Mid-Indiana Bass Anglers (M.I.B.A.) Club Rules
The club has initiated a freeze on Non-boaters due to limited open seats with boaters.
1) ELIGIBILITY
1.1 Membership in MIBA is open to any individual who desires to fish for pleasure and competition in a friendly and sociable atmosphere.
2) MEMBERSHIP REQUIREMENTS:
2.1 All members must have their dues paid
to the Treasurer for the coming year on or before the first scheduled
points tournament. Membership for the remainder of the year after the first
point tournament will be closed and no points will be awarded. This rule does
not apply to new members that paid the club dues prior to or on the first point
tournament and on the 2 tournament probation period. Any member that joins
the club after the first scheduled points tournament will not obtain points for
the remainder of the year, but will be eligible to win prize money and qualify
for the Classic Tournament according to rule 10.5. New members may join during the year for club growth subject to rule 2.3.
2.2 Once an individual obtains full membership he is considered a member in good standing as long as his dues are current and/or his membership is not revoked by vote of the Officers.
2.3 All individuals making application to join MIBA must go through a 2 tournament probationary period prior to becoming a full member. At the end of the probationary period the officers will vote to approve or disapprove full member status to the applicant. Once an individual obtains full membership he is considered a member in good standing as long as his dues are current and his membership is not revoked by the vote of the Officers.
2.4 MIBA total membership cannot exceed 50 members at any one time.
3) MEMBERSHIP DUES
3.1 Membership dues for MIBA will be $25 annually. All dues will be directly placed into the General fund of the club to be used for any club maintenance or expenses.
4) TOURNAMENTS
4.1 All MIBA competition tournaments will be individual tournament with the exception of the Top 8 Tournament. Boaters may pick their own non-boater or fish solo if all non-boaters have been provided a ride.
4.2 Cost for a one-day tournament will be:
a. $45 per member (standard)
- $25 Place Winners
- $10 Top 8 Fund
- $10 Classic Fund
b. $5 Tournament Big Bass Pot (optional)
c. $5 Yearly Big Bass Pot (optional)
d. $5 50/50 Fund (optional)
with $10 going into the MIBA Top 8 Fund, $10 to the Classic
Fund, and $5 going into the “Big Bass” pot. A two-day tournament will be a cost
of $50 with an additional $5 funding the second day “Big Bass” pot. All team
tournaments are $90 per team.
4.3 All MIBA tournament boaters will need to provide proof of insurance for the boat that they are operating for each of the MIBA tournaments. This coverage must be at least $ 300,000.00 dollars’ worth of liability coverage. All MIBA Boat operators could be asked for a copy of this insurance prior to the start of each tournament. If boater fails to provide proof of this coverage you will not be allowed to fish that tournament.
4.4 Participants 16 years old or younger must pay the standard tournament entry fee.
4.5 All individuals above the age of 16 must have paid the tournament entry fee to participate in any MIBA tournament, and any club dues when applicable.
4.6 All tournaments will have:
a. A five fish limit per person (unless local rules apply)
b. Dead fish can be weighed with a penalty of half the weight of each dead fish unless state or local law prohibits weighing dead fish.
c. No short fish will be weighed (courtesy board will be available)
d. No live bait may be used at any time
e. The act of “trolling for fish” is prohibited
f. A golden rule type measurement board or similar board will be provided by the club and shall be considered the Official measurement device used for all tournament weigh-ins. Anglers are encouraged to compare their board with the official golden rule board.
g. A non-boater will have the primary responsibility of securing his own back seat for all tournaments and should do so prior to presenting himself/herself at the tournament venue. In the event that a non-boater does not secure a ride, he/she must notify the Tournament Director the Monday before the tournament. Boaters without a rider will acknowledge an open seat by the Monday prior to the tournament. Boaters with an open seat have an option to volunteer to give the non-boater a ride or go into a draw. If a non-boater is unable to secure a ride, a draw will be conducted at the ramp to match a non-boater with boater. If a boater volunteers or is selected by a draw, that boater will be exempt from future tournament draws until all boaters have been exhausted unless insufficient seats are available. Every effort will be made to pair existing non-boaters without rides with available single person boats. However, no guarantee is extended and non-boaters without arranged or drawn rides could find themselves left at the ramp. This rule was put into place to be fair to all parties involved without prejudice and to insure that all non-boaters have a ride prior to arrival at the ramp.
h. Non-boaters will pay their boaters a fee of $35 for a 1 day tournament or $45 for a 2 day tournament to help cover expenses before the tournament begins.
i. All boats will have a factory installed working live well.
j. Participants must fish from their designated and inspected boat and may not exit the boat at any time except for inclement weather, emergency or reason approved by the Tournament Director.
k.
All
live wells will be checked in the parking lot or at the ramp prior to the
beginning of the tournament. Boat owners will remain at their boat with the lids open to assist an officer the check the live well.
l. Boats may not be launched from another location other than the designated tournament launch ramp.
m. All tournament locations shall be off-limits for a period of 12 hours prior to the tournament.
n. If a participant is late to the tournament they MUST find an OFFICER of the club, have them check their live well and pay their entry fees prior to fishing.
o. All anglers must be present and have checked in with the assistant tournament official at the dock prior to the end of that day’s official end time. This time has been set and published for all tournaments by the Tournament Director.
p.
If
an Angler is late to the weigh-in, you will forfeit that days catch and points with the exception of the 10 participation points. No-Exceptions!
q.
For
all 2-Day tournaments, all participants must be registered prior to the
beginning of Day 1. of the tournament. No additional registrations will be
permitted on Day 2 or subsequent days. No Registration will be accepted after first launch unless approved by the voting officers.
4.7 All entry money will be in the form of cash. All payouts will be by cash except for the progressive big bass pot which will be paid out by a check.
4.8 Club Officer’s have first dibs as non-boater in an open seat.
4.9 Launch order for a tournament will be determined by the order of results from the previous tournament (1st to last).
4.10 The launch order of the first tournament of the year will be determined by the AOY standing from the previous year.
4.11 The call boat for each tournament will be determined by the point standing from the last tournament. The Angler present the least points will be the call boat.
4.12 Idle zones are for the safety of all. The first boat to an idle zone will have the first selection of a fishing spot.
4.13 The Tournament Director and Officers have the sole responsibility for safety. It is at the discretion of the Tournament and Officers to decide if the weather conditions are favorable to fish.
5) TOURNAMENT GUESTS
5.1 Tournament Entry Fees for both Members and Guests will be $45
5.2 Guests may participate in a maximum of 2 tournaments.
5.3 No competition points will be awarded
while in a guest status. Upon acceptance for membership, only participation
points earned from the Open Tournament shall be awarded retroactively.
5.4 Guests are not Classic eligible.
5.5 Immediate Family members are allowed to fish at the standard tournament rate without a membership fee as a guest.
5.6 Immediate Family members have no tournament participation limit per year and will receive no competition points towards MIBA standings.
5.7 Immediate Family members are not Classic eligible.
5.8 Immediate Family Member is defined for Club purposes as Father, Mother, Husband, Wife, Son or Daughter or Step-Son or Step-Daughter. All other Relationships resulting from marriage (such as In-Law) are not considered Immediate Family.
5.9 If a non-boater is in need of a ride and obtains a ride from a boater that is not a club member, the boater must be a family member or a prospective club member that truly has the intentions of joining the club.
6) ANNUAL POINTS ACCOUNTING PERIOD
6.1 The MIBA point season for compilation purposes shall be considered from the scheduled annual winter meeting thru the last regular season scheduled tournament. This does not include the Classic Tournament. Since competition points are not awarded for the Classic, the tournament immediately prior to the Classic will be considered the last eligible tournament.
7) TOURNAMENT POINTS
7.1 The purpose of awarding and accumulating competition points throughout the season is to identify the MIBA Top 8 Tournament Team. The individual receiving the highest number of points at the completion of the season shall be designated the MIBA Angler of the Year (AOY). A record of points will be maintained by the Secretary to determine our Top 8 team. All ties will be decided by the total weight of qualifying fish for the year. Should a second tie breaker be needed, it shall be determined by the total number of qualifying fish caught throughout the season. The Angler with the most points at end of the season will be the Angler of the Year and shall receive a plaque and a $200 bonus distributed from the general fund at the winter meeting the following year.
7.2 Competition Points shall be awarded in the following manner based on the total weight of qualifying fish presented at the scale:
· 60 Points for 1st Place
· 55 Points for 2nd Place
· 51 Points for 3rd Place
· 48 Points for 4th Place
· 46 Points for 5th Place
· 45 Points for 6th Place
· Beginning with 7th Place, points are awarded in descending order by 1 based on the order of finish for all participants weighing fish
· All 2-Day tournaments shall be considered as if it was a 1day tournament. With total maximum allowed points of 60 for the entire tournament. Big bass will be paid out for each day but paid on the final day of the tournament after weigh-in is closed.
· 10 Participation Points will be awarded to all anglers that did not weigh a fish in the tournament.
· 10 Participation points will be awarded to non-boaters unable to participate in a given tournament provided the following conditions are met:
o Participant will have paid his entry fee and registered during open registration for the tournament, AND
o After seeking volunteers or a draw is conducted and the non-boater is still without a ride or no seats are available, AND
o The non-boater does not request return of his/her registration fee. Should he/she do so, no points will be awarded.
8) PARTICIPATION POINTS OUTSIDE COMPETITION TOURNAMENTS
8.1 In addition to tournament points outlined above, MIBA members have the opportunity to earn additional points via attendance at the MIBA Winter meetings.10 participation points will be received by any MIBA member for attending an Official Winter meeting.
8.2 10 Participation Points will be awarded to all MIBA members taking part in the MIBA Open tournament. No Competition points will be given for the Open Tournament.
8.3 All MIBA members including Officers shall be eligible for participation points without exception.
9) ANNUAL TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
9.1 Lake scheduling for the upcoming year is done and decided completely by the Tournament Director. Suggestions are always welcome and must be submitted to the Tournament Director by the end of the Classic Tournament. However, the final decision is that of the tournament director who will try and implement new Lakes when possible.
9.2 The MIBA schedule will be out for viewing to the members by the 15 of February each year. No information will be available about the upcoming years schedule before that time.
9.3 If you have a date in the year that you would like the Tournament Director to work around please have that date turned into the tournament director in writing on or before October 31st.
9.4 The Tournament Director is the final authority when determining the order of these lakes on the schedule based there availability, lake permits, and other events.
10) CLASSIC TOURNAMENT
10.1
The
location of the Classic tournament will be determined by a draw from lakes
placed into nomination from a list of eligible lakes developed by the officers.
suggestions for lakes presented at the winter meeting and members will vote by a show of hands to select the classic lake at the end of the season. are welcome and must be submitted to the Tournament
Director by April 15th.
10.2 The selected lake will be off limit 30 days prior to the tournament.
10.3 Eligible lakes must be a minimum of 500 acres.
10.4 Eligible lakes must be within a 300 mile radius of Greenwood, Indiana and not fished on the current year’s schedule.
10.5 The Classic tournament will be open to ONLY club members who have participated in no less than 5 annual regular tournaments.
- An Open/benefit tournament will be considers eligible.
prior club tournaments plus one open tournament, or 5 regular point tournaments.
10.6 Entry fee for the Classic is established at $45 for all participating MIBA members, $5 each day for the tournament Big Bass pot (optional), $5 for the yearly big bass pot (optional), and $5 for the 50/50 pot (optional). Entry fee is free for the Angler of the Year.
11) MIBA TOP 8 TOURNAMENT TEAM
11.1 Eligibility is earned by finishing in the Top 8 positions of the prior year’s MIBA regular scheduled points tournaments. Events such as the MIBA Classic or charity events will not count toward Top 8 standings.
11.2 The Top 8 Tournament is a team tournament.
11.3 Positions 1-4 on the team shall be considered as “Boaters”. Positions 5-8 shall be considered “non-boaters.”
· Anglers must declare a status of a boater or non-boater by January 1st.
· MIBA Top-8 pairings will be done by a blind draw at the Annual Winter Meeting.
· Team members may position themselves up or down in the ranking with the agreement of team members affected by the move and agreed upon by the club officers.
· If a member of the team is unable to participate, the 9th highest points angler (alternate) shall be appointed to the team and so on, until all 8 positions are filled.
· The MIBA Top 8 tournament will be a 1 day team tournament at a lake selected by the Tournament Director.
· All members of the MIBA Top-8 team will pay $45.00 dollars to fish this tournament plus $5 for Big Bass.
· MIBA Top 8 anglers must be a member in good standing as a club member within MIBA and be carried on the club roster from the prior year.
· MIBA Top 8 anglers must be on the current years MIBA club roster with dues paid by the first point tournament in order to fish in the next year’s Top -8 tournament.
12) MEETINGS
12.1 Club meetings will be held at the ramp either before or after tournaments.
12.2 A formal meeting will be conducted each February (Winter Meeting).
12.3 Special Membership meetings may be called at the direction of the officers.
12.4 Officer Meetings may be conducted at any time at the request of any officer.
13) CLUB OFFICERS
13.1 Club officers will consist of one office for every 5 members (minimum 2, maximum 5). Club officers may have multi- functions based on the number of officers and the needs of the club.
13.2 Officer positions consist of the following:
· President, Tournament Director (voting)
· Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer (voting)
· Tournament Assistant (voting)
· Tournament Assistant (voting)
· Tournament Assistant (voting)
13.3 Officer elections will be held in the evening of the first day of the classic tournament.
13.4
If
a member desires to run for a club office, he/she must be nominated by a
current member prior to the 1st launch of the tournament. 2nd
day of the classic tournament.
13.5 If no members are nominated, the current officer positions will remain intact for the next season.
14) EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
14.1 This committee is in place for all matters that need a final say or discipline. The Executive Committee consists of the following;
· President
· Vice President
· Tournament Assistants (3)
15) FUNDRAISING ACTIVITIES
15.1 Non sanctioned fundraising activities such as 50/50 raffles, charity raffles, etc., may be permitted within the club activities if approved by a majority of the members.
15.2 A Progressive Big Bass Pot is considered a MIBA sponsored activity under the control and oversight of the Officers. Direct responsibility for activity and administration of the Progressive Big Bass Pot shall be assigned to one of the officers.
15.3 Full financial status and results MUST be reported to the membership at each official meeting of the club and available upon request to any member at each official club tournament.
16) MIBA ADVIERTISING AND WEB POSTING
16.1 Let’s all keep in mind that we the (MIBA) are a non-profit organization with some rules that we must follow to keep this status, we get significant breaks from bank fees to insurance wavers because we carry this non-profit status. The officers ask that you please follow some simple rules before posting information about the Club.
16.2 Your officers encourage web postings and advertising of our club.
16.3 If it is a charity event or a foundation tournament please feel free to post on our website.
16.4 If it is an Open, membership drive, or general information of another club or event of another club other than MIBA please get permission from the officers before posting on our website.
16.5 If you want to post any information about MIBA on other websites. Please let the officers read before posting. There is certain criteria of information that we feel must be met before posting.
17)
PROGRESSIVE YEARLY BIG BASS POTS
17.1
Buy-in
for the Progressive Yearly Big Bass Pot is optional for all M.I.B.A. members.
17.2
The
cost for the Progressive Yearly Big Bass Pots is $2.00 $5 each tournament and paid at the
time of registration.
17.3
Members
must be paid up in full from the last Progressive Big Bass Pot payout. For the Yearly big bass pot, the angler will only receive money for which he/she has contributed to. No longer will the club collect retro fees.
17.4 Only classic eligible anglers that have fully contributed to the Yearly big bass pot are eligible to win which will be paid by check at the end of the season.
17.5
To
win the Progressive Big Bass Pot, a Large Mouth must be 6.01 pounds or greater,
Small Mouth 5.01 pounds or greater, and a Spotted Bass 4.01 pounds or greater. The angler that wins the tournament big bass with receive 5 additional participation points.
17.6
In
the event that more than one angler has a qualifying bass for the Progressive
Big Bass Pot, the Angler with the largest single fish weight will win. If there is a tie for big bass the pot will be split.
17.7
Progressive
Big Bass pot will cap at $2000. Members as of the Winter Meeting in 2018 are
eligible to wiln both Big Bass pots. Anglers after the Winter Meeting in 2018
are only eligible to win the second Big Bass pot. Big bass pot money greater than $4000 has been rolled into the yearly big bass pot. All members prior to the 2023 season are eligible for the full amount of the new YBB pot. All members are only eligible for the tournaments they contributed to.
17.8 New members will not be eligible to win a Big Bass pot until they have fished the two probationary tournaments and voted in by the current members before the 3rd tournament.
17.9 A new member will qualify for the Big Bass pot on or after the 3rd tournament if the above conditions are met.
18) CONTACTS
· President/Tour -Director – Brian Keown (email: Brian.Keown@comcast.net) Cell: (317) 716-1681
· V.P., Secretary / Treasurer - Frank Sellers (email: frank3732@gmail.com) Cell: (317) 407-5609
· Tournament Assistant 1 –Carl Hoadley (email: c_hoss55@yahoo.com) Cell: (317) 213-7007
- Tournament Assistant 2-Josh Fields Cell: (812) 371-2672