SPRING OPEN

FLY FISHING

COMPETITION RULES

If there is any doubt or dispute over any aspect of the Competition Rules, they will be resolved by interpreting the spirit of the Rules.

INTRODUCTION

Competition sport fly fishing is angling with a conventional fly rod, fly line, fly reel and artificial flies among competitors who are observing a standard and an approved set of rules, for no financial reward.

Competition sport fly fishing is a doping-free sport practiced in order to promote health, fairness and equality for all competitors worldwide.

ARTICLE 1: BANK FISHING

1.1 A competitor may only cast or fish their flies within the marked boundaries of their beat and they must remain within the boundaries of the beat during the whole competition session. No wading allowed. A competitor may not fish from, nor use, any form of bridge during a Competition Session.

1.2 If a hooked fish swims into the adjacent beat, and the angler in that beat does not object, then the competitor may play the fish from inside their own beat and it must also be landed within their beat. If the angler in the adjacent beat does object, the competitor has a maximum of five minutes to bring the fish out of the adjacent beat, and into either the buffer zone or their own beat.

ARTICLE 2: DUTIES, RESPONSIBILITIES AND POWERS OF THE JURY

2.1. It will be the duty and responsibility of the Jury to:

(a) Review any reports of infractions and take any appropriate action.

(b) Receive any formal written protest, and take any appropriate action.

2.2. Disciplinary measures are:

(a) Warning

(b) Censure

(c) Disallowing all or part of a competitor’s catch

(d) Disqualification of the competitor

ARTICLE 3: CONTROLLERS.

3.1 Controllers will be responsible for accurately recording on the competitor’s scorecard of each eligible fish. All unused portions of the scoring section of the card must be crossed out by the controller at the end of the session.

3.2 Controllers are not allowed to enter the water during a competition session.

3.3 Controllers will be responsible for warning competitors if any breach of the Competition Rules and their Modifications appears probable.

3.4 Controllers must record any infraction of the Competition Rules or their Modifications and report this information to the Judge.

ARTICLE 4: CARE OF FISH CAUGHT

4.1. If a competitor wishes a fish to score, they must land it in a net and show the fish in the net to the controller for recording.

4.2. If a competitor thinks that they have a larger capture they must land it in a net and call on the controller for measurement and recording. The controller must remove the hook, revive the fish and release it, taking care not to damage the fish.

4.2.1 By the end of the session every competitor must have recorded their largest capture with the controller.

4.2.2 It is up to each competitor to decide which fish they want to record as their largest capture.

4.3. If a controller or any other competition official determines that a competitor has negligently injured a fish, that fish will not be scored and the competitor will be penalized the number of points attributable to a fish. The incident must be reported to the Jury for consideration of further action.

ARTICLE 5: ELIGIBLE FISH

5.1. All species are eligible. For measuring purposes, the length will be from the tip of the nose to the end of the tail.

5.2. Only fish hooked in the mouth area, i.e. in front of the rear edge of the gill cover, will be eligible.

5.3. A fish hooked inside a competition session is eligible if it is landed not more than five minutes after the end of the session.

ARTICLE 6: COMPETITION FLY RODS

6.1. One conventional fly rod may be used at one time.

6.2. Competitors may have spare fly rods.

6.3. Competitors are responsible for carrying and protecting their own equipment.

ARTICLE 7: COMPETITION FLY LINES

7.1. Any factory-made floating, sinking or sink tip lines may be used, except for lead core lines.

7.2. Shooting heads are allowed.

7.3. Neither sinking nor floating devices may be added to fly lines. (e.g. float indicator, split shots)

ARTICLE 8: COMPETITION LEADERS

8.1. A single monofilament leader, tippet included, may be used, with a maximum length of twice the length of the rod used.

8.2. Leaders may be knotted or knotless, and continuously tapered down or leveled. If the leader is knotted, the minimum distance between the knots is 30 cm, hanging freely.

8.3. Neither sinking nor floating devices may be added to the leader (e.g. float indicator, split shots)

ARTICLE 9: COMPETITION FLIES

9.1. Competitors may use floating or sinking artificial flies.

9.2. Each fly must be dressed on a single hook.

9.3. Weighted flies are permitted, provided the weight is hidden within the dressing. A single visible bead, not more than 4 mm in its maximum dimension, is also permitted. Painting alone does not constitute dressing.

9.4. If one fly is used, the length of the dressed fly will be at the discretion of the competitor.

9.5. A maximum of three flies is permitted which must not be closer to each other than 50 cm, measured eye to eye, hanging freely.

9.6. All flies must be attached to the leader in such a way that neither they nor their droppers move or slide along the leader material.

9.7. All flies must be dressed on hooks which are barbless.

ARTICLE 10: PROHIBITIONS

10.1. The following are prohibited:

(a) Lack of sportsmanship towards other competitors, organizers or officials.

(b) Any action by competitors, organizers or officials which would produce fraudulent or biased results.

(c) The use by a team member of a fish/depth finder during a session.

(d) Use of any prohibited substance(s) constituting doping, according to the anti-doping regulations set.

ARTICLE 11: LOST FISH & FISH POINTS

11.1. In the event of the loss of a fish by a controller before measurement, the competitor will be awarded the number of the points for one fish.

11.2. One eligible fish caught = 1point.

ARTICLE 12: SESSION PLACINGS

12.1. All competitors will receive a placing in their group according to the points they obtain on each sector and for each session of a tournament.

12.2. Any competitor who fails to make a valid catch in any session will be awarded a placing equal to the number of competitors in the sector for that session. The same placing will be awarded to any competitor who fails to participate for any reason.

12.3. Any competitor who is forced to retire for any reason from a session of the competition shall have their catch up to that time included in the results.

12.4. If there is a tie between competitors in the same sector and session in the number of points received, the tie breaker will be the longest fish caught. If the tie persists, the competitors will receive equal placings and the immediately following placing(s) will be blank.

ARTICLE 13: INDIVIDUAL POSITIONS

13.1. The positions will be determined as follows:

The first position will be awarded to the individual with the lowest cumulative number of placings, and similarly for all other positions.

13.2. If there is a tie for positions between competitors, the first tie breaker will be the largest number of points received and the second will be the largest fish.

13.4. If the tie persists, the tied competitors will be awarded equal positions and the immediately following position(s) will be blank.

Adapted from the 2013 Competition Rules of FIPS-Mouche

(Federation Internationale de Peche Sportive Mouche)