New York Bass Nation Club Guidelines for Tournaments to Implement Clean Drain & Dry Practices - Draft
New York BASS Nation Club Guidelines for Tournaments to
Implement Clean Drain and Dry practices
The Clean Drain and Dry law is in effect. Each affiliated club holding tournaments or other boating related events needs to be aware of their responsibility in making sure that all of their members are participating to follow the law’s guidelines.
Tools needed: a quality leaf rake, a box of large garbage bags, the industrial strength and size are best, a box of protective rubber gloves and the clean drain and dry fliers.
The process: In the morning, several club members spend a few minutes cleaning the launch ramp of floating vegetation and any other debris before the club launches their boats, putting the debris in a garbage bag and leaving it at the designated spot for debris at the launch.
In the afternoon, some volunteers should again clean the ramp before pulling out the boats. Then retrieve all of the boats, weigh the fish and return them to the water. After the fish are weighed, each boater must then completely clean the boat and the trailer of all debris, including the axle area of the trailer. They must also pull the bilge plug and the drain plugs in their live wells AND lower the main motor to drain all residual water from the motor. “Coughing” the motor several times will force water out as well.
In July, August and September, each boater should have a spray bottle with a mild mix of bleach and water. When the boater arrives home, they should take a few minutes to spray the bleach mix on the boat hull and trailer to make sure that any zebra mussels or other aquatic life that may be attached are destroyed. The inside of the livewells should also be cleaned and rinsed thoroughly. Then leave the livewell lids and the back compartment lid open to the air so that the inside of the livewells and the bilge area can dry out. This should prevent the spread of zebra and quagga mussels plus spiney water fleas and other invasives that are difficult to detect.
If the club has the clean, drain and dry fliers available, they should take a few minutes before leaving the launch to distribute them on the windshields in the parking lot before leaving the ramp to help spread the word on clean drain and dry and invasives.