Logan Martin Lake, Alabama
Entry Fees: Championship – $625
Full Field: Up to 60 Boats
Site: Logan Martin Lake, AL
Big Bass: Option $10 per day, $20 total to be paid at onsite registration (cash only)
Off-Limits: Sunset November 3 through 6:00 AM CST November 16, 2024,
Practice Period: Saturday, November 16, 2024, through Thursday, 4 pm November 21, 2024
Tournament Days: November 22, 23, 2024
Registration: Registration opens at 8 am central time on September 12, 2024.
These rules supplement the 2024 Top 150 Solo rules and will remain unchanged throughout the 2024 Top 150 Solo Championship. These rules may be changed by American Bass Anglers (ABA) at any time upon notification to its members, which will be published on the ABA website at www.americanbassanglers.com. Interpretation and enforcement of these rules will be left exclusively to the Tournament Director.
1. RULES VIOLATION:
In the event of a rule violation, ABA may impose such sanctions as deemed appropriate, including, without limitation, loss of one or more fish in question, loss of angler’s catch for the day, disqualification from the event, forfeiture of prizes and/or entry fee, probation for up to 6 months, and prohibition from participation in subsequent tournaments. The decision of ABA shall be final in all matters. Each competitor agrees to report to the Tournament Director any violation or infraction of any Tournament Rules. Failure to report violations, false reporting, or suggestions to another competitor of an unreported violation of these rules will be cause for disqualification. Rules violations must be reported to the Tournament Director on site in writing within 15 minutes after the announcement, “The scales are closed.”
2. ELIGIBILITY, PARTICIPATION, and Registration:
i.) This tournament is open only to current members in good standing of ABA who are 18 years of age or older and who have been invited to compete. ABA may, at any time, decline to accept tournament entries for any reason. All contestants must be registered before the close of business on November 8, 2023, at 5 pm CST. No refunds will be given after November 8, 2024, at 5 pm CST.
ii.) Competitors may not buy, barter, or pool fishing locations from any person, including the hiring of guides, within 30 days prior to the event for use during any competition day.
iii.) During official practice and competition days, competitors are required to have documented proof of a minimum of $100,000 boating liability insurance covering the boat being used. A copy of proof of insurance must always be available to present to tournament officials if requested. Any competitor not in compliance will be disqualified.
3. PRE-TOURNAMENT PRACTICE/OFF-LIMITS:
a) Pre-tournament practice; will be from 6:00 AM CST, November 16 through 4 pm Thursday, November 21. During official practice, all tournament rules are in force. During official practice, contestants may only pre-fish alone, with a member of his/her immediate family, another contestant of this tournament, a national sponsor of American Bass Anglers, or a member of American Bass Anglers staff. ANGLERS MUST BE OFF TOURNAMENT WATERS BY 4:00 pm November 21.
b) No contestant may enter the tournament water to catch or locate possible fishing locations during the off-limits period or after the mandatory rules and safety meeting or after each day’s weigh-in. During the off-limits periods, other than using publicly available information (e.g., newspaper, periodical, and internet reports), competitors cannot solicit, receive or gather any information via phone, electronic devices, or any other means about locating or catching fish on tournament waters. THERE WILL BE NO EXCEPTIONS
4. MEDIA COMMENTS, PUBLIC ATTACKS:
The favorable public reputation of ABA as a sanctioning organization in the sport of fishing, the integrity of its officials, and the reputation of its media properties are valuable assets and tangible benefits for ABA. Accordingly, it is an obligation of competitors to refrain from comments to the news media that unreasonably attack or disparage the integrity of tournaments, tournament officials, sponsors, fellow members, fellow anglers, or the ABA organization. Competitors are encouraged to express themselves and have the right to question rules officials. Responsible expressions of legitimate disagreement with ABA policies are encouraged as opposed to attacks upon the integrity of the rules or officials. However, public comments that an angler knows, or should reasonably know, will harm the reputation of ABA, ABA officials or sponsors shall be considered conduct unbecoming a professional and will result in disciplinary action.
5. COMMUNICATIONS and POLYGRAPH:
a. Communications: During official competition day(s), a competitor may not use a CB radio, a VHF marine-band radio, a cellular phone, texting, or any other type of communication device for the purpose of locating or catching fish. Competitors are permitted to transmit by radio or telephone only in the event of an emergency. A designated tournament official must be granted access to the competitor’s boat and cell phone at any time during the competition.
b. Hole Sitting; During Tournament hours, the practice of “hole-sitting” is strictly prohibited in all events. Competitors may not follow non-competitor’s boats for the purpose of a non-competitor assisting in locating fish.
c. Polygraph: Each event will have a truth verification examination. By his/her signature on the official entry form, each competitor agrees to submit to a truth verification examination method as determined by ABA and abide by its conclusion. In the event a competitor refuses to take or fails to pass the examination, he/she will be disqualified from the event in question and other disciplinary action taken as deemed appropriate in accordance with Rule 2 above.
6. ON-SITE SIGN-IN:
a. On-site: Each angler must register in person at the designated place during official onsite registration hours, 4:30 pm – 6:00 pm (local time), Thursday, November 21, 2024. Failure to sign in onsite will result in disqualification, forfeit of entry fee, and removal from the event.
b. Mandatory meeting: The pre-tournament Safety and Rules meeting is mandatory for all competitors and will be conducted at 6 pm on Thursday, November 21, 2024.
c. Launch position: Launch positions will be determined by computer drawing and texted after onsite check-in is completed.
7. SAFETY:
Safety is paramount, and anglers must recognize that; fishing from an open boat is inherently dangerous; and as a result, American Bass Anglers seek to limit those hazards with reasonable safety rules.
a. Safe boating conduct and speed limits must always be observed by competitors. During official practice and competition, competitors must wear a U.S. Coast Guard-approved chest-type life preserver and must always be worn while the combustion engine is in gear. This life preserver must also be strapped, snapped, or zippered securely and maintained in that condition until the combustion engine is no longer in gear. Violation of this rule shall be a reason for disqualification. “Fanny Pack” preservers are not allowed. In the event a boat is being towed, all anglers in the towed boat must wear a life preserver.
b. Tournament officials may delay, shorten, restrict tournament waters, or cancel the start of an official tournament day because of bad weather or other factors that would endanger the safety of the competitors.
c. ABA reserves the right to impose boat speed limits during any or all tournaments. The decision to impose a speed limit, the area covered by the speed limit, and/or the actual speed limit shall be left exclusively to the tournament director’s discretion.
d. In the event of an emergency, competitors should call 911 immediately and then notify tournament officials. Competitors may leave the boat and seek safe shelter in bad weather when danger may be imminent, at which time all fishing must cease.
8. SPORTSMANSHIP/CODE OF CONDUCT:
Anglers participating in ABA sanctioned events shall observe this code of conduct and the applicable rules for the specific event in which he/she is participating. Anglers shall always conduct themselves in a manner becoming ABA anglers, and their actions will not reflect unfavorably on ABA, its members, officers or representatives, tournaments, or sponsors. To this end, anglers shall use their best efforts to demonstrate professionalism and integrity in support of the sport of bass fishing. Any angler who violates any of the Angler Code of Conduct provisions will be subject to fines, forfeiture of tournament winnings, probation, suspension from competing in ABA sanctioned events, permanently banned from competition, or any combination thereof deemed appropriate by ABA. Competitors are expected to follow high standards of sportsmanship, courtesy, safety, and conservation.
a. Any competitor’s use, possession, or consumption of illegal drugs during official practice, tournament hours, or during pre-and post-tournament activities will be cause for automatic disqualification from this and all future tournaments. (Exception; medication prescribed to the angler by a licensed physician). The consumption or possession of alcohol during tournament hours is prohibited. Tournament hours are defined as check-out in the morning through weighing of fish in the afternoon.
b. Maximum courtesy must always be practiced, especially when boating and angling near non-competitors. Any act of a competitor which reflects unfavorably upon efforts to promote water safety, fisheries conservation, clean waters, and courtesy will be a reason for disqualification.
c. All competitors are bound by the prevailing statutes and regulations of the state within which the tournament is being held, and all participants are required to have the appropriate state fishing license.
d. Chemical substance addiction or abuse, crimes involving moral turpitude, the conviction of a felony not specifically exempted by ABA, or other conduct reflecting unfavorably upon efforts to promote safety, sportsmanship, fair competition, and compliance with tournament rules shall be grounds for rejecting any application for participation and/or for disqualification. Any disqualification, suspension from or disciplinary action imposed by any fishing organization will be grounds for rejecting applications for participation in a tournament and/or disqualification from a tournament after circumstances are reviewed by the Tournament Director.
9. TACKLE AND EQUIPMENT:
The use of a landing net is allowed. The use of grippers in landing bass is prohibited. Only artificial lures may be used. No “live bait” or “prepared bait” will be permitted during official practice and competition, except for pork strips or rinds. Only one casting, spin casting, or spinning rod (8-foot maximum length from butt of the handle to rod tip) and reel may be used at any one time. All bass must be caught alive and in a conventional sporting manner. When visually fishing for bedding bass, bass must be hooked inside the mouth.
10. HORSEPOWER REGULATIONS:
Maximum horsepower for all outboard motorboats used in official tournament practice and in tournament competition will be 250 HP. Horsepower cannot exceed the limitations set by the U.S. Coast Guard, the manufacturer’s rating plate, or the maximum horsepower set by ABA. If there is reason to suspect the horsepower requirement is exceeded, the competitor agrees to submit their boat and outboard motor used in the tournament to an inspection by factory-trained personnel. Changing or altering standard factory parts of a competitor’s engine to increase the horsepower over the factory horsepower rating is forbidden and will result in disqualification.
11. BOAT AND MOTOR:
During official practice and competition, all boats must be equipped with an operational and approved type of ignition kill switch and a single lanyard. The lanyard must be attached to the driver’s body any time the combustion engine is in gear, and the driver must be in the driver’s seat in full control of the boat. All boats must have a properly aerated live-well capable of sustaining a limit of fish. Fishing boats less than 16 feet in length may not be used. Any raised platforms or decks cannot be higher than the gunnels of the boat. Fishing while standing on the outboard motor or boat seats is not allowed. An electric trolling motor may be used for slow maneuvering; however, trolling as a method of fishing is prohibited. All bladder tanks and any other type of auxiliary gas tanks that are not installed by the boat manufacturer are prohibited. Boats that do not have factory-installed gas tanks are restricted to a maximum of 18 gallons of gasoline in tanks, properly secured or strapped, and meet U.S. Coast Guard regulations. No portable gas tanks or containers capable of holding gasoline can be placed anywhere on tournament waters or shoreline for use by any tournament competitor. No “barges” or similar craft or “stick steering boats are permitted. Determination of acceptable fishing boats and properly aerated live-well will be left exclusively to the Tournament director.
12. BASIC BOAT EQUIPMENT:
During official practice and competition, every boat must have all required US Coast Guard safety equipment. During the competition, every boat must have live-well space, properly aerated, to adequately maintain bass alive. Tournament officials shall have the sole responsibility for determining whether aeration and capacity is proper and adequate.
13. BOAT IDENTIFICATION:
Prior to each day’s start, each boat will be inspected and checked by a tournament official. Boaters will be given their launch numbered by text or by a card, it is the boater’s responsibility to ensure they are check-out and check in.
14. PERMITTED FISHING LOCATIONS:
Tournament waters will be waters consisting of Logan Martin Lake from Neely Henry dam to Logan Martin dam that is accessible by boat. Specific Off Limits will be any areas within tournament waters posted “Off-Limits” or “No Fishing” by state or federal agencies. All angling must be done from the boat. No fishing within 50 yards of any other competitor’s boat anchored or not.
15. COMPETITORS MUST REMAIN IN BOAT:
Competitors must leave from and return to the official checkpoints by boat and 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. Trailering boats during tournament hours is prohibited.
16. OFFICIAL CHECKPOINT:
There will be only one “official point” for check-out in the morning and check-in in the afternoon and will be designated at the tournament briefing. At the time of check-out, all boats must fully conform to all rules set forth by American Bass Anglers. At check-in, all boats shall identify themselves by means of the numbers described in Rule 12, and all fishing must cease.
17. SCORING:
Tournament standings, auxiliary awards, and final winners shall be determined by the pounds-and-hundredths weight of each competitor’s catch during the competition days of the tournament. Only Largemouth, Smallmouth, Spotted, or Redeye bass will be weighed. The creel limit shall be five (5) bass of the above species and varieties per day unless otherwise established by the tournament director. The official length for bass shall be established by State regulations or by the Tournament Director. Culling must be performed immediately upon catching a sixth fish. In the event tournament officials observe more than the allowable limit is in the boat or at the weigh-in, tournament officials will cull, beginning with the largest fish. Only bass measuring the official length or more on the longest straight line will be weighed. Short fish will accrue a penalty of 1 pound and will not be weighed. Any bass that appears to have been mangled, mashed, mauled, or otherwise altered will be weighed only at the discretion of tournament officials. Once a competitor’s catch is verified by tournament officials, no additional fish may be added to the catch. Placing bass on a stringer is prohibited; however, culling tags or clips may be used. In the event of a mechanical failure (boat is inoperable) anglers may have their catch counted by one of the following methods ONLY: 1) Boat is towed to the weigh-in site by another boat; 2) Boater secures his boat to an object (pier/bank) and boards another tournament competitors’ boat only for a ride to weigh-in. Competitors must not allow any bass caught by them to be counted on the score of another competitor. Mechanical failures do not extend established weigh-in times.
18. CATCH AND RELEASE:
CULLING OF DEAD BASS IS PROHIBITED. A penalty of one .5 pounds per dead fish will be assessed and deducted from the day’s total weight. In the event the angler’s big fish is dead, a penalty of.5 pounds will be deducted from the big fish’s total weight. The Tournament Director will have sole authority for assessing dead fish penalties. For fish care, ABA recommends only the use of T-H Marine G-JUICE live well treatment and G-Force Conservation Cull System with clips that do not puncture.
19. LATE PENALTY:
Competitors who are not in the official checkpoint area as described in Rule 16 at the appointed time shall be penalized at the rate of one (1) pound for each minute. Any late penalty will be deducted from the total weight of their catch that day, including any weight to be counted toward a “big bass award.” No weight will be awarded if the net weight after penalties is zero or less. Any competitor more than 15 minutes late will lose all credit for that day’s catch. The exact starting and check-in times will be announced at the Tournament Briefing.
20. QUALIFICATIONS and AWARDS:
Points will be awarded based on place of finish and cannot be combined or transferred. Any angler disqualified from an event will not receive points for that event.
21. TIEBREAKERS:
Ties will be broken using the following criteria:
a. The largest number of legal fish weighed.
b. The largest number of legal live fish weighed.
c. Most Accumulative weight for the year
d. If the tie is not broken by applying the preceding procedures, place monies will be split evenly, and place points will be awarded accordingly. Event winners’ tiebreakers may result in a fish-off.
22. ABA MEMBERS SHIELD & LOGO:
ABA encourages (not mandatory) the wearing of the ABA Logo and Top 150 Solo logo. The suggested placement for the ABA logo is centered on the left chest, the top of the patch should hit the top center of the left collarbone.
23. PATCHES AND/OR SIGNAGE:
ABA encourages using patches, logos, and other signage to promote the angler’s sponsors. ABA may, however, restrict the use of patches, logos, signage, etc., that promote or advertise products that compete with the products or services of official tour sponsors, or which are, in ABA’s sole judgment, in poor taste. In addition, if ABA provides any ancillary clothing or products (such as life vests) bearing the logos of ABA or the official sponsors of ABA, each competitor shall wear such clothing or utilize such products in a manner prescribed by ABA.
24. AWARDS:
All anglers are required to execute a Fed Tax Form W9 before receiving any awards, including cash/check and prizes.
25. TAXES:
Where and when state laws require, income tax may be automatically deducted before any awards being presented. Anglers are responsible for all applicable taxes for both cash and merchandise awards.
26. WAIVER AND RELEASE:
As a condition of participation in each tournament, competitors must execute a waiver (Release of Liability and Assumption of Risk) and a name and likeness release. ©2024 ABA. All rights reserved.