MATCH FIXTURES

COMPETITION RULES

For the purposes of these rules the Competition Secretary shall be referred to as the CompSec. which shall also be taken to mean the person in charge on the day.

1. Organisation

1. The Competition Secretary, with the assistance of his Deputy and Team Captains, if required, shall set the official Fixture List and shall be responsible for all Match arrangements, excluding transport to or from venues.
2. Competitions will be held as per the published official listing unless any unforeseen emergency arises.
3. The CompSec. is responsible for setting pegs, which are to be a minimum of 15 metres apart, wherever practical. No pegs to be placed within a 30 metres exclusion zone around any overhead power line or support structure. Placement on venues with clearly defined swims less than 15 metres apart can also be made at the discretion of the CompSec.
4. Scale Stewards will be appointed on the day by the CompSec. The scales will be available throughout the competition. A Scale Steward can ask for and expect to receive, assistance from an angler on an adjacent swim or close to the start point for weighing-in.
5. Match Fees and/or Prize Pools, if any, are to be paid to the CompSec., on the day of the Competition and prior to the draw.

2. Eligibility

1. All Members are entitled to take part or put themselves forward for selection in all competitions unless qualifying conditions are required – see Fixture List.
2. Selection of members for Teams representing the Company shall be by Team Captains – check with the CompSec. for a list of Team Captains.
3. Any Team fishing under the Company name must be made up from current Members of the Company who are willing and able to participate. If insufficient Members are available, Team Captains may invite guest anglers to make up numbers on a temporary basis.

3. Allocation of Swims or Pegs

1. A draw will determine swim or peg allocation for the Competition, unless deemed otherwise by the CompSec. on the day.
2. Any angler suffering from a physical disability may, at the discretion of the CompSec. be offered a choice of swims closer to the draw point or be allowed to use a Caddy to carry their equipment to and from the selected swim or peg. Once at the swim no further assistance can be given.
3. In all “roving” competitions entrants must “walk-off” in the order determined by the Draw number. No competitor may pass or short-cut another entrant drawn ahead of them until that person has stopped and selected their peg/swim. A vacant peg/swim, can be selected once passed by all those ahead in the draw.
4. On matches where swims may be of unequal distance or width, only those swims designated by the CompSec. can be used, with only one angler per swim (except for the joint adult competition).
5. On other venues, where the 15 metre distance rule has been applied, no competitor can contravene the rule, whether by mutual consent with others or not.
6. Fishing area limits apply to all pegs or swims. On flowing waters the limit is 1 metre above (upstream) of the peg to 1 metre above the adjacent downstream peg. On still water the limit is half the distance between adjacent pegs. On any water where there are pegs or swims on opposite banks to one another, the limit shall be the mid-point between both banks.
7. Competitors must restrict their activities to within these boundaries. No tackle, groundbait or loose feed is to be allowed to encroach into neighbouring swims.

4. General Match Rules

1. The water must not be broken before the start signal except for the purposes of mixing ground-bait, placing of keep-nets, clearing their ground of weed or obstructions and position their equipment, shotting of floats and plumbing or assessing depth using floats, ledger weights or un-baited feeders.
2. The Competition will start and finish by signal from the CompSec. – usually a whistle.
3. Only one rod or pole with one hook can be used at any one time. Other tackle can be prepared but must be un-baited and placed away from the water.
4. No competitor may introduce their baited hook into the swim other than by the pole or rod to which the line is attached.
5. Feed may be introduced into the swim by hand, catapult, pole pot, throwing stick, feeder, bait dropper, bait cup or bait shuttle. No other mechanical methods of projecting feed, including bait boats of any description are permitted.
6. No bait or feed is to be introduced with the use of a second rod or pole, only the one being fished with.
7. The use of live (or dead) fish baits, spinners or lures are not permitted in any competition, except during “Pike” matches.
8. Floating baits are NOT permitted at all.
9. The use of electronic fish finders is strictly forbidden.
10. The use of electronic bite alarms or buzzers or other audible devices is strictly forbidden.
11. Competitors must strike, play and land any fish within the confines of their designated peg or swim.
12. If a competitor leaves the confines of their peg for any reason, they must remove the tackle from the water, remove the bait from the hook and make the hook safe.
13. Competitors must retain all fish in EA approved keepnets. (As per Angling Rules section 4.4)
14. Game fish and crustaceans are not eligible to be weighed in and should not be retained with match fish.
15. Carp must be kept in a separate keepnet from other species of fish.
16. Large single fish, certainly any approaching 10lb or more should wherever possible, be weighed-in and returned to the water immediately. In any event they must not be kept in a keepnet for longer than 1 hour. Do not carry any fish around the water, respectfully ask the Scale Steward to come to your swim as soon as convenient.
17. No more than 50lb of fish must be kept in a single keepnet. If this limit is found to be exceeded during the weigh-in, only 50lb will be recorded towards the competitor’s total match weight.
18. Competitors must stop fishing at the signal to stop, anyone playing a fish hooked before the stop signal will be allowed no more than 15 minutes after the stop signal, to land the fish.
19. Competitors are responsible for ensuring that their swim is litter and rubbish free before the weigh-in – even if left by others.
20. Failure to comply with any Competition Rules may result in the competitor being disqualified or their catch being refused official weigh-in and sanction.
21. Any breach of rules or conduct that is likely to bring the Company into disrepute must be notified to the CompSec. or Scale Stewards before the offenders catch is weighed-in. If the offence is disputed the weigh-in may take place subject to further investigation and determination of action to be taken at a later time or place.
22. All match weights are to be recorded by the Scale Steward and agreed with the competitor at the time of the weigh-in. The CompSec. shall have the final word in any disputes.
23. The Comp-sec. shall collate match results, determine standings and allocate / pay out any Prize Pools.
24. For multi-stage competitions the Comp-sec. must also update any relevant accumulative records to show current standings.
25. The Comp-sec. is responsible for keeping accurate records of all competitions and trophy or prize winners and supplying copies of all such records to the Admin Officer for archival and publishing purposes.