First and Foremost, I hope all of you are well during this unprecedented time. Given the current state of our nation and position Covid-19 has put us in, we have no choice but to make some hard decisions as it relates to our upcoming CBN Season.
Our number one concern is to keep everyone safe. To that end, it is the decision of myself and the CBN Board of Directors to suspend ALL Connecticut Bass Nation Events until further notice.
This indefinite suspension includes the Adult Trail, the High School and Youth Trail, monthly meetings, the annual banquet and all volunteer events
While we encourage individual clubs to follow our recommendation, the decision to do so or not is up to the clubs themselves. However, it is imperative that you adhere to the current State of CT fishing permit process and social distancing guidelines set by the State of CT.
We will provide periodic updates based on the length of the suspension and any enactment of a contingency plan, dues paid, etc. once we have a better idea of what the fishing season looks like for the rest of the year.
Right now the CBN has not held Tournament #1, #2 and will not be holding #3 as the size of our Tournaments and weigh in procedures would not comply with the Guidelines put forth by the DEEP, see below.
Update: The Deep has issued new Tournament Guidelines Starting 6/2/2020 until further notice! They are:
This change in group size allows DEEP to issue permits for fishing tournaments with 25 or less total participants and we will begin to issue some permits for events scheduled this week and on the upcoming weekend. There will be several modifications and additional restrictions and requirements based on the group size, the need to avoid congestion at and/or near boat launches and nearby facilities (including picnic areas, parking lots and other DEEP properties) and maintain adequate “social distance” from other users.
All bass tournaments will be required to observe the following conditions:
§ Maximum size of 25 individuals. This includes participating anglers, organizers running the tournament but not fishing, and any spectators or others associated with the tournament.
§ All participants shall adhere to current requirements concerning social distancing and participant behavior at outdoor gatherings as provided for by Governor’s Executive Order, state and local laws and regulations, and current outdoor facility use requirements as set by applicable management for use of outdoor facilities (in most cases this will be for use of DEEP’s boat launches). These provisions include, but are not limited to, wearing a mask whenever one is within 6 feet of any non-household member.
§ No physical weigh-in at or near the launch facilities, including docks, ramp, parking area, and associated green space. DEEP strongly suggests the use of catch- measure –immediate release procedures for all tournaments.
(This means no shore line areas or Islands either, you can hold an on the water weigh in on a boat if you choose)
Failure to follow these requirements could lead to permit revocation and will negatively impact future applications for fishing tournament permits.
Additionally, there will be some new provisions concerning permitting and tournament use of facilities:
§ Until further notice no tournament or tournaments will be allowed to exceed use of more than 50% of the parking capacity at any state boat launch.
§ Should multiple tournaments be permitted on the same day at a launch, the start and end times will be staggered by at least one (!) hour between tournaments.
This week we’ll begin working through your upcoming permit applications and reviewing for issuance your permit applications for tournaments scheduled to occur after today (June 2). Those that have submitted permit applications scheduled for the next several weeks for tournaments with more than 25 total participants should contact me promptly as to whether your tournament size can be adjusted to fit the 25 person maximum, you’d like to reschedule in hopes of the group size increasing sometime in the future, or the tournament should be cancelled.
Thank you for your patience during these difficult times. We will continue to provide updates as the situation and requirements are modified further.
The CBN Executive Board will send you updates to the Guidelines as we receive them.
Thank You for your understanding and support of the CBN.
Be Safe. Stay well
The Connecticut Bass Nation Executive Board
