Individual Tournament Rules Centennial Bass Club Individual Tournament Rules
The following rules shall apply to all Centennial Bass Club (CBC) Series
events except that these rules may be changed by CBC immediately upon notice by CBC to its
members, which notice may be published on the CBC website at
www.centennialbass.homestead.com. Interpretation and enforcement of these rules shall be
left exclusively to the Tournament Director (TD) or their designee at a tournament. In the
event of a rule violation, the TD may impose such sanctions as deemed appropriate by them,
including, without limitation, disqualification, forfeiture of prizes and entry fees and
prohibition from participation in subsequent tournaments. The decision of the TD or their
designee shall be final in all matters.
1. LAWS: All Federal, State, and Local laws shall be obeyed.
2. DRUGS: No Illegal controlled substances, including but not limited to, alcohol and marijuana,
shall be consumed during the tournament.
3. PARTICIPATION: All participants shall be a member of Centennial Bass Club, in good
standing, before the tournament date.
a. All Boaters must possess proof of insurance during the official practice and
tournament days, meeting the current minimum requirement set forth by B.A.S.S.,
which as of January 1st, 2018 is:
“NO COMPETITOR MAY OPERATE A BOAT UNLESS THAT CONTESTANT HAS
DOCUMENTED PROOF OF A MINIMUM OF $300,000, PER OCCURRENCE, BOAT
OWNERS LIABILITY INSURANCE COVERING THE BOAT BEING USED IN THE
TOURNAMENT. PROOF OF INSURANCE MUST BE WITH THE BOAT BEING USED AND
MUST COVER ALL PASSENGERS IN THAT BOAT. RANDOM CHECKS WILL BE
CONDUCTED AND ANY COMPETITOR WHO DOES NOT HAVE PROOF OF IN-FORCE
INSURANCE WITH $300,000 COVERAGE MAY BE DISQUALIFIED. EACH POLICY MUST
SHOW AN EFFECTIVE START AND EXPIRATION DATE. Tournament officials have sole
authority to determine if insurance policies meet B.A.S.S., LLC requirements.”
It is each member’s obligation to know what B.A.S.S.’s Insurance minimums are,
which may differ or change from what is written herein.
b. Minimum boat requirements – Boats must be at least 15’ in length with a minimum
of a 40hp engine. No stick steering. The boat must have a working livewell capable
of keeping the fish alive. The TD may use their discretion to not allow a boat due to
safety or fish care concerns.
c. Associate members under 16 years of age may pay annual dues and are able to fish any CBC
tournament with parental consent. They are required to provide their Health Insurance card
and written permission from a parent or guardian for emergency purposes.
4. SAFETY: All participants shall wear a U.S. Coast Guard approved personal flotation device
(PFD) at any time the big engine is on and in gear. This PFD should be fully latched. The
Boater’s PFD shall have a functioning Kill Switch attached to it and to the engines Kill Switch
system any time the big engine is on and in gear.
a. It is suggested that the Boater have a safety check with the Non-boater, prior to
launch, to familiarize the location of all safety equipment.
5. ENTRY FEES: All entry fees shall be collected, cash only, prior to the start of the tournament
during the registration period that immediately precedes the Pre-Tournament Meeting.
a. The entry fee for the Mini Tournaments shall be $20.
i. Of this $20 – 10% will go to the CBC General Fund. 15% will go
towards the Big Bass payout of that tournament. 75% goes towards
the payout of the top 1/3 places of that tournament.
b. The entry fee for the 1 Day Tournaments shall be $40.
i. Of this $40 – 10% will go to the CBC General Fund. 15% will go
towards the Big Bass payout of that tournament. 75% goes towards
the payout of the top 1/3 places of that tournament.
c. The entry fee for the 2 Weekend Tournaments shall be $70
i. Of this $70 – 15% will go towards the Big Bass payout each day of that
tournament. 85% goes towards the payout of the top 3 places of that
tournament.
ii. CBC kicks in 10% of FMO proceeds towards each weekend
tournament payout.
d. Number of Participants: At a mini tournament where there are more non-boaters
than boaters, fishing three to a boat will be on a VOLUNTEER basis by the BOATERS.
It will then result in a first come, first serve basis dependent upon the order in which
entry fees were paid.
e. Guests: Guests will not be allowed to fish mini tournaments unless the Tournament
Director gives approval prior to the tournament (please call TD before bringing or
inviting guests). No guests are allowed to fish any half or all-day tournaments. A
guest can either fish with who they came with and / or if they came alone can go
into the draw. If a guest goes into the draw, they are able to verify the length of
their boater’s fish. If the guest is fishing with who they came with, rule 7a and 7b will
apply. A guest may fish only one mini tournament per season.
f. Paying an entry fee to buy-in to a tournament for points is not allowed. A member
must participate to earn points.
6. PAYOUTS: Will be determined by numbers of entrants.
7. LEGAL FISH: Only Black Bass will be allowed to be carded. Any bass over 10” may be noted
on your card. Bass will be measured to the quarter inch, rounding down. You may note a 1/8th
of an inch for Big Bass and Tie Breakers. (Example: If a fish measures 18 7/8 inches it is to be
marked down on your scorecard as 18 3⁄4 inches. If you feel you may have big fish, you may
note to the side the extra 1/8 of an inch) To get the fish’s maximum length, you must close the
fish’s mouth and place it firmly against the angle of the measuring board. You then pinch and
fan the tail to acquire maximum length. You may measure a fish on either of it’s sides. All
measured fish must be verified by your boating partner and then immediately released. You
must notate the score on your card immediately after this. All fish over 22” must be brought in
to be verified by the TD.
a. If you do not have a draw partner, all fish over 10”, but under the legal size limit, will
be on the honor system, although it is strongly encouraged that you take a photo of
your fish on the golden rule.
b. If you do not have a draw partner, all fish over the legal size limit must be verified by
another competitor. That competitor must initial your card verifying the length. And
that fish must be released immediately after verification.
c. The best 7 fish on your card will have their values totaled for your cumulative score.
The highest score wins.
d. There is an 8-point penalty per dead fish. The time limit to verify that a fish is still
alive will be one minute. Culling of dead fish from your card is prohibited. A dead
fish may not qualify for the Big Bass prize.
8. METHODS: All Black Bass presented for carding must have been caught during the
tournament. All fish caught while sight fishing must have been hooked inside the mouth.
Bedding Fish may only be scored on each Contestants score card 1 time. No snagging allowed.
Trolling is not allowed. Only one rod and reel may be used at a time by an angler. Only artificial
lures may be used. No live or prepared bait, except for pork, may be used. Scents and
attractant may be used.
9. TIE BREAKER: All ties will be broken by biggest fish. If there is still a tie, we will flip a coin
10. OFF LIMITS: Unless the Tournament Director determines otherwise: Lakes are off-limits
from 12:01 a.m. the day of the tournament until the start of the tournament.
11. PRE-TOURNAMENT MEETING: There will be a Pre-Tournament Meeting where the checkin time, official time, off limits, etc. will be discussed. This is also when the draw for launch
order will occur.
I. For Mini tournaments, the Pre-tournament meeting will begin at 4:45pm.
II. Any boater arriving after the draw but before Blast Off will take off in last
position.
III. Any boater arriving after Blast Off will have to locate the Tournament
Director and pay prior to fishing. Only fish over the legal size limit will be
allowed to be scored and must be verified by another competitor.
IV. Any non-boater arriving after the draw but before Blast Off will be placed
in a boat at the TD’s discretion provided there is room.
V. Any non-boater arriving after Blast Off will not be able to fish the
tournament.
b. For 1 Day tournaments, the Pre-tournament meeting will begin one hour before
sunrise unless otherwise directed by the Tournament Director.
I. Any boater arriving after the draw but before Blast Off will take off in last
position.
II. Any boater arriving after Blast Off will have to locate the Tournament
Director and pay prior to fishing. Only fish over the legal size limit will be
allowed to be scored and must be verified by another competitor.
III. Any non-boater arriving after the draw but before Blast Off will be placed
in a boat at the TD’s discretion provided there is room.
IV. Any non-boater arriving after Blast Off will not be able to fish the
tournament.
c. For the weekend tournaments, the Pre-tournament meeting will begin one hour
before sunrise unless otherwise directed by the TD. The draw will be reversed on the
second day of the tournament. Partners for the second day will be announced by the TD.
i. All participants must sign up on the website one week prior to the official
pre-fish day of a weekend tournament to be eligible to fish. After this
time, you must contact the TD directly to be eligible to fish.
ii. All non-boaters must pair up with a boater.
iii. If a boater and non-boater, as travel partners, miss Blast Off, they must
locate the TD before they can fish and only fish over the legal size limit
will be allowed. And these fish must be verified by another contestant
from a different boat.
iv. If a non-boater, alone, misses the Blast Off on one, or both days, they will
be disqualified for that day.
12. CHECK-IN: Any contestant who is one minute late returning to the tournament starting
point will have 10 points deducted from their scorecard and for each minute thereafter. After
five minutes the member will be disqualified for that day. This includes both the boater and
non-boater. If boat trouble should occur, weigh cards may be brought in by another member. If
you are unable to get your card/s to another member you must call the TD over the phone prior
to weigh in and advise them of the incident. It will be at the TD’s discretion whether your card
will count. After 15 minutes late, the Tournament Director will attempt to locate you. No
matter what, a club representative (whether the tournament director, volunteer, or appointed
member by the TD) will wait until the late members return safely. If you leave early, for any
reason, you should place a note on the vehicle of another member.
13. AOY STANDINGS: The best 5 finishes of an angler’s Mini and 1 Day tournaments combined
with both finishes of an angler’s 2 Weekend tournaments will count toward their Angler of the
Year standings.
a. 1
st place in a Mini or 1 Day tournament is worth 50 points, 2nd place is worth 49
points. And so on. A zero score card will be tallied as last place points minus 10 for
AOY calculation.
b. 1
st place in a weekend tournament is worth 200 points, 2nd place is worth 199 points.
And so on. A zero score card will be tallied as last place points minus 10 for AOY
calculation.
c. AOY Tie Breakers: In the event of a tie for the year-end standings (AOY), for 1st
Place, the tie breaker will be broken by taking total card points from the best 5 of 10
minis and 2 weekend tournaments. In the event there is still a tie, the winner will be
decided by a flip of coin. For places 2 – 10, Rookie of the Year, there can be ties and
plaques will be shared. For the Bassmaster of the Year, a tie will be broken by
biggest bass. In the event there is still a tie, then the winner will be decided by flip of
a coin.
d. Club Classic Qualifications: The top 7 finishers by AOY Standings will qualify for the
Club Classic as a boater. Places 8th – 14 will qualify for the Club Classic as a nonboater. Places 15th-18th will qualify for the Club Classic as Alternates. 1 Alternate
below 18th can qualify as a non-boater in order to create an equal number of boaters
and non-boaters. The number of non-boaters is not to exceed the number of
boaters.
i. The TD will then direct the qualifying members to determine, by vote,
where and when the Club Classic will be.
ii. Each qualifying participant will pay $20 as an entry fee.
iii. The Club Classic payout will be similar to a regular weekend tournament.
First place will equal 50%, second place will equal 30%, third place will
equal 20%.
14. BIG BASS OF THE YEAR: An award will be given to the angler who catches the largest fish,
by length, during individual tournament hours across every event that year.
a. In the event of a tie, the tie will be broken by the angler with the next largest catch
during individual tournament hours across every event that year.
15. NON-BOATER RIGHTS & OBLIGATIONS: The Non-boater has the right to fish their water
for half of the tournament. This includes Mini tournaments. This should be determined before
the tournament begins. Equal time is to be offered by the boater to the non-boater to fish from
the front of the boat. The non-boater accepts full responsibility for any damage that they may
cause except normal wear and tear. (Examples of damage: Improper trolling motor use
resulting in damage, Puncture of seats, Cigarette burns, etc.)
a. The Non-boater shall offer $15 to their boater for Mini tournaments and the Nonboater shall offer $25 to their boater for Weekend tournaments, including the Club
Classic, to help offset the boater’s gas, oil, and maintenance expenses.
16. SPORTSMANSHIP: The 50-foot cushion rule shall exist so that all participants may fish and
have a fun time in these tournaments. No boat shall cut-off another boat, that is fishing, within
50’, by passing in front of them. Always ask before going in front of or around another boat,
whether they are anchored or not. Any protests regarding tournament results or violation of
rules must be orally brought to the attention of the Tournament Director and/or assistant within
thirty minutes after the official weigh in time. Money will not be paid out until a decision has been
made.
TD may confer with the available steering committee members to complete the decision. After
thirty minutes, all protests will be null and void. If the protest pertains to the Tournament
Director or their decision, a written protest must be presented to the steering committee
within one week of the tournament date. The protest will be reviewed and a ruling
will be made after the next steering committee meeting. No money will be paid out until the
dispute is settled. Decisions made by Tournament Director, appointed Assistant or Steering
Committee will be final.
It is each participant’s obligation to abide by all rules and ethical conduct expectations while
participating in all CBC sponsored events.
