Updated January 2023
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South Lanier Bassmasters
Constitution and Bylaws
ARTICLE I - NAME AND PURPOSE
Section l: Name 2
Section 2: Affiliation 2
Section 3: Affiliation Requirements _______________________________________________________________2
Section 4: Purpose ____________________________________________________________________________2
ARTICLE II – MEMBERSHIP
Section l: Number of Members 3
Section 2: Requirements for Membership 3
Section 3: Membership Dues 3
ARTICLE III- MEETING AND TOURNAMENTS
Section 1: Regular Meetings 3
Section 2: Special Meetings 3
Section 3: Tournaments 3
Section 4: Point Standings Calculation 4
ARTICLE IV – BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Section 1: Purpose ____________________________________________________________________________4
Section 2: Membership of the Board of Directors ____________________________________________________4
Section 3: Responsibilities 5
Section 4: Term of Office 5
Section 5: Eligibility to Vote 5
Section 6: Vacancies 5
ARTICLE V – FINANCES AND SPENDING
Section 1: Funding/Revenue 5
Section 2: Authorized Expenditures 5
Section 3: Top Six 5
ARTICLE VI - REMOVAL FROM MEMBERSHIP
Section 1: Basis for Removal of Membership 6
ARTICLE VII- AMENDING THE CONSTITUTION AND BYLAWS
Section 1: Method of Amending 6
ARTICLE VIII- TOURNAMENT RULES, PENALTIES AND PAY OUT
Section 1: Tournament Rules ______6
Section 2: Penalties 7
Section 3: Pay Out ____________________________________________________________________________7
ARTICLE IX – ANNUAL AWARDS AND AWARD FUNDING
Section 1: Awards ____________________________________________________________________________7
Section 2: Award Funding______________________________________________________________________8
ARTICLE I - NAME AND PURPOSE
Section 1: Name
The name of the bass fishing club shall be South Lanier Bassmasters.
Section 2: Affiliation
The Club shall be affiliated with B.A.S.S..
Section 3. Requirements for Affiliation
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Approval of Club Charter by B.A.S.S.
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Update B.A.S.S. with Club membership roster once a year. Annual update cycle begins each year on November 1st.
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Names and addresses of new members joining the Club during the year must be submitted online to B.A.S.S. as they occur. See Article II, Section 3 for dues requirements.
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Maintain 100% B.A.S.S. membership.
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Must affiliate with the State Federation BASS NATION and support its conservation and youth programs. Any additional requirements that the State establishes for Clubs, such as membership dues, attendance at meetings, etc. would be necessary for the Club to participate in the State qualifying tournament(s) and any other BASS NATION sponsored tournaments or events.
Section 2: Purpose
The purpose of the South Lanier Bassmasters is to improve the bass angling skills of its members through the exchange of techniques and ideas, to foster sportsmanship, to contribute to the conservation of natural resources, and to embrace the principles of BASS. The South Lanier Bassmasters are and will continue to be a member of the Georgia BASS NATION Federation.
ARTICLE II – MEMBERSHIP
Section 1: Number of Members
The club shall begin with and maintain at least six members. The Club shall cap its membership at a maximum of 30 members. If the membership cap has been reached, potential members may sign up on a waiting list for available
membership slots. Active members are defined as members who are current in club dues.
Couples, that being a husband and wife, or person and significant other, including domestic partner, spouse, legally related child between 16 and 18 years of age , or an elder relative 70 years old, or older, will be allowed to seek membership as a “Couple” under the following conditions:
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Couple must have a sponsor who is an existing member in good standing to vouch for the couple.
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When seeking membership as a couple, the individuals have to fish “together” 3 club tournaments and attend together 2 club meetings. Upon completion of their club tournaments and meetings, and all other membership requirements, the Club shall vote on their membership “as a couple” and the couple must achieve an unanimous vote for them to obtain membership.
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When the Couple both fish a club event they will be paired together. They will declare which member is the boater and who is the co-angler. When only one of them fishes a club event, they will declare themselves as a boater or co-angler and will be included in the normal random pairings.
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Each member of a couple will accumulate points on an individual basis and will be eligible for any of the year-end awards. When voting on Club business each member of the Couple will be entitled to a vote.
For clarification purposes, couples do not include a buddy, sibling, or friend. Members can request to fish with a guest if the draw permits and the member is not needed to pair up with another member. The Tournament Director will have the absolute authority to approve or deny this request.
Section 2: Requirements for Membership
Members must be in good standing with BASS.
Potential members, not seeking membership as a Couple, shall fish three club tournaments. At least two tournaments
shall be fished as a non-boater. If possible, the third tournament shall be fished as a
boater with a member non-boater. Two regular club meetings must be attended.
The club then shall vote on the membership after at least two reports from current
members.
The club then shall vote on the membership after at least two reports from current members
Upon a motion to accept a prospective member into the club, a unanimous vote of the members
present in favor of the prospective member is required.
Prospective members will accumulate points during their trail period.
Shall allow “ASSOCIATE” members with the following stipulations:
-Unanimous vote by the SLBM Executive Committee/Board
-Must be a previous member or family member
-Must be in good standing and member of BASS ($60 one-time fee per year)
- Must pay $30 to fish (payable the morning of tournament at the ramp)
- Co-anglers will additionally pay $30 to the boater for gas
-Will be put into the draw each month when they notify the Tournament Director of their intentions to fish
Section 3: Membership Dues
Monthly dues shall be twenty-five dollars ($25.00) per month payable by or before each monthly meeting
and not later than the start of the monthly tournament in order to be eligible to fish in that
month’s tournament.
ARTICLE III - MEETINGS AND TOURNAMENTS
Section 1: Regular Meetings
The regular meeting of the club for the transaction of ordinary business and tournament drawings
shall be on the first Sunday of each month, unless said date falls on a holiday, in which case the
meeting will be held on another Sunday, or another arrangement. Any change in the regular meeting date shall be approved by the Board of Directors, and notice given to all members of said change. Our normal meeting time will be 6:00 PM.
Section 2: Special Meetings
The Board of Directors may call a special meeting of the club at any time with notice being given
to all members at least two days prior to the meeting.
Section 3: Tournaments
A. There will be 12 tournaments scheduled per year.
B. At least 50% of all scheduled SLBM tournaments, excluding the President’s tournament will be scheduled on Lake Lanier.
C. At Least two (2) tournaments per year will be two-day tournaments to be held on Saturday
and Sunday.
D. A maximum of two tournaments per year may be night tournaments, and should be held on Saturday night with the actual weigh-in allowed to be after midnight (Sunday morning). These tournaments should encompass hours of daylight and darkness.
E. With the exception of the two-day tournaments and any night tournaments, all other tournaments shall be held on Sunday.
F. The selection of tournament dates, times and lakes shall be made by a tournament committee consisting of the Board of Directors or Club members selected by the President from the general membership. The Tournament Director will always be a member of this committee and shall serve as Chairman. The annual tournament schedule shall be determined prior to the regular December club meeting for the upcoming year and presented to the club membership at the December meeting for approval.
G. The Board of Directors has the latitude to change dates or locations if safety concerns are
present due to hazardous conditions. This change will require a majority vote of the Board. Time
must be available to notify all members of the change in dates or locations.
H. Any member may propose an alternate tournament site (lake) to the annual schedule, such
motion to be made not less than three months prior to that tournament date and must be
approved by a majority of members present for the proposed change to be made.
I. Any member may propose an alternate tournament date to the annual schedule. Such
motion to be made not less than three months prior to that tournament date and must be
approved by majority vote of the members present at such meeting.
J. Drawings for partners for all tournaments shall be conducted at the regular meeting
immediately preceding the tournament date unless it is deemed more appropriate and suitable
to do so at a special meeting, or from the Tournament Directors home, etc., if he so chooses. The drawings
shall be conducted by the Tournament Director.
K. Members electing to be "boaters" will be paired with "non-boaters", insuring those non-boaters
who wish to fish will be drawn out with a partner. In the event that more members select to be
"boaters" than "non-boaters ", the excess "boaters" without partners will have the choice of
pairing up with another "boater", or they may elect to fish alone in their own boat and assume
all risks associated by fishing by themselves.
L. Members who fish as "non-boaters" should offer to split expenses with their partner.
Guidelines for this are to be Thirty ($30.00) dollars for a 1-day or Fifty ($50.00) dollars
for a 2-day tournament. On away tournaments partners should try to ride together and split
vehicle gas expenses.
M. There will be at least three (3) Team Tournaments per Year and they can be all away tournaments, or on Lanier, or any combination thereof. Any cash awards will be split equally amongst the team members, except the Big Fish award. The Big Fish money goes to the member that catches the big fish.
N. All members will count there best 11 tournaments. Your attendance for participation in meeting/tournaments will still be counted will still be counted if you fish all 12 tournaments.
Section 4: Point Standings Calculation
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Points shall be calculated according to the following formula.
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1 point for fishing a tournament
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2 points for attending a meeting
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10 points for helping with youth event or conservation project.
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30 point system for tournament results, i.e. 30 points for 1st, 29 for 2nd, 28 for 3rd, etc.
For those that fish the tournament but catch no scoring fish, they will all receive
Five (5) less points than the lowest finishing club member that catches a scoring fish.
In other words if the lowest finishing member that caught a fish finishes in 10th place
and gets 20 points, those that fished, but had no fish, will all receive 15 points.
Article IV – Board of Directors
Section 1: Purpose
The purpose of the Board of Directors shall be to carry out the policies of the club and define
policy whenever such issues are not described and detailed within the club's Constitution and
Bylaws as well as any other responsibilities and duties assigned it with the approval of the overall
membership by a majority vote.
Section 2: Membership of the Board of Directors
The Board of Directors shall consist of five members who shall be elected from among all
members in good standing, such election to be held in November of each year in order for the
new directors to review the upcoming schedule. The five members receiving the most votes for President. Vice-President, Treasurer, Secretary and Tournament Director/Weighmaster will be the Club’s Board of Directors. In the case of a tie vote for a Director's position, there will be a runoff between/among the respective candidates for the position. All voting for elections will be by secret ballot, or electronically to one of the Board of Directors.
Section 3: Responsibilities
President: shall preside over all meetings of the club, serve as chairman of the Board of
Directors and set the agendas for all meetings.
The President or his designee will serve as club fundraiser who will coordinate club fundraising activities including special tournaments or other fundraising activities to benefit and support SLBM activities.
Vice President: shall assist the President in his duties and preside over all meetings in the
absence of the President. The Vice President shall also assist the Tournament Director/Weighmaster
in the tournament weigh-ins including the recording of each participant's tournament weight. The Vice President shall prepare the monthly standings of the membership relative to the point totals for all members.
The Vice President or his designee will serve as the youth/conservation coordinator. The Vice president will manage these events and confirm the award of points for participation in approved event for the SLBM membership.
Secretary: shall conduct all official correspondence of the Club including preparation of and
forwarding of all necessary reports to the B.A.S.S. NATION and any necessary local, state or
federal agencies. Secretary shall also keep a true record of all meetings and maintain such meeting
minutes and other records of the Club. The Secretary may, at his/her discretion, provide a monthly
newsletter to the membership.
Treasurer: shall have charge of all funds of the Club and place the same in a commercial bank
approved by the Board of Directors. Treasurer shall collect all dues on a regular basis and keep accurate
record of all transactions, presenting a report to the membership at each regular meeting. A
detailed financial report shall be maintained and shall be audited by the Board of Directors at
least once per year.
Tournament Director/Weighmaster: shall select the launch and weigh-in sites for each tournament and the
tournament hours, and shall conduct the drawing of partners. He shall also act as Weighmaster with the assistance of the Vice President. It will be his/her responsibility to measure for “short” fish brought to the weigh in by a contestant. It will be the duty of the Tournament Director to generate and submit the monthly tournament Creel Census to B.A.S.S. NATION.
Section 4: Term of Office
The Term of Office for each Director shall be from January 1 through December 31of the following Year of their election.
Section 5: Eligibility to Vote
Each Member in good standing is entitled to to one vote. Email votes to an Officer will be allowed and accepted and must be received by 5:30pm the day of the meeting. Proxy votes will not be permitted.
Section 6: Vacancies
In the event a vacancy for one of the Officer positions should occur, a special election will be held to fill that Officer’s unexpired term.
ARTICLE V - FINANCES AND SPENDING
Section 1: Funding/Revenue
The club shall operate from funds derived from membership dues and, if necessary, fund raising
activities.
Section 2: Authorized Expenditures
The Treasurer, or other bank account signer, is authorized to issue checks for all normal, usual and customary expenses as
approved by the Board of Directors and/or club membership.
Section 3: Top Six
The club has the option to field a Top 6 team, consisting of the top finishing 6 members and the alternates, as they finished in the previous year-end club standings, to attend the Georgia BASS NATION Top 6
tournament. This Top 6 team will represent South Lanier Bassmasters in the Georgia BASS NATION
tournament event. All expenses, including tournament entry fees , will be split equally by the participants if a team is fielded, unless the Club Membership decides to support and fund a portion, or all, of the team’s expenses. A Second Top 6 team, if allowed by the State Federation, may attend and participate if enough interest is expressed by the Club membership. They also will be responsible for funding all their expenses.
ARTICLE VI - REMOVAL FROM MEMBERSH IP
Section 1: Basis for Removal of Membership
A. A member may be removed from the membership roll by a majority vote of the members
present at the meeting for any of the reasons listed below:
B. Failure to pay monthly dues for a period of three consecutive months.
C. Failure to maintain B.A.S.S. membership.
D. Any action that reflects dishonor or disgrace upon the club, it' s members, and /or violates B.A.S.S. guidelines
of conduct
E. Any blatant act of un-sportsmanlike conduct.
F. Any member being brought up for removal shall be notified prior to the meeting and allowed
to present his defense before the vote is conducted.
ARTICLE VII - AMENDING THE CONSTITUTION AND BYLAWS
Section 1: Method of Amending
A. Rule changes concerning safety may be addressed at any time during the year.
B. Members may propose changes to the Club by-laws at the Club's November business meeting, at which time the proposed by-law change will be discussed. For clarity, members should bring written proposals to distribute to club members.
C. This Constitution and Bylaws may be amended by a unanimous decision by the Board of
Directors, as they deem necessary in order to support the best interests of the Club, or by a 2/3 majority vote of members present and club members that properly voted electronically, at the next regular meeting following introduction of the proposed amendment, this usually being the December meeting.
ARTICLE VIII - TOURNAMENT RULES AND PENALTIES AND PAY OUT
Section 1: Tournament Rules
A. No alcoholic beverages may be present or consumed during tournament hours.
B. Life vests must be worn at any time the combustion engine is running.
C. All boats must have an emergency kill switch attached to driver.
D. No area is off limits except those posted by DNR or lake managers.
E. Fishing must be done from boat only.
F. Only artificial lures may be used, no live bait, trolling, or snagging.
G. There is a maximum of five fish per angler regardless of the lake’s creel limit.
H. Each boat must possess an adequate live well with functional water aeration system.
I. Culling must be done on the water when the daily limit is reached and there shall be no culling allowed at the scales, at the dock or boat ramp.
J. The Tournament Director or Vice President may elect to measure for a “short” fish of any contestant. Final decision will be that of Tournament Director.
K. All persons are expected to practice safe boating and courtesy to others.
L. Recklessness or poor sportsmanship will not be tolerated and are grounds to be disqualified from the tournament.
M. One Month Rule will be in effect. No member may fish with the same partner in 2 consecutive
Tournaments, regardless of whether a Team Tournament was the previous event.
N. Tournament Director must be notified of a member’s cancellation to fish an event by 7:00 PM on the
night, prior to the tournament.
Section 2: Penalties
A. Late arrival: At weigh-in l pound per minute, up to 15 minutes. Over15 minutes late, angler/anglers will be disqualified for that day. In the event of an actual mechanical failure or an emergency situation, the victimized angler/anglers, along with the towing boat’s occupants, will not be penalized if they arrive at weigh in within 15 minutes after the actual weigh in time. If they arrive over 15 minutes late, all late anglers will be disqualified for the day.
B. Short Fish: Any person weighing in a fish shorter than lake size limit will be penalized the
weight of his short fish plus one (1) additional pound off his total weight. Double-check your fish before bringing them to
the scales.
C. Dead Fish: Four (4) ounce, (.25), penalty per dead fish.
D. Late cancellation of your ability to fish or you are a no show: this will constitute a 25 points deduction
from your yearly total.
Section 3: Pay Out
Tournament Pay Outs are based on performance in tournaments. At any time during the year, pay out amounts may be adjusted with a vote of the majority of the Board of Directors to allow the Club to maintain financial solvency.
Such vote must occur at a regular meeting and shall be announced to all members present. Currently the Pay Outs are as follows:
$120.00 – First Place
$75.00 – Second Place
$50.00 – Third Place
$75.00 – Big Fish
$45.00 – Top Co-Angler NOT finishing in the top 3 positions. There are no Co-Angler pay outs in a Team format.
If the event is a Team Tournament and a Team places First, Second or Third, the team members will split that cash award.
As to Big Fish cash award, the team member who catches the big fish will be entitled to the Big Fish pay out, unless that member has previously discussed a different arrangement with his partner prior to the beginning of the tournament day.
ARTICLE IV – ANNUAL AWARDS AND AWARD FUNDING
Section 1: Awards
A. Heaviest One-Day Catch of the Year
South Lanier Bassmasters will present a plaque and a cash award to the angler with the heaviest, one
day catch weighed in during our monthly tournaments.
B. Big Bass of the Year
South Lanier Bassmasters will present a plaque and a cash award for the largest bass caught in a club
tournament during the year, regardless of species (black bass, spotted bass, smallmouth, or redeye).
C. Angler of the Year
South Lanier Bassmasters will present a plaque and a cash award for the Angler of the Year (AOY). This
award is based on the total number of points accumulated during the tournament year (meeting attendance points, tournament/event participation points and fish weight/position points).
D. Co-Angler of the Year
South Lanier Bassmasters will present a plaque and a cash award for the Co-Angler of the year. Co-Anglers must fish at least 8 club tournaments as a non-boater during the year to be eligible for this award.
Sportsman of the Year
A Plaque will be awarded to the individual that Club members feel has most contributed their time, effort and generosity
to help their fellow members.
Section 2: Award Funding
Funding for the AOY pot, Biggest Bass of the Year pot, Heaviest One-Day Catch of the Year pot, and Co-Angler of the Year pot, will be as follows: Each month, four dollars ($4.00) from all active member dues will be
deposited into these four pots. The funds will continue to accrue during the calendar year at the rate
of $4.00 per member, per month. Any member who joins the club during the current year will have the opportunity to pay their $4.00 fee retroactively to the beginning of the year. If a new member elects not to pay this monthly retroactive fee they will not be eligible to be awarded any of the entire annual pots. That member will only be awarded the amount that accumulates in the pot during the period of time they had been contributing to the fund.
These awards will be paid at the first club meeting after our tournament year has ended, or at the club’s banquet, or at another time the President so chooses. The members winning the awards will be determined after the last tournament results are finalized from our yearly tournament schedule. The Cash awards will be divided equally among the four categories.