1) Duties of the Officers

All petitions, protests and/or disagreements concerning club or tournament rules will be decided by a majority vote of the club officers and all decisions are final and incontestable.  The Officers are as follows: 

• President – The president will verify rules compliance and will lead the business of the club in general.

• Vice President – The Vice President will assist the President with any tasks that they may need help with.

• Tournament Director – The Tournament Director is responsible for obtaining tournament permits, establishing launch procedures and is also the official time-keeper for all tournaments. The tournament director will also record all fish weighed during tournaments and distribute cumulative results to club members following each event.

• Treasurer – The Treasurer is responsible for organizing and managing the annual membership and tournament registration process.  The Treasurer will also provide a monthly financial summary to the club officers and will provide an annual financial report to the membership.

• Social Media Coordinator - The Social Media Coordinator is responsible for keeping social media platforms "active" with interesting content and events related to Madtown Bass Club, and bass fishing in general

• Secretary – The secretary will keep accurate meeting minutes and coordinate the planning of events with other club officers.

 

2) Membership

Any angler who wishes to join Madtown Bass Club may do so during any time of the year.  Any member that joins prior to March 1st of that year will have the opportunity to join the Club and compete as a B.A.S.S. Federation Nation member if they're looking to compete at the Wisconsin B.A.S.S. Nation State Tournament or any other event affiliated with B.A.S.S.  We welcome any member that isn't interested in fishing at the B.A.S.S. Federation Nation level as well!

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3) Age Restriction

Anglers must be at least 18 years of age to join Madtown Bass Club

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4) Fees

The Membership Fee for Madtown Bass is $35.00 per angler per year.  If a member wants to join the club as a Wisconsin B.A.S.S. Nation member and be eligible to compete at the State Championship the membership fees will be $90, plus $35 for Madtown Bass for a total of $125.  Members looking to join the Nation will also need to be in good standings with the Federation through an annual subscription.  All memberships will be subject to approval by the officers.

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                Madtown Bass Membership

• $35 to join Madtown Bass Club

             

                B.A.S.S. Membership (for anglers wanting to fish the State Tournament and/or Bass Classic)

• $30 to join the BASS Federation Nation

• $60 to join the WI BASS Nation

               

                September State Tournament Fees (additional information HERE)

• $150 

• $100

• Fees typically due by mid-August 

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                WI Bass Classic AOY Tournament (additional information HERE)

• $150 

• $100

• Madtown Bass Club typically covers the entry fee for one (1) boater and one (1) non-boater to attend if funds are available

• Fees typically due by mid-May 

 

WI B.A.S.S. Nation club members must be on the WI B.A.S.S. Nation roster by March 1st to avoid additional fees being assessed.  

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5) Meetings

Monthly meetings will occur throughout the off season (November - March) to discuss Club goals and agendas. Topics covered will include future club changes, officer elections, upcoming season tournament schedules, etc. Members are highly encouraged to attend but not required.

 

6) Rule Changes

Madtown Bass Club officers will review any recommended rule change(s) prior to acceptance.  A majority vote by the Club members will take place as to the acceptance or rejection of the recommended rule change(s).

 

7) Awards

An annual plaque will be awarded to the Angler of the Year who finishes with the highest total amount of points.

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8) Angler of the Year Standings

Each member's final position will be based on the total points accumulated through their best six (6) regular season tournaments while having the ability to "drop" one and/or two tournaments from their cumulative total depending on if they fished 7 or 8 club events that year.  

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AOY Points are awarded by highest weight in a given day determined by # of anglers fishing.  For example: If 10 anglers fished, highest weight gets 10 points, second highest weight gets 9 points, etc.

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In the event of two anglers tying with same weight on a given day, they would receive equal amount of points for the day.  For example: Two anglers tied for 3rd highest weight, they would each get 8 points. The next angler would get 6 points,

 

In the event of anglers “zero’ing”, they would receive at least 1 point for participation that day and if multiple anglers zeroed, the daily points could be higher.  For example: Using 10 angler example, three anglers “zero” then they would each get 3 points.

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Boaters & Non-Boaters are considered “equal” in daily point accumulation for AOY points standings

 

9) Tournament Schedule

The current members make up the tournament trail for the new year based on discussion and majority vote. The tournament trail must consist of a minimum of 6 regular season events from April through October to keep in good standings with the B.A.S.S. Federation Nation.  The B.A.S.S. Nation State Championship will not count towards the Angler of the Year standings, nor will it be considered an event of the 6 regular season club tournaments. 

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​10) Tournament Side Pots (OPTIONAL)

Optional club tournament side pots will be collected by the Treasurer or Tournament Director prior to the start of the tournament. Side pots are optional and not a requirement.  Tournament side pots will be paid in cash.  Tournament side pots will be collected in a separate Boater and Non-Boater division. 

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Boater

     $20 Big Bag

     $10 Big Bass

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Non-Boater

     $20 Big Bag

     $10 Big Bass

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11) Annual Big Bass and Big Bag Pot (OPTIONAL)

Members may contribute to an annual Big Bass and Big Bag pot. The fee will be:

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Big Bass = $10

Big Bag = $10

The pot will be awarded to the angler who brings in the biggest bass (LM or SM) of the year and biggest bag of the year to the scales. The Big Fish Pot includes regular season tournament events ONLY.  State is not included.

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12) Starting Position

Members will launch for competition in boat number order.  Boat numbers for the first event are randomly generated the night prior to the event. Boat numbers for the following day's event will follow a reverse order from the previous day.

 

13) Tournament Hours

Tournament hours will be at the sole discretion of the Tournament Director due to weather and venue (Example: safe daylight to 3:00 PM).

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14) Livewell and Kill Switch

Livewell and kill switch checks may be conducted by Club Officers prior to the beginning of a tournament.

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15) Fish Limits

5 Fish Limit

Format will consist of a five (5) fish limit per angler. Fish will be weighed at the conclusion of the event using a Club provided scale and weighed to the one-hundredth of a pound.  Fish are to be a minimum of 14 inches from closed mouth to the tip of the tail, unless otherwise specified by local lake ordinance. The Golden Rule will be the instrument of measurement at weigh-in. Every effort will be made to see the fish meets requirements.

 

Catch-Weigh-Release – 5 Fish Limit

The “Catch-Weigh-Release – 5 Fish Limit” tournament format is for events that take place on waters in which the standard WDNR rules and regulations for a legal bass are altered (ex: Lake Mendota - one bass allowed over 18"), weights are to be recorded to the one-hundredth of a pound using a Rapala Touch Screen Tournament Scale Club (Model: RTDS-15) as issued by the Club.  Anglers are responsible for the care and maintenance (ex: spare batteries) of such scale during event hours. No other weighing instrument may be used in the event of failure of the Club issued scale.  Each boat will be provided with two scales (one per angler) in the event of failure.  Tournament anglers will live-weigh fish and track weights during tournament hours. Heaviest five (5) fish determine tournament standings. Fish are to be a minimum of 14 inches from closed mouth to the tip of the tail. 

 

Catch-Weigh-Release – Heaviest Total Weight (Unlimited Fish Count)

The “Catch-Weigh-Release – Heaviest Total Weight” tournament format will consist of an angler's total accumulated weight during event hours for all scorable bass. All weights are to be recorded to the one-hundredth of a pound using a Rapala Touch Screen Tournament Scale Club (Model: RTDS-15) as issued by the Club.   A scorable bass is any bass caught that weighs one (1) pound (16oz) or greater. Any bass caught that weighs less than one (1) pound shall be deemed non-scorable and must be immediate released. Weight is the determining factor for a bass being scorable or non-scorable. Length is no longer a factor in the scorablity of bass caught. There is no limit to the number of scorable bass an angler can catch and record during a competition day. Angers are responsible for the care and maintenance (ex: spare batteries) of such scale during event hours. No other weighing instrument may be used in the event of failure of the Club issued scale. Each boat will be provided with two scales (one per angler) in the event of failure.  

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16) Payback

Payback is 100% of the entry fees received for that tournament for the angler that brings in the biggest bag and also to the angler that brings in the biggest fish

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17) Weigh-in and Penalties

Once fish are placed in a weigh-bag they are considered property of the club and the following penalties will be enforced as applicable.

 

(A)  For each legal dead bass presented at weigh-in, the competitor shall be penalized 4 oz. to be deducted from their daily score.

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(B)  There will be a 1lb penalty assessed from an angler's total weight for every minute up to five minutes that the angler is late for a weigh-in. If an angler is later than five minutes they will be disqualified from the tournament competition for that day.

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(C)  If a competitor determines they have over the limit they must immediately reduce their catch to the tournament limit with a live bass of their choice from their catch. Each returned bass will result in a 2 pound penalty to be deducted from their daily score. It is the individual club member's or the co-angler's responsibility to make this determination.

 

(D)   If a “SHORT” fish is identified. The fish will be eliminated and a 16oz penalty will be accessed against the angler's total weight.   An angler can request a “courtesy bump" measurement prior to putting their fish into the official basket.

In the event of a tie at a tournament, the tie breaker will be:

1. Big Fish

2. Number of Fish

3. If a tie cannot be broken, tie breaker will be decided by a coin flip.

 

18) Lake Limits

All water accessible by boat from the tournament lake will be open to fishing, unless otherwise specified. Lake limits will be determined by the Tournament Director (specific to each event).

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19) Methods of Fishing

No wading, trolling or cane pole fishing will be allowed.  No contestant will have more than one fishing line in the water at a time.

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20) Equipment

All fishing will be done with bait casting, spinning, or spin casting reels. The maximum length of rods will be 8 feet from butt to the tip of the rod.

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21) Protests

Any protests or disputes regarding measuring or weighing of fish must be done at the time the question arises, during the weight-in process. Once an angler leaves the scale the weight is complete/official. All protests and/or disagreements will be decided by a majority vote of the club officers.

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22) Safety

All rules of safe boating, courtesy, safety, sportsmanship, and conservation is expected from each member. Fighting, cheating, littering or abuse of any of the above will be considered grounds for disqualification and immediate ejection from the club. The decision will be made by the officers. All members are required to wear a Coast Guard approved chest-type life jacket whenever the boat is on plane.  Contestant(s) WILL be disqualified for non-compliance.

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23) Alcoholic Beverages

No consumption of ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES can occur while in the process of operating a motorized vessel. The 1st violation the member will receive a warning; 2nd violation will result in member disqualification from that specific tournament.