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2019 MBN TOURNAMENT RULES For any/all tournaments

Prolog: These tournament rules are subject to change. There are three different MBN Trails: Pro-Am, Sunday Classic Team and Friday Classic Team Trail. There are also individual events: State Fishoffs and Club vs. Club. The following rules are a general set of rules that all participants will be held accountable – no matter which trail or MBN tournament a person is competing in. Infringement of any of the MBN Tournament Rules will be reason for disqualification. MBN reserves the right to refuse entry of any contestant. Each Trail and each event has their own set of rules that will be IN ADDITION TO the following:

1. ALL State, Local and Federal rules apply.
2. Drugs, including marijuana, and/or alcohol are not allowed to be consumed by a competitor within 6 hours of a competition’s start time or allowed on/in a competitor’s boat.
3. All boats in a MBN tournament:
   1. Must be equipped with all required Coast Guard safety equipment.
   2. Must have a working kill switch.
   3. Must have separated aerated livewells with the capacity to hold 5 average size bass.
4. All people in the boat must wear a life vest when the gas engine is running.
5. A minimum of $300,000 liability insurance is required. Proof must be submitted with the application.
6. All Contestants must have a valid fishing license for the state or states that the tournament is being held.
7. A Non-MBN participant, fishing MBN events, must join MBN before being allowed to fish the following year.
8. If competing in New Hampshire waters, the boater must have a “Safe Boaters Certificate” in the boat.
9. Protests must be brought in writing to the Tournament Director (TD) before weigh-in. The TD’s decision is final.
10. Only artificial lures may be used. No live or prepared baits allowed. Pork rind is the only exception.
11. Only one fishing rod per angler is allowed to be used at one time. No trolling.
12. Fishing is allowed anywhere on the tournament waters unless the TD specifies an area as “off limits.”
13. Culling of fish must be done immediately. There will be NO CULLING AT THE RAMP.
14. More than allowed limit brought to the scale: Angler picks live fish to release and 1-lb is deducted from total weight.
15. Dead fish cannot be culled and a .25 penalty (1/4 pound) will be assessed for each dead fish.
16. A 1 pound penalty per minute a contestant is late to the weigh-in site. More than 15 minutes late = disqualification.
17. A tie for 1^st place will be broken by first: # of live fish; second: heaviest fish. If still tied, the first and second place monies will be combined and divided equally between the two contestants. Same process for any other ties.
18. Launch take –off positions will be determined by a blind draw of numbers.
19. 1^st Place will receive 200 points. 2^nd 199 points and 3^rd 198, etc. If a contestant(s) enters and fishes in a tournament but catches no fish, they will be allotted 100 points.
20. Only largemouth and smallmouth bass will be allowed to be brought to the scales.
21. Nets are allowed. A protest will not be allowed if a fish is lost while one contestant attempts to net another’s fish.
22. Tournament hours are from 7 A.M. to 3 P.M. unless otherwise decided by the Tournament Director.
23. Everyone must be at the ramp and monies paid by 6:20 A.M. There will be a tournament briefing at the ramp or on the water before takeoff.
24. If there is a “check-in boat” all participants, at the end of the tournament, must check in with this boat before 3 P.M.
25. If there is an out-of-the-water weigh-in, then the Tournament Committee will pull their boats first. No other boats will be allowed to pull unless otherwise authorized at the pretournament briefing.
26. All Contestants are expected to follow high standards of sportsmanship, courtesy, safety and consideration. Violation of this rule shall be reason for disqualification.
27. ONLY non-penetrating culling clips are allowed for use. Any clip that penetrates the skin or mouth of a bass is not allowed. Non-Boaters are required to supply their own as specified culling clips.
28. Pre-Registering for each tournament:

Note: Nothing is more discouraging to a person new to this sport than showing up to a tournament and not being able to fish because a shortage of boaters. It is likely that potential MBN new member will never give us another chance.

1. It is highly recommended that all participants, Boaters and Co-Anglers, contact the Tournament Director (TD) and let him know you will be attending.
2. Contact the TD by TEXT no later than the Thursday before the tournament.
3. Any participant that shows up to a tournament without contacting the TD by the Thursday before the tournament will pay an additional fee: Boaters $20 and Non-Boaters $10

ProAm: TOURNAMENT RULES

These rules are in addition to the MBN Tournament Rules. It is understood by all contestants that the MBN Tournament Rules are part of these ProAm Tournament Rules. Both the MBN Tournament Rules and the following ProAm Tournament rules will apply at all ProAm events – including the State Fishoffs.

1. Format:
   1. The ProAm tournaments are “opens” and can be fished by any angler bringing to the event a tournament rigged bass boat of a minimum of 15’. This person would enter the event as a “Pro.”
   2. The ProAm tournaments are “opens” and can be fished by any angler not bringing a boat to the tournament. This person is called an “Am.”
   3. It will be determined by a “blind draw” as to which Pro fishes with which Am.
   4. The Pro, which we call “boater,” chooses were to fish and has complete control of the trolling motor and the operation of the gas motor.
   5. The Am, which we call the “co-angler” and “non-boater”, fishes from the back platform of the boat. He/she will not cast beyond the console of the boat.
   6. The Pros only compete against the other Pros. The Ams only compete against the other Ams.
   7. If more boaters show up for a tournament than non-boaters than there will be a drawing to determine which boater will fish alone. If the event is more than a one-day event then the boater that fishes alone the first day will not fish alone in that tournament the following days.
   8. Note: The above “g.” is not used at the MBN Fishoffs, where there must be an even number of Pros and Ams.
   9. Ams must bring their own life vest to every event.
   10. In-State tournament waters will be off limits as of 12:01 A.M. the morning of the tournament. Out of state tournaments may or may not have a cutoff and will be determined when the schedule is announced.
   11. Limits of 5-fish for the Pro and 3 fish for the Am will be for all ProAm tournaments.
2. Entry Fee – Payout – TOC - Divisionals:
   1. The entry fee for the Pro will be $125.
   2. The entry fee for the Am will be $60.
   3. Separate payouts for both the Pros and the Ams and amounts are dependent on the number of entries for both.
   4. The top 10 Pros and top 10 Ams will be invited to the Tournament of Champions, AKA: TOC
   5. Both the Pro and the Am will receive 200 points for winning, 199 for 2^nd, 198 for 3^rd etc.
   6. Any competitor that enters a tournament, but does not weigh-in a fish, will receive 100 points.
   7. The top 3 Pros and the top 3 Ams (most points), at the end of the final tournament and are MBN members by the date of the final tournament, will have an automatic berth on the State Team that competes in what is called the Eastern Divisionals.
   8. Only MBN members can be Anglers of the Year (AOY) and qualify to be on the State Team. This means that AOY will be determined by the MBN member with the most points.
   9. The Pro Angler of the Year and the Am Angler of the Year will be presented the “Yellick Memorial Trophy” at the Annual Awards Banquet.