AMERICAN COUPLES SERIES - 2009 RULES

Entry Fees:	Divisional Qualifying events	Championship
Per Team	$100	$150

(NOTICE: UPDATED - JANUARY 1, 2009)

RULES: The following tournament rules shall apply to the American Couples Series operated by American Bass Anglers except that; (1) rules for special tournaments may differ from those contained herein and (2) these rules may be changed by American Bass Anglers (ABA) immediately upon notice by ABA to its members; which notice will be published on the ABA internet site at www.abacouples.com    Interpretation and enforcement of these rules shall be left exclusively to the Tournament Director or his/her designee at a tournament. In the event of a rule violation, the Tournament Director or a rules committee may impose such sanctions, as deemed appropriate by them, including, without limitation, disqualification, and forfeiture of prizes, entry fee and prohibition from participation in subsequent tournaments. The decision of the Tournament Director, his/her designee, or the rules committee shall be final in all matters. Rules violations must be reported to the Tournament Director on site within 15 minutes after the announcement; “The scales are now closed”.

1. PARTICIPANTS AND ELIGIBILITY: Participation is open to teams comprised of one male and one female in good standings with American Bass Anglers, Inc. who are 16 years of age or older. Contestants between 16 and 18 years of age must have a parent or guardian signature prior to entering the tournament. Proof of age to the satisfaction of tournament officials is the responsibility of the competitor. Tournament officials reserve the right to refund any membership and/or entry fee, if they choose for any reason not to accept the application and/or entry fee.  During the official practice and competition days of any American Couples Series event operated by American Bass Anglers, no competitor may operate a boat unless that contestant has documented proof of a minimum of $100,000 per occurrence boating liability insurance (see Participant Release of Liability and Official Entry Forms) covering the boat being used in the tournament. Proof of insurance must be with the boat being used and must cover the competitors using that boat. Random checks will be conducted and any competitor who does not have proof of in-force insurance with $100,000 coverage may be disqualified. 
2. ANGLER CODE OF CONDUCT:  Anglers participating in any ABA sanctioned event shall observe this code of conduct and the applicable rules for the specific event in which he/she is participating. Anglers shall, at all times, conduct themselves in a manner becoming professional anglers that will not reflect unfavorably on ABA, its members, officers or representatives, tournaments or sponsors.
   To this end, anglers shall use their best efforts to demonstrate professionalism and integrity in support of the sport of professional fishing. Any angler who violates any of the provisions of the Angler Code of Conduct may be subject to fines, forfeiture of tournament winnings, suspension from competing in individual ABA sanctioned events, permanent ban from competition, or any combination thereof deemed appropriate by ABA.
   MEDIA COMMENTS, PUBLIC ATTACKS
   The favorable public reputation of ABA as a sanctioning organization in the sport of fishing, the integrity of its officials, and the reputation of its media properties are valuable assets and tangible benefits for ABA. Accordingly, it is an obligation of competitors to refrain from comments to the news media that unreasonably attack or disparage the integrity of tournaments, tournament officials, sponsors, fellow members, fellow anglers or the ABA organization. Competitors are encouraged to express themselves and have the right to question the rules officials. Responsible expressions of legitimate disagreement with ABA policies are encouraged as opposed to attacks upon the integrity of the rules or officials. However, public comments that an angler knows, or should reasonably know, will harm the reputation of ABA, ABA officials or sponsors shall be considered conduct unbecoming a professional and will result in disciplinary action.
3. PRACTICE AND COMPETITION: During regular season events, there will be no off-limits or official practice days. During post season, ABA may establish off-limits and official practice days which may be posted separately.

   i.) During competition a competitor can only have the assistance or advice of another competitor for the purposes of locating or catching bass on tournament waters.
   ii.) Testing of engines after the weigh-in for multiple day tournaments is only allowed with permission from the Tournament Director and all rods/reels must be stowed away in rod lockers while testing. No Exceptions. During the official practice and during the tournament, a competitor may not "SKIN DIVE" OR "SCUBA DIVE" in the tournament waters.
   iii.) Competitor may not buy or barter a fishing location from any person for use during any competition day.
   iv.) During the official competition days of the tournament, a competitor may not use a CB radio, a VHF marine-band radio, a cellular phone, or any other type of communication device for the purpose of locating or catching fish. Competitors are permitted to transmit by radio or telephone only in the event of an emergency. If cell phone is used, it must be in speaker mode and the other angler must be allowed to hear the conversation. If so equipped, competitors may listen to the marine-band weather information.
   v.) A designated tournament official must be granted access to the competitor's boat at any time during competition. Failure to grant such access may result in immediate disqualification.
   vi.) Each competitor agrees to report to the Tournament Director any violation or infraction of any Tournament Rules. Failure to report violations, or suggestions to another competitor that they violate these Rules, or false verification of weigh-in forms will be cause for disqualification.

4. POLYGRAPH: By his and her signature on the official tournament entry form and/or the liability release form, each competitor agrees to submit to a polygraph examination/truth verification method or any other type examination as determined by ABA, and abide by its conclusion should he/she be accused of any rule violation. The ABA Tournament Director or rules committee, or such person designated by the Tournament Director shall have the discretion to determine the need for a polygraph/truth verification method examination. The ABA Tournament Director or his/her designee shall be responsible for selecting an independent expert to administer and interpret the results and establishing, in consultation with the expert administrator, the scope of the questions which may be asked during the polygraph/truth verification method examination. The ABA Tournament Director or his/her designee shall attempt to have the location of such polygraph/truth verification method examination as close in proximity to the angler's permanent address or such other mutually convenient as possible. The competitor shall make himself/herself available at the location selected by the Tournament Director and shall cooperate in all respects with such examination. Anglers taking a polygraph/truth verification method examination may be responsible for any and all cost incurred.
5. PRE-REGISTERED ENTRIES: It is recommended that contestants pre-register through National headquarters. Contestants desiring to register at the ramp must do so in person during the official registration period. Registration period is defined as 1 and ½ hours preceding 5am local time during daylight savings time and 6am local time during standard time or the time established by the local tournament director. Failure to attend the pre-tournament meeting of any ABA tournament will result in forfeiture of entry fee and disqualification from the tournament in question. Teams may also register on line at www.abacouples.com by phone at 1-888-203-6222, or by mail at: American Bass Anglers, Inc. Attn: American Couples Series, P.O. Box 475 Athens, AL 35612.
6. On Site REGISTRATION: All Teams desiring to register at the tournament site must register in person prior to 5AM local time during daylight savings time or 6AM local time during standard time. One member of each team must attend the mandatory safety/rules briefing at the tournament site the morning of the tournament. Failure to attend the safety/rules briefing will result in forfeiture of entry fee and will not be entered in that tournament.
7. TEAM COMPOSITION: Once a team has been registered, the team must fish together throughout the year to be eligible for point accumulation and qualification for the Championship.  Both members of a team must fish the first event together to establish the team.   After the establishment of a team, in the event one partner cannot fish a tournament the remaining partner may fish that tournament alone. Throughout the year a representative of the original team may fish only one tournament alone to accumulate points.
8. GUIDES: Individuals who are serving as a licensed guide or are paid for guiding on tournament waters within the previous 30 day period are not eligible to compete in American Bass Anglers, Inc. events on that lake(s).
9. SAFETY: Safety is paramount and anglers must recognize that; Fishing from an open boat in itself is inherently dangerous, and as a result American Bass Anglers seeks to limit those hazards with reasonable safety rules.

   i.) Safe boat conduct must be observed at all times by competitors. During the official practice and competition, each competitor must wear a US Coast Guard-approved chest-type life preserver. This preserver must be worn at all times the combustion engine is in gear. This preserver must be strapped, snapped or zippered securely and maintained in that condition until the combustion engine is no longer in gear. Violation of this rule shall be reason for disqualification.
   ii.) Tournament officials have the right to delay, shorten, restrict tournament waters or cancel the start of an official tournament day because of bad weather or other factors that would endanger the safety of the competitors.
   iii.) ABA reserves the right to impose boat speed limits during any or all tournaments. Whether or not to impose a speed limit, the area covered by the speed limit and/or the actual speed limit imposed shall be left exclusively to the discretion of the tournament director.
   iv.) IN THE EVENT OF AN EMERGENCY SITUATION, COMPETITORS SHOULD CALL 911 FIRST AND THEN NOTIFY TOURNAMENT OFFICIALS.
   v.) COMPETITORS ARE ALLOWED TO LEAVE THE BOAT AND SEEK SAFE SHELTER IN BAD WEATHER WHERE DANGER MAY BE IMMINENT, AT WHICH TIME ALL FISHING MUST CEASE.

10. SPORTSMANSHIP: Competitors in ABA tournaments are expected to follow high standards of sportsmanship, courtesy, safety and conservation. Any infraction of these fundamental sporting principles may be deemed cause for disqualification.

    i.) Use of alcohol or drugs (other than those purchased over-the-counter or prescribed by a licensed physician) by any competitor during the official practice or during the tournament will not be tolerated and shall be cause for automatic disqualification from this and all future ABA tournaments. No alcoholic beverages, other stimulants or depressants or otherwise, shall be allowed in the boats during the official practice or competition days, or in the weigh-in area.
    ii.) Maximum courtesy must be practiced at all times, especially with regard to boating and angling in the vicinity of non-competitors who may be on tournament waters. Any act of a competitor which reflects unfavorably upon efforts to promote fisheries conservation, clean waters and courtesy, shall be reason for disqualification.
    iii.) All competitors are bound by the prevailing statutes and regulations of the various states within which they fish.
    iv.) Chemical substance addiction or abuse, conviction of a felony or other crimes involving moral turpitude, or other conduct reflecting unfavorably upon efforts to promote safety, sportsmanship, fair competition and compliance with tournament rules shall be grounds for rejecting any application for participation and/or for disqualification after circumstances are reviewed by the Tournament Director. Any disqualification, suspension from, or other disciplinary action regarding any tournament or fishing organization shall be grounds for rejecting any application for participation in an ABA tournament and/or disqualification from an ABA tournament after circumstances are reviewed by the Tournament Director.

11. SAFETY/BOAT CHECK: Safe boating will be observed at all times. Contestants understand that participating in fishing tournaments in an open boat is inherently dangerous. Safe boating conduct will be observed at all times. During the official practice and competition, each competitor is required to wear a U.S. Coast Guard approved chest-type life preserver (PFD). This preserver must be worn any time the combustion engine is in gear. This preserver must be strapped, snapped or zippered securely and maintained in that condition until the combustion engine is no longer in gear. The boat operator must have a safety-stop switch attached to his/her person when the combustion engine is in gear. During practice and tournament hours extreme caution must be exercised by boat operator during bad weather. In addition extreme caution must be exercised and boat operator must be aware that there could be large cruisers and/or barges operating on tournament lakes that displace extremely large volumes of water which create unusually large wakes and turbulence. Weather and water turbulence can be extremely hazardous and extreme caution should be exercised at all times. Violation of either the PFD or safety-stop switch portion of this rule will result in disqualification.
12. TACKLE AND EQUIPMENT: The use of grippers in landing bass is prohibited. Only artificial and biodegradable lures may be used. No “live bait” or “prepared bait” will be permitted during official practice and competition, with the exception of pork strips or rinds. Only one casting, spin casting or spinning rod (8 foot maximum length from butt of handle to rod tip) and reel may be used at any one time. Other rigs as specified above may be in boat ready for use; however, only one is permitted in use at any given time. All bass must be caught live and in a conventional sporting manner. Anyone guilty of snatching or snagging visible fish will have their catch disqualified. When visually fishing a bed or for bedding bass to be counted as a legal fish, all bass must be hooked inside the mouth and must be verified by your partner before being unhooked.
13. HORSEPOWER REGULATIONS: Maximum horsepower for all outboard motorboats used in official tournament practice and in tournament competition will be 250 HP. Horsepower cannot exceed the limitations set by the U.S. Coast Guard or the manufacturer’s rating plate. When required, each boat must have a U.S. Coast Guard horsepower-rating plate attached to the boat by the manufacturer. The horsepower of the outboard engine must not exceed the rating specified on this plate nor the horsepower maximum set by ABA. Each competitor agrees to submit, by their signature on the official entry form, the boat and outboard motor used in the tournament, to an inspection by factory-trained personnel, if there is any reason to suspect the horsepower is in excess of the rating. Normal maintenance of engines is allowed. Changing or altering standard factory parts of a competitor's engine to increase the horsepower over the factory horsepower rating is forbidden, and will result in disqualification. Falsifying information on entry forms or altering the horsepower-rating numbers on the engine is also cause for immediate disqualification from ABA tournaments. Posted speed limits must be observed and all boats must be operated in a safe manner.
14. BOAT AND MOTOR: For the safety of all competitors, during competition all boats must be equipped with an approved type of operable ignition kill switch and lanyard. Only one manufactured lanyard may be used and must be attached to the driver's body any time the combustion engine is in gear. Any time the combustion engine is operating and in gear there must be a driver in the driver's seat in full control of the boat. Fishing boats that are less than 16 feet in length may not be used. Any raised platforms or decks cannot be higher than the gunnels of the boat. Fishing, while standing on the outboard motor or boat seats is not allowed. An electric trolling motor may be used for slow maneuvering. However, trolling as a method of fishing is prohibited. All bladder tanks and any other type of auxiliary gas tanks that are not installed by the boat manufacturer are prohibited. Additional gas tanks that are factory options and installed by a manufacturer's authorized dealer are permitted. Boats that do not have factory-installed gas tanks are restricted to a maximum of 18 gallons of gasoline in tanks that meet U.S. Coast Guard regulations. Gas tanks must be properly secured or strapped in a boat. No portable gas tanks or containers capable of holding gasoline can be placed anywhere on the tournament waters or shoreline for use by any tournament competitor. No “barges” or similar craft will be permitted. No boat equipped with “Stick Steering” shall be permitted to be used during official practice or during the tournament by any competitor. “Stick steering” shall be as defined by the Tournament Director.
15. BASIC BOAT EQUIPMENT: During competition every boat must have all required US Coast Guard safety equipment as well as a functional bilge pump. During competition every boat must have live-well space, properly aerated, to adequately maintain alive a limit catch of bass by both competitors using the boat. ABA recommends live-wells are maintained at full level and aerators/re-circulators on manual. Tournament officials shall have the sole responsibility for determining whether aeration and capacity is proper and adequate.
16. BOAT IDENTIFICATION: Prior to each day’s start, each boat must be given an inspection check by a tournament official. Each day, each boat will be given a number, which must remain with the boat until turned in each day at the check-in. This number must be displayed upon the request of tournament officials, and turned in to the officials at each check-in.
17. PERMITTED FISHING LOCATIONS: Tournament waters shall be established by the Tournament Director for each tournament. Each competitor must obtain this information from the ABA Tournament Director. Any water within these boundaries posted “Off-Limits” or “No Fishing” by state or federal agencies as well as the live-bass-release area established by the Tournament Director will be OFF-LIMITS and will be announced at the Tournament Briefing. Only that water open to all public fishing will be considered tournament waters. Competitors wishing to change fish habitat by placing any object in the tournament waters may do so if such action does not violate state or federal regulations. At no time may a member of a team leave the boat to land a fish or to make the boat more accessible to fishing waters. All contestants must leave and return to the official checkpoint by boat and the boat must remain in tournament waters during the tournament. In the case of a breakdown or emergency contestants have only two ways to return to the check-in and have their days catch counted. 1) Both members of the team remain in their boat and are towed in by water; 2) A member of a team may enter another contestant’s boat with their fish and ride back to the checkpoint.
18. OFFICIAL CHECKPOINT: There shall be only one official point for check-out in the morning and check-in in the afternoon, these points shall be designated at the tournament briefing. At the time of check-out, all competitors and their boats shall be in full conformity with all rules set forth by the Tournament Director. At check-in, all boats shall identify themselves by means of the numbers described herein and proceed immediately to the designated weigh-in area. Angler’s not weighing bass may trailer their boat.
19. TOURNAMENT HOURS: Official start and weigh-in times for each flight will be announced at the pre-tournament briefing. Our best effort will be given to allow at least 8 hours fishing time. In the case of adverse weather conditions, the tournament director will open weigh-in at 12 Noon for safety.
20. SCORING: Tournament standings, auxiliary awards and final winners shall be determined by the pound-and-hundredths weight of each teams catch during the competition days of the tournament. Only Largemouth, Smallmouth, Spotted, Redeye or Shoal bass will be weighed. The limit per team shall be 5 of the above species and varieties per day, unless otherwise specified by tournament officials. At no time shall a team have in their possession more than the tournament limit. Tournament officials will conduct checks for violations of this provision, and in the event a team has in its possession more than the above-described limits, the team will be immediately disqualified. The official length for bass shall be determined by the Tournament Director and announced at the Tournament Briefing. The minimum length shall be 12 inches and in most cases it will be the longest state limit covering the tournament waters. Only bass as described above which measure the official length or more on the longest straight line, shall be weighed. Bass presented for weigh-in, which fail to measure the official length, shall result in a penalty of 1 pound for each such bass, which penalty shall be deducted from the total score of the team. Any bass that appears to have been mangled, mashed, mauled or otherwise altered will be weighed and credited only at the discretion of tournament officials. After competitors check in at the official checkpoint they must present all legal fish in their possession to a tournament official to be counted, measured and weighed. Once a team’s catch is measured, counted and verified by a tournament official, that team may not return to the boat until their catch has been weighed and recorded. Bass must not be placed on a stringer at any time during the tournament. Culling tags or clips are allowed. Specially designed bags which increase survival rate will be furnished by the Tournament Director and must be used for the weigh-in.
21. CATCH AND RELEASE: CULLING OF DEAD BASS IS PROHIBITED. A penalty of 1 pound will be deducted from the total weight for each short fish and a penalty of 8 ounces (.50 pounds) will be deducted from the total weight for each dead fish. In the event the anglers' big fish is dead a penalty of .8 ounces (.50 pounds) will be deducted from the big fish total weight. The Tournament Director or his/her designees shall have sole authority for assessing penalty weight. For fish care ABA recommends the use of Rejuvenade and suggests that in warm weather tournaments anglers keep extra ice.
22. LATE PENALTY: Competitors who are not in the official checkpoint area as described in Rule 18 at the appointed time shall be penalized at the rate of one pound per minute; to be deducted from the total weight of their catch that day, including any weight to be counted toward a “big bass award”. No points are awarded if the net weight after penalties is zero or less. Any competitor more than 15 minutes late shall lose all credit for that day's catch. Exact starting and check-in times will be announced at the Tournament Briefing. It is the angler's responsibility to confirm check-in times each day on the daily pairings.
23. TIES: In case of a tie, combining awards and dividing them equally among the tied contestants shall resolve positions. A form of lottery will determine trophies for those positions tied. The tournament director may decide to break first place ties with a fish-off. Duplicate points will be awarded to those teams tied.
24. TRANSFERS/REFUNDS: Entry fees may be transferred or refunded provided American Bass Anglers, Inc. receives notification prior to entry deadline. Those entries on the waiting list that are not accepted into the tournament will receive a full refund after the tournament. There will be no charge for transfers however, all refunds will be assessed a $20 fee.
25. POINT SYSTEM: Points are based on a 200 point scale based on a full field with 200 points awarded to the first place team. Maximum points are awarded for a minimum of 20 Teams. For tournaments with less than 20 teams, 1 point per team short of the minimum will be deducted from the total points available. Points will be awarded in 1 point decreasing increments depending on place of finish (i.e. 1st-200, 2nd-199, etc). No team weighing a fish in the tournament will receive less than 75 points regardless of place of finish. All teams not weighing fish will receive 50 show points. A perfect score after 5 district team events is 1000 points.
26. COUPLES CHAMPIONSHIP: The top 200 teams nationally (based on points) will be invited to compete in the American Couples Series Championship. The Championship location, date and rules will be published on www.abacouples.com. 
27. CONTINGENCY PROGRAMS: These are sponsor based programs developed to reward competitors based on predefined set of criteria. Participation in contingency programs is at the anglers' discretion. Should an angler elect not to participate in a sponsor contingency program, the angler will be excluded from any benefits such as prize purse or qualification for supplemental tournament competitions associated with the respective contingency program.
28. TAXES: Where and when state laws require income taxes be paid on cash awards to non-residents, the taxes may be automatically deducted prior to the awards being presented to the winners. Anglers are responsible for all applicable taxes and rules on both cash and merchandise awards.
29. WAIVER AND RELEASE: As a condition of participation in each tournament, competitors must execute a waiver, release of liability and a name and likeness release.