The Constitution and by-laws of the Renegade Anglers Tour Association
Preamble
We, the Renegade Anglers, do hereby renounce the Order of the Big Bass and pledge our loyalties to the Articles of the Brotherhood. When such a time comes as an angler realizes he has become a renegade and chooses to rebuke the Order of the Big Bass, he will be invited to join the Brotherhood of Renegade Anglers. To be accepted in this he must agree to be governed by and fully support the following articles that guide this noble organization.
Article I
The Annual Spring Summit of the Renegade Anglers Tour Association hereafter referred to, as “RAT Weekend” in this document, will commence on the Wednesday preceding the last Saturday in April of each year. The location of the Summit, hereafter referred to as “RAT Central” in this document, will be on or near campsite number sixty-two (62) located in Mill Creek Park near Brookeland, Texas.
Selection and Duties of Administrative Personnel
Section A.
Officers for the current year will be selected in the following manner.
1. The first paid angler to arrive on Wednesday will be designated as the Campmaster for that RAT Weekend and the year following.
a. To be eligible for this office said candidate must meet the following criteria.
i. Must have been a member of the Board the previous year.
ii. Must have camp and cap fees prepaid.
iii. Must be a prepaid tournament entry.
iv. Must not have any outstanding fines from the previous year.
2. The next three paid anglers to arrive on Wednesday will be designated as members of the Board of Directors.
a. To be eligible for this office the candidates must meet the following criteria.
i. Must have camp and cap fees prepaid.
ii. Must be a prepaid tournament entry.
iii. Must not have any outstanding fines from the previous year.
iv. Must have been a paid entrant from the year before.
3. The fifth paid angler to arrive on Wednesday will be designated as the Sergeant at Arms.
a. To be eligible for this office the candidate must meet the following criteria.
i. Must have camp and cap fees prepaid.
ii. Must be a prepaid tournament entry.
iii. Must not have any outstanding fines from the previous year.
iv. Must be eligible for Board membership.
Section B.
Duties of the Officers
1. Campmaster
a. Administers day to day decisions about different subjects. He is the first to decide on protests and arguments that may come up between members of the Brotherhood.
b. He presides over the Board meetings and breaks a tie when one occurs.
2. Board Members
a. Vote on changes to rules, protest decisions and any other vote that comes before the Board.
3. Sergeant at Arms
a. Sees to it that proper decorum is followed at all meetings.
b. Assesses fines for day to day infractions by members.
c. Votes in the absence of a Board Member.
4. All administrative staff are to be held to a higher level of RATdom. They must be current on all monies owed as well as enter the tournament. They must also be present for all tournament hours with the exception of 12 cumulative hours for personal business. You will not be assessed cumulative hours for the following:
a. Going to the beer store.
b. Going to Wal-Mart.
c. Going to a restaurant.
d. Buying various items such as:
i. Rods
ii. Reels
iii. Bait
iv. Boats
v. Cars
vi. Bush-Hogs
vii. Trucks
viii. Trailers
ix. Dogs
x. Lake lots.
xi. Campers
e. Looking at women.
f. Any other thing that the Campmaster deems appropriate.
Article III
General Information and Guidelines
Section A.
Board Meetings
1. Times of scheduled meetings
a. The first Board meeting will be convened as soon as the new Sergeant at Arms for that year has been designated. This meeting will be a brief introductory meeting to get a feel for the new Board. Minor campkeeping duties may be dealt with at this time but major decisions will be delayed until a later more in depth meeting is held.
b. The main in-depth Board meeting will be held after the Bottle Dig. Major discussions will be heard at this time.
c. These meetings usually include very spirited discussions. They can sometimes get rather lengthy. Since the tournament hours start at sundown, you might miss some fishing time. This is your Brotherhood and you owe it to yourself and other members to be present at these meetings.
2. Old business
a. Any old business that has been left
over from the previous year or
previous discussions among members
at non RAT Weekend get-togethers
will be heard and decided upon at this
time.
3. New business and petitions.
a. Any new business or ideas will be debated at the Thursday in-depth Board meeting.
b. Petitions for waivers and special treatment will also be discussed and debated at the Thursday meeting.
4. Calling of special meetings
a. A member of the Brotherhood may, at any time, request that the Board call a special meeting. Said member must give the Board some idea of the purpose but is not required to go into detail. At the special meeting the member may plead his case for Board consideration.
b. The Board as a single member or as a group may call special meetings to deal with day to day campkeeping duties.
5. If a Board member is directly involved with a protest or decision being made, he will be excused from duty as a Board member for that and only that item. The Sergeant at Arms will then substitute for him at the vote.
Section B.
Fiscal Policy
1. Prepayment
a. All members who entered the tournament in previous years will receive by mail on or around the 1st of February a written entry form. Please abide by the deadline or a fine may result.
2. Camp Fees
a. Fees for the campsite rental will be calculated for the coming year and this amount will be added to the fees due. If you don’t want to pay for your campsite in advance through the RAT group then get your own.
3. Officially Licensed Headwear
a. An official RAT Hat will be required to enter the tournament. (See Article V, Section C, Number 7.) The purchase price for the hat will be included in the fees due.
4. Tournament Fees
a. Fees to enter the tournament will be addressed in Article V, Section B.
5. Fines
a. Fines may be assessed for a variety of reasons. The Campmaster, Board as a group, or Sergeant at Arms may assess these fines. A member who has been fined may at his option appeal the fine to the Board of Director and have them decide upon the validity of the fine.
6. Prompt payment requirements.
a. It is important to pay all fees when due and remit fines in a timely manner. Disciplinary actions or withholding of office may result in failure to comply with RAT fiscal policy. (See Article II, Section A, Numbers 1,2, and 3.)
Article IV
Time Capsule Information
Section A.
Time of exhumation.
1. The time capsule will be exhumed at “dusk” on Thursday evening. The current Campmaster will define “dusk”.
Section B.
Rules concerning contents of said capsule.
1. Items that have been deemed appropriate to be included in the time capsule each year are as follows:
a. One cap from the current year. Previous caps are held in the archives.
b. Tournament results from previous years.
c. Whiskey bottle and contents from Johnny Baker’s 50th birthday.
d. Fine money.
e. Stephen’s hooks.
f. Cigars
g. Minutes from the previous years Board meetings.
h. List of participants for previous years.
Section C.
Traditions concerning contents of said capsule.
1. After the capsule is opened and the Board meeting is held, cigars from the capsule are smoked and the whiskey bottle is passed around. A very small amount of the whiskey is left in the bottom of the bottle before it is replenished to maintain a connection with the past.
Section D.
Time of reburial.
1. The time capsule will be reburied “immediately” following the weigh-in and fish fry (or some other meal if fishing is bad) on Saturday afternoon. The current Campmaster will define “immediately”.
Article V
Tournament Information
Section A.
Tournament hours.
1. Tournament hours will be from sundown on Thursday until 2:00 PM on Saturday.
Section B.
Tournament fees.
1. Entry fee for the tournament will be $50.00 U.S.D. This amount will be reduced by $1.00 for each consecutive year fished. If you skip a year, your fee will revert back to the original amount.
2. No-shows will not receive a refund.
Section C.
Tournament Rules.
1. Cheating is not only tolerated but is encouraged.
2. All fish must be caught during tournament hours. (Refer to rule #1)
3. Illegal fish may be taken and weighed in, take your chances with the Game Warden.
4. Fish may be kept, thrown back, wasted, eaten, or used in a secret pagan sex ritual.
5. If at all possible, you must fish within 50 feet of an anchored boat or dock.
6. Kill switches and other safety devices must be disabled.
7. Official cap is required to enter the tournament. The only exception being if you are a guest and there are not enough extra caps to be purchased.
8. Any species of bass is permitted. The staff veterinarian or his designate will determine the validity of a species. Crappie over 1.5 pounds and bream over 1.0 pound are also acceptable.
9. This is a total pound tournament. RAT staff will enforce no size or bag limits. (See rule #3.) A disinterested party must be present at all weigh-ins.
10. Tournament hours are from sundown Thursday until 2:00 PM on Saturday.
11. Absolutely no women or minors are permitted to enter the tournament.
12. In case of a tie, a 30-minute perch-off will decide the winner. Said perch-off will also be a total weight contest. Only bream or perch (not white perch) will be allowed in the perch-off. The staff veterinarian or his designate will determine the validity of the species. Do not try to weigh-in a bass.
Section D.
Protest procedures and rulings.
1. All protests must be filed with the Campmaster or his designate by 2:15 PM on Saturday.
a. Said protests may be filed in the
following manner.
i. Orally
ii. Written on paper, beer boxes, candy wrappers, or some other form of media.
2. Upon notification of intent to protest, the Campmaster will decide if the protest has merit or not. If he decides not to hear the case, the protestor may request a special meeting of the Board. The Board will then convene in special session to
hear arguments from both sides. The Board will then vote on the protest. All decisions of the Board are final. No other consideration will be given.
a. A protest that a fellow member is cheating will probably not be heard by the Board. It may also result in the protestor being laughed at and made fun of. Refer to Article V, Section C, and Number 1.
Section E.
Prize money distribution.
1. Prize money will be distributed in the following manner.
1st Place- 55%
2nd Place- 30%
3rd Place_ 15%
Section F.
Big fish pot.
1. An additional pot will be collected at camp for the biggest fish caught. Any species of fish may be entered. The entry fee is $5.00 and the payout will be 100% to the largest fish. This is a strictly voluntary pot and no one is required to enter. Funds for this pot are usually kept in an old whiskey bottle and when the winner is chosen, he has the honor of breaking the bank.