Rule change: The following rules will remain unchanged, unless changed by vote of the Board of Directors.
Tournament winners will be determined by the total pounds and ounces of large and small mouth bass caught during the tournament. Each contestant must keep his catch separate from that of his partner. Points will be awarded to participating club members as follows: First place - 60 points, Second place - 59 points, Third place - 58 points, etc..., until each member has been scored. There will be 10 points awarded after the last man with a fish has weighed in for each member who fished the monthly tournament.
All bass must be twelve inches in length. The weighmaster will measure the smallest fish in the creel of each participant to ensure the rule. The fish will be measured with mouth closed, and tail fanned open.
Any contestant bringing more than five fish to the scales, will be culled down to five fish, starting with the largest fish.
In case of a tie, the contestant with the largest single fish will be the winner.
A contestant must not allow any bass caught by him to be counted on the score of another contestant. In such case, both contestants will be disqualified.
The tournament headquarters will be designated by the club Officers, as designated by the Board of Directors. All tournaments will start st the Berkeley Square parking lot and end as follows: January, February, river location; March, April, May, and June, lake location; July, August, September, Berkeley Square parking lot; October, November and December, river location.
A contestants boat may not fish within 75 yards of another contestants boat without permission of the contestant in the area first.
Contestants who return late will be penalized one pound for each minute from his days catch. After 15 minutes, he will be disqualified from the tournament. If a member takes time, during the tournament hours, to assist another boater who is in distress and will not be able to meet weighin time, it will be your responsibility to notify a member of the club to verify possession of a legal fish. Upon verification, the Secretary will be notified of the member verifier and the fact that you were aiding a distressed boater. Points will be awarded at the next position following the last person for the tournament.
Tournament entry fees will be $5.00 per person, payable to the club Treasurer at the tournament meeting or blast-off site.
Safe boating conduct must be observed at all times. Caution and safety on morning blast-off must be observed. A lifesaving device must be worn during blast-off.
Every boat must meet standard safety requirements.
No one will participate in a tournament while intoxicated.
Only artificial lures may be used. Only casting, spinning, spincasting, or fly rods may be in the boat for substitute purposes. Electronic fishing aids are permitted. Only 2 rods may be used at any one time.
Trolling or wading will not be permitted.
The interpretation and endorsement of the tournament rules shall be left exclusively to the Board of Directors, and their decisions will be final.
There will be 12 tournaments per year, excluding a declared national disaster.
Official Club Rules 
Membership dues will be $15.00 annually. For members joining after 30 June, dues will be $7.50 ending 31 December. Membership rolls will be limited to 35 members.
The President will assign or designate a weighmaster during the January meeting to serve for the next year.
Club meetings will be held the first Tuesday of each month at a predetermined time and location. The time, date and place of each tournament will be announced by the President of the club at the regular monthly meeting.
Club members finishing in the top three places of the monthly tournament, and the winner of the guest category will be awarded a trophy or a plaque plate.
The club members have the choice to fish either the Santee Cooper lakes or the Cooper River, on tournament days.
At the end of the year, a special award will be given for the largest fish caught during a club tournament and member who has the lead in points at the end of the December tournament. Awards will also be given to the top ten places after the conclusion of the December tournament. These awards will be a trohy or plaque, or both.
The top ten fishermen at the completion of the calendar year will participate in a fish-off as follows:
a. The fish-off will be held on the first Sunday in April.
b. Regular club rules will govern the fish-off.
c. The location of the fish-off site will be determined by a drawing submitted by the top ten fishermen. Trailering from the drawn location site will be authorized. Weig-in will be conducted at the drawn site.
d. The pay off will be 90% of the club treasury or $1,000.00, whichever is less.
e. The split of the money will be 30%, 25%, 20%, 15%, and 10% for the top five finishers.
f. The top ten qualify. No alternates.
g. Modifications are subject to change by the Board of Directors pending unknown circumstances.
The ten best tournaments at the conclusion of the December tournament will be used to determine the final standings of the club members.
If for any reason new rules need to be added, they will be submitted, in writing, to the Board of Directors for study. If found that they do not dispute rules already in effect, they will be voted on by the Board of Directors with 3/4 of the Board in agreement to carry and will be added to the present rules.
The Board of Directors will consist of seven active members.
All new members will be given a copy of these rules and the tournament rules. They will sign and accept these rules as they are written.
When a member in good standing transfers or moves out of South Carolina, they will be removed from the roster of the club. If this member returns to the area and is desirous of becoming a member again, his name will be placed at the top of the waiting list, if no opening is available. He will have priority over all the other persons on the waiting list for membership in the club.
Each member must participate in 50% of the club activities during the calendar year, commencing 1 January to remain as a member in good standing. Members who are deployed or assigned to work out of the state are exempt from this requirement. If a waiting list for membership exists, members failing to meet this 50% participation, will be dropped from the club roster.
These are the governing rules of the Santee Cooper Bass club. There will be no vote to change any of these rules or the wording as they are now written. Club members may submit in writing any recommended changes of these rules to the Board of Directors. Each December, the Board of Directors will study all recommended changes which would be beneficial to the club that would be made.
The interpretation and enforcement of the official club rules shall be left exclusively to the Board of Directors and their decision will be final.
