WON BASS TOURNAMENT RULES – EFFECTIVE OCTOBER 1 st, 2007

Official tournament rules for WON BASS events, as follow, will govern pro circuit events. “ Lake specific” revisions or exemptions, should any be necessary, will be posted on the WON BASS website, listed in the WON BASS paper, or announced at the mandatory rules/partner pairings meeting prior to the first day of the competition. WON BASS reserves the right to refuse any entry into its Open or Team tournaments at the discretion of the tournament authority.

Participation and Eligibility – There are no restrictions as to race, gender, creed or color of any WON BASS participant. A participant in a WON BASS pro circuit, AAA, or team tournament program must be a current member of WON BASS in good standing. Those participating under the age of 18 must have written consent and the release of liability from a parent or guardian. The minimum age to participate on the Pro circuit is 16 years of age and those under the age of 18 in a team event must be fishing with a parent or legal guardian. NOTE: There are only two classifications in Pro circuit events – Pro and AAA.

Cooperation with Media/Promotion – Within the framework of reasonable requests, all contestants in WON BASS events will cooperate with media representatives covering said event. Likewise, participation in the tournament grants WON BASS the use of any pictures of contestants, accounts, or interviews with contestants it gathers for the lawful promotion of WON BASS and its tournament operations.

Sportsmanship – The laws of sportsmanship and good judgment as well as courtesy towards others on and off the water will be adhered to at all times. Specifically, the use of obscene language or gestures is specifically forbidden at any time prior to, during, or after the event in the immediate area of the host marina, weigh-in area, lodging facilities, or tournament headquarters.

Tournament Protection Rule – Any act or inflammatory statement by any contestant that, in the opinion of the Tournament Authority, is detrimental to the bass tournament, damaging to organized bass fishing, to WON BASS, or any of its staff, sponsors, or to permitting agencies or their officers (such as park rangers, fisheries biologists, or other officials), during the practice rounds or tournament, may result in the temporary or permanent suspension from all future WON BASS events. IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF EACH CONTESTANT to know these rules. A rules violation compromises the entire tournament field, not just your partner for the day.

Alcoholic Beverages/Narcotics – Any contestant under the influence of, or in possession of, alcohol, barbiturates, marijuana, or any other controlled, illegal substance in his or her boat will result in the immediate disqualification of the offending party.

Expenses – AAA’s do not choose fishing locations nor do they operate the trolling motor except with the approval of the Pro contestant. As such, they are not required to share expenses for the day. However, etiquette and courtesy deems that the AAA offers to share a portion of the day’s expenses with the Pro angler.

Safety – Each boat entered in a WON BASS event must be equipped with a working ignition “Kill” switch, which must be attached to the driver whenever the outboard motor is running. Likewise, any time the outboard motor is in operation during official practice rounds or during prescribed tournament hours, the driver and all passengers must wear and secure their Coast Guard approved (Type III PFD) life jackets. SOSpender types that meet Type V PFD performance with Type III or Type II performance are allowed. No waist belt life preservers will be allowed. Drivers are responsible for maintaining, knowing their craft, and operating their boat in a safe and courteous manner. Unsafe or reckless driving, excessive speed, and violation of local laws will not be tolerated. Boat drivers who purposefully endanger their passengers and/or other boats on the water during the official tournament period face the possibility of disqualification from the tournament and potential expulsion from the WON BASS tournament trail.

Insurance & Liability – It is the sole responsibility of the boat owner to carry and have proof of public liability insurance covering them and their passengers. All contestants are required to sign a waiver absolving the tournament staff, sponsors, co-sponsors, tournament venues, and their employees from any responsibility for any damage or personal injury sustained as a result of their participation in the tournament or related activities. Contestants are required to have in their possession and upon request provide proof of insurance to the tournament director. Failure or refusal to provide proof of insurance upon demand may result in disqualification from the event.

Licenses & Registration – Each contestant must have in possession a valid and current fishing license with the appropriate stamps governing the fishable waters of the event. Penalty for such an offense is disqualification for that day’s catch. Additionally, contestants must have current, valid registration for their boats in order to be eligible to fish the event.

Lake Closures/Aerial Scouting – There are no off-limits periods for pro and team tournaments. (see posted schedules for specific closed periods or for closed periods preceding the U.S. Open, Western Classic, and Team Championships). At no time during a 14-day period prior to a tournament will contestants be allowed to “fly the lake” for sake of scouting the waters. No angler or representative, relative, etc… shall be on the lake in the hours after the day’s weigh-in or before the start of the next day’s activities, except to return directly to a launch site for boat retrieval or other specified action such as motor repair testing as authorized by the tournament authority.

Soliciting Information – No contestant may solicit or receive information from any non-contestant from the beginning of official practice days through the final round of the tournament. Members of the contestant’s immediate family and regular fishing partners are prohibited from being on the water during the closed period and tournament days. Should the tournament authority determine that such an occurrence took place, the contestant will be required to withdraw from the tournament and forfeit all entry fees or risk disqualification.

Practice/Pre-fishing – An official practice period of two days will exist before each pro circuit tournament. Practice hours are from sunrise until dark on Thursday and sunrise until check-in on Friday. All Pro/AAA contestants must check-in between 6-8pm on Thursday evening and 3-5pm on Friday. Other tournaments may have alternative prescribed check-in periods. No practice fishing will be allowed once the tournament has commenced. No scuba diving or snorkeling by contestants will be permitted for 30 days prior to or on the practice rounds of any competition day. Underwater viewing systems will be allowed during all practice periods. They will not be allowed in the boats for usage during tournament hours. Biosonics or other types of mechanical sound frequency devices will be allowed during practice periods and during tournament hours. A contestant may not pre-fish with anyone not participating in the tournament other than an immediate family member during the official practice rounds. The tournament authority must approve members of the media, trade, or any other individual on board during official pre-fishing periods in advance. WON BASS team tournaments will have no pre-fish cut-off period.

Fish Transport – Transporting live fish taken in one area and releasing them in another are for the purpose of “seeding” or establishing a population in the new area during a practice period, during the tournament, or 30 days prior to a tournament is strictly prohibited and grounds for disqualification.

Fishable waters/Off Limits – Fishable waters in WON BASS tournaments include any water reachable by boat which is open to all contestants and which is not otherwise restricted by local, state, or federal regulations. All fishing and landing of fish must be done from the boat. A contestant my not leave the boat to untangle a fishing line or lure from any structure (trees, rocks, docks, etc) or part of the boat. No contestants are permitted to leave their boat in an effort to propel or float their boat to or from fishing waters they could not otherwise reach; however, the use of push-poles is permitted. The host marina including the area inside the “no-wake” buoys is always off limits to fishing. Other marinas or areas may also be designated as “off limits” due to specific lake rules and regulations. All off limits areas will be denoted during the mandatory partner pairings meeting.

Equipment/Tackle/Technique Restrictions – Each Pro tournament entered boat must be a minimum of 16 feet in length and be equipped with a minimum Seventy Five (75) horsepower outboard motor. Minimum horsepower for team tournaments is ten (10) horsepower with a minimum boat length of 14 feet. Engines may not exceed the BIA horsepower rating for the boat hull and no outboards over 300HP will be permitted in a WON BASS event. Dual engine outboard vessels are also prohibited. “Stick” steering boats are prohibited as well. Each boat must be equipped with a functioning, aerated livewell. Boats must have rear seat available for AAA partner should they request one. Only artificial lures may be used. No live bait, cut or prepared baits other than pork rind or mammal hide may be used. Fish “attractants and scents” may be utilized. All fishing must be accomplished with one rod and reel combination used at one time, meaning each cast must be made and line retrieved before another cast may be made with another outfit. A contestant may have an unlimited number of rods and reels on the boat rigged and ready to fish, but no rod shall exceed eight (8) feet in length. Trolling, (the act of manipulating the lure solely by maneuvering the boat under any type of power) is prohibited. The intentional snagging of fish is strictly prohibited. Landing nets are permitted in WON BASS events, but may not have an overall length (handle and hoop combined) longer than eight (8) feet.

Encroachment – a “25” yard rule is in effect at all times during competition. No contestants boat may move within 25 yards of another contestants boat at any time for the purpose of fishing. A boat moving from one area to another may not “tie-up”, “claim”, or “protect” more than a single dock or location at one time regardless of the distance involved. (No one can tie up even a single dock for more than 25 yards distance from their boat)

Size Limits/Bag Limits – Qualifying fish (Largemouth, Smallmouth, and Spotted Black Bass) must be a minimum of 13” in length, measured laying flat with the mouth open on a flat board. The daily tournament limit will be five (5) bass per boat. Never shall there be more than 5 fish in a tournament boat, unless you are engaged in the act of catching and culling your 6 th fish. Tournament boats inside the check-in area must not possess more than the tournament limit of 5 fish. Anglers in violation will be disqualified for the day. Should local or state regulations specify a different method of measurement, a different minimum length, or a different bag limit than the WON BASS tour standard, the more stringent standard will be utilized in the tournament. Short fish will be assessed a one-pound penalty plus the loss of the short fish.

Sight Fishing – This rule concerns “sight fishing or bedding bass” and is in effect at any time that either of these conditions exist, and is designed to eliminate the illegal snagging of bass. A sight or bedding fish is defined as one that can be seen and is watched as it approaches the lure. Fish being caught under these conditions must be caught by hook and line and by the fish ingesting the lure. Any bass that is caught that is either a “sight” or “bed” fish must be caught “hook in mouth with the hook point entering from inside the mouth”. This catch must be verified as a legal catch by the angler’s in-boat partner. Any “sight” or “bed” fish caught by snagging or with the hook starting outside the mouth shall be deemed an illegally caught fish and must be released. This same fish may be caught again by legal method – with the hook starting from inside the mouth. Any angler catching fish under these conditions without verifying the hook location with the other in boat partner may be disqualified from the tournament.

Culling – (Replacing a live caught bass with a larger live caught bass) is permitted during the fishing day. At no time during tournament hours may contestants fish while possessing more than the WON BASS 5 fish tournament limit. Both anglers must stop fishing until no more than the 5 fish limit is in the boat. Recent Title 14 rulings by the California DFG will allow WON BASS tournament anglers in California to continue to fish with 5 bass in the live well. However, for the purposes of the tournament, no more than 5 bass may be in the live well at any time. No measuring, releasing, or culling of any bass is permitted by contestants inside the designated host marina boundaries at any time.

Weigh-In – When presenting fish to be measured, the contestant cannot touch the fish while the official takes the measurement. Once fish are presented to the Weighmaster, they immediately become the “official catch” of the contest and they become the possession of the Weighmaster to measure, weigh and record as such. Any angler may request a one-time immediate “re-weigh” of their fish before leaving the stage/scale area with their catch. Once a catch leaves the stage/scale area, the angler loses his right to request a re-weigh and any request of that nature will be denied.

Dead Fish Penalty – It is the goal of WON BASS to release alive all tournament caught bass following the weigh-in. Contestants, therefore, are required to do everything in their power to preserve their daily catch. Deliberate, rough, or careless handling of fish while culling or handling fish is grounds for disqualification. The amount of .20 (20/100 th) of one pound will be deducted for each bass presented “not alive” as judged by the Weighmaster.

Breakdowns / Emergencies – Anglers are not permitted to leave their boat or touch another boat, with the exception of emergency or major equipment failure. In the case of a breakdown on the water, the fishing partner may accept assistance in the form of a tow from or a return ride with any other boat on the waters. While in tow, or riding, those contestants accepting assistance, are not permitted to continue fishing. However, other contestants, if rendering assistance, may continue fishing. Should one of the contestants decide to stay with the troubled craft, he may send his catch with his partner to the Weighmaster. The angler who remains with the craft may not continue to fish once he has sent his catch to the Weighmaster. Anglers with fish to be taken to weigh-in may only be transported via another tournament contestant’s boat or a method approved by the tournament authority.

Cellular telephones – Cell phones or other communication devices, including all forms of text messaging are allowed in boats as an emergency tool only; boat-to-boat communication is prohibited except for emergency purposes.

Anglers who communicate with others during tournament hours for the purposes of bettering their fishing circumstances will be disqualified by the tournament authority.

“Bacon Saver” – AAA entrants, may at registration declare their boat available as a “Bacon Saver” in case an extra boat is needed by a Pro in the tournament due to an equipment failure. If needed, the AAA Bacon Saver will be paired with the pro whose boat is inoperative. The Pro will pay the AAA $100 plus gas and oil expenses for the day for the use of the boat. The AAA drives the boat, at the direction of the Pro, but the Pro may operate the trolling motor and retains the right to select the waters to be fished. Should no “Bacon Saver” boat be available, both the Pro and his regularly drawn AAA partner shall be retired from the tournament. Any “official catch” weighed will be theirs to keep.

Late weigh-in – There is no excuse for being late to the weigh-in. Any contestant’s (and respective partner’s) catch returning to the check-in point after the official tournament deadline for their flight will be disqualified for that day.

Citations - Any contestant cited by officers for violation of City, State or Federal fishing or boating regulations jeopardizes his daily catch and may be subject to disqualification by the tournament authority.

Standings/Ties – Final standings in any WON BASS event will be determined by the heaviest cumulative weight for the prescribed tournament period. The cumulative total will reflect the actual weight of the fish caught, less assessed penalties, if any. Pro and AAA will score the total weight of each daily boat catch. Their two-day scores will be added, placing Pros and AAA’s in their own division. In the case of a tie, the prize money and points will be awarded in the following manner: For cash awards, the designated prizes will be added together and split among those tied for a given place. (Example: A two way tie for fifth place would split the cash awards designated for both 5 th and 6 th place and each would receive 5 th place points).

Lie Detector Testing – All contestants, by virtue of entry into a WON BASS event, are subject to testing by a lie detection apparatus by authority of the Tournament Director.

Protests – Protests regarding violation of these rules must be declared immediately to the Tournament Director and then submitted in writing within 30 minutes of the end of weigh-in for that day the alleged violation occurred. The Tournament Authority will hear protests and the decisions of the Tournament Director will be final. TO AVOID PROTESTS, if you suspect a possible infraction is about to take place, ALERT THE WOULD-BE OFFENDER TO CHECK THE RULES!

Guaranteed Acceptance Policy – Any AAA entering the tournament with a Pro contestant will receive a guaranteed entry status in the tournament. To ensure guaranteed status, the AAA entry form and appropriate entry fees must accompany those of the Pro, and be received in the WON BASS office before the tournament entry deadline. In any other situation, Pro entries will be matched against available in-house AAA entries. Such matching of entries is based on a first come, first serve basis by the date the entry is received in the WON BASS office. Fax orders are accepted only with a credit card payment. FAX (949) 366-0804. Should the Pro’s AAA angler not show up for the tournament, the Pro loses their guaranteed status.

Tournament Check-In – All Pro tour contestants are required to check-in with the tournament registration staff between the hours of 6-8pm on Thursday , or from 3-5pm on Friday . Those failing to check-in prior to 5pm on Friday will be assessed penalties as directed by the tournament director . Tournaments on days other than Saturday and Sunday will have check-in times set by the WON BASS office. Team Tournaments shall have check in times and locations set by the regional tournament director.

Rules / Partner pairing meeting – All contestants, unless previously excused by the tournament authority are required to attend the tournament Rules and Partner Pairing meeting on Friday evening at 6pm . Unauthorized absence will result in weight or start penalties as directed by the tournament authority. Tournaments on days other than Saturday and Sunday will have meeting times set by the WON BASS office.

Partner “No-Show” Rule – After the pairing of partners is completed, it is the responsibility of the Pro to insure his AAA partner is available for the morning start. Should the AAA partner not show for the start, the Pro may be required to wait until the last flight has departed. The tournament authority, if possible, will make an effort to find a replacement, but is under no obligation to secure a replacement or locate the missing partner. However, the Tournament Director, may at his discretion, allow the Pro to fish solo. Further, if a no-show occurs on the second day of the event to the tournament leader, he will not be allowed to go solo under any circumstances. Should the Pro boater fail to show for the start, the AAA partner will have to withdraw from the day’s fishing.

Awards Ceremony Attendance – While it is generally recognized that attendance at presentation of awards ceremonies is an act of respect to others in the angling field, it is not always possible for all to attend. Those not attending the awards ceremonies will forfeit any claim to trophies or merchandise earned in competition. The Tournament Authority will mail the purse share. No other party may pick-up purse checks.

Deposits / Refunds – A $100 Pro or $50 AAA deposit will hold a spot in any Pro circuit tournament up to the cut-off date prior to the contest when the balance of fees are due. There is no provision for refunding tournament entry fees or deposits; however, entry fees or deposits may be transferred to another like event or to another contestant’s entry application if notification is received at WON BASS headquarters prior to the event deadline. ONE TIME ONLY - A $25 processing fee will apply to all cancellations and A $20 fee will be charged on all returned checks. Persons who have returned checks may enter only with certified funds. No entries shall be accepted after the official practice rounds have started for any tournament.

Decisions – All decisions of the Tournament Director shall be final.

WON BASS TEAM TOURNAMENT RULES & GUIDELINES

Unless otherwise noted below, all rules applying to the WON BASS Pro Circuit will apply to the WON BASS team tournaments.

Home Regions - Each team will, at the first tournament they fish during the season, declare a home region with their tournament director. This home region’s tournament director will be the main contact with the team and act as the WON BASS representative through which all team tournament communications will be handled.

Team Names - Team members will be listed alphabetically by last name, with the first team member listed being the one with the last name that comes first alphabetically.

Solo Anglers – No Team/Angler may fish more than 3 team tournaments solo without a partner. Anglers fishing more than 3 events in region solo will not have their points counted towards the year end points race.

Off Limits – All WON BASS Teams regions will have no off limits period prior to a tournament.

WONdering teams - A team that wishes to be included in as a WONdering team must declare so within the first 3 scheduled tournaments of the season in their home region. Each team that wishes to declare as a WONdering team will be provided a form to fill out and give to their tournament director. Only this form will be accepted and verbal declarations will not be recognized by WON BASS.

WONdering Scoring - Teams fishing as a WONdering team must fish at least six tournaments in a minimum of two regions. Teams may fish as many tournaments and regions as they like and the scores from the top 6 tournament finishes will be used to calculate their standings. At least one of the six tournaments scored for the season points total must come from outside of their home region.

North/South WONdering - If you are fishing as a WONdering team in both the Northern and Southern region, you must declare yourself as a WONdering participant in only one of these regions, not both. This is done with your home region tournament director.

WONdering Cut-off - The last day to fish a WONdering tournament is June 30th. After June 30 th, no regional tournaments that your team fishes will be counted in the year end WONdering points standings.

Points Races - In the event of a points tie at the end of the year region’s point race, the winner will be determined by the highest aggregate weight total over the course of the season in that teams home region. In the unlikely event that the weights are also a tie, the winner will be determined by the big fish caught by a team during the season in that team’s home region. Should this also be a tie, the winning team will be determined by cutting a deck of cards with the high card being the winner. Ace’s are high with suit hierarchy from high to low being spades, hearts, diamonds, clubs.

In the event of a points tie at the end of a WONdering season points race, the winner will be determined by the highest aggregate weight from the 6 tournaments whose points are being counted towards the WONdering standings. Should a tie still be encountered, the regional team tie breaking guidelines will be used to determine a winner.

End of the season regional qualifier calculations are made as follows: 35% of the average seasons participation will qualify for the end of year team championships from the year end standings in that region. Average season participation is calculated by taking the total numbers of teams that fished in a region during the season and dividing this number by the total number of tournaments in that region. This number is then multiplied by 35%. See example below:

Total Tournaments in region - 7  

299 teams ¸ 7 tournaments = 42.71 42.71 x 35% = 14.94 (15)

WON BASS wants to include as many anglers as possible so fractional numbers are rounded up. In this instance, the top 15 teams from this region will qualify for the team championships.

Additionally, WON BASS will take 15% of the average season participation at the final tournament of the season for that anglers home region. To qualify via the final tournament, you must have fished at least 4 out of the 7 tournaments in your home region. This is calculated as shown below:

299 teams ¸ 7 tournaments = 42.71 42.71 x 15% = 6.40 (7)

An additional 7 anglers who have fished at least 4 events, one of which is the final tournament in that region, will also qualify for the team championships. Bonus qualifiers from the last event of the season are selected based upon the hierarchy of how they finished in that final event.

In the event a team qualifies for the team championships in their home region and also qualifies as a WONdering region team, the next highest ranking team in terms of year-end points total in the home region will move up to qualify for the Team Championships. The exception would be that in the event that one of the dual qualifying teams has won the “Angler of the Year” title in their home region, then the next team in the WONdering region based upon year end points total will move up to qualify for the team championships.

WON BASS Rookie Teams

The WON BASS Rookie teams region has been put together to encourage beginning anglers to participate in organized tournament fishing. As such, some specific criteria will apply to the Rookie teams to ensure that this remains an entry level competition. All other WON BASS rules will apply to this region.

Rookie teams competitors may not have won more than $4,000 individually or as a team on any Pro/Am or team circuit. Should a competitor win more than this in a single season of Rookie teams competition, they will automatically be graduated to the regular WON BASS team events for the next year.

Rookie team members may not have fished more than once as a “Pro” in any Pro/Am competition.

Rookie team members may not have won a Prize boat or Car/Truck in any Pro/Am or team competition

Rookie team members may not have finished as team “Anglers of the Year” in any team competition.

Rookie team members may not have finished in the top 5-year end standings of any team competition more than 3 years in a row.

Licensed Bass Guided in California may not participate in Rookie teams events.

WON BASS TOURNAMENT ETHICS

Passing of information during the tournament – It has long been understood that the AAA is not to pass along information to his second day partner regarding the techniques used or waters fished by his first day partner. Further, it is a violation of fair play and professional ethics for a Pro to interview or interrogate his second day AAA angler as to the techniques or waters fished by the AAA’s first day Pro partner.

Appearance at Weigh-in – It is the responsibility of each angler to dress and conduct themselves in a presentable and professional manner at weigh-in and award ceremonies. Tank tops and shower sandals are not considered appropriate apparel when weighing in before the observing public. Contestants approaching the Weigh-in area who are barefooted or without a shirt will be required to return to the boat for proper dress. Remember, your potential future sponsors are watching you!

Conduct at Meetings/Tournament – All contestants should do their best to see that those receiving awards are afforded the courtesy of their attention during the announcement and introduction of winners and trade representatives. It is the responsibility of all contestants to understand and be constantly aware that their actions and words speak for all organized bass fishing in the eyes of the observing public. Contestants who establish a reputation of ignoring the “Code of Ethics” and or the laws of good judgment are subject to review by the Tournament Authority and are subject to suspension from all WON BASS activities and events.

For tournament Schedules or Entry forms, Contact:

WON BASS - P.O. BOX 73370 San Clemente , CA 92673

(949) 366-0030 ext 38
Fax (949) 366-0804

WWW.WONBASS.COM