all participants are required to sign a waiver that they have read and understand all sooner bass club rules.

1. Participants:
Sooner Bass Club tournaments are open to anyone over 18 years of age. Anyone competitor that is less than 18 years of age must be accompanied in the boat by an adult 18 years of age or older or sign a waiver/release of liability form which must be submitted with entry fees. Sooner Bass Club is open to all boat makes, models and motor sizes. The Tournament Director and other tournament officials are permitted to fish all Sooner Bass Club tournaments.

2. Sooner Bass Club Membership:
Membership is $25.00 per year per person and includes the right to fish any Sooner Bass Club tournament for that calendar year. Children ages 12 years old and under, fishing with a parent or guardian, receive a free Sooner Bass Club Membership.

 3. Tournament Entry Fees:
Entry fee for all divisions’ regular season events is $60.00 per boat per tournament, which includes the Big Bass Pot. The tournament director may adjust entry fee on tournament locations that require a lake usage fee.

4. Scoring:
 Divisions regular season events will be scored based on a 100-point scoring system.
Teams that don’t weigh in any fish will receive 50 points.  Teams must fish to be awarded points. 

Sample Scoring

1st Place  100 points

2nd Place 99 points

3rd Place 98 points

 As a member, you may fish in any Sooner Bass Club tournament. The combined total of all tournaments fished in a division shall determine the final total points. Points will not transfer from Division to Division. The points your team receives from each tournament will be automatically added to the standings of each division. If you are fishing more than one division and qualified for the Sooner Bass Club Championship using two different partners, you may choose which partner you wish to take to the classic. The other partner may fish the Sooner Bass Club Championship as a solo.

*NOTE* - any event launching a field of 50 boats or more will also have a payout for 2nd Big Bass.

5. Sooner Bass Club Divisional Championships
All teams that finish the season having fished at least two regular season events, shall be eligible to fish a divisional championship in the division that they qualified in.   Teams qualified to fish their divisional championship who desire to fish in another division's championship may do so only if they have fished at least one event in that division..  All Sooner Bass Club Divisional Championships are two day events.  Both days weight will be combined together to give you your overall total and the points will count as a single day event. There is a $70.00 entry fee (this includes the Big Bass Pot for each day) for all Sooner Bass Club Divisional Championships. All Divisional qualified teams may pre-register by mail or pay an entry fee for the Divisional Championship at registration. If pre-registering, entry forms must be post marked and mailed 10 days prior to the Divisional Championship you desire to compete in.  The Divisional Championship Tournament Director will only accept cash at the ramp (NO Checks Please). Entry fees may be refunded, only if the director is contacted before the close of registration. Failure to inform the Divisional Tournament Director of a refund will result in a forfeit of entry fee. Send all entries to the Divisional Tournament Director over the division you intend on participating in.  There will not be a late registration fee for registering at the site. Tournament take off positions will be determined by when the Regional Tournament director receives your entry.
 

6. Sooner Bass Club Classic Tournament: 
 Teams with total of 250 points or more that have fished in at least three divisional events will qualify to advance on to the Sooner Bass Club Classic.   If fishing more than one division, ALL of your points from ALL divisions fished will be totaled to determine if you have qualified to fish the Classic.  This overall total applies to Classic qualification only.
There is a $125.00 entry fee (this includes the Big Bass Pot) for the Sooner Bass Club Classic Tournament. All early entries must be post marked 10-days prior to the championship.  Sooner Bass Club will accept entry fees at registration in cash only.

7. Substitutes:
Any team may use a substitute in a tournament at any time and all points will be retained. This person may serve as a substitute only two times during the season.  A participant may fish any division solo or must declare a partner prior by the start of the third tournament within a division.  Your team must fish in two regular season tournaments to be eligible to fish the divisional championship or Classic. You may only fish the Sooner Bass Club Classic with your declared partner. If your declared partner cannot fish you may fish it solo. No Substitutes permitted at the  classic tournament.

8. Divisional Champions:
The team that has the highest final total points in a division will determine Divisional Champions. All Divisional Champions will receive one (1) free entry into the Classic Tournament.

9. Ties:
During regular season events, ties will be broken using the weight of each competitor's big bass.  If a tie still exists, the competitors will split the combined first and second place prize money. Ties for Divisional Champions will be broke by the team that has the heaviest total weight for the season. Ties for the Championship will be broken by big bass. Ties for big bass will split big bass pot.

10.  Legal Means of Taking:
All bass must be caught alive in a conventional sport fishing manner.  This is defined as having a lure attached to a line and a rod and reel with the lure in the water.
The following restrictions apply:
·         The use of grippers in landing bass is prohibited.
·         Only artificial and biodegradable lures may be used. No “live bait” or “prepared bait” will be permitted during official practice and competition, with the exception of pork strips or rinds.
·         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. Other rigs as specified above may be in boat ready for use; however, only one is permitted in use at any given time.
·         Anyone guilty of netting, snagging or foul hooking visible fish will have their catch disqualified.
Trolling with the use of a combustible engine as a method of fishing is prohibited. A team found to be doing this would be disqualified for that tournament and put on probation for the remaining season tournaments.

11. Boat and Motor:
Boats must have all required Coast Guard safety equipment and must have a motor within rating limits.  All boats must have a live-well with a functional aeration system.

12. Short Fish Penalties:
All fish brought to weigh-in must be of legal size determined by state law for that body of water fished. Short fish will be culled from your sack and your largest fish will also be culled from the remaining fish. A courtesy measuring board will be available to be used teams.

13. Limits:
There is a 5-fish limit (per team or when fishing alone) at each tournament. There is a length limit of 14" unless state laws dictate otherwise. Division directors will adhere to state law and will announce length limits at each pre-tournament briefing. Anyone bringing in more than a 5-fish will have their sack culled to the 5-fish limit starting with their big fish first. No team may possess more than five fish at any time. All culling must be done on the water – Not at the ramp.

14. Dead Fish Penalty:
For each dead fish a ½ pound penalty will be deducted from your total weight. A dead fish will not be weighed-in as big fish. Tournament director will make final decision if fish is dead or not. Fish that appears altered or mangled shall be the tournament director’s decision to weigh or not to weigh the fish.

15. Late to weigh-in:
There will be a deduction of 1 lb. per minute of your total weight for every minute late to weigh-in. After 15 minutes past weigh-in teams are disqualified.

16. Registration:
There will be registration at the tournament site starting one hour or more before the start of the tournament. Registration will close 30 minutes before the start of the tournament. Tournament Directors will only accept cash at registration (NO Checks Please). Paying entries fees after the tournament starting time will be accepted only at the tournament director's discretion. All teams may pre-register by mail for a tournament. If pre-registering, entry forms must be post marked 10 days before the tournament you desire to fish. Entry fee may be refunded or rolled over to the next tournament, if the director is contacted before the start of the tournament. Failure to contact tournament director for a refund or roll over will result in a forfeit of entry fee and contestants will receive only half of the show up points. Send all entries to the tournament director of the tournament you desire to fish. There will not be a late registration fee for registering at the ramp. There will be pre-tournament meetings 30-minutes prior to the start of each tournament. Divisions (due to state law) that have a limited number of participates will take entries on a first come first serve basis.

17. Weigh-in procedures:
All contestants will be instructed at the pre-tournament meeting on weigh-in procedures. Each team must present his or her own catch to the weigh-in official in a Sooner Bass Club provided weigh-in bag. No other person shall then handle the fish except a weigh-in official. No person other than weigh-in officials may touch the scales; weigh-in basket or any part of the weigh-in equipment.
All fish will be measured using a "Golden Rule" measuring board.  All measurements made on this board will be official and the decision of the tournament officials is final. If possible, a courtesy board will be provided near the weigh-in area.

    17a.  All fish brought to weigh in, immediately become the property of Sooner Bass Club and may not be weighed in with another trail, club or competition active on the same body of water. Fish weighed in with another trail, club or competition prior to coming to Sooner Bass Club scales will not be accepted and any team attempting to do so will be disqualified.

18. Unloading and Live-well Inspection:
Unless specified by the tournament director, all boats MUST be launched and inspected from the official take off ramp for that event.  Boats must have a live well, either built into the boat or portable. Live wells must have some type of pump or circulator to keep fish alive. Prior to boat launch Divisional Tournament Director or a designated official will check all live wells.

19. Life Preserver:
During all Sooner Bass Club Tournaments, competitors will wear their life jackets zipped and buckled when combustion engine is running and vessel is on plane.  Both competitors will be seated IN THE COCKPIT AREA when combustion engine is engaged. The use of kill switches is highly recommended.

20. Sportsmanship:
All contestants are required to follow high standards of sportsmanship, courtesy and conservation. Drunkenness shall be cause for immediate disqualification. The use and/or possession of alcoholic beverages or illegal drugs is strictly prohibited.  No alcoholic beverages shall be consumed during tournament hours.  This time extends through the close of the weigh-in.  Any violation of these rules will result in immediate disqualification of the team and their weight.

21. Off-Limits:
The tournament director will announce the off-limits areas at each pre-tournament meeting. Any area on tournament waters marked with a "no boats" or "no fishing" sign or buoy will automatically be designated as an off limits area even if not identified by tournament staff.  Any team fishing in the off-limits areas will be disqualified from the tournament. Teams may not fish closer than 50 yards to another competitor anchored or not unless given permission. If permission is given to one, then all may fish same water. Having a non-contestant occupy a certain fishing area for you shall be cause for disqualification.

22. Pre-Fishing:
All Sooner Bass Club Divisional Tournaments and Championship locations will NOT be closed to pre-fishing.