Stay Competitive

These rules will remain unchanged during the Fat Sacks Bass Club 2024 season. Interpretation and enforcement of the following rules and regulations will be left exclusively to the Fat Sacks Bass Club Tournament Officials. Decisions made by tournament officials shall be final in all matters. If a situation arises not discussed in the rules, it will be at the discretion of the tournament officials if items need to be put to vote among the members. Protests must be made in writing by the end of the weigh-in of the tournament in question. Fat Sacks Bass Club reserves the right to refuse entry of any applicant at our discretion. Rules are in effect from January 1st through the conclusion of the Championship.

All entrants in Fat Sacks Bass Club tournaments must follow standards of sportsmanship, safety and conservation at all times. Displaying poor sportsmanship and/or bringing unfavorable publicity to the sport of bass fishing shall be grounds for disqualification. No guides may be used on the practice days. If one team member is disqualified, the team shall be disqualified. Alcohol and illegal drug use are not allowed during tournament hours.

Membership of $120.00 per team is required to participate in all Fat Sacks Bass Club tournaments. The membership dues are to be paid in full prior to the first tournament fished and are good for the entire season. Anyone who receives his or her primary source of income from tournament fishing and/or sponsorship or has fished a professional tournament circuit in the previous two years, is prohibited from fishing. Entry fees for all tournaments are $60.00 a team. After the conclusion of the April tournament, the membership dues will increase as follows: $180.00 per team for the remainder of the season. All teams are responsible for locating a tournament committee member prior to the start of each tournament to pay the entry fee and draw a numbered chip. The official check-in spot will be designated prior to the start of the tournament.

Each team will be allowed 2 alternates to be used throughout the regular season and still count towards their Angler of the Year points and meet Championship requirements. Alternates do not have to pay a membership fee, but must pay a $10 guest fee. At no time can a team designate 2 alternates to fish a tournament in their place. An alternate cannot participate in the Championship. If a member from one team participates with a member from another team, only one member's team will be given credit for the tournament fished and Anglers of the Year points. A guest fee will not apply in this situation.

Boating safety must be observed at all times during practice and competition. A U.S. Coast Guard approved chest type life preserver (PFD) must be worn and properly fastened any time the boat is on plane.

All contestants are subject to a polygraph testing. Failure to submit is grounds for disqualification. Any contestant who has failed a polygraph test for cheating in a bass tournament is not eligible to compete in any Fat Sacks tournaments. Polygraph testing will be performed at the discretion of the tournament officials.

Tournament dates and locations will be pre-set for the season and will not be changed for any reason except for an inclement weather event or it is not possible to have the event on that body of water. In the event of inclement weather or other adverse conditions, the tournament committee will make a decision and post that decision on the website.

Each team may weigh in five fish per day with a minimum of 12 inches in length, unless state or lake limits are greater, measured on a flat board with mouth closed and tail compressed. Any team weighing in a fish shorter than the legal tournament length will be assessed a 0.5 lb. penalty per short fish plus the loss of that fish. There will be a courtesy measuring board at the weigh-in site. This board is not official and will not be used to verify a fish’s length under any circumstances. Please use this board at your discretion. There will be no culling at the weigh-in site or after the team’s boat has been removed from the water or that team’s days catch cannot be weighed. Any team bringing more than five fish to the scales will be disqualified. No more than 2 dead fish can be weighed and dead fish cannot be weighed for the big bass pot. Each team can only weigh one fish for big bass. In the event of a tie, the teams will split the prize money for the place they are tied for and the next highest place. If there is a tie for the last place paid, the teams will split the prize money for that place. Only largemouth, spotted, smallmouth bass will be scored. Official weigh-in time will be 3 p.m. unless otherwise noted. All boats must be at the ramp by weigh-in time Any boat that returns after 3:05 p.m. will be disqualified from the tournament unless prior approval has been obtained from a committee member and only in the case of a break down. Official tournament time will be noted at sign-in.

All bass must be caught live and in a conventional sporting manner. Intentional snagging of fish will not be allowed. Trolling with the aid of combustion or electric motors is not permitted. Only artificial lures may be used. No live bait or prepared bait permitted with the exception of pork rinds. Liquid fish attractants are allowed. Only one rod may be used at any one time. Other rods may be in the boat and ready for use, however, every cast and retrieve must be completed before another cast is made. Contestants are not allowed to depart the boat to catch or land fish.

Adequate live-wells are mandatory on each boat. They must provide aeration to sustain a limit of fish in as good and releasable condition as possible.

Contestants must leave and return to the official checkpoint by boat. In the event of equipment failure, there shall be two permitted methods of returning to the check-in and weighing fish: (1) By both partners remaining in their boat and being towed by water, or (2) By one partner entering the boat of another Fat Sacks contestant along with the days catch. Each team’s fish must be kept separate. Even in the event of a breakdown the contestants must make it back to the official checkpoint by weigh-in time to be

Anglers of the Year points will be awarded on a points-based system. The top finisher will receive 100 points, second place will receive 99 points, third place will receive 98 points, and so on. A two point bonus will be awarded each tournament to the team with the day’s Big Bass. In the event of a tie both teams will receive the points for that place and the next place will be skipped. A team must weigh in a legal fish to receive points. At the end of the last regular season tournament, the lowest scoring tournament will be dropped and the team with the highest number of accumulated points will win Anglers of the Year. In the event of a tie, the team with the highest total weight for the season will be declared Anglers of the Year.

The Championship will be a two-day tournament with the heaviest two-day combined weight declared the winner. A team will have to fish at least 5 regular season events to qualify for the Championship. During this tournament, one additional place will be added to the payout. The actual number of places will depend on the number of teams that participate . The pay-out scale will be determined by the number boats that participate. The entry fee for the Championship will be $75.00. 

In the event of winter/inclement weather, we will make a decision on cancellation or postponement the night before said tournament and post that info on the website.