HUDSON BASS CLUB The ‘Reel’ Deal: What you need to know to get started Advisers: Donny Webb; Dannie Daniel

Tournament Format Hudson Bass Club is part of the Southeast Texas High School Fishing (SETX) Organization SETX hosts about 5-6 tournaments per season Our teams fish their tournaments with over 40 districts and 400 teams Teams consist of one or two persons. Most consist of two, as odds are much better to do well. Teams SHOULD remain intact for entire season. However, if a team dissolves, another may be started with a new partner. Note: All points earned are dissolved as well.

Teams must have a boat captain. This person is responsible for providing the boat, navigation with outboard engine, guidance, and liability insurance Boat captains must pass a background check with the school Boats must meet regulations set by SETX SETX sets tournament dates, beginning and ending times of fishing, and weigh-in times Example: Students may fish beginning at 6:00, stop at 3:00, and be checked in no later than 4:00. Students may be on water prior to start time, but must have lines in the boat at stop time and be checked in at the tournament site no later than the weigh-in time. Students are given a ‘boat slip’ that indicates they are entered into the tournament. This slip must remain with the team at all times. Upon check-in, this slip is used to validate official time student came to weigh-in site. Students will weigh fish in using official SETX bags. Only 40 weigh-in bags are provided at one time to better keep fish alive. Students will wait in line for a bag, then retrieve fish from boat and immediately go to weigh-in line.

During competition hours, teams fish to obtain a legal limit (specified by SETX) of bass This is usually going to be a 5-fish limit, 14” minimum length Teams should not have more than the limit in the livewell at any one time Teams should cull fish as they are placed into the livewell to ensure the greatest amount of weight is retained. A good culling system should be utilized. Due to slight variances with measuring boards, SETX will provide a standard measurement stick to compare with. Note: We have seen some measuring devices with as much as ¼” variance. Dead fish are subject to a weight penalty Late arrival is subject to a weight penalty Short fish will not be weighed and subject to weight penalty/disqualification/TP&W citation

How much does this cost? Students are responsible for the majority of costs associated with Hudson Bass Club $25 Membership Fee: This is only used to register students with the The Bass Federation (TBF) for individual liability coverage as required by SETX. $40 Tournament Entry Fee: Team fee (Two-person team-$20 each; One-person team-$40) Fuel costs vary (if boat captain is not a parent, please help contribute to this cost) $90 Jersey Cost: based on last year’s source Equipment costs Hudson Bass Club uses sponsorship funds to pay SETX membership and other costs approved by club advisers

What do boat captains do? Boat captains are adult supervisors to ensure safety at all times and consistent enforcement of rules/regulations Boat captains run the outboard engine at all times (other than loading/unloading) Boat captains may help guide, instruct, etc. but MAY NOT contribute to teams catch of the day, or put any fish into the livewell. Boat captains must have proof of liability insurance readily available for any and all boat checks. Failure to do so will result in immediate disqualification of team. Boat captains should remain at weigh-in until released. If a boat check is required, all persons must be on site. (Also, they win door prizes at times)

What do advisers do? Advisers help maintain the financial records of club General Activity Account Scholarship/savings Account Advisers are responsible for all club activities, including registration for TBF, SETX, and each tournament Advisers pick up all boat slips the night prior to the tournament and schedule a meeting time/location to distribute these to the teams Advisers attend all sanctioned events, assist with set-up/take-down of SETX hosted events, and are the lead communication between SETX and all teams Advisers are responsible for to ensure all students have safely checked in at each event

What do sponsorship funds do? Most costs associated with the club are the team’s responsibilities Sponsorship funds are used to pay SETX an annual membership of $750 Funds may be used to assist special events or student opportunities Hudson Bass Club recognizes the sponsors via the website, banners, jerseys (as possible), and through various written articles Sponsors may assist by purchasing team caps, T-shirts, equipment, etc. NO CLUB FUNDS ARE USED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE COST OR NON-CLUB ACTIVITIES

Scholarship Funds-Student Winnings All SETX and other sanctioned events make student/team earnings payable to Hudson ISD All earnings are put into a special school-maintained activity account specifically for the purpose of scholarship/savings only. (See scholarship policy) Team/student earnings belong to that team/student only. 20% of earnings may be dispersed to the student at the earliest time the business office can do so; 80% is maintained in the account until the student graduates or moves to another district. ALL CHECKS FROM THIS ACCOUNT ARE MADE PAYABLE TO THE STUDENT, not a parent, college, or any other party. While Hudson Bass Club would like for students to use the earnings for post- secondary instruction, it is ultimately the student’s responsibility to use the money wisely

Door Prizes and other Winnings SETX provides thousands of dollars worth of free equipment throughout the season Equipment is usually donated from a major sponsor Students/boat captains may win equipment through random drawings or additional items with a placement check. ALL EQUIPMENT EARNED IN THIS MANNER BELONGS TO THE STUDENT OR BOAT CAPTAIN SELECTED Items of this nature are generally very high quality. Care of equipment is highly recommended. Large trophies/school trophies are also presented with top placement. These belong to the school for display purposes.

Go Fish!