Minutes of May 9, 2008 Federation meeting.
The meeting was called to order at 8:14 p.m. by President Tony Going. Treasurer Jim Bartolotto was not in attendance.
The following chapters were not in attendance: Bass Assassin 6; Bergen; Berkley; Clearwater; Essex County; Greenback; Gloucester County; Hawg Heaven; KOBA; Lake Hopatcong; Metro; North Jersey; Northern NJ; Rockaway; Salem County; Sunrise; Tri-State.
Tony indicated that there was not a quorum of clubs in attendance, so he deemed the meeting legal.
The Minutes from the April 11, 2008 Federation meeting were read by Recording Secretary Nick Angiulo. The minutes were accepted via motion/second.
The Treasury Report was read by Vice President Mike Hart in Treasurer Jim Bartolotto’s absence. The report was accepted via motion/second.
The Tournament Report was given by Al Purdy. Al stated the Team Tournament closed period was coming up shortly and would run from May 30 to sunrise on June 14; the lake would then be open until 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday, June 25. A Captain’s meeting will be held thereafter at 3:00 p.m. at the ramp and a barbeque for all participants will be held after the draw for pairings, at a time yet to be announced. He reconfirmed the off limits on Lake Champlain and stated they will be posted on the website.
Regarding the upcoming Lake Lillinonah event, Al stated that the permit for Steel Bridge will be for 25 boats and the rest are permitted for Pond Brook. Each angler’s entry will have which ramp they are to launch out. All anglers must launch at the designated ramp. Al indicated that he will be at the Steel Bridge ramp on Saturday between 2:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. if there are any questions or problems. As of the meeting, the water levels on Lillinonah were normal. If the water is dropped and launching at Pond Brook is an issue, contingencies will be made.
Al indicated that the recent Flats event was very successful and the payouts were quite good for both the Boater and Co-Angler Divisions. The weigh-in went smoothly, and the park provided a “runner” shuttling anglers to and from the parking area. He also said there were no dead fish. Al noted that Maryland would be putting in jetties at the Elk Neck ramp shortly to provide more protection for boats.
Al stated that based on questions about the sufficiency of the new tournament format, Recording Secretary Angiulo prepared a comparison of the payouts from the 2007 tournament season. Copies of a detailed analysis were provided to all members in attendance, and Nick briefly summarized the information.
In response, member Marc Goldberg indicated that he has never called anyone on the Board a “liar” and would never portray anyone one the Board in a bad light and that he thought the Board was doing a tremendous job. However, he indicated that he wanted to discuss exactly how the new tournament payout format came into existence. He stated that he has personally spoken with many anglers who do not understand the new format. He believed that many of the anglers who voted on the new format in January may have misunderstood exactly what they were voting on. He indicated his opinion that this system will not be advantageous to the tournament circuit as a whole. Marc was allowed ample time to present his opinions and after a long discussion, Vice President Mike Hart indicated that the format would not change for this year but it could be looked at again next year.
Member Frank Gallipoli asked if, with equal participation in each Division, whether the payouts in each Division were the same. Al confirmed that they were the same.
Finally, Al indicated that there would be the “extra boat” draw for the Team Tournament. The drawing was as follows:
1.Greenback Bassmasters
2.Hawg Heaven Bassmasters
3.Bass Assassin Six
4.Bass Busters
5.New Jersey Bass Hunters
6.United Bass Anglers
7.Essex County Bassmasters
8.Cullin’ Bass Six
9.Tri-State Bassmasters
10.Castaway Bassmasters
11.North Jersey Bass Anglers
12.Quickfire Bassmasters
13.Bass Kickers
14.Rockaway Bassmasters
15.Limiters
16.Bergen Bassmasters
17.Sunrise Bassmasters
18.Bucketmouth Brigade
19.Raritan Valley Bassmasters
20.Jackson Bass Anglers
21.South Jersey Hawg Hunters
22.Over the Ridge
23.Clearwater Bassmasters
24.Northern NJ Bassmasters
25.Lake Hopatcong Bassmasters
26.Gloucester County Bassmasters
27.Mercer County Bassmasters
28.Mega Bass 6
29.Metro Bassmasters
30.KOBA
31.Big D Valley Bassmasters
32.Berkley Bassmasters
Executive Director Forest Honeywell indicated he had entry flyers for the USO benefit event to be held on Candlewood Lake on October 13. Marc Goldberg indicated that a representative from the USO would be at the June meeting.
Secretary Bruce Stovall indicated he was at the TBF Nationals as the Federation representative. He stated that New Jersey Boater Division representative Joe Sancho came in 16TH place; and Co-Angler Division representative Ron Schneider came in 30TH place. Bruce stated the Nationals experience was tremendous.
Bruce indicated he talked with the TBF Registration representative and indicated that for 2009; if he can get the preliminary club rosters in October 2008, he will register them with the TBF before December 31, 2008, and then the Federation can send one check for all the club dues in January 2009 after the December final rosters/fees are collected at the December Federation meeting. Bruce stated that for every member who is registered by the end of 2008, the Federation receives $2.00 per member from the TBF. Bruce also emphasized that the sole purpose of the October roster is to allow him to register the clubs with the TBF, and members can be added before the final rosters are due at the December Federation meeting. Those members who are on the final December rosters will be eligible to fish in the following year’s Team Tournament.
A motion was made and seconded to adjourn the meeting at 9:28 p.m.
Submitted by Nick Angiulo, Recording Secretary.
