WPDSAA SOUTH & WEST INSHORE LEAGUE – 2012 SEASON

CONCEPT & PARTICIPATION

AIMS

A.1 To promote light tackle sport fishing amongst all the anglers affiliated to WPDSAA.

A.2 To ensure all league competitions are fished fairly and all anglers can participate on as equal a basis as possible.

A.3 To ensure all boats can participate safely.

A.4 To find the top anglers in each category, top boat and top club.

A.5 To reward any angler or club for their performance as the WPDSAA may deem fit.

A.6 To select Provincial Teams.

TOURNAMENT COMMITTEE

WPDSAA Tournament Officer (for both sections on a control basis) or his nominee if unavailable.

Tournament Officer of each participating club OR their nominees, to be available at the venue to make decisions.

The participating T/O’s will also be responsible for all weather calls

BRIEFING

There will be a Tournament Officers briefing hosted by the WP Tournament Officer prior to the commencement of the season, to discuss any rule changes and new dates and elect the seasons Tournament Committee..

A league brief prior to the commencement of a league weekend is to be done by the WP T/O and distributed to all the club T/O’s.

It is the duty of the club Tournament Officer’s to advise all league Skippers and Anglers, prior to the commencement of the season, the new rules and elected dates for the season.

During all SOUTH leagues the skippers briefing on the Friday evening - attendance by at least the skipper or crew members (in his absence) is COMPULSORY.

A. LEGS & VENUES

WEST League

The WEST league is a SPLIT LAUNCH from ALL the respective WP affiliated clubs.

You may launch from the site of your choice

You may only WEIGH IN where you SIGN IN

Max. 5 legs + 1 spare

SOUTH League

Max. 5 legs (3 legs at Kleinbaai and 2 legs at Struisbaai) + 2 spare (1 at each venue where possible)

There will be a SPLIT launch when hosted by Overberg Boat Club .All vessels have a choice to launch & retrieve from either KleinBaai or GansBaai harbour.(you may not launch from one and retrieve from another)

Registration & Weigh in will be from Overberg Boat Club

B. WEATHER

B.1. The Tournament Committee, with the aid of the Weather Stations, can decide if the event is NOT to take place, due to inclement weather conditions by19h00 on the WEDNESDAY prior to the league and to notify all via the WP tape. If this is not possible the following below will apply:

WEST League

The WP Tournament Officer in consultation with the respective club T/O’s must make a decision by no later than 19h00 on the Friday before the WEST league and notify all via the WP tape.

A decision must be made two hours (2) before launch time of the event-taking place

In the interest of the league being fished and knowing that the weather will moderate a delayed decision can be made, which will at latest, be taken by 08h00.

Weather call is compulsory for all host clubs and will be determined from

CAPE POINT weather only and will apply to all clubs whether the league is

called ON or OFF

SOUTH League

The WP Tournament Officer in consultation with the respective club T/O’s must inform all what their intentions are by no later than 19h00 on the Thursday before the SOUTH league and notify all via the WP tape.

A final decision to be made at registration on the Friday evening or if not possible then by latest 08h00 the next day at the venue’s slipway.

C. WEATHER DECISION

a. For reasons of safety, lines-up may be called early by MAJORITY VOTE of the elected Weather Committee or their nominee, under which circumstances any angler fighting fish MUST CUT-OFF IMMEDIATELY

b. If by 10:00 On the Saturday no fish have been boated and the event

is called off due to bad weather, it shall be considered cancelled and

fished on the Sunday if possible.

The Weather Committee ONLY will use channel 69 in the case of making these weather decisions at sea and may not be interrupted by any other persons when making their decision.

D. CONDITIONS OF PARTICIPATION

Failure to comply with conditions of participation may result in the individual angler's scores, boat score and club score not being scored and/or disqualified.

D.1 Participating boats will carry a current SADSAA safety disc number and it must be entered on the registration form by close of scales.

D.2 All anglers must be registered members, in their own right, of this Association.

D.3 All anglers must fill in their Western Province angling numbers on the registration forms. The onus will rest with each angler to remember his/her angling number.

D.4 New anglers must affiliate to Western Province through their respective clubs within two weeks of fishing a leg. The onus will rest with the skipper to ensure that the new angler gets affiliated. If the angler does not affiliate within the two weeks, the boat and new angler will not be scored.

D.5 All vessels participating in the league do so as amateur sports anglers, under the auspices of the WPDSAA. As such, the laws pertaining to sport and recreation regarding bag limits, minimum sizes and protected species are binding on all participants.

Boats carrying a commercial type license MAY PARTICIPATE IN THE LEAGUE provided it is in accordance of their regulations and that they abide by the rules as set out.

D.6 The registration form must be signed, clearly stating name of boat, boat registration number ( this reg number must be accurate as the WP scorer will be using it in the future to identify your vessel),SADSAA disc number, names of each team member, name of club they represent and the line class and brand they are using prior to the official launch time

D.7 In the event of mechanical failure of vessels, contact is to be made with the Control Boat to notify them of the problem and an extension of the scales closing time may be allowed.

D.8 The onus will rest with the Skipper of each boat, regarding the safety of his/her crew, on whether to go to sea or not. Should the Skipper decide to go to sea, he/she does so at his/her own risk and indemnifies WPDSAA of all risk and legal implications.

D.9 Provincial or SADSAA representation on a league day, the anglers concerned will NOT score but will be adjudged as FISHED in the league for the provincial selection criteria process only.

RULES

A. ANGLING RULES

WPDSAA/IGFA Rules will apply EXCEPT THAT; the double line shall not exceed one & half metres [1.5m] and the leader shall not exceed three metres [3m ]. The combined length of the double line and leader shall not exceed four & half metres (4.5m), measured from the first knot to the end of the hook.

NB! IF NO DOUBLE LINE IS USED, THE TOTAL OVERALL LENGTH OF THE LEADER AND TRACE SHALL NOT EXCEED three metres[ 3 m]

B. BOATS

All boats must have a qualified skipper on board and may only carry participating anglers. With the express permission of the skipper, a recognized reporter of recognized media/newspapers may be allowed on board, but may only be on board as an observer. It is envisaged that the promotion of angling as a sport be encouraged.

C. SKIPPERS

C.1 It is the duty of each Skipper to act as a referee and see that the rules are strictly adhered to.

C.2 In the interests of safety and sportsmanship, each Skipper is expected to give as accurate as possible details regarding position and catch when asked to do so.

C.3 Any person talking on the radio of a boat will be considered to be representing his/her Skipper.

C.4 In the interests of sportsmanship, only 29 Meg and channel 71 VHF may

be used for competition chatter, other VHF channels may only be used for reasons of safety.

C.5 Cellular phones and boat Kavi Comm or Satellite phones may NOT be used for

inter-boat communication till lines up.

D. ANGLERS

Any Angler, who is an affiliated member of more than one (1) club, must nominate the club he/she wishes to fish for, before the start of the League Season and may not change his/her nomination during the course of that League Season.

D.1 JUNIOR ANGLER

A junior angler will be under the age of sixteen (16) years at the start of the season (effective on 1 January 2012). He/she will be subject to all participation rules including boat score

D.2 NOVICE ANGLER

A novice will be under the age of fourteen (14) years at the start of a league season (effective on 1 January 2012). He/she will be subject to all participation rules, and four (4) rods will be allowed on board, but he/she may not have more than two (2) line in the water at any one time and will have no bearing on individual, boat or club score and will only accumulate points towards a NOVICE AWARD. A novice who achieves Provincial colours will be upgraded to junior status with effect from the next season.

E. RODS

An angler may have a maximum of 4 rods and 4 reels on board, may not have more than two lines in the water at any one time.

In the event of both lines going off simultaneously the angler may elect another

angler, who is fishing the same line class only, to take one rod, subject to that

angler retrieving 1 rod of his own (if he has 2 rods in the water at that time)

F. LINE CLASS

COMPULSORY line class minimum 3kg maximum 4kg (IGFA rated) all scores will be calculated with a factor .No heavier line may be taken on board except as required for traces.

F.1 LINE BRANDS – PRE APPROVED

The following MONOFILAMENT brands: Ande, Berkley, Stren, Moimoi , Platypus, Suffix and Double X in the IGFA range only.

The approved MULTIFILAMENT brand: Berkley Fire Line Crystal 2lb (0.9kg) only may be used as a 3kg class line

All line used should be pre-tested before use.

Any angler found not conforming will be penalised.

F.2 LINE TESTING METHOD

PRE-APPROVED line used will not be subject to testing

Tests are to be done before all leagues through the assistance of the club T/O’s.

DRY testing only qualifies.

If samples fail the first dry test a minimum of three (3) more DRY tests will be done and the average will determine the class.

G. MINIMUM WEIGHT/SIZE

The minimum weight for species to count will be 1 kg ( subject to the minimum legislated size & weight requirement per species as specified in the regulations)

NO BARBEL, SHARK, SKATE OR RAY SPECIES TO COUNT – SNOEK may be caught during all legs.

H. BAG LIMITS

All vessels participating in the league do so as amateur sports anglers under the auspices of the WPDSAA. As such, the laws pertaining to sport and recreation regarding bag limits, minimum sizes and protected species are binding on ALL participants.

H.1 MEASURE,RECORD & RELEASE

H1.1 Applicable in the SOUTH & WEST leagues

H1.2 The following species are prohibited at the scales RED ROMAN,RED STUMP,RED STEENBRAS,WHITE STEENBRAS

H.1.3 All the above are to be Measured..Recorded..Released

H.1.4 Minimum size allowed for RECORDING Red Roman & Red Stump 350mm & both Steenbras is limited to 600mm

H.1.5 The LARGEST 2 Red Roman..1 RedStump..1 Red Steenbras & 1 White Steenbras recorded & released shall count towards scoring of points

H.1.6 In the event of any of these species being killed then that particular specie/s counts towards the individual anglers bag limit & score

H.1.7 All measurements are to be done with the TOTAL LENGTH [ to the end of the tail & not fork length]

H.1.8 Conversion tables supplied by WPDSAA shall determine the weight for scoring purposes

H.1.9 All fish released to be recorded on the standard WPDSAA release form

H.1.10 These release forms must be presented to the weigh master who in turn will record the anglers choice [refer pt H.1.5] of release fish on to the official weigh sheet

H.1.11 The WP scorer will be responsible for checking the conversion from measured size to weight from the table supplied .

H.1.12 Standardized measuring kits supplied or endorsed by either WPDSAA,IGFA or SADSAA only to be used. Minimum size specie “MEASURING STICKERS” available from tackle shops may be used.

H.1.13 Photographic evidence for each individual release is compulsory & may be requested by the weigh master or host T/O as proof of catches released

H.1.14 Soft rubber landing nets, circle hooks & soft rubber matting is recommended so as to limit any damage to the fish

H.1.15 Each boat to have a release mechanism of their choice on board [heavy weight & barbless hook]

H.1.16 COMPULSORY BOAT INSPECTIONS BY ALL AVAILABLE T/O’s FOR ILLEGAL BAG LIMITS TO BE CARRIED OUT

I. SPECIES

The in shore league is a species driven format. There is an overall cumulative daily bag limit of ten per angler, irrespective of the species caught, subject to a maximum of the daily bag limit allowed per species.

No weighable fish may be kept alive in Live bait/bait wells – THE FIRST FISH KEPT &

KILLED IS TO COUNT

J. FISHING AREAS

WEST LEAGUE & SOUTH LEAGUE

The Tournament Committee at their discretion may limit or extend area boundaries

The following fishing boundaries apply for all venues:

5NM from land with the inclusion of a 3NM radius around the following structures:

Dassen Island, Robben Island, Rocky Bank (measured from the pinnacle),6 Mile bank & the 5 Mile Bank.

NB: No fishing may be allowed in any restricted area as demarcated as new reserves as stipulated in the Table Mountain National Park Marine Protected Areas.

K. FISHING TIMES

K.1 Departure from all launch sites will be:

WEST 1 March to 30 September 07h00 1 October to 28 February 06h00

SOUTH 1 March to 30 September 07h00 1 October to 28 February 06h00

[or as decided by the weather committee at registration]

K.2 In the interest of the WEST & SOUTH league being fished a delay in the weather decision is allowed until 08h00

L. LINES UP

SOUTH LEAGUES

Lines- up on a SATURDAY will be 16h00 ....IF FISHED ON ANY SUNDAY lines up will be at 14h00

WEST LEAGUES

Lines- up on a SATURDAY will be 15h00 ....IF FISHED ON ANY SUNDAY lines up

will be at 14h00

The exceptions are as follows:

a. For reasons of safety lines-up may be called early by majority vote of the elected weather committee

b. An angler may continue fighting a fish for 1 (one) hour after lines-up only

provided it was hooked prior to the call and is immediately reported to the

control boat. Fish hooked after the lines-up call, must be disqualified.

M. SCORING

1. All points scored will be awarded in accordance with the WPDSAA scoring system together with a GRAND PRIX 1000 - point system(subject to : if 30% or less of anglers catching fish...then 500pts will be awarded)

2. The total score of the anglers on board will determine boat scores

divided by a minimum of three (3) participants.

3. The total score of that angler/boat will determine the top angler/boat over the whole season.

4. The club score will be the total score of the top ten anglers of that club

for that particular day and the total of all the events will be the overall

score of that participating club.

5. For the Species scoring system, individual scoring will be calculated

as the total points of an angler for the day…. multiplied by the

number of legal species he/she has caught.

6. The grand prix system based on the species scoring will apply to

individuals, boats and clubs scores

7. Western Province floating trophies may be won by any WPDSAA

affiliated angler but must remain within our Provincial boundaries.

8. Scores for juniors will form part of the main scoring system.

The introduction of another individual scoring system to be carried out on a trial basis for the 2012 season

N. WEIGH-IN (SOUTH & WEST)

1. All fish must be weighed on the official scales so designated.

2. All fish are to be clearly marked and sorted for individual identification prior

to the weigh-in.

3. All fish must be individually presented to the scale and recorded against the angler’s name on the official weigh sheet, which must be signed as correct by the skipper, or his nominee. All weighed fish to be marked by the weigh master.

4. In the SOUTH league Scales close at 18h00 unless otherwise decided by the Tournament Committee to cater for special circumstances. EXCEPT WHEN THE SUNDAY IS FISHED then scales will close at 16h00 or at the discretion of the host club T/O.

In the WEST league Scales close at 17h00 unless otherwise decided by the Tournament Committee or at the discretion of the host T/O.EXCEPT WHEN THE SUNDAY IS FISHED then scales will close at 16h00.

5. If no fish are caught, Weigh Sheets must be signed by the skipper, or in

the absence thereof, be reported to the weigh master.

M. PRIZES (SOUTH & WEST)

1. Prizes, will be awarded according to the available trophies and as

determined by the WPDSAA Tournament Officer.

2. If any trophies are incorrectly awarded, the Club’s Tournament Officer at

the first opportunity must bring it to the attention of the WPDSAA

Tournament Officer.

3. Trophies for separate South and West leagues to be awarded.

O. OBJECTIONS

All objections together with R 50.00 (Fifty Rands) must be reported to the Control boat or the host tournament officer or the WPDSAA Tournament Officer immediately they arise, but no later than the close of scales and must be followed up in writing within one (1) hour. This can however be extended to 24 hrs at the discretion of the elected Tournament Committee.

P. INFRINGEMENTS

Although the intent of these rules is to rely on the integrity and sportsmanship of all participants, the elected Tournament Committee may, at their discretion, rule for cancellation of any infringement as follows:

a) Boat score b) anglers catch (single fish or entire catch)c) entire teams score.

Q. APPEALS

Any participant may appeal against a ruling by doing so in writing to the WPDSAA Tournament Officer, together with R50.00 (Fifty Rands) within 1 week of the ruling. If the appeal is upheld, the money will be refunded, if not the money will be placed in the Tournament Fund.

R. DATES

WEST LEAGUE

28 / 29 January

11 / 12 February

4 / 5 August

25 / 26 August

22 / 23 September

SPARE

6 / 7 October

NB: fish a maximum of 5 legs in the WEST league

SOUTH LEAGUE

SuidPunt – Struis Baai

25 / 26 February

17 / 18 March

SPARE

31 March

Overberg –Klein Baai

9 / 10 June

14 / 15 July

11 / 12 August

SPARE

8 / 9 September

NB: fish a maximum of 5 legs in the SOUTH league

LINE FACTOR TABLE

LINE CLASS FACTOR

3 kg 2.5

4 kg 2

N.B.! THE WESTERN PROVINCE INFORMATION TAPE

TELEPHONE NO. 078 711 1105

TOURNAMENT OFFICERS’ DUTIES

A. WPDSAA TOURNAMENT OFFICER

1. Make available (ON REQUEST) to host club tournament officer the WPsuitcase:

Assized Scale (to de done yearly)

Weigh-in sheets (registration book)

Record file

Record claim forms(available from Records Officer)

Camera & spools (if available)

Tape measure

List of legal limit species

Inshore League Rules

2. Call meeting of Tournament Committee immediately after close of scales if to attend to any objections. If an objection cannot be immediately resolved, a date must be set for a further meeting, where a decision must be taken or referred to Council for assistance.

3. Ensure that the Tournament Committee complies with all the rules as set out.

B. HOST CLUB’S TOURNAMENT OFFICER

1. Be available for the weather decision by 19h00 on the Wednesday , Thursday & Fridaty prior to the West League taking place.

2. All decisions will then be placed on the WP tape or advised at registration for the information of league participants.

3. Ensure that the registration book is readily available to anglers at the specified venues, from half-an-hour before launching.

4. Name of control boat .

5. Make arrangements for alternate launching when required to do so.

6. Ensure that weigh masters/mistresses are appointed to the scales and that the scale is assized for the year.

7. Fax weigh sheets (WHITE PG’s) to the official scorer no later than 19:00 on the day following the league.

8. Must be available at the venue until close of scale.

9. T/O may inspect boats at any time to confirm that bag limits and leader lengths and line brands used are within the rules.

TOURNAMENT OFFICERS SHOULD AT ALL TIMES REFRAIN FROM BEING INVOLVED IN CONTENTIOUS DISCUSSIONS REGARDING RULES OVER THE AIR AND SHOULD ACTIVELY DISCOURAGE THEIR ANGLERS FROM IT.ANY ANGLER WITH A COMPLAINT SHOULD CONTACT HIS/HER CLUB TOURNAMENT OFFICER OR THE HOST TOURNAMENT OFFICER WHO CAN IN TURN CONFERS WITH THE WPDSAA TOURNAMENT OFFICER ON ANOTHER CHANNEL IF NECESSARY OR PREFERABLY BACK ON LAND.

C. WEIGHMASTERS/MISTRESS

1. Be available at the scales from lines-up.

2. Ensure that ALL names of anglers are noted on the boat weigh sheet – nil catch included.

3. Enter ALL fish presented to the scales, irrespective of weight

4. At close of scale hand over to the host tournament officer all completed weigh sheets.