2026 Bedford Bass Club Rules

1. Rule Changes and Interpretation: Interpretation of these rules will be left exclusively to the Tournament Directors. The decision of the Directors will be final in all matters. Infractions of any rule can result in disqualification.
2. All largemouth or spotted bass must be a minimum of 12 inches in length or length required by state law if longer than 12 inches. All smallmouth bass including mean mouth smallmouth must be 18” in length or length required by state law (See attachment A). The smallest bass per bag will be measured on a golden rule with mouth closed butted against front of the board and tail pinched with any part of the tail touching to be a legal fish. Measure your fish before you come to the scales. There will not be a courteous board to check your fish at the scales. All fish brought to the scales will be considered a tournament fish. If a team is found to have a short fish, the penalty shall be loss of that fish and largest fish in their bag.
3. There will be a five fish limit per boat or state limit. No more than five fish shall be in the live well at any time during the tournament hours.
4. Dead fish; there will be a 4 oz deduction for each dead fish you weigh-in.
5. At no time during the tournament hours will there be alcoholic beverages permitted.
6. Each competitor must furnish a coast guard approved life preserver in the boat for himself and partner, and must wear it while the gasoline engine is running. All competitors must observe safe boating. The club requires that all boats be equipped with a kill switch and must be used while combustion engine is running.
7. Any contestant caught cheating will be barred from all future events held by this club and his/her name will be removed from the roll of the club.
8. Each competitor must check-in in person at time and place prescribed on the schedule of events.
9. All competitors must be at the boat ramp at weigh-in time. A team not at the ramp will not be able to weigh their fish. There will be no exceptions. Everyone should check his or her watch with the tournament director to get the correct time.
10. The tournament committee will furnish an official who will check competitors out in the tournament and make a rigid boat inspection if deemed necessary and act as official weigh-in master. Live wells will be checked before each tournament. The tournament directors will approve exceptions.
11. Anyone who knows in advance that they will be late for a tournament must notify a committee member before the tournament begins. They must check in with a committee member to have live-wells checked before beginning tournament.
12. Each team must present their catch to the weigh-in-officials.
13. At no time will a contestant be allowed to leave the tournament waters and return except under approval of tournament directors.
14. Only artificial lures may be used.
15. Trolling is not allowed.
16. There will be a $10 membership fee that is required to be paid in full before the start of the season which goes to the fish off pot, with an optional side pot of $10 per person for 2 big bass of the year awards, (50% big largemouth - 50% big smallmouth) payout. Big fish will be paid to the top boat at each tournament. New members will be required to pay their fee at sign-up time.
17. Entry fee will be $30 per person; Solo boats will pay $30 per boat per tournament with no refunds.
    • **$20 per person of entry fee goes to each tournament payout.
    • **$5 per person of entry fee goes to fish off pot.
      • **$5 per person of entry fee goes to big fish, optional side pot.
        Entry fee for all tournaments must be paid at the dock prior to starting the tournament.
18. All protest will be handled by the tournament director. Any protest of a tournament or contestant must be presented to the tournament directors within 24 hours after the end of the tournament.
19. No team will be allowed to fish within 50 yards of another competitor, only exceptions are with permission of competitor or incidental meetings.
20. PRE-TOURNAMENT PRACTICE: No off limits on the 12 tournaments, only the fish off. you may not hire a professional guide two weeks prior to each tournament. Each competitor agrees to report to Tournament Officials any infraction of tournament rules. The failure to report violations or suggestions to violate these rules will be cause for disqualification.
21. Scoring will be 1 point per ounce caught: example (1 lb x 16oz = 16 points). A bonus of 16 points per person will be added to your team standing for each tournament fished and a bonus of 16 points per person will be added to your team standing at the end of tournament season if you fish all 12 tournaments.
22. Place money will be as follows:

1. Up to 10 individual entries; one place with 1st place 100%.
2. 11 through 20 individual entries: two places with 1st place 60%, 2nd place 40%.
3. 21 through 30 individual entries: three places: 1st place 50%, 2nd place 30%, and 3rd place 20%.
4. 31 through 40 individual entries; four places 1st place 50%, 2nd place 25%, 3rd place 15%, and 4th place 10%.

23. Any club member who fishes 6 of the 12 tournaments will be eligible for the fish-off as an individual, or fish 6 tournaments with the same partner to qualify as a team. No club member will be able to pay for a tournament in advance and not fish scheduled tournament, and expect to receive credit as one of the 6 tournaments in order to make the fish-off. No exceptions.
24. Have to participate in 50% of the scheduled tournaments to be eligible for end of year winnings.
25. Fish-off tournament: This tournament will be a draw for Lake tournament. All lakes that BBC fishes on the schedule except for "Tim's" will be included in the drawing for the fish-off for 2026. The drawing for the fish-off will be held at the Shelbyville Wal-Mart parking lot at 5:30 pm on Thursday Oct 15th. Any club member who fishes 6 of the tournaments will be eligible for the fish-off. No entry fee for fish-off. There will be up to ten places paid out at the fish-off depending on number of entries paid throughout season:

    1st place 50%
    2nd place 30%
    3rd place 20%

26. A paid guide (someone that gets paid to show someone where the fish are and does it for a living “or are anyway affiliated with a paid guide service”) cannot now or anytime join or become a substitute in this fishing club.
27. A team shall consist of one or two individual club members.
28. Every team will draw a numbered chip at the first tournament. This will be your number for the entire year. Ease-off will be in groups of five. Your number determines your ease-off position. The ease-off will rotate each tournament starting with numbers 1-5 for the 1st tournament, 6-10 for the 2nd tournament, 11-15 for the 3rd tournament and so on until we exhaust all team numbers and then it will start all over again. New teams that enter after the first tournament will be given the last number not assigned.
29. No locking will be allowed on any lake that Bedford Bass Club fishes.
30. All members must have a valid State fishing license required by State Law for each lake fished. Random checks may be conducted at each tournament. Failure to provide proof of a valid fishing license within a reasonable amount of time when requested by the Tournament director will result in disqualification for that day and any preceding days in which the license was requested for the tournament.

ATTACHMENT A (01/20/2026)

Minimum Bass length limits for Bedford Bass Club lakes fished in 2026