2024 QCBC Tournament Rules

1.  ELIGIBILITY:  All tournament participants must be paid members of the Quad City Bass Club for the current year. Yearly dues must be paid by the end of the monthly membership meeting prior to the first tournament of the year that the member wishes to fish. All participants must be a minimum of 14 years of age in order to fish a Quad City Bass Club sponsored tournament. All participants must sign a release waiver before fishing each tournament.

2. TYPE OF TACKLE: Only artificial lures may be used. No “live bait” is permitted.

3. BOAT AND MOTOR: Any type of boat and motor may be used. Each team may only fish from one boat per day and cannot switch to using another boat during that day for any reason. The team may use a different boat on the second day of a two-day tournament. All boats must have a working live well at the beginning of each day.

4. PERMITTED FISHING LOCATION: Fishing is allowed anywhere legally allowed (unless identified off limit locations are announced) in the river or lake that can be reached by normal boating operation. No trailering of boats is allowed once the tournament has begun. No fishing is allowed during the time between the first day weigh in and blast off on the second day of a two-day tournament. During points tournaments there will be no locking through to different pools.

5. PENALTIES:  You must have your tournament chip returned each day by the designated time in the Fish / No Fish can or you are disqualified for the day. Any boat receiving a citation from the DNR or any other law enforcement agency during tournament hours will be disqualified from that day of the tournament.

6. SCORING: Total weight determines the final tournament standings. Each team must bring their own catch to the weigh in. In case of a breakdown a team can bring their fish to the scale in another contestant’s boat but one member of the team must accompany their fish. All fish will be measured on a flat board at the weigh in site, by a designated member of the Fish Committee. Any team weighing a fish shorter than the established limit (see limit rule further in this document) will have the weight of that fish deducted from that days total legal weight. Each dead fish will create a penalty of .40 pound which will be deducted from that team’s total legal weight for that day. The heaviest bass per team during the entire tournament will break ties for total weight.  Dead fish are not eligible for any big bass awards.  TIES: Ties split tournament winnings equally.    Contestants must select and mark the fish to be weighed as their daily big bass prior to bringing their fish to the weigh in scales. Weigh in officials will not be responsible for the big fish selection. If there is no marker on the big fish the “bump person” will determine that team's big fish.

7. PROTESTS: Contestants may lodge protests to any member of the Fish Committee. All protests must be made before the weigh-in is completed for that day.

8. ENTRY FEES: One day tournament entry fee is $80.00. This includes $5.00 per boat for big fish for the tournament, $5.00 to the fish committee, $5.00 to the prize fund for the “Classic”, and $5.00 to go for paying for permits from the DNR. Two-day tournament entry fee is $100.00. This includes $5.00 for big fish for each day and also the other fees included in the one-day tournament fee. The entry fee must be paid as a team. The entry fee is refundable if the contestants cannot blast off to start the tournament on a one-day tournament or the first day of a two-day tournament. Entry fees are payable only in cash.

9. PRIZES & EXPENSES: Prize money will distribute as follows, after deductions in rule #8 are withheld.

PAYBACK AS FOLLOWS:

1-10 boats   3 places   50 – 30 – 20%

11-15 boats 4 places   46 – 27 – 16 – 11%

16-25 boats 5 places   34 – 24 – 19 – 14 – 9%

26 or more   6 places   33 – 23 – 18 – 13 – 8 – 5%

10. TOURNAMENT HOURS AND CHECK IN: Tournament hours will be set by the fish committee. The fish committee reserves the right to alter tournament hours on any day of a tournament due to weather conditions.  Tournament registration will be conducted at times announced at the monthly membership meeting and listed in the monthly newsletter and/or club website. A team must be registered within tournament registration time period to be eligible to fish. There will be a morning meeting prior to the tournament blast off in which MANDATORY attendance of every tournament entrant is required. 

11. TOURNAMENT TAKE OFF: A drawing will be held during the mandatory pre-tournament meeting to determine tournament starting positions. Boats will depart in numerical order from a designated starting point. Kill switches and running lights must be used at every blast off. Takeoff positions on the 2nd day of a two-day tournament will be in reverse order from Day 1. For 2-day tournaments you must pick up your boat number chip prior to launch on day 2 from the tournament director.  The time for the day 2 boat chip pick up will be announced at the day 1 weigh in. You must pick up your chip or be disqualified for the day.  All boats are required to have working running lights.  If a boat does not have working running lights that boat must get in line behind the rest of the tournament contestants and will blast off after that day’s blast off boat.

12. SPORTSMANSHIP: All fishing will be done at least 50 feet away from other tournament boats. Sportsmanship and courtesy are required from participants, from their arrival to departure. Participants are responsible for their individual behavior and any violations will be dealt with according to the bylaws of the Quad City Bass Club. Tournament participants locking through dams must leave the lock in the order in which they arrived at the lock.

13. POINTS: Contestants gather points from all tournaments fished.  Points for Fisherman of the Year standings will be accumulated from all tournaments fished with the lowest tournament point total of the year thrown out. Points are awarded as follows:

1st place-50 pts, 2nd-49 pts, and so on with each place dropping one point. All boats entered that fail to weigh a fish during the tournament will be awarded 1 point. Ties in points are decided by the total weight of fish weighed in by a contestant throughout the year. Contestants must begin the tournament (blast off) to receive points towards Fisherman of the Year.

14. FISHING PARTNERS: Members may choose their own partners.

15. LIMITS: The laws of the state in which the tournament is being held govern catch and length limits. Length limits for Mississippi River tournaments will be a minimum of 14 inches, unless otherwise stated. There will be a 5 fish limit per boat at all tournaments. Club possession limit is 5 fish.  Culling is allowed but must be done on the water at the time you catch an additional fish you intend to keep. Except for culling, possessing more than 5 keeper bass at any time will result in a disqualification for that day of the tournament. There is to be no culling at the ramp.  The fish committee reserves the right to check all live wells at the ramp.

16. SAFETY: Life jackets (PFD) must be worn at the blastoff. After blastoff you must also wear your PFD whenever your boat is on plane. It is not required if you are at idle speed. Functional kill switches are mandatory equipment on boats with motors larger than 35 H.P. Kill switches and running lights must be used during the blast off. Coast Guard required safety equipment is mandatory for each boat. No alcoholic beverages shall be consumed by the contestants during tournament hours. Contestants must use the actual lock to navigate river dams in non-points tournaments. Trying to navigate dams by going under raised gates or rollers will result in a disqualification for that day.

17. BIG BASS PLAQUES: Plaques will be awarded at the annual Awards Banquet for the biggest bass caught during tournaments for that year.

18. CLAIM WAIVER:  All persons fishing in a tournament sponsored by the Quad City Bass Club, Inc. will automatically waive and release the Club from all claims, injuries, and / or damages incurred during the participation in said events. Waivers for any tournament must be signed at the time of tournament registration before you are allowed to fish that tournament.

19. RULES INTERPRETATION: Rule interpretations shall be the exclusive right of the Fish Committee and their decisions shall be final. It is the responsibility of each member to know the rules.

20. “CLASSIC” QUALIFICATION:  In order to qualify for the “Classic Tournament” (QC Bass Club’s last tournament of the year) one member must have fished 3 qualifying tournaments and the other member must have fished 2 qualifying tournaments. If those conditions have not been met, the team does not qualify to fish the classic.  A qualifying team will be required to pay additional $50 added to the standard tournament entry fee when both members of that team have not fished at least 3 qualifying tournaments during that year.

21. HIS / HERS TOURNAMENTS:  His / Her's tournaments will be open tournaments and will not be a sanctioned tournament by the Quad City Bass Club.

22. INSURANCE: It is the responsibility of each boat owner to have current insurance on their boats.

23. CULLING BALLS: Culling balls with the puncture type clips are no longer allowed. If you bring a fish to the scale with the puncture type clip you will be given a warning. The second time will result in a 1 pound penalty.

REV. 3/24 You can download the rules from the Downloadable Documents page.