GENERAL

1.

The season opens on 1 July 2009 and ends on 30 June 2010.

2.

Eligibility: Only full financial members of the Tauranga Game Fishing Club are eligible for Club Pins, Points, Records and Trophies.

3.

Fishing Area: (Inside & outside Chart 54).  Only fish caught within the TGFC stated fishing area shall qualify for Club Pins, Points, Records and Trophies.  The area is all water encompassed in the Hydrographic Chart NZ54 - Cuvier Island to East Cape.  Fish caught outside Chart NZ54 within NZ Territorial waters only qualify for trophies. (2) that relate to outside Chart NZ54.

4.

Weigh station: The recognised weigh stations are the Tauranga Game Fishing Club Clubrooms at Sulphur Point, and all NZBGFC affiliated clubs in the Bay of Plenty / Coromandel region.

5.

Catch cards:  A Tauranga Game Fishing Club official catch card, correctly completed, must be presented to the weighmaster with the fish or tag and release card.

6.

Tackle:  Anglers presenting fish at the weigh station are required to have the rod, reel, line/trace, and gaff used for the capture available for inspection by the weighmaster.  In the case of record claims, these items must be presented with the fish.  The weighmaster may require a line sample for testing.

7.

CLUB PINS

Pins shall be awarded to annual winners for Men’s, Women’s and Junior’s sections in the following categories:

Club Pin Fish (silver pin)
- Snapper (Line weight 15kg and under)
- Other Gamefish Species

        - Heavy Tackle (HT) Line weights 15kg and over (ie 15,24,37 and 60kg)

        - Light Tackle (LT) Line weights 10kg and under (ie 1,2,3,4,6,8 and 10kg)

        - Tag & Release first marlin

Club Record (Gold plate)
NZ Record (silver pin with ruby eye)
World Record (gold pin)
World Record 2^nd catch on same day (gold pin with diamond eye).
No angler shall be awarded more than one pin for any species on one day.  No angler shall be awarded more than two pins (one for the first and one for the heaviest) fish of the same species in any one season.

7a

SNAPPER       Line weights of 15kg and under.

A silver pin shall be awarded to the angler who catches the first qualifying snapper in each line class

 i.e. 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 15kg line classes.
A Fish weighing heavier by 100 grams also qualifies for a pin.  There is a maximum of 2 pins per angler per line class.

To qualify for pins and trophies the fish must have a minimum weigh of 4kg for line classes of 4kg and over or if under 4kg the fish must exceed line weight in each class. 

7b

HEAVY TACKLE (HT)          Line weights of 15kg and over

A silver pin shall be awarded to the angler who catches the first qualifying fish of each species in each line class i.e. 15, 24, 37 and 60kg line classes.
Each qualifying fish subsequently caught weighing heavier by half a kilogram or more also qualifies for a silver pin. 
To qualify for pins and trophies, the fish must equal or exceed the breaking strain of the line and the following minimum weights/length:

Marlin                 90kg                           Broadbill  Must exceed line weight

Sharks                90kg                           Tuna  15kg                Y/T Kingfish         1 meter

The following species, fish must exceed the minimum weight, but do not have to exceed the line weight:

Albacore             7kg                            S/B Spearfish            10kg

Mahimahi            4kg                            Wreckfish                 10kg

7c

LIGHT TACKLE (LT)          Line weights 10kg and under

A Silver pin shall be awarded to the angler who catches the first qualifying fish of each species in each line class i.e. 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8 and 10kg classes.
Each qualifying fish that is subsequently caught weighing heavier by 5 points also qualifies for a silver pin.
The basis for pins and trophies for this section shall be the IGFA points system i.e. the weight of the fish multiplied by 100 and divided by the breaking strain of the line.

To qualify for pins and trophies the fish must equal or exceed the breaking strain of the line except for the following species, which also have minimum weights:

Sharks              30kg                 Albacore           7kg

S/B Spearfish    10kg                 Marlin               90kg

Mahimahi          4kg                   Tuna                 10kg

Y/T Kingfish     1 meter             Wreckfish         10kg

7d

TAG and RELEASE fish

A Silver pin will be awarded to the first angler to tag and release a marlin.

All tag cards and TGFC catch cards must be accompanied by a photograph/video clearly showing the tag in the fish.
A tagged and released fish is recognised by the TGFC as a caught fish i.e. if the first billfish of the season is tagged and released, it will qualify for the first billfish of season trophy.  This applies for billfish only.

8.

CLUB RECORDS
A Club record shall be awarded to the angler who catches the first qualifying fish of each species in each line class ie 1,2,3,4,6,8,10,15,24,37 and 60kg.
Each qualifying fish that is subsequently caught weighing heavier by 500 grams also qualifies for and replaces the current Club record.

To qualify for Club records the fish must be caught in accordance with IGFA international angling rules.

The minimum acceptance weight for any Club record catch claim is 0.453kg (1lb).

A list of all current Club record holders is held on the Club’s records board in the clubrooms and published on the Club’s website.

 

9.

POINTS (Angler and Boat)
Points shall be awarded to individual anglers and boats for all qualifying fish weighed and tagged & released.  Points will accumulate towards annual individual angler and boat totals.

Points shall be awarded for qualifying fish weighed based on the IGFA points system
i.e. the weight of the fish multiplied by 100 and divided by the breaking strain of the line.

The following points shall be awarded for fish tagged and released:

Billfish      400 points             Shark      100 points           Y/T Kingfish     50 points (over 1 meter)

Points shall also be awarded to individual boat totals for qualifying fish weighed and tagged and released by Day members.

10.

TROPHIES

A list of trophies with condition and winner shall be published annually in the Club’s yearbook together with a list of trophies not awarded and their conditions.

If a species of fish for a Club trophy is not caught within Chart 54, that trophy may be awarded to a fish caught within NZ Territorial waters.