Georgia Bass fishing Jon Boats, Southern Jonboat Anglers

Rules and Regulations
Official Tournament Rules

RULE CHANGES.

Great effort, study, and research have gone into the formation of these rules. The following rules will remain unchanged, except for special tournaments conducted by Southern JonBoat Anglers (SJA). Interpretation and enforcement of these rules shall be left exclusively to the Tournament Director. In the event of rule violation, the Tournament Director may impose such sanctions, as he deems appropriate, including, without limitation, disqualification, forfeiture of prizes, forfeiture of entry fee, and prohibition from participation in subsequent SJA tournaments. The decision of the Tournament Director shall be final in all matters.
***STONE MOUNTAIN TOURNAMENTS —Anyone caught fishing near the Riverboat sign that states NO FISHING will be automatically disqualified.

PARTICIPANTS AND ELIGIBILITY.

This tournament is open only to members, in good standing, of SJA Proof of age to the satisfaction of tournament officials is the responsibility of the potential competitors. The tournament officials must receive a membership fee of $20.00 per angler for the season. Tournament officials on and before the entry date deadline must receive a properly completed and signed Official Tournament Entry Form and entry fee.

REGISTRATION.

Each competitor must register in person with SJA tournament officials at the time and place prescribed on the schedule of events. Failure to register in person during the prescribed hours shall disqualify an angle from competing in the tournament. There will be no exceptions to this rule. It shall be each competitor’s responsibility to check the schedule of events for registration time and location or to obtain times and locations from the Tournament Director.

PRE TOURNAMENT PRACTICE.

Unless otherwise prohibited by the Tournament Director, competitors are permitted top fish tournament waters at any time preceding the tournament. During the tournament, a competitor may not skin dive or scuba dive on the tournament waters.

TOURNAMENT BRIEFING.

Following registration of competitors as set forth in Rule 5,tournament officials shall conduct a Tournament briefing at the checkpoint in order to advise competitors of any special rules governing the tournament as well as check-in, check-out, and weigh-in times.

SAFETY.

Safe boat conduct must be observed at all times by tournament competitors. During the tournament, each competitor is required to possess a Coast Guard-approved Chest-type personal floatation device. Tournament officials have the right to delay or cancel the start of a tournament because of bad weather or other factors that would endanger the safety of the competitors.

SPORTSMANSHIP.

Competitors are expected to follow high standards of sportsmanship, courtesy, safety, and conversation. Any infraction of these fundamental sporting principals may be deemed cause for disqualification. Use of
alcohol or drugs (other than those purchased over the counter or prescribed by a licensed physician) by any competitor during the tournament will not be tolerated and shall result in automatic disqualification from this and all future SJA tournaments. 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. Any act of a competitor, which reflects unfavorably
upon efforts to promote fisheries conservation, clean waters, and courtesy, shall result in disqualification. All competitors shall be bound by the prevailing statues and regulations of the state(s) within which they fish. No alcoholic beverages or prohibited drugs shall be allowed in any competitor’s boat during the tournament or in the weigh-in area.

TACKLE AND EQUIPMENT.

Only artificial lures may be used. No live or once live bait shall be permitted, with the exception of pork strips or rinds. Only one (1) casting, spin casting, or an individual competitor may use spinning rods at
one time. All other tackle types are prohibited. The rod may be no longer than eight (8) feet from butt of handle to rod tip. Other rigs, as specified above, may be in the boat ready for use. All bass must be caught alive and in a conventional sporting manner. Trolling as a method of fishing is prohibited. Wind drifting is permitted. Anyone who intentionally snags
fish will have their day’s catch disqualified and may be disqualified from future SJA events.

HORSEPOWER REGULATIONS.

Each boat must have a U.S. Coast Guard horsepower rating plate attached to the boat by the manufacturer. The horsepower of the outboard engine must not exceed lake limits or the rating specified on this rating plate or the horsepower limitations (if any) established by the tournament waters, whichever horsepower rating is lowest. Each competitor agrees to submit the boat and the outboard motor used in the tournament to an inspection by tournament officials and their agents, if there is any reason to suspect the horsepower in excess of the rating or that allowed
on the tournament waters. Normal maintenance designed to increase factory horsepower is forbidden and will result in disqualification. Altering the horsepower-rating numbers on the motor shall result in immediate disqualification.

BOAT AND MOTOR.

Only “johnboat” type boats may be used in SJA tournaments. Any raised platform or decks cannot be higher than the gunnels of the boat. One or more electric “trolling” motors may be used for slow maneuvering.

BASIC BOAT EQUIPMENT.

Each boat must have a functional live-well space that is properly aerated to adequately maintain alive a limit catch of bass. Tournament officials shall have the sole responsibility for determining whether aeration is proper and adequate.

BOAT IDENTIFICATION.

Each boat must be given, prior to start of each tournament, an inspection check by tournament officials and a numbered flag or token which must remain with the boat until turned in at the conclusion of the tournament day at check-in. This flag or token must be displayed upon request of tournament officials and must be turned
in to tournament officials at check-in.

PERMITTED FISHING LOCATIONS.

The Tournament Director for each tournament shall establish tournament
waters. Each competitor must obtain this information from tournament officials. Fishing on tournament waters is permitted anywhere except within 50 yards of another competitor’s boat, which was first anchored or secured in a fixed position with the electric motor out of the water. Such anchored or secured boats are required to advise other competitor when such boat believes the competitor is close to being with this 50-yard radius. No such anchored or secured boats shall permit selected competitors to fish within the 50-yard radius claimed by him, to the exclusion of any other competitor. Any water within the tournament water boundaries which has been posted “off limits” or “no fishing” by state, federal, or park agencies will be off limits to tournament contestants. All angling must be done from the boat. Competitors wishing to change fish habitat by placing any object in tournament waters may do so if such action does not violate state,
federal, or park regulations.

CONTESTANTS MUST REMAIN IN BOAT.

Contestants must not depart the boat to land fish or to make the boat
more accessible to fishing waters. Boats must remain in tournament waters during tournament hours. Contestants must leave and return to the official checkpoint by boat. In the event of emergency, competitors may be moved from their boat to a boat operated by another competitor or rescue boat. Partners must remain together at all times and in sight of each
other under the circumstances cited above for their catch that day to be scored in the tournament. If a competitor must violate any of the above conditions (e.g. to contact a tournament official or to report an emergency), both competitors must cease fishing at such point, and their catch must be verified by a tournament official in order to be counted in the tournament. If after the emergency situation is resolved by tournament officials and enough time remains for the competitors to resume fishing, a restart will be allowed, the competitors will continue, and their catch will be counted.
Trailering of boats during tournament hours is prohibited except by the direction of tournament officials.

OFFICIAL CHECKPOINT.

There shall be only one official checkpoint for checkout at the beginning of tournament competition and for checkout at the conclusion of the tournament, and this point shall be designated at the Tournament Briefing. At the time of check-out, all competitors and their boats shall be in full compliance with all rules herein and those set forth by the Tournament Director; at check-in all boats shall identify themselves by means of flags or tokens and proceed immediately to the designated weigh-in area. Partners must stay together and flags or tokens must be returned to tournament officials.

SCORING.

Tournament standings, auxiliary awards, and final winners shall be determined by a total score of each team’s catch during the competition day. Only largemouth (salmoides), small mouth (micropterus dolomieui), spotted (micropterus punctulas), and redeye (micropterus coosae) bass will be weighed. The limit shall be five (5) of the above species and varieties per tournament day unless otherwise established by the Tournament Director. At no time shall a competitor possess more than the tournament limit. Tournament officials may conduct checks for violation of this rule, and in the event a competitor possesses more than the tournament limit, officials shall take the largest bass first, down the limit described. At no time shall a competitor cull a dead bass. The official minimum length for bass shall be 12 inches unless the prevailing size limit is greater than 12 inches or a special size limit is established for a particular tournament by the Tournament Director, in which case the prevailing size limit or special size limit shall be the tournament size limit. Only bass as described above which measure the official length or more on the longest straight line, shall be weighed-in. Any bass that appears to be mangled, mashed, mauled, or otherwise altered will be weighed and credited only by the discretion of the Tournament Director. After a competitor checks in at the official checkpoint, he must present all legal fish in his possession to a tournament official to be counted, measured, and scored. Once a competitor’s catch is measured, counted and verified by a
tournament official, that competitor may not return to his boat until his catch has been scored and recorded. Bass must not be stringered at anytime during the tournament. Specially designed bags, which will increase survival rates, will be furnished by tournament officials and these bags must be used at weigh-ins. Please see new points system on web page.

DO NOT KILL YOUR CATCH.

Each competitor is expected to keep his or her catch alive by use of a properly aerated live well. The bass, which do not survive, will be retained by SJA, donated to charity or used for scientific research.

LATE PENALTY.

Competitors who are not at the official checkpoint area as described in Rule 16 at the appointed time shall be penalized 1 pound per minute up to 15 minutes at which point the entire days catch will be disqualified. This rule will also apply to big fish weight. There shall be no excuses for tardiness. All fishing must cease upon check-in. After the tournament begins, fishing the tournament waters is prohibited except during tournament hours. Exact starting and check-in time will be announced at the Tournament Briefing.

TIES.

In case of a tie for first place, there will be a sudden death fish-off between the tied contestants, under the direction and special rules as may be established by tournament officials. Ties for lesser prizes shall be resolved by means of selected by tournament officials.

PAIRING OF CONTESTANTS.

Competitors shall fish in two (2) person teams of their own selection and choosing. At no time shall more than two (2) persons occupy a tournament boat during the tournament day except in cases of dire emergency as set forth in Rule 15. Once a tournament team has established at check-in and registration, there shall be no substitutions during the tournament day. Each team shall elect a captain to represent the team at the Tournament briefing.
In the event total year statistics are maintained by the SJA for the purpose of selecting annual awards and prizes, a team’s statistics shall be deemed the exclusive property of the team captain and the team captain may select the angler with whom he or she shall be paired for such awards and prizes. At the discretion of the Tournament Director, an individual may be permitted to fish without a partner. At the Top Six Tournament, the captain may chose a partner only from those individuals who have fished as his partner for the current season tournament.

ENTRY FEE AND PAYOUT.

The fee to compete in SJA tournaments shall be fifty dollars ($50.00) per two-angler team or twenty-five dollars ($25.00) per one-angler team. An additional ten dollars ($10.00) shall be charged to each team (one or two angler teams) competing in the tournament big fish competition, if any. Tournament standings, auxiliary awards, and final winners shall be determined by the total score of each team’s catch during the competition day. Ten percent (10%) of the total tournament entry fees shall be retained by SJA to cover administrative expenses and to fund special event tournaments, if any.

REPORTING RULES VIOLATIONS.

Each competitor agrees to report to the Tournament Director any violation or infraction of these tournament rules. The failure to report violations or suggestions to violate these rules, or false verification of weigh-in forms, will be cause for disqualification. Each competitor agrees to submit to a polygraph test shall he/she be accused of any rule violation. The administration and interpretation of the polygraph test shall be the sole responsibility of the Tournament Director and his agents, and shall be used (or not used) at the discretion of the Tournament Director. Without limiting the foregoing, the Tournament Director shall have the sole discretion to select the place, at which said polygraph test shall be administered, the individual who administers such polygraph test, and the scope pf the questions which may be asked during such test. The participant shall be available, at his expense, at the location selected by the Tournament Director and shall cooperate in all respects with such examination.

MONITORING.

None of the above rules shall prohibit a properly designated tournament official from approaching or boarding any competitor’s boat at any time during the tournament day. The decision of the Tournament Director shall be final in all matters. Infractions of these rules could result in disqualification from these any and all future events.