CAPITAL CITY BASS CLUB CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS

ARTICLE 1 – NAME AND PURPOSE

Section 1: Name

This club shall be called the Capital City Bass Club of Olympia, Washington.

Section 2: Purpose

The purpose of the Capital City Bass Club shall be:

A. To stimulate public awareness of bass fishing as a major sport.
B. To offer our state Fish and Wildlife department our organized moral and political support and encouragement as is conductive to the warm water fisheries.
C. To promote full adherence to all conservation codes and practices.
D. To promote good sportsmanship
E. To unify the voice of anti-pollution of valuable water resources.
F. To actively participate in matters of constructive conservation which concerns fishing waters.
G. To enhance the transfer of invaluable fishing information to individual members.
H. To encourage instruction and development of fishing skills.
I. To promote and encourage youth fishing, and a love for this great recreation.

ARTICLE 2 – MEMBERSHIP

Section 1: Number of Members

The club shall begin with and maintain at least six members. During the club’s first six months of existence, total general membership shall not exceed sixty members. After six months, this number may be altered by amendment.

Section 2: Requirements for Membership

To become an adult member, a person shall:

A: Voluntarily express a genuine interest in membership.
B: Be in full agreement with the Constitution and By-Laws.
C: Be 19 years of age or older by August 31.
D: Be willing to work on club projects and attend meetings.
E: Mandatory participation in at least one club function other than tournaments or club
meetings.

To become a junior member, a person shall:

A: Be between 11 and 18 years of age.
B: Have a signed consent form from a parent or legal guardian.
C: Comply with adult club member requirements A and B.

Junior members must have obtained the age of 11 years, but not yet 19 years, on August 31. Any junior member whose nineteenth birthday occurs before September 1 shall be considered an adult member for the entire calendar year. This status shall apply to membership dues and club tournament standings.

Section 3: Membership dues

Adult membership dues shall be $40.00 annually, payable upon completion of a membership form. There will be a $15.00 initiation fee for all new adult members, for a total of $55.00. Junior membership dues shall be $20.00 annually, payable upon completion of a membership form and a signed consent form from a parent or guardian.

Any person joining the club before the final tournament of the year shall pay full annual dues. Any person joining after the final tournament shall pay full annual dues, good for the next calendar year. Club members in good standing will receive an annual membership card and a monthly club newsletter.

Renewal membership dues shall be paid on or before the November club meeting. Adult members that do not pay their annual dues on or before the November club meeting must pay the initiation fee for new adult members to remain in good standing. Any member not paying their annual dues on or before the January club meeting will not receive a club newsletter until their dues are paid. Any member that does not pay their annual membership dues by the March club meeting will no longer be a club member.

ARTICLE 3 – OFFICERS, BOARD MEMBERS, ELECTIONS, VACANCIES AND ELEIGBILITY

Section 1: Officers and Their Duties

The officers of the club shall comprise the club’s executive board and shall consist of:

A. President. The President’s duties include: general coordinator, presiding over all meetings, directing all official business, appointing and directing all committee functions, supervising all club functions, planning the agenda for all club meetings and presiding over all board functions and meetings.
B. 1st Vice President. The 1st Vice President’s duties include: program chairman, planning the entertainment for each meeting, assisting the President in his duties and presiding in the absence of the President.
C. 2nd Vice President. The 2nd Vice President’s duties include: projects chairman, working and planning on various projects that the club may wish to get involved in, selling club merchandise and assisting in the collection of club fees.
D. Secretary/Treasurer. The Secretary/Treasurer’s duties include: Public relations and fundraising chairman, maintaining accurate minutes of all meetings, maintaining accurate financial records and reporting at each meeting, being responsible for all monies of the club and controlling overall income and expenses, including the payment of club bills.

Section 2: Board Members and Their Duties

Club officers (executive board) and the positions listed below (when filled) are members of the board that will normally meet one week before each club meeting to discuss appropriate club business and activities. Past club presidents are also considered members of the board. All club members are welcome to participate in board meetings. However, board decisions are limited to board members only.

A. Membership Chairman. The membership chairman will be responsible for maintaining membership applications, coordinating membership drive activities, maintaining a record of each member showing activity such as attendance at club meetings, tournaments and all club functions.
B. Tournament Director. The tournament director will be responsible for planning and setting up the tournament schedule; enforcing club tournament rules (see article 5) and state fishing laws; selecting two members to be tournament officials for each tournament; setting up the point schedule to determine tournament winners, club standings, Big Bass of the Year award and Angler of the Year; planning any inter-club tournaments and is in charge of ordering and presenting any trophies and/or awards.
C. Conservation and/or Legislative Chairman. The conservation and/or legislative chairman will be in charge of any problems or projects that may arise, such as water pollution, raising of bass, etc.

Section 3: Election of Officers

First call for nominations of new club officers will be requested at the October club meeting. Last call for nominations is at the November club meeting. The election of officers shall be held annually at the regular meeting during the month of November. Elections shall be held by secret ballot by the simple majority of members present.

Section 4: Selection of Board Members

Members of the board shall be selected by the executive board, presided over by the President.

Section 5: Voting Eligibility.

Each adult member in good standing is entitled to one vote. Proxy votes are not permitted.

Section 6: Term of Office.

The term of office is for two years, which shall begin on January 1 and end on December 31.

Section 7: Vacancies.

In the event of an office becoming vacant, nominations shall be requested and an election held at the next meeting to fill the un-expired term of the individual vacating the office. If this is not feasible, the executive board may appoint an individual to fill the vacancy.

Section 8: Eligibility for Holding Office.

To be eligible for an office, a member must:

A. Have been an adult member for at least six months (six months requirement waived during the first twelve months of club existence.)
B. Have attended at least ¾ of the club meetings and ¾ of the club functions.

ARTICLE 4 – METHOD OF AMENDING THE CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS

The constitution and by-laws may be amended at any regular meeting by a 2/3 vote of the adult members present, providing written notice of the proposed amendment has been presented to the membership at least one regular meeting prior to the vote. Voting will be by show of hands or by ballot.

ARTICLE 5 – TOURNAMENT FISHING RULES

Section 1: General Tournament Rules

1. All contestants must be paid up members of the CCBC.
2. Pairing, fishing hours (8 hours per tournament day), starting point, drawing for starting positions, and weigh-in area will be announced at the regular CCBC meeting prior to the tournament(s). The acting tournament director and present board members may later modify the tournament fishing hours for safety reasons. No pre-fishing is allowed after the Sunday immediately before all club tournaments, unless otherwise announced by the board at a club meeting.
3. Tournament contestants must sign up for the tournament draw on the night of the regular CCBC meeting preceding the tournament. If you are not signed up, you cannot fish in the tournament. Meeting attendance is not required to sign up. Entry fee will be $20.00 per tournament for adults and $15.00 per tournament for junior members and must be paid on the night of the regular CCBC meeting preceding the tournament. If you have not paid, you cannot fish. Anyone signing up for a tournament and then not showing up will forfeit the entry fee unless his partner and the Tournament Director have been notified. If this provision is met, the fee will be applied to the next tournament.
4. There will be a 75% payout to the top three finishers in both the draw tournament and the team series. Team entry fees go to team payouts and individual fees go to individual payouts. The CCBC will retain the other 25%. For the 75% payout the breakout is as follows:

1st Place – 50%
2nd Place – 30%
3rd Place - 20%

You must catch fish to receive a payout. Unawarded place money is retained in the CCBC general fund.
5. All boaters are required (by law) to sign a zebra mussel disclaimer statement for all club tournaments. Boaters must sign the statement at the same time they sign up for a tournament.
6. There will be a 12-inch minimum size limit on all bass weighed in, unless a lake has a larger minimum size limit, in which case the larger size limit will be the CCBC tournament limit.
7. There will be a 5 fish limit per person.
8. Fish will be measured on a flat board with mouth closed.
9. Fish may not be physically altered, i.e. fins or tail clipped, etc.
10. Points will be awarded with the following rules:

• Winner will receive 300 points.
• The scoring will decrease in a ten-point increment from first place to last place. 300, 290, 280, 270, …etc.
• An angler or anglers having no fish to weigh will receive the last respective place points, which is 10 points less than the lowest place with weighed fish.
• In the event of all ties, big fish will be the deciding factor.
• If big fish ties, the largest bag will be the deciding factor.
• Tiebreakers for 1st though 3rd will be resolved for all events, if fish are caught. Year-end standing ties will be resolved for 1st though 10th for individuals and 1st through 3rd for the team series.
• Winner will be determined by the most weight for one of the two days fished (best day).
11. A contestant will forfeit the total weight of his largest fish for each fish that does not meet the size restrictions in Rule 6. A contestant may request a courtesy measurement before weighing his fish. Fish that do not meet the size restrictions in Rule 6 will not be weighed. A quarter-pound will be subtracted from each dead fish, as determined by the Tournament Officials.
12. A 5-point penalty will be assessed for each fish to boats/fishermen not being in the immediate checkpoint area at the prescribed check-in time, up to a time limit of 10 minutes. Anyone more than 10 minutes late will not have their fish weighed and will receive last place minus 10 points. Draw tournament contestants and at least one team member must be present at weigh-in to weigh their fish.
13. Trolling or the use of live or prepared bait is prohibited during a CCBC tournament and for big bass of the year. Motor controlled drifting is allowed.
14. All boats must have live wells or suitable containers with aerators and should use Jungle Juice or other fish relaxant in them. No stringers allowed.
15. A club cap, jacket or shirt should be worn during club tournaments. At least one piece of club clothing must be worn at weigh-in. Club members in violation at weigh-in shall forfeit 10 points.
16. Safe boating and good sportsmanship are expected of everyone. All infractions should be reported to tournament officials as soon as possible. All boats will have approved safety devices, and all contestants will wear Coast Guard approved life preservers when the big engine is operating. Any CCBC tournament participant may consume no alcoholic beverages or illegal drugs during tournament hours. Any tournament rule violation or act of a member that reflects unfavorably on the CCBC will result in disqualification.
17. Contestants must hook and play their own fish. All fishing and landing of fish must be conducted from a tournament boat.
18. Department of Fish and Wildlife rules will be adhered to except in those instances where CCBC rules are more stringent. According to state law, all tournament boats must display the required contest banner.
19. Decisions of the Tournament Director will be final. The Tournament Director may request support and/or opinions from available CCBC board members.
20. No pets or animals allowed.
21. Tournament contestants leaving before weigh-in must notify another tournament contestant. Club members in violation will not be allowed to fish in club tournaments for the rest of the year unless there are emergency extenuating circumstances, which can be submitted in writing to the board for their consideration.
22. Any co-angler not paying their boater a reasonable, agreed upon share of boat gas and oil costs and launching fees is disqualified from that tournament and from fishing in future club tournaments until the boater is paid in full. If the boater is not paid by the end of that tournament season, the co-angler will not be allowed to renew their club membership. Any dispute between a boater and co-angler over the reasonable sharing of boat costs should immediately be brought to the tournament director’s attention for resolution.

Section 2: Wheels Tournament Rules

All general rules pertaining to regular CCBC tournaments will apply to Wheels tournaments with the following exceptions or clarifications:

1. No transporting of live fish.
2. Contestants must fish Washington waters with unrestricted public access.
3. Contestants must not leave the immediate vicinity of the launch ramp where the boat was launched or begin to fish before the official starting time.
4. Fish must be measured on a flat board with mouth closed. Measurements will be rounded to the next lowest ¼ inch (12 3/8 = 12 ¼). Caught fish will not count for the annual CCBC big fish award.
5. All fish to be considered for the tournament must be measured by another CCBC member.
6. You may choose to send your measurements with another person, but the responsibility for their timely arrival will be yours.
7. Fishing with relatives will not be allowed.

Section 3: Open/Family Tournament Rules

All general rules pertaining to regular CCBC tournaments will apply to Open/Family tournaments with the following exceptions or clarifications:

1. One person fishing per boat team must be a current CCBC member (adult or junior). There is no limit to the number or age of fishers allowed per boat team, except that all safety regulations and boat restrictions must be observed. DO NOT OVERLOAD YOUR BOAT.
2. There will be a five fish limit per boat team. All fishers per boat are considered the boat team.
3. Entry fee will be $20.00 per boat team per tournament and must be paid by a club member on the night of the regular CCBC meeting preceding the tournament. Boat teams will enter the tournament under a club member’s name. If you have not paid, your team cannot fish. Anyone signing up for a tournament and then not showing up will forfeit the entry fee unless that tournament Director has been notified. If this provision is met, the fee will be refunded.
4. The entering club member must sign a zebra mussel disclaimer statement for their boat team. The CCBC member, if not the person operating the boat, is accountable to ensure the statement’s accuracy.
5. There will be a 75% payout to the top three finishing boat teams. The CCBC will retain the other 25%. For the 75% payout the breakout is as follows:

1st Place – 50%
2nd Place – 30%
3rd Place - 20%

You must catch fish to receive a payout. Unawarded place money is retained in the CCBC general fund.
6. All tournament boats must display the required contest banner. No alcoholic beverages or drugs may be consumed by any tournament participants during tournament hours. Any tournament rule violation by a boat team member will result in disqualification of the entire boat team, as decided by the Tournament Director.
7. Entered boat teams may not add additional or different fishers after tournament start time. It is permissible to reduce the number of fishers during the tournament.
8. A CCBC member who was part of the original boat team must remain in the boat for the tournament duration. Any boat team without one of their starting CCBC members will not have their fish weighed. CCBC members are responsible to ensure that his/her boat team complies with all tournament rules.
9. The tournament Director will be selected at the regular club meeting immediately preceding the tournament.
10. Tournament results do not count towards any annual points/club standings. Caught fish do not count for the annual big fish award.

Section 4: State team prize winnings

1. As is how the Capital City Bass Club spends no funds on the CCBC State Team, all prizes (money and trophies) are the property of the members of the CCBC
State Team.

Section 5: Conditions

1. Trophies, plaques and other non-monetary prizes will be held and displayed by the Capital City Bass Club.
2. All monetary prizes will be distributed to the members of the CBC State Team less applicable taxes with-in 30 days or the next regular club meeting which ever comes first.
3. If the members of the CCBC State Team do accept any items and or monies from the Capital City Bass Club’s general fund the above stated rules are void for the calendar year of the Washington State BASS Federation Qualifier Series that those items were accepted.
4. These rules do not apply to individual CCBC State Team members who have advanced passed the WSBF Qualifier Series and on to the Regional, National and Bassmaster Classic competitions.

Section 6: Team Series Tournament Rules

1. Team series are held on the same days as draw tournaments. Teams may consist
of one or two anglers, with no substitutions during a calendar year. If a pair of team members (or one person fishing as a team) chooses to change (or add) a partner, his points will start over from zero for the first tournament he fishes after the change. If one member of a team can't make a specific tournament, the other can fish alone.
2. Teams must sign up and pay at the club meeting before each tournament. Fees are $40 per team (boat). Teams are not eligible for draw tournament payouts, but 75% of their entry fee goes toward a team series payout, with the other 25% going to the club. Teams may enter the daily big bass pot (optional).
3. People fishing draw tournaments may elect to fish one day of a draw tournament and one day of the team series (same weekend), but an additional $40 team fee will be required.
4. Each team (boat) is limited to their five biggest fish per day.
5. All other rules are the same as CCBC general tournament rules.