Rules & Regulations

RULES: Bass Anglers Invitational Trail rules and regulations are included herein with special notations. You are expected to be familiar with all items before entering. The following rules are subject to change if a board of directors meeting is called and changes are voted due to safety or federal, state or local laws conflict.

RULE CHANGES: Rule additions and revisions will be public knowledge before the next event takes place from the time the revision is incorporated. It is the Tournament Directors decision to make a change where safety or cancellation is concerned. The decision of the Tournament Director and Tournament Officials will be final in all matters. Any rule changes must be made by a majority of the Tournament Committee.

PARTICIPATION AND ELIGIBILITY: One contestant must be 16 years of age or older. Contestants under 16 years of age may fish with a parent or legal guardian. Each parent or legal guardian must sign minority age release. B.A.I.T. tournaments are open to all people regardless of race, sex, religion or national origin. B.A.I.T. reserves the right to refuse any application for membership and tournament entry fees.

MEMBERSHIP: The membership fee is $40 per person, per tournament season. If membership is not paid in full and current before fishing in a Bass Anglers Invitational Trail tournament you will be disqualified from the tournament fished and 0 points will be awarded.

ENTRY FEES: Entry fees in Bass Anglers Invitational Trail are $100 per two-man team (85% payback) with $10 lunker pot optional - (100% payback). Lunker pot distribution will be 50% large-mouth, 50% small mouth. If no smallmouth weighed in, 60% for first largemouth, 40% for second largemouth. You may pay for all events and membership in advance if you choose. Winners are responsible for any and all taxes on any money and prizes received. NOTE: IF personal check or company check does not clear a $25 fee will be charged back, and any other fees that might be generated during collection.

ENTRY LIMITATIONS: Contestants may fish alone or with partner or alternate who is a current member. If mailed, a complete entry form with fee must be received no later than Wednesday 7 PM prior to each tournament or paid at ramp prior to blast-off. If qualified emergency should arise anglers may be transfer entry fee to a future tournament if Tournament Office is notified 24 hours in advance.

CHECK-IN: Teams will take off in qualifying tournaments by method determined by tournament director. Contact your local tournament director for check-in sites, dates, and times. Membership card must be shown at tournament site if requested, or the team may be disqualified.

LATE PENALTY: Contestants who are not in the official check-in area at the appointed time will be penalized at the rate of one pound per minute to be deducted from this total weight. Any contestant more than 15 minutes late will be disqualified.

TOURNAMENT HOURS: Tournament hours will be from safe light until 3:30PM unless adjusted by your Tournament Director. Failure for a team to check-in at weigh-in time or notifying Tournament Director that you are off the water may result in being banned from future events.

SPORTSMANSHIP: All contestants are expected to follow high standards of sportsmanship, courtesy, safety and conservation. Drunkenness shall be cause for automatic disqualification. Anglers receiving three (3) sportsmanship protests shall be suspended from the B.A.I.T. for one calendar year. Flagrant sportsmanship violations will be permanent disqualification. Any contestants conduct reflecting unfavorable upon efforts to promote safety, sportsmanship, fair competition and compliance with tournament rules are grounds for disqualification and/or rejection of any entry for participation.

SAFETY: Safe boating must be observed at all times. Each contestant is required to wear a chest type life preserver anytime the boat is on plane. Motors that exceed BIA rating are not condoned by B.A.I.T. Officials reserve the right to refuse any rig which is extremely overpowered or deemed dangerous.

BOAT AND MOTOR: All boats must be equipped with emergency kill-switch device securely attached to the drivers body whenever the boat is on plane. All boats must be a minimum of 16 in length and have a rear deck. All boats must be equipped with wheel steering; no other steering is permitted. Each boat must have all required U.S. Coast Guard safety equipment. Boats must contain a properly aerated livewell space to maintain alive, a limit catch by both contestants. Maximum horsepower for all outboards used in tournament competition not to exceed the horsepower limitations as set by the U.S. Coast Guard. Each boat must have an U.S. Coast Guard horsepower rating plate attached to the boat by the manufacturer. Fuel may be carried only in U.S. Coast Guard approved mounted or secured fuel tanks.

PERMITTED FISHING LOCATIONS: You may not leave your boat except in an emergency. You must fish water that is available to everyone. Boats can not trailer to and from the weigh-in during tournament hours unless under the direction of the Tournament Director. No fishing within 50 yards of another competitors boat first anchored down with the trolling motor up.

POINT SYSTEM: All tournaments are scored in pounds and hundreds of pounds with points awarded for the place of finish to determine the top 40% per division. Tournaments are worth a total of 300 points each (to be kept separate from total weight). There is one point difference between places of finish for teams weighing in fish at tournaments. Teams that do not weigh-in fish will receive points equal to 10 points less than the last place team weighing fish. A team may fish as many tournament divisions as they want, however, point accumulation stays within the division fished and does not transfer. If a team is disqualified during a tournament, for any reason, credit for the tournament will be given, but no points will be awarded and no money will be refunded.

SCORING: Only Largemouth, Smallmouth, and Kentucky Bass will be weighed. The official length will comply with state regulations. Bass presented for weigh-in which fail to measure the prescribed length will be penalized loss of fish and 1 pound. Fish that appear to have been mangled, mashed, mauled or altered will be measured with mouth closed. Official measuring board will be a Golden Rule. The creel limit is 5 fish per boat. Cull as you go, NO CULLING AT THE RAMP! Your fish must remain in your possession from catch to weigh-in. Fish must be weighed before trailering boat, unless directed otherwise by an official of B.A.I.T. Failure to comply, 1 fish over your cull limit, penalty, your biggest fish, 2 fish over your cull limit, disqualification. Your fish must remain in your possession from catch to weigh-in. Fish must be weighed before trailoring boat, unless directed otherwise by an official of B.A.I.T. Dead fish penalty is 0.25 lb per fish with a limit of two per team. Catch and release only, except for trophy fish! In the event of one competitor having to bring a disabled boater to the weigh-in, there must be at least one member of that disabled boat stay with their fish and those fish must be marked or kept separate from your fish. Failure to do so will result in both teams being disqualified.

TACKLE AND EQUIPMENT: Only artificial lures with the exception of pork trailers may be used. Only one rod may be presented and in the water at one time. All bass must be caught live and in a conventional sporting manner. Trolling is illegal.

OFFICAL CHECK POINTS: There will be only one official checkpoint for boat check-in in the morning and one official checkpoint for check-in in the afternoon. Failure to go through boat check and checkout in the morning or failure to check-in at the check-in point will result in disqualification. Early or emergency check-in must be reported to tournament director or member of tournament staff. Contestants failure to comply will forfeit his/her show points for tournament.

TIES: In case of a tie, positions shall be resolved by equal points for that position. Awards for the tied position and the next following position shall be combined and divided equally between tied contestants. Should two contestants tie for first place for the Grand Classic or Angler of the year, the tournament director may decide to break first places ties with a fish-off.

SUBSTITUTIONS: Teams are allowed to have an alternate and altenate must be a member of B.A.I.T. prior to fishing. Alternates may not fish alone to represent another team other than themself.

TEAMS: After one or more tournaments, if a team splits up and they form two different teams in the same division, points will start at zero for one team. There will be no splitting of teams to form new teams if less than four qualifying tournaments are left within a division. Anglers must fish at least four qualifying tournaments together as an official team, within a division, to qualify for the classic as a team. All teams are responsible for ramp fees at any ramp where charged. Any and all winners agree to release a picture or likeness thereof and release information to any all media.

QUALIFYING: B.A.I.T. will invite the top forty percent (40%) based on points. To qualify for the classic, you must fish at least five (5) tournaments. Any team that fishes seven (7) B.A.I.T. Tournaments will automatically qualify for the Classic. You can fish different divisions to make 7 if necessary.

POLYGRAPH EXAMS: At the director's option, a member of the first place team and/or one contestant finishing second through fifth or big bass shall receive a polygraph exam for each tournament, and will be determined by a name drawn by a spectator and will be announced prior to the completion of weigh-in. In the event any contestant does not successfully complete the polygraph exam, he/she may be disqualified and forfeit any and all winnings and points, and/or he/she may be prohibited from further competition.

LIABILITY: Liability insurance is required in a minimum of $100,000.00 per accident of all contestants utilizing their boats while fishing the B.A.I.T and Grand Classic.

FEE INFORMATION Membership: $40.00 Per Year Entry Fee: $100.00 Per Boat Lunker Pot: $10.00 (optional) 100% Payback PAYBACK INFORMATION 85% Total Payback 70% at the ramp 15% Goes to the Classic Paying 1 place for every 8 boats

SAMPLE PAYOUT FOR 100 BOATS 1st $2000.00 7th $340.00 2nd $1000.00 8th $300.00 3rd $750.00 9th $250.00 4th $650.00 10th $225.00 5th $550.00 11th $200.00 6th $475.00 12th $150.00