#Eligibility (ONLY FOR TRACY BASS AMATEUR CIRCUIT)

A.  No competitor that has a major boat sponsor (directly from manufacture) is eligible to fish.

A.  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.

B.  While in tow, or riding, those contestants accepting assistance, are not permitted to continue fishing. However, other contestants, if rendering assistance, may continue fishing.

C.  Should one of the contestants decide to stay with the troubled craft, he may send his catch with his partner to the Weigh Master. The angler who remains with the craft may not continue to fish once he has sent his catch to the Weigh Master. 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

A.  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.

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

#Sportsmanship

A.  Competitors in TRACY BASS tournaments are expected to follow high standards of sportsmanship, courtesy, safety, and conservation. Any infraction of these fundamental sporting principles may be deemed cause for disqualification.

B.  Use of alcohol or drugs (other than those purchased over the counter or prescribed by a licensed physician) by a competitor during the tournament will not be tolerated and shall be cause of automatic disqualification for this and all future TRACY BASS tournaments

C.  Maximum courtesy must be practiced at all times, especially with regard to boating and angling in the vicinity of non-competitors who may be on tournament waters.

D.  Any act of a competitor which reflects unfavorably upon TRACY BASS's effort to promote fisheries conservation, clean waters, and courtesy, shall be reason for disqualification.E. No alcoholic beverages or other stimulants or depressants shall be allowed in the boats.

#Tackle and Equipment

A.  Only artificial lures may be used. No "live bait" or "prepared bait" will be permitted with the exception of pork strips, rinds, etc.

B.  Only ONE casting, spin-casting or spinning rod (8 foot maximum length from butt of handle to rod tip) and reel may be used at any one time. All other types prohibited. Other rigs as specified above may be in the boat ready for use, however, only ONE is permitted in use at any given time per participant.

C.  All bass must be caught live and in a conventional sporting manner on the day of the tournament.

#Permitting Fishing Locations

A.  The use of cables, ropes, chains or any type of block and tackle system to maneuver a boat into fishing waters is strictly prohibited and will result in disqualification from the tournament.

B.  Contestants may fish anywhere on tournament waters available to the public and accessible by boat, except areas designated as "off-limits," "no boats" or "no fishing" by Tracy Bass, local, state or federal officials, or within 50 yards of a contestant's boat that was first anchored. An anchored boat is a boat held in a stable position by a line attached to a weight or by a Power-Pole or similar shallow water anchor with the trolling motor in the up position.

C.  All fishing 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.

D.  Partners must remain together at all times and within sight of each other until the weigh-in verification is signed. The momentary condition of being out of sight of each other for restroom breaks is permitted.

#Boat and Motor

A.  The ignition kill device must be attached to the driver's body any time the combustion engine is operating.

B.  A small motor, gas or electric, may be used for slow maneuvering.

C.  Trolling as a method of fishing is prohibited.

D.  Boats that do not have factory installed gas tanks are restricted to a maximum of 18 gallons of gasoline in tanks that meet U.S. Coast Guard regulations.

#Basic Boat Equipment

A.  Every boat must have all required Coast Guard safety equipment. In addition, it must have a functional bilge pump and live well space, properly aerated to adequately maintain alive a limit catch of bass by both fisherman using the boat.

B.  Tournament officials shall have sole responsibility for determining whether aeration and capacity is "proper and adequate."

#Pre-tournament practice (ONLY FOR TRACY BASS AMATEUR CIRCUIT)

A.  The official practice period prior to regular season tournaments is seven (7) days before the tournament (not including the tournament date) and the TOC is fourteen (14) days (not including the tournament date).

B.  The purchasing of information or the hiring of services or fishing on the DELTA with any person that is not qualified to fish Tracy Bass will not be permitted during these periods.

#Scoring

A.  Tournament standings, auxiliary awards, and final winners shall be determined by the pound and ounce weight of each competitors catch during the competition days of the tournament.

B.  Largemouth, Smallmouth or Spotted Bass will be weighed.

C.  The limit shall be the legal State limit of 5 bass for team tournaments.

D.  At no time shall a competitor have in his possession more than the limit described above. Tournament officials may conduct checks for violation of this provision, and in the event a competitor has more than the above described limit in possession, shall cull the largest bass first, down to the limit described.

E.  The official length of bass shall be 13" as determined by the Tournament Director and announced at the tournament briefing.

F.  Only bass as described above, which measure the official length or more on a Willie Go Board, shall be weighed-in.

G.  Bass presented for weigh-in which fail to measure the official length shall accrue penalties at the rate of .20 oz. for each such bass, plus the fish. This penalty shall be deducted from the total score of the competitor.

H.  Any bass that appears to have been caged, tied, stringered, mangled, mashed, mauled, or otherwise altered, or dead for an extended period of time, will be weighed and credited only at the discretion of the tournament officials.

I.  Each competitor must present their catch to the weigh-in official.

#Culling (Replacing a live caught bass with a larger live caught bass)

A.  Is permitted during the fishing day. The Title 14 rulings by the California DFG will allow TRACY BASS tournament anglers in California to continue to fish with 5 bass in the live well.

B.  For the purposes of the tournament, no more than 5 bass may be in the live well after entering the tournament, no more than 5 bass may be in the live well after entering the designed 5 mph zone or marina boundary.

C.  No measuring, releasing, or culling of any bass is permitted by contestants inside the marina boundaries at any time.

D.  At no time will a contestant cull a "Dead" fish during tournament hours.

#Penalties

A.  For each legal dead bass presented to weigh-in officials the competitor shall be penalized .20 (20/100) of one pound will be deducted for each bass presented "not alive" as judged by the Weigh master.

B.  The Tournament Director and their designated appointees shall have sole authority for assessing any penalties.

#Late Penalty

A.  Competitors who are not in the official checkpoint area at the appointed time shall be penalized at the rate of one pound per minute to be deducted from the total weight of the catch for that day, including any weight to be counted toward a "Big Fish Award" for each minute they are late.

B.  Any competitor more than ten (10) minutes late shall be disqualified.

C.  There shall be no excuse for tardiness, and in no case shall a competitor be allowed to make up "lost time."

D.  After proper recognition at the check-in point, competitors will be allowed ample time to proceed to the weigh-in. However, all fishing must cease upon check-in.

E.  Exact starting and check-in times will be announced at the tournament briefing.

#Short Fish

A.  There shall be no excuse for attempting to weigh-in a short fish. A penalty of one .20 oz. plus the fish will be deducted from that day's weight.

#Ties

A.  In the case of a tie, it will be broken by the "Big Fish." If competitors tie a second time in the "Big Fish" category, payback will be split equally between the two places.

#TOC (ONLY FOR TRACY BASS AMATEUR CIRCUIT)

A.  50% of the average field will be allowed to fish.

B.  You may fish 1 (one) tournaments with only 1 (one) team member.

C.  Variations of team qualification is up to the tournament director.

A.  Will be the highest finishing team.

B.  Must fish all 8 tournaments to be Anglers of the Year.

C.  The Anglers' of the Year have the right to fish the following year to keep their title. But item "C " under Eligibility will apply for the following years eligibility.

A.  $10 Big Stringer option and 100% will be paid back. Maximum two places. 

B.  $5 First out of the money option to competitors that finish one place out of the regular pay backs.100% will be paid back.

C.  $10 Big Fish option and 100% will be paid back. Maximum two places.

#Options Cash 4 Bass

A. $10 Big Stringer option and 100% will be paid back. Maximum two places.

B. $20 Big Stringer option and 100% will be paid back. Maximum two places.

C. $10 Big Fish option and 100% will be paid back. Maximum two places.

#Protests
A.  Must be made within thirty(30) minutes of the close of tournament.