By-Laws

Constitution / By-Laws of the All-American Anglers

Article I - Name and Purpose

Section 1. The name of this club shall be called the All-American Anglers of Killeen Texas.

Section 2. The motto of this club will be “Friendship thru Fishing” and will support our sport by promoting conservation, youth in fishing, education and a courteous attitude to the public, and its waters.

Article II - Membership

Section 1. This club shall begin with and maintain at least six members 16 years or older.

Section 2. All members must express a genuine interest in membership; become a member of B.A.S.S.; be recommended by 2 club members; attend the club meeting prior to the club tournament. New members shall be on probation for a period of 6 months and attend no less than 5 meetings / 5 tournaments. After the probation period has ended member shall be approved by a 100% vote of membership in attendance at the next scheduled club meeting.

Section 3. Requirements for junior membership

To become a junior member of an adult chapter, a person shall:

(a) Voluntarily express a genuine interest in membership.

(b) Be under 16 years of age.

*Junior members are not required to pay national membership dues and are not entitled to the benefits of a regular member. The acceptance of junior members will not affect a club’s liability insurance policy. Junior members are not covered by the accidental death and dismemberment policy. Junior members may not hold office in an adult club nor may they be voting members. At age 16, junior members may continue membership by joining the club as a regular member. Junior membership ceases on a person’s 17th birthday.

Section 4. All memberships will expire on December 31.

Article III – Officers, Elections and Eligibility to Hold Office

Section 1. The officers of the club shall be the President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer and Tournament Director (TD) with appointed officers as Conservation and youth directors.

Section 2. An open election will be held at the regular December club meeting to elect the 5 officials who will make up the BOD for the oncoming year. These elected officials will be installed at the December meeting and shall take office on January 1^st every year.

Section 3. The President shall preside at all meetings of the membership and shall be assisted by the other officers. Robert’s Rules of Parliamentary Procedure shall be observed at all times to cover procedures not specified in the Constitution.

Section 4. The BOD shall be responsible for the general affairs of the club and as specifically directed within this Constitution. Their decisions shall be binding and final, except that they shall not abridge the right to petition. The BOD must approve all expenditures of the Club’s funds.

Section 5. All elected officials shall be allowed to serve only two (2) consecutive terms in the same office unless voted on by 2/3 majority vote of membership in attendance, with no proxy votes, at the scheduled club meeting to continue further.

Section 6. No member shall be eligible to be nominated for an officer or director position unless he has been a member in good standing for at least 1 year and all dues are current.

Section 7. Should the President be unable to attend a meeting, the Vice President shall preside in his absence. In case an officer or director leaves the club permanently, the President shall call a special election to fill the un-expired term. Any absence of an elected official for more than two (2) months without special circumstance shall be considered a permanent change and the office must be relinquished. Should he return, he may be eligible to run for office at the next election.

Section 8. Regular meetings shall, normally, be held on the 2^ndTuesday of each month. The President may call special meetings.

Article IV- Membership Dues

Section 1. The dues for regular members will be $58.00 annually.

B.A.S.S. Federation Nation dues – $18.00 State / $20.00 National

Club dues - $20.00

Section 2. Requirements for Affiliation

(a) Approval of Chapter Charter by B.A.S.S.

(b) Update B.A.S.S. with chapter membership roster once each year upon receipt of current B.A.S.S. roster at year’s end.

(d) Maintain 100% B.A.S.S. membership.

(e) Must affiliate with State Federation and support its conservation and youth programs. Any additional requirements that the State Federation establishes for chapters, such as membership, dues, attendance at meetings, etc., would be necessary for the chapter to participate in the State Federation qualifying tournament(s), and any other Federation-sponsored tournaments or events.

Section 3. Dues will be paid at the December meeting. Failure to pay annual dues by the December meeting will cause member to be ineligible to fish the January tournament. New members’ “club dues” shall be pro rated according to month they join the club.

Section 4. Failure to reinstate dues prior to the February meeting will be reason for striking an individual from the membership list with 2/3 majority vote of membership in attendance, with no proxy votes, at the scheduled club meeting.

Article V – Tournament Guidelines

Section 1. Rules for the tournaments will be based on "Club Policies and Procedures". These "Club Policies and Procedures" will be set by the BOD and approved by a 2/3 majority of members present, with no proxy votes, at Decembers scheduled club meeting.

Section 2. All tournaments shall be based upon a draw system. Awards / 5$ Pot will be presented to the member with the most weight for that tournament. Cash Award may be given for “Big Bass” of the tournament when members throw in $ for that cash pot.

Section 3. At the end of the calendar year, the six (6) members who earned the most points for the year shall be recognized as the “Top 6”. An additional prize may be awarded at the discretion of the BOD and the club by 100%, with no proxy votes, vote.

Section 4. The club may sponsor the "Top 6" or their alternates to state level tournaments each year. The Top 6 members may petition the board at any time to represent the club in any state level sanctioned tournament. Any sponsorship or participation in the name of All-American Anglers must be approved by the BOD and the club by 2/3 majority vote of membership in attendance at the scheduled club meeting, with no proxy votes, prior to fishing such a tournament.

Section 5. Additional tournaments may be held during the year. The BOD shall handle dates, times and details of additional tournaments.

Section 6. At the December meeting, all 16 established lakes will be eligible for draw. Every monthly meeting, 2 lakes (primary / alternate) will be drawn and the club will fish the primary lake the following Saturday. The President and TD will decide if the primary lake should be changed to the alternate and must be past with 2/3 majority vote of membership in attendance, with no proxy vote, at the scheduled club meeting.

Section 7. There will be no “paper tournaments”.

Section 8. Any member may bring a guest to the following club functions (tournaments, Fund Raisers, and meetings). The only time a guest will not be permitted is during Club Classic, Regional or State functions. There will be a limit of 4 times a guest may attend such club functions.

Article VI – Method of Amending By-Laws

Section 1. Proposed changes / additions / amendments to this constitution may be voted upon by the membership at the December meeting. The amendment must receive at least 2/3 of votes of membership, with no proxy votes, to be adopted. Upon adoption amendments become effective immediately but in no case may they be considered retroactive. Proposed amendments may be presented to the membership from the floor as a motion or from the BOD. Discussion and debate shall be limited to ten minutes. The clubs established lakes will not be changed.

Section 2. The bylaws and provisions of this constitution shall be observed and no changes shall be made until the next years voting month (December) without special cause and a 100% vote of membership in attendance, with no proxy votes, at the scheduled club meeting. Any misunderstandings or interpretations will be up to the BOD with the overall objective of doing what is in the best interest of the club and what is fair for all concerned.

Article VII - Removal of Membership

Section 1: Causes for Removal

A member shall be dropped from the club for the following reasons with 2/3 majority vote of membership in attendance, with no proxy votes, at the scheduled club meeting:

A. failure to pay dues.

B. failure to participate in 50% of club activities.

C. any action that would dishonor and/or disgrace the club or BASS.

D. causing dissention within the club membership of any sort.

Article VIII - Disciplinary Actions

Section 1. Should a member (s) including officers/directors, cause embarrassment or undue criticism to the club, club member or anything to offend this constitution, they may be cited to show cause before the BOD. The directors are to see that appropriate action, if any is to be taken. In extreme cases, as decided by the BOD, it shall be discussed in an open meeting of the club, and if it is the desire of at least 2/3 of the membership present, with no proxy votes, offender may be expelled from the club. Expulsive will be considered permanent until such member petitions to the BOD for reinstatement and receives a unanimous vote from the entire club membership.

Section 2. If any member, including officers/directors miss four (4) consecutive meetings they will be placed on inactive status and may not compete for any monetary awards unless past monies have been brought to date and current. That inactive member cannot have word or vote into any club activities until brought to an active status. The reactive status will be voted on and approved by 2/3 majority vote of membership in attendance, with no proxy votes, at the scheduled club meeting.

Section 3. During all club functions, all persons (including guests) are to conduct themselves in a courteous and sportsman-like manner.

We the undersigned charter members do hereby agree to the above bylaws and the commencement of the chapter on this day of:

Established 08/14/06

Updated / Approved 2/10/09

Club Policies & Procedures of the All-American Anglers

1. Club meetings normally will be held the 2nd Tuesday of each month at 7:00 P.M. Any changes to the dates and times of meeting shall be determined by the BOD with the overall objective of doing what is in the best interest of the club and what is fair for all concerned.

2. Club tournaments normally will be held the weekend following the club meetings. If there are changes, the exact tournament dates and times will be announced by phone and e-mail.

3. All tournaments will be based upon a draw system based on club lakes. Every monthly meeting, 2 lakes will be drawn (primary / secondary) and the club will fish the primary lake the following Saturday. In the event that the primary lake becomes un-fishable (closure, safety, high crime area, etc), and the President and TD choose to change lakes because of these reasons, the secondary lake will then be fished when approved by 2/3 majority vote of membership in attendance, with no proxy votes, at the scheduled club meeting. There will be no “paper tournaments”. The 2 day tournament will be chosen in September by each member from any lake desired in Texas and voted on by 2/3 membership, with no proxy votes, attending that meeting. That lake will be fished in November.

4. It shall be the responsibility of the fishing partners to mutually agree on a basis for sharing any and all operating expenses. A non-boater is responsible for ½ the truck gas and ½ the boat gas. If the boater leaves early to pre-fish and the no-boater comes later, the no-boater must still pay ½ the gas there and back regardless if the boater rides in the truck with his boater partner. The no-boater does not have to pay ½ the boat gas for pre-fishing but the no-boater will pay ½ the boat gas once he arrives.

5. A full discussion shall be held between the two partners prior to fishing times as to the schedule of boat operation. Each partner shall be entitled to equal time to fish “His Water” for ½ the tournament hours. This does not mean the partner has operational control of the boat unless agreed by boat owner.

6. All members will launch from the same area and there will be no trailering allowed unless pre approved by 2/3 membership and the TD during the last club meeting. Any changes or deviations of this rule will be addressed, handled and decided by the TD and his advisory board if he so desires their council.

7. It is understood that emergencies do happen and it is up to each member to notify his partner no less than 24 hours prior to fishing times if he is unable to fish. This will allow other arrangements to be made so that the partner will be able to fish. If 24 hours is not applicable, the earliest notification will be accepted.

8. All past tournament fees and club debts of the member must be paid prior to fishing the next tournament.

9. All Coat Guard Regulations, Federal, State and Local laws must be observed. For the safety of our members, ALL MEMBERS must wear life jackets when the main combustible engine is running. The operator must wear the kill switched if the boat is equipped with one. The only exception is under an immediate and/or safety concern.

10. No more than two member’s shall fish from the same boat with the following exception. If there are an odd number of boaters, any boater may wish to be drawn as a non-boater or may be aloud to fish alone. The decision must be made prior to the lake draw and is final. This means that once you have decided to fish alone, you cannot choose a partner later. The only exception will be if another non-boater decides to fish you will automatically be with that person. If you decided to be drawn, you will not be able to fish alone. If there are an odd number of non-boaters, ALL boaters will be put into the hat and drawn to fish 3 per boat only. This situation will be the only time 3 to a boat is permissible. The rules of BASS shall apply concerning the fishing distance from an anchored boat and/or trolling boat.

11. NO ICE is to be used except to cool water. Any fish determined to be “ICED” will be disqualified.

12. No more than five (5) fish shall be in possession at any time per state regulations, and only five (5) fish shall be weighed in for points. Each member may only weigh-in fish he caught himself. There shall be no pooling or sharing of fish. Fish must be BLACK BASS, KENTUCKY SPOTTED BASS, SMALLMOUTH BASS or HYBRID LARGEMOUTH, unless otherwise specified by the BOD. As per BASS, if six fish are weighted in you will lose the sixth fish and be penalized your heaviest of the five.

13. Fish weighed in must be caught only within tournament hours, on artificial bait only, while fishing from a boat within selected waters only, and according to laws of the State of Texas and other regulatory authorities. There shall be no trolling allowed; however, electric motors shall be used for boat operations.

14. The rules of B.A.S.S. Federation Nation Tournaments will be enforced. (See appendix 1)

A. Points will be awarded on the basis of one (1) point per ounce. An additional two (2) points
will be given for each fish that is released ALIVE. To be considered ALIVE, the fish must swim
off on its own.

*** Any DEAD fish will be an 8oz deduction AFTER points are totaled ***

B. Each member will be awarded additional points for the following:
Five (5) points for attendance
Five (5) points for wearing a club shirt/hat at all club functions
Thirty (30) points per day, for participation at “Special Club Functions” i.e. “Fishing for Tadpoles”, Boat Shows, PVA, charitable functions and other events deemed by the BOD. These points will not be considered toward monthly trophies, but will be counted for Top Six.

*** Directors do not receive points for directors meetings ***

C. Members may vote to have the weigh in hours changed during any months that consistently have 100 degrees temperature or below 45 degrees temperature or weather deemed to be unsafe (lighting, hail, etc) and must pass with 2/3 majority ruling in favor. Vote will be made at the ramp prior to fishing and the TD will determine the time / situation.

D. Being a member of B.A.S.S. is a requirement of this club; B.A.S.S. points can only be counted during times of membership. In order to fish a B.A.S.S. Top Six Tournament, you must be a member and in good standing with the club. The club gets a quarterly report on membership, therefore, if you need know when yours expires, be sure to contact the Secretary for that information.

15. The tournament hours set must be strictly observed. You must check in with the TD prior to cut-off time. Keep your fish in your livewell until the weigh-in director calls for your fish. You may check in for your boating partner only. Any change must be approved by the BOD. In the event the TD is not present all duties and liability then become the President’s responsibilities.

16. The TD is responsible for the weighing and measuring of all fish. All fish must be 14” (within State Set Length) long when measured on a CLUB FLAT BAORD. “CHECK-IT STIK”. Board will be placed on a horizontal surface and fish will be measured “BY THE STATE STANDARD”. If any fish is short of 14” or State set length, it will be disqualified and a penalty of sixteen (16) points will be taken away. A courtesy flat board will be available to check fish. Fish must be checked at the boat and prior to entering the weigh-in line. Any short fish brought to the scales shall be cause for disqualification for that member.

17. If you must leave prior to weigh-in, arrive late to tournament or decide to forfeit try to notify another member. If a member so chooses to depart for the lake/tournament early they must notify one of the directors so they will not be waiting and wondering where the member is at, thus allowing everybody to depart the rendezvous point on time. Failure to do so will result in possible punitive actions to include removal from the club.

18. NO ALCOHOL MAY BE CONSUMED OR IN THE BOAT DURING TOURNAMENT HOURS!!

19. The winning stringer is determined by total weight.

20. No member may fish with a guide 30 days prior to a tournament on that lake.

21. Any and all tournament disputes must be presented to the TD verbally, no later
than 15 minutes after weigh-in has closed. The TD will inform the BOD of his decision. It is the angler’s responsibility to inform the TD of any dispute as soon as possible to prevent anyone, or the TD himself from leaving the event unknowing of a dispute in progress. Any disputes and the ruling will be recorded on paper and archived for any future needs about the same dispute.

22. The All-American Anglers shall be a limited membership club. Only 30 memberships will be allowed at a time and all potential members will be by recommendation of an existing club member in good standing. Members will attempt to keep the number of boaters and non-boaters at minus (2) non-boaters to prevent 3 to boat issues occurring often. The club shall not be open to the general public. The BOD will have the right to grant honorary memberships.

These policies and procedures are not meant to replace or take away from the Constitution. They are guidelines and sometimes flexible depending on extenuating circumstances. Any deviations from these must be presented and permission granted by the BOD. If you have any questions concerning these policies, ask a director for clarification. If any dispute arises with these policies and procedures, please bring it before the directors at the next Directors meeting. This does not mean tournament disputes; refer to rule #21 in the incident of a tournament dispute.

Established 08/14/06

Updated / Approved 2/10/09