Clayton NY Lions Club Bass Tournament Rules and Regulations

French Creek Marina, Clayton NY 13624  

June 25, 2011

Interpretation of rules is left exclusively to Tournament Director(s).  Decisions of Tournament Director(s) is not subject to appeal.

Participation is open to teams of any two people.

All live wells will be checked prior to the tournament.

Any person entering the tournament under age of 18 must have the signature of a Parent or Legal Guardian in the space provided on the entry form.

A brief pre-tournament Angers Meeting will be held before 6:00 a.m. on Tournament Day.

Boats ae released from French Creek Marina stsarting at 6:00 a.m. on Tournament Day.  Boats are released in the order in which registrations are recieved.  All boats must return to French Creek Marina no later than 3:30 p.m. to avoid late return penalty.

Safe boating must be observed at all times.  Each contestant must wear a fastened U.S. Coast Guard approved personal floatation device (PFD) whenever the boat engine is in operation from boat check to weigh-in.  We strongly encourage anglers to wear their PFD at all times.

Participants mus have a valid New York State fishing license.  Participants who choose to fish Canadian waters must also possess a valid Ontario fishing license.  Anglers entering Canadian waters are responsible for abiding with all applicable Immigration regulations.  The Clayton NY Lions Club recommends anglers use navigation charts.

The Clayton NY Lions Club, tournament sponsors and anyone directly or indirectly associated with the tournament are in no way responsible for any injury or accident to person or equipment.  At the discretion of the Tournament Director the tournament may be rescheduled or shortened due to unsafe weather or water conditions.

Contestants are required to follow high standards of sportsmanship, courtesy and conservation and to conduct themselves in a manner that will be a credit to themselves, sponsors and the Clayton NY Lions Club.  Examples of conduct not complying with those standards include but are not limited to the following expamples:

1. Consumption or possession of alcholic beverages or any kind of mind-altering substance during registration, the pre-tournament meeting or during tournament hours extending through weigh-in.
2.  Any words, conduct or action reflecting unfavorably upon the efforts to promote safety, sportsmanship, fair competion and compliance with Tournament Rules are prohibited.
3. In case of any conduct not complying with the standards of the Tournament Director(s) the Director(s) shall have the right to disqualify a contestant.

All bass must be caught in a conventional sporting manner.  Only artrificial lures may be used, with the exception of
pork trailers.  Only one fishing rod per angler may be used at a time.  Trolling as a manner of fishing is prohibited.

Contestants may fish anywhere on Tournament Waters available to the public and accessible by boat, except areas designated as "Off Limits" or "No Fishing" by local, state or federal officials or within 50 feet of a competitor's boat.  All waters of the St. Lawrence River, Lake Ontario and thier tributaries are considered Tournament Waters.  No fishing is allowed in the French Creek Marina basin.

All angling must be conducted from the boat.  At no time may a contestant leave the boat to land a fish or to make the boat more accessible to fishing waters.  Contestants must leave and return to the Official Checkpoint, French Creek Marina, by boat.

In the event of equipment failure or emergency, there will be only two permitted methods of return to the official checkpoint:

1. By both partners remaining in their boat and being towed by water.
2. By one pertner entering the boat of another tournament contestant.

Contestants who are not at the official check-in, French Creek Marina, at the appointed time of 3:30 p.m. will be penalized one (1) pound per minute deducted from the total weight including any weight to be counted towards the Big Bass Pot.  Any contestant more than fifteen (15) nimutes late shall be disqualified.

Every effort must be made to keep bass alive through the use of an aerated live-well.  Our goal is to return bass to their natural habitat.

Two (2) ounces will be deducted from the total weight for each dead bass presented at weigh-in.

Only Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass are accepted species.

The limit will be (5) bass per boat and twelve (12) inch minimum length per bass.

Bass presented at weigh-in which fail to measure the prescribed length of 12 inches will be penalized one (1) pound for each non-legal bass presented. 

The largest fish will break a tie.  The largest fish is determined by weight.  If the largest fish tie, there will be a one (1) hour fish-off for one (1) bass.

All contestants are eligible to enter the optional ten ($10) dollar Big Bass Pot.  The heaviest bass wins the pot.  In case of a tie, the longest bass wins the pot.  The winner of ther Big Bass Pot receives 100% of the pot.

The Clayton NY Lions Club is a non-profit service organization that helps meet local, regional and global humanitarian needs.  All proceeds from the Clayton NY Lions Club Bass Tournament go to charitable causes including scholarships, aid to need families, vision care, food pantries and more.  Your support of the Clayton NY Lions Club Bass Tournament is greatly appreciated.

Use the Tabs at the top of the page to see the registration forms.