OHIO CRAPPIE CLUB Tournament Rules

OHIO CRAPPIE CLUB Tournament Rules 1). Entries A.) REGULAR TOURNAMENT FEES: You must be a paid member of Ohio Crappie Club to enter. $60.00 per team (1 or 2 anglers) $10.00 big fish pot (optional) $5.00 big non crappie pot (optional) B.) MEMBERSHIP FEES: Season Membership runs from January 1 to December 31 of the same calendar year that dues are paid. Individual new and renewal memberships will be $25.00 a person and will be due prior to the first tournament member fishes of season. Total annual membership dues for a Team (of 2) is $50.00. Anyone participating in an Ohio Crappie Club tournament must be a paid member of the club. 1. Under the age of 18 membership is free. A parent or guardian must sign a membership release form for each youth fishing C.) You may enter tournaments alone. No more than (2) team members are allowed in participating boats during tournament hours. No other persons are allowed in competing boats during tournament hours. Ohio Crappie Club reserves the right to place a spotter and/or observer with any participant, and/or to board and inspect any and all boats entered in any Ohio Crappie club events at any time. All members must sign entry forms to enter into tournaments and must fish from the same boat during all tournament hours. If one or more participants exit the boat during tournament hours, all lines must be removed from the water and fishing must cease until all participants are back in the boat. D.) All persons entering any Ohio Crappie Club tournament or event are subject to a polygraph tests at any point, at the request of Ohio Crappie Club Officials. Refusal/failure of a polygraph

will result in disqualification in any Ohio Crappie Club events, revocation of membership, forfeiture of any money and/or prize(s). No refund of any kind will be made to any person(s) who refuse or fail a polygraph. All test results and decisions made by Ohio Crappie Club Officials are final. E.) The Ohio Crappie Club reserves the full right to refuse membership or tournament participation to anyone at anytime for any reason. F.) In case of extreme weather/water conditions, Tournament officials reserve the right to cancel, postpone and/or to reschedule any tournament or event. All entry fees will be refunded, in the case of tournament cancellation G.) CLASSIC ENTRY FEE: No entry fee to fish the Classic (Must qualify to fish event) $10.00 big fish pot (optional) $5.00 big non crappie pot (optional) H.) OHIO CRAPPIE CLUB CLASSIC QUALIFICATIONS: You will be eligible for the Ohio Crappie Club Classic if you physically compete in (6) regular current season tournaments and check-in with one of Ohio Crappie Club Tournament Officials at each weigh-in. 1. A team member (partner) must have fished at least 4 regular season tournaments as a member of the team to qualify to fish as team member at the Classic.. 2.) On the Water Rules: A.) Fish-able waters are defined as areas on tournament lakes/reservoirs that can be accessed by all boats. Bank fishing is not allowed & teams must fish from a boat. All ramp, launch and license fees are the responsibility of participants & are not included in any entry fees. All boats must stay a minimum distance of 25 feet from other tournament boats while fishing and maintain good sportsmanlike conduct at all times. B.) All Participants must use rod & reel combos or hand held poles. A maximum of 2 rod & reel combos or hand held poles can be used per person and a maximum of 3 hooks per rod/pole. There is a maximum use of (4) poles at one time. Artificial and/or live bait may be used. All crappie must be hooked in the mouth or lips. A landing net may be used and no other types of nets for catching fish are allowed. C.) The use of alcohol or non-prescribed drugs during tournament hours is strictly prohibited and failure to comply will result in immediate disqualification. All competitors must follow all state boating laws, including recognizing idle zone and speed limits. If you receive a ticket for a

boating law violation, you are disqualified from that event. All competitors are expected to practice safe boating practices and be respectful of all other boats on the water. If a member files a complaint about unsafe or unlawful boating practices of a team the following consequences will occur: 1st offense - Warning 2nd offense in same season - Disqualification for that event 3rd offsense in same season - Revocation of membership D.) No one shall be hired or compensated in a professional capacity to fish with or for you, spot for you, or physically mark spots for you 30-days prior to or during any tournament hours. Spot sitting by competitors or non-competitors boats will not be allowed and be considered unsportsmanlike. E.) Binoculars/sight magnifying devices are not allowed for the purpose of spying on other competitors during tournament hours. No communication devices of any kind shall be used to communicate to or receive fishing information to or from anyone during tournament hours. F.) All live wells will be empty at the start of all tournaments and no loose live bait of any kind shall be put in any livewell holding crappie to be weighed in at any tournament. Weight enhancement of any kind is not permitted and is grounds for immediate disqualification. 3.) TOURNAMENT TIMES: A.) All references to tournament times by the Ohio Crappie Club are understood to be EASTERN STANDARD TIME (EST) 1.Spring Tournaments a. Tournament Registration will begin at 6:00AM and end at 6:45AM b. After you have registered you may launch your boat by you must remain in the immediate boat launch/harbor area until 7:00AM. At 7:00AM you may proceed to your fishing area. c. Start fishing time for all Regular Season Tournaments will be 7:30AM. No lines or baits in the water prior to the start time. d. Stop fishing time for all Regular Season Tournaments is 3:30PM. All lines and baits out of the water by this time. e. You must be in the weigh-in line and acknowledged by the Tournament Officials by 4:15 PM according to official time to weigh your crappie.

2.Fall Tournaments 3. Classic a. Tournament Registration will begin at 6:30AM and end at 7:15AM b. After you have registered you may launch your boat by you must remain in the immediate boat launch/harbor area until 7:30AM. At 7:30AM you may proceed to your fishing area. c. Start fishing time for all Regular Season Tournaments will be 8:00AM. No lines or baits in the water prior to the start time. d. Stop fishing time for all Regular Season Tournaments is 4:00PM. All lines and baits out of the water by this time. e. You must be in the weigh-in line and acknowledged by the Tournament Officials by 4:45PM according to official time to weigh your crappie. a. Same as fall hours Pre-fishing cut off time is 6:00 PM the day before any regular tournament for both Spring and Fall tournaments. Tournament waters are off limits from 6:00PM the day prior to the tournament until the release time the morning of the tournament. Registration and weigh-in will be at a specific ramp for each tournament. After registration a team may launch from any ramp at each tournament location but must not depart from the immediate boat ramp/harbor area until the designated time. Official time for all events will be Eastern Standard Time (EST). The official time will be via GPS or accurate cellular based telephone time. 4.) PAY OUTS: A.) Regular Season Tournament pay outs will be based on 95% of total entry fees, 75% will be awarded to the anglers of the individual event. 15% will be accrued towards the Ohio Crappie Club Classic pot and 5% accrued towards the Ohio Crappie Club points race and 5% to the Ohio Crappie Club for expenses 100% of the big fish pot will be paid out at each event 100% of the big non crappie pot will be paid at each event There will be one spot paid back for every 5 teams up to 25 teams and then one spot paid for each 10 additional teams

1st - 5th place + Big Fish will be paid if 25 or more teams/boats enter 1st -4th place + Big Fish will be paid if 20-24 teams/boats enter 1st - 3rd place + Big Fish will be paid if 13-19 teams/boats enter 1st & 2nd place + Big Fish will be paid if 7-12 teams/boats enter 1st & Big Fish will be paid if less than 6 or less teams/boats enter B.) The Ohio Crappie Classic payout will be 100% of total money accrued towards the Classic during the 10 regular season tournaments. Payout will be to the top 5 spots only. There is no entry fee to fish the Ohio Crappie Classic. Only teams that have qualified (fished at least 6 regular events during the year) are permitted to fish the Classic. C.) In case of a tie on the seven (8) crappie total weight for any places, the tie will be broken by the team with the single heaviest weighing crappie in the 8 crappie limit. It is important for each team to weigh their heaviest crappie in case this occurs. There is no tie breaker in the big crappie pot and a split pot will be awarded to tied competitors if this occurs. D.) Winners of any Ohio Crappie Club event agree to provide Officials with any requested info or verification in writing or verbally at any time. Payouts may be in the form of (or a combination of) cash, prizes, or checks. Teams must be present to claim winnings or prizes of any kind. 5.) WEIGH - IN: A.) Teams can weigh a maximum of (8) eight crappie and all crappie must be alive. All crappie presented at weigh-in must have been caught during tournament hours by the team weighing them. If more than seven (8) crappie are brought to the weigh-in fish check-in station, you will be disqualified for that event. B.) The Scales will open at 4:15PM (Spring) 4:45PM (Fall) You must be in line, with your crappie to be weighed by 4:15 PM (Spring) or 4:45PM (Fall) and be acknowledged by Officials in order to weigh your crappie. Tournament Officials reserve the right to adjust scale set up and closure times in case of extreme weather conditions and/or any other reasons. In the event this should occur, participating member will be notified at the appropriate time using the information provided by the member's registration form. Important Note: In the event that you or your team have an emergency and/or need to leave the tournament early and want to have your fishing day count towards 1 of the 6 Ohio Crappie Club Classic qualifications, it is YOUR responsibility to contact one of the Tournament Officials prior to the closing of the scales. C.) Upon arrival at the weigh-in line, Teams will present an Ohio Crappie Club weigh-in voucher to a Tournament Official at the checking station. Once the number of crappie and whether any crappie are dead are verified and entered on the weigh-in voucher, you will proceed to the weigh-in scales, when the tournament director is ready for you. After your crappie have been verified by Officials, you can still weigh those crappie, even if one or more die while waiting in line to weigh-in. Any crappie brought to the check-in that are determined dead by

Officials will be removed and will not be allowed to be weighed. Fish deemed to be dead and not permitted to be weighed cannot be replaced with other fish. Determining whether a crappie is dead or alive is the sole responsibility of Ohio Crappie Club Officials and all decisions are final. Fish will be weighed one time and the official weight recorded. No reweighing D.) All competitors bear the responsibility to weigh their biggest crappie in case of a tie. Any jig heads left in crappie must be declared to the Tournament Director at the weigh-in/check-in station. E.) Pictures, etc. will/may be taken by Ohio Crappie Club during the tournaments and weigh-in for miscellaneous purposes and all competitors will be expected to be available for them. F.) Protests must be made in writing to Tournament Officials within 10 minutes after the official weigh-in has concluded. All protests must cite the Rule number/letter(s) that were allegedly broken. One half of a polygraph fee ($200.00) must accompany the written protest. Whoever is wrong based on the outcome of the polygraph test, whether it is the accuser or the accused, will be responsible for the full polygraph fee ($400.00) Once again, if refusal to take or failure of a polygraph, that competitors' membership will be terminated with no refund, also the individual(s) will be banned from any future Ohio Crappie Club events and forfeit the right to any cash, bonus, and/or prizes allegedly won. Anyone caught in the wrong may be subject to criminal charges. (Cheating in any event is the same as stealing) We also reserve the right to make this information available to the public. We do not tolerate any type of cheating and are very serious about this. 6.) OTHER: A.) By your participation in these tournaments or events, you agree to comply with and uphold the rules set forth by the Ohio Crappie Club and any State regulations that apply to fish-able waters and anyone is subject to disqualification for violations. The interpretation of these rules will be solely at the discretion of the Ohio Crappie Club Officials. Decisions of the Tournament Officials are final in all matters concerning these tournaments & are not subject to appeal. The Ohio Crappie Club, and it s officers is not liable or responsible in any way for injury, death, or damages of any kind that might occur to persons or real property that engage in any Ohio Crappie Club tournaments or events. It is highly recommended that each participant have boat insurance to cover their personal property and belongings, along with any liability that would occur during the Ohio Crappie Club events. 7.) Teams: A.) Teams and the use of the term team in the rules is defined as the following: Two members fishing together One member fishing alone B.) Each member will qualify for Ohio Crappie Club Classic qualifications. C.) Each team must physically fish in 6 tournaments throughout the regular season in order to qualify for the Ohio Crappie Club Classic. NO EXCEPTIONS!

NOTE: In case of a conflict in the Ohio Crappie Club Points Race and Ohio Crappie Club Tournament Rules, Ohio Crappie Club Tournament Rules Supercede Points Rules B'n'M Point Race Rules 2016 1. Each member will be entered in the Ohio Crappie Club Points Race as part of their membership 2. There will be a total of (10) regular season events during the tournament season. 3. The total of your best (6) regular season finishes will be tallied for the season total 4. In case of a tie (tie of top 6 finishes) total points of the year will be the tie breaker. If there is still a tie largest fish of the year between the two teams will break the tie

5. Each Ohio Crappie Club Points Race Team consist of 1 or 2 members. (Adult or youth members) 6. In the event that a team member can not fish an event, either team member can fish the event alone or with a paid guest member* (*2-time per team per year) and collect points for the team. The team can only use two guest members per year for the purpose of acquiring points for the team. The guest(s) must be declared at registration. 7. Once a team has used their two time guest maximum for points either team member can fish subsequent tournaments with other guest members. However the team will not be eligible for points for that event. The team members can fish together again to gain points after the guest(s) have been used. Officials must be notified at registration if you are fishing with a guest and your team has already accrued points from a previous event while fishing with a guest. No exceptions. 8. Two members from different teams may fish together at an event, however no points will be awarded to either team towards the points race. 9. A new team can be formed anytime during the season, the points for any team starts with the first tournament fished during the regular tournament season. If a team splits during the regular season, all previous points for both members of the old team are frozen

10. The top team will receive plaques and top 5 teams are eligible for a cash prize 11. The Ohio Crappie Club Points Race prize will be awarded at the Ohio Crappie Classic Points for the B'n'M Points Race will be awarded as follows: 1st place - 30 points 2 nd - 28 Points 3rd - 27 points 4th - 26 points 5th - 25 points 6th - 24 points 7th - 23 points 8th - 22 points 9th - 21 points 10th - 20 points 11th - 19 points 12th - 18 points 13th - 17 points 14th - 16 points 15th place down weighing fish - 15 points If you show up to a tournament but do not weigh fish 10 points