3. If a National qualifying team cannot attend the championship the next highest placing team at the ICASSTT State Championship will qualify for the B.A.S.S National Championship.

5. Expanded payouts to students at the State Championship.

1. 1st place team - 37% of the remaining revenue from the trail tournaments
2. 2nd place team - 22% of the remaining revenue from the trail tournaments
3. 3rd place team - 15% of the remaining revenue from the trail tournaments
4. 4th place team - 12% of the remaining revenue from the trail tournaments
5. 5th place team - 8% of the remaining revenue from the trail tournaments

Section 3 -  ICASSTT  Team of the Year Award (TOY)

1. Each school will count their highest placing 2 boats (teams can enter more than 2 teams) in each of the  ICASSTT tournaments including the  ICASSTT State Championship.
2. A team must weigh at least 1 bass to earn points
3. A School of the year plaque will be awarded to the school that scores the most total points during the  ICASSTT  season.
4. 100 points will be awarded for a 1st place team. The point values will reduce by 1 for each team after 1st place.
5. The TOY will win $500 for the school and a plaque.
   

Section 4 - ICASSTT All-State, Coach of the Year, and Sportsman of the Year Awards

1. Number of Awards

1. 24 total anglers, 1 angler of the year, 1 coach, 1 service award
2. 2 from each region (14)
3. The remaining 10 will have the next highest All-State Points
4. In the event of any tie there will be additional All-State winners

1. Nomination Process

1. The head coach can nominate any amount of members from their team
2. The head coach should consider the following when making the nomination(s)

1. The student should have at least average to above average grades
2. The student should be in good standing in the school (no discipline problems)
3. The student is a standout angler on your team
4. The student has some leadership qualities

2. Qualifications

1. Only tournaments with at least 20 boats in the field will count towards All-State points
2. All-State nominees must fish in a minimum of 5 events
3. 3 events must be ICASSTT events
4. All-State nominees may only use a maximum of 10 events
5. If an angler fishes more than 10 events, the best scoring events will be used and the lowest scoring event will be dismissed

3. Point System

6. 1st place finish = 10 All-State Points
7. Top 10% finish =   8 All-State Points
8. Top 20% finish =   6 All-State Points
9. Top 30% finish =   4 All-State Points
10. This spreadsheet will be “live” on the IBFCA website so that students, coaches, and family can track the All-State standings throughout the fishing year

4. All-State Presentations

1. The IBFCA will be hosting an Illinois Bass Fishing Coaches and Students Clinic the first full weekend after January 1 each year.
2. The All-State Awards will be presented at the end of this clinic for the previous year.
3. The 2021 - 22 season All-State Awards will be presented at the clinic on 2023

IBFCA Coach of the Year

Nominations will be considered by the IBFCA board

New Scoring System will be utilized similar to Team of the Year System

IBFCA Service Award

Someone who has contributed in a positive way to high school fishing who is not a coach or student.

Possible recipients could be people from Media, Parents, DNR, Community, Coast Guard, Biologist, Pro angler, etc…

Section 5 - ICASSTT Fishing Rules

1. All events will be 7:00 am - 2:00 pm (7 hours) unless otherwise noted

1. Juniors 1 hour after and 1 hour prior HS times.

2. All participants in the boat must wear life jackets when the outboard motor is running

1. Juniors must weigh life jackets at ALL times.

3. Students must wear eye protection
4. Boats must observe the lake horsepower and speed rules of the lake the tournament is being held on
5. Boat captains must be of the age that would place them out of high school and be  representatives of the school
6. Every angler in the boat must abide by the state and lake laws including but not limited to a current fishing license if 16 years of age or older
7. Only the boat captain can run the outboard motor with the exception of launching and loading
8. Each team (boat) may bring in up to 5 bass for weigh-in
9. Each bass must be at least 12” in length

1. Weighing in a fish shorter than 12 inches will lose that fish and the biggest fish.

10. All fish must be kept in an aerated livewell during the tournament
11. No penetrating cull tags are allowed.
12. There will be a penalty of 8 ounces(½ lb) per dead fish

1. You cannot cull a dead fish

13. All high school angler’s fish must be netted by a Junior angler (the coach can net the student’s fish if there is only 1 student in the boat)

1. the coach’s fish can be netted by anyone in the boat

14. There will be a 1 pound deduction per minute late penalty (up to 15 minutes late)
15. Both smallmouth and largemouth bass are allowed (No Striped Bass)
16. Artificial Baits Only: No live bait or trolling is allowed. Only one pole per person can be used at any given time
17. All fish must be caught by legal means with a rod, reel, hook, and line
18. All fish must be caught from the boat during the official tournament time limit
19. Snagged fish caught on a spawning bed must be immediately released
20. All ICASSTT events will use weigh bags to contain and carry the fish from the boat to the scale

1. It is expected that teams with fewer than the 5 bass limit weigh their fish first
2. It is expected that the teams with a “quality” total fish weight weigh in towards the end of the weight-in

21. All fish will be put back into the weigh bag and released to the lake after the fish directly after the fish have been weighed and photographed
22. Ties will be broken if the poundage is equal in the following manner:

1. 1st criteria will be the heaviest fish; 2nd criteria will be the number of fish; 3rd criteria will be a coin flip.

23. All members of the team including the coach (boat captain) must obey any and all lake specific rules. Failure to follow the lake rules could result in disqualification based on the tournament director’s decision.
24. Violations: Any team wishing to make a formal complaint must do so in writing to the tournament directors within 10 minutes of the end of the tournament. The tournament directors will make all final decisions regarding disqualification.
25. Any unethical infraction will be reported to your school administrator
26. Rules infractions

1. A team that has committed a rule violation will be disqualified from the event, the coach (not the students) will be banned from future tournaments and the entire school will be put on warning for the remainder of the season.

1. If a coach from the same school that is on warning has committed a rule violation the entire school will be banned from any ICASSTT events. A school can petition to get back into the ICASSTT series by contacting the current IBFCA President. The IBFCA board will vote on reinstating the school.

Section 6 - ICASSTT  Schedule of Events

1. All events will follow this schedule unless otherwise noted
2. Launch: 6:00 am-6:45 am and stage in take-off order

Take-Off: 7:00 am

Tournament: 7:00 am-2:00 pm

Check-in 2:00 pm (see deductions for being late above)

Weigh-In: 215 pm-2:45 pm

Award Ceremony: 2:45 pm

*Juniors Take off 1 hour later, Weigh-In 1 hour prior*

3. Boat captains will be emailed the take-off order prior to the event

1. Take off order will be the same as the order teams register by the timestamp on the Tournament Entry Form
2. The boater will be given an ID Badge with the boat number; Boater must wear this around their neck

1. The ID Badge will have your Boat Number and an ICASSTT Quick Sheet
2. This BADGE MUST be handed in upon arrival back to the Weighmaster in order to Weigh IN

4. Upon arriving at the event immediately launch your boat and “stage” in an area away from the boat ramp
5. The number 1 boat in the take off order should speak to the tournament manager for their staging directions (close to the take-off)
6. Boats should fall into numeric order
7. All boats will drive by the dock or other designated spot with all livewells open for inspection
8. Once checked back in at or before 2:00 pm (you must hand in the your ID Badge to be officially checked in), remove the boat from the water prior to weigh-in (if possible)

Section 7 - ICASSTT Registration and Financials

1. Registration will be done using the event form
2. The coach/adult who fills out the form will be: (STUDENTS SHOULD NOT REGISTER TEAMS)

1. Signing all safety waivers at the time when the form is submitted
2. paying the entry fee of $52 (Juniors $42)

1. An active PayPal account must be used so we can send money to the boats that win

3. Responsible for the correct B.A.S.S numbers of the anglers
4. Receiving any payments for the team/coach if they win

1. IT IS THE COACH/ADULT’S RESPONSIBILITY TO ISSUE THE CORRECT SCHOLARSHIP MONEY TO THE ANGLERS. THE IBFCA IS RESPONSIBLE FOR ISSUING THE MONEY TO THE COACH/ADULT BUT IS IN NO WAY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DISTRIBUTION OF SAID FUNDS TO THE INDIVIDUALS ON THE TEAM

3. All registrations must be completed via form prior to the start of the event
4. The week of the Event, there will be no Refunds to teams registered for the event. If you wish to pull out of the event and receive a refund please do so 7 Days prior to the Event.
5. If a tournament is full, a team may elect to be on the waiting list but they still must pay the $52 entry fee.

1. If a waiting list team does not get to fish in the tournament because no teams dropped out, the $52 will be refunded

6. The financial break down of the qualifying trail tournament’s entry fees after expenses per event is as follows:

1. Expense - Trophies $205
2. Tournament Manager - 15%
3. Host school - 10%
4. 1st place Team - 20%
5. 2nd place Team - 10%
6. Conservation Donation - 5%
7. Money earmarked for the State Championship payouts = 35% (estimate)

7. The financial break down of the State Championship is as follows:

1. 1st place team - 37% of the remaining revenue from the trail tournaments
2. 2nd place team - 22% of the remaining revenue from the trail tournaments
3. 3rd place team - 15% of the remaining revenue from the trail tournaments
4. 4th place team - 12% of the remaining revenue from the trail tournaments
5. 5th place team - 8% of the remaining revenue from the trail tournaments

Section 8 - ICASSTT Hosting a Qualifying Trail Tournament

The IBFCA will:

1. Promote the tournament via social media, electronic flyers, emailing coaches, etc…
2. All registration and team payments will be taken care of by the IBFCA.
3. Take care of the payments for the winning team and coach.
4. Provide awards for the top 3 teams.
5. Provide a leaderboard, weigh bags, scale tables, banners, sound system.
6. Pay the host 10% of the entry fees guaranteed. Example: 30 boats = $1,500 entry fees - you will get $150.
7. IBFCA Tournament Director will be there to run the pre and post-tournament things that need to be done, host volunteers will just need to help with checking boats in and directing them to weigh ins
8. Take care of the DNR Permit.

Host will:

1. Can promote the tournament to your circle of coaching friends using our flyer.
2. Can promote your own sponsors at the weigh-in
3. Can hold a raffle if you want to but it is not mandatory.
4. Will be in charge of the boat check and release of the boats.
5. Will provide 8-10 people to help with the weigh-in and awards ceremony (IBFCA may be available to help).
6. Get all non-DNR permits for the tournament, approval from the lake association, set up the facility, etc....
7. Any and all logistics with the tournament location facility (launch, parking, etc…)

Section 9. - ICASSTT Juniors

        8th Grade and Younger

1. Tournaments (Qualifiers)

1. Will be held on the same day as High School Events
2. Not all Events will have the Junior Division(based of site size and body of water limitations)
3. Juniors Price is $42 per team (boat) ($40 for the tournament).

1. Each student will need to join B.A.S.S. for $10.00 (one-time payment per year)
2. The time stamp on the registration will determine the take off order for each qualifying tournament
3. 15% will go to Tournament Manager
4. $105 is earmarked for Plaques
5. Rest of the money will be earmarked for Juniors State Finals Payout

4. 1st - 3rd Place will receive Plaques
5. All Tournaments will be 5 hours in length

1. Start time will be 1 hour after High School Launch
2. Weigh-Ins will be 1 hour prior to High School Weigh-Ins

2. Juniors Qualifying

1. No Minimum number of tournaments need to be fished
2. Top 3 finishing Teams Qualify for the 1 Day State Championship (If a team already qualified next best boat will qualify)
3. Once a team (defined as 2 anglers) qualifies to ICASSTT Junior State Finals, those 2 individuals must fish together at Finals
4. Juniors Teams must be from the same club/same team

1. IBFCA is encouraging High Schools on helping their Junior High Schools Create One Junior Team (Feeder Schools)

3. ICASSTT Juniors State Championship

1. State Championship will always be a 1 day event and will be held on Day 1 of the High School State Championship
2. ICASSTT State Championship will have a $21 entry fee to cover tournament expenses.
3. Take off order of the State Championship will be a random draw. The order will be emailed to coaches prior to the tournament.
4. Participants have the ability to qualify for the B.A.S.S. Junior’s National Championship

1. National Qualifiers - (based on the toal boats in our entire tournament trail) 50 = 2, 100=3, 150 = 4 etc…

5. Payouts to State Championships

1. 1st Place team - 100% of the remaining revenue from the trail tournaments

4. ICASSTT Juniors Fishing Rules

1. See Section 5 - ICASSTT Fishing Rules

5. ICASSTT Juniors Schedule of Events

1. See Section 6 - ICASSTT Schedule of Events

6. ICASSTT Juniors Registration and Financials

1. See Section 7 - ICASSTT Registration and Financials

1. With the exception of Rules 4, 5 & 6 of Section 7