ARTICLE XII: AWARDS / OPTIONAL LUNKER AWARD

1. A LUNKER TROPHY shall be awarded to the eligible member that catches the largest legal Bass during the year ending in November while fishing regular Chapter tournaments.
2. The member collecting the most legal points for the year ending each November shall be awarded a Mr. Bass trophy for that year.
3. Optional Lunker of the Year Pot
   a. Optional Lunker of the year pot is $5.00 per tournament.
   b. Anglers must pre-pay prior to the tournament in order for their catch to count towards the Lunker of the Year, and be fully paid in all prior tournaments for the year.
   c. Lunker of the Year Pay Out

• Category #1 - One half of the Lunker of the Year pay out goes to the angler, who catches the biggest Largemouth, or Spotted Bass by the end of the year, provided he/she is a paid participant prior to the tournament in which the bass is caught.

• Category #2 - One half of the Lunker of the Year pay out goes to the angler, who catches the biggest Smallmouth by the end of the year, provided he/she is a paid participant prior to the tournament in which the bass is caught.

   d. All bass presented for Lunker of the Year must be caught in a Rising Stars Bassmasters regular tournament.
   e. If an angler who catches the largest bass for the year, but is not a participant in the optional lunker pot, or failed to pay all fees prior to the tournament, then the optional lunker pot goes to the second largest bass provided that angler is paid in full.
  f. Penalties for dead fish are assessed at the rate of 0.25 pounds for each dead fish.
  g. In the event of a tie for the lunker of the year in a category, the pot will be split between the anglers.
  h. In the event a tournament is cancelled, the optional lunker fee for that tournament will be refunded to the anglers who have pre-paid.