westelike provinsie diepsee-
hengelvereniging
SECRETARY – * 28297 BOTHASIG 7406 FAX
(021) 559 1081
( (021) 559 3996
WPDSAA OFFSHORE LEAGUE - 2012 SEASON
CONCEPT & PARTICIPATION
A. AIMS
A.1 To promote and develop light tackle game
fishing wherever possible
amongst
all anglers affiliated to WPDSAA, with the aim of establishing the top anglers in order to select
competitive Western Province teams.
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,
subject to legal restrictions of the craft concerned.
A.4 To find the top angler 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.
B. TOURNAMENT COMMITTEE
WPDSAA Tournament Officer (or his duly elected nominee if unavailable)
Tournament
Officer of each participating club or their duly elected nominee in the event
of unavailability, to be confirmed prior to the start of each leg, who will be
available at the venue.
All
participating T/O’s will be responsible for all weather calls.
C. 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 participating 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.
D. LEGS & VENUES
D.1 EIGHT (8) League weekends have
been selected.
A
maximum of SIX (6) legs will be fished if possible
EIGHT (8) selected weekends ONLY to be fished
concurrently until a maximum of SIX (6) LEGS are fished with no spare weekends,
with the Saturday being the fishing day and the Sunday being the alternative
fishing day.
D.2 If by 10h00 no fish
have been boated and the event is called
off due to bad weather,
the event shall be considered cancelled
and will be re-allocated to the next available date.
D.3 Launching will be from
any WPDSAA affiliated club-launching venue.
E. WEATHER CONDITIONS
E.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 notified via the WP tape .If
this is not possible Rule G.2 below applies.
E.2 A decision must be made on the Friday or Saturday by 19h00
whether the league will be fished, if this is not possible a further decision
must be made three hours (3) before launch time of the league taking place i.e
02h00 during November/December and 03h00 during March, April, May , June and
October.
E.3 In the interests of the league being fished
and knowing that the weather will moderate a delayed decision can be made on the actual day, which will at latest, be
taken by 07h00 during November/December and 08h00 during March, April, May June
and October.
E.4 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 IMMEDIATEDLY
E.5 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 these decisions.
F. 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.
F.1 Participating boats will carry a current SADSAA safety disc
number and it must be entered on the registration form together with the
boat registration number by close of scales.
F.2 All anglers must be registered members, in their own right, of
this Association.
F.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.
F.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.
F.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 LT or TP or any
other 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
F.6 a) The
registration form must be signed, clearly stating name of boat, registration
number of boat (this reg number must be accurate as the WP scorer will be using
it in future to identify your vessel),SADSAA disc number, names of each
team member, name of club they represent and the line class and brand of
line used, before launching. Registration books and a certified scale must
be available at all participating launching venues.
b) All vessels must book out with (PENQUIN or SCARBROUGH) whoever
is available. The information given must be - intended course, number of
persons on board, point of departure and line class. On return all boats must
book back with their respective radio controller.
c) In the event of mechanical failure of vessels, contact is to
be made with the elected Control boat and their radio controller to notify them
of the problem and the host T/O may consider an extension of the scales closing
time.
F.7 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.
F.8 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.
F.9 For
reasons of safety and as a precautionary measure all skippers are
to
be aware of the 300m radius whilst fishing behind Stern Trawlers
when they are pulling their net in the event of
the net “popping” up.
RULES
1. ANGLING RULES
WPDSAA/IGFA
Rules as well as all recreational legal limits will apply. The onus will be on
participants to be fully au fait with these rules/limits.
2. BOATS
All boats must have a qualified Skipper on
board and may only carry participating
anglers.
3. SKIPPER
3.1 It is the duty of each Skipper to act as a referee and see
that all rules are strictly adhered to.
3.2 In the interest of safety and sportsmanship, each Skipper is
expected to give as accurate as possible details regarding position and catch
when asked to do so.
3.3 At lines-up, the Skipper must give as accurate account as
possible of fish caught if asked by the Control Boat or Radio Control.
3.4 Any person talking on the radio of a boat will be considered
to be representing his/her Skipper.
3.5 In the interests of sportsmanship, channel 71VHF may be used
for competition chatter. VHF channel 16
may only be used for reasons of safety. The
weather committee may only use VHF channel 69 when a decision needs to
be made. NO CELLULAR TELEPHONES or
TRUNK RADIOS (KAVI COMMS) or SATTILITE PHONES MAY BE USED FOR INTER-BOAT
COMMUNICATIONS UNTIL LINES UP.
4. ANGLERS
4.1 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.
4.2 JUNIOR ANGLER
A junior angler will
be under the age of sixteen (16) years at the start of the league season (effective from 1
January 2012).
He/she will be subject to all
participation rules including boat score.
He /she may fish with
a heavier line class of their choice than designated for the boat on the day
and may have four (4) rods aboard with only two (2) in the water at any given
time. The rods may not be handled by any other angler aboard except when
another junior or the other anglers who are fishing the same line class.
4.3 NOVICE ANGLER
A novice will be under the age of fourteen (14)
years at the start of the league season (effective from 1 January 2012).
He/she will be
subject to all participation rules but will have no bearing on the individual,
boat or club scores and will only accumulate points towards a NOVICE
AWARD. He/she may fish with a heavier
line class of their choice than designated for the boat on the day, but may
have four rods aboard with only two (2) in the water at any given time.
5. RODS
An angler may have a maximum of four (4) rods and four
(4) reels on board, but may not
have more than two (2) lines in the water at any one time. His/her rod/s must
be clearly nominated.
An angler may only nominate his
rod to another angler, if he cannot take the rod himself
due to him already fighting fish subject to that
angler retrieving 1 of his own rods if he has 2 in the water.
6.
LINE CLASS and LEADER LENGTHS
6.1
MIXED pre-approved
LINE CLASSES MAY BE USED with a minimum TEN (10) kg IGFA rated.
6.2
LINE BRANDS – PRE APPROVED
The Tournament Committee has PRE
APPROVED the following
MONOFILAMENT
brands: Ande, Berkley, Stren, MoiMoi , Platypus,Suffix,Double X.... and
Cortland Dacron (as backing) all in the
IGFA range only. IF USED these lines will
not be tested.
The
Tournament Committee may add additional brands to the approved list provided
they are satisfied as to the suitability of the product.
6.3
The LEADER shall be
limited to 15 feet (4.57m) for line classes up to 20lb (10kg), and 30 feet
(9.14m) for all line classes over 20lb (10kg)
6.4
The combined length of
the DOUBLE LINE and LEADER shall not exceed 20 feet (6.1m) in line classes up
to and including 20lb (10kg) and 40 feet (12.19m) in line classes over
20lb (10kg).
6.5
LINE TESTING METHOD
PRE-APPROVED
line used will not be subject to testing at the discretion of the WP Tournament
Officer
All OTHER brands of line will be allowed but the onus is on the angler to
ensure the line used is not illegal.
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.
6.6 LINE
TRANSGRESSIONS
Failure to
comply with pts 6.1 to 6.5 the Tournament Committee may, at their discretion
apply penalties.
7. MINIMUM
WEIGHTS
The
minimum weight for all game fish species will be TEN - (10) kg or the
legal limit whichever is the greater.
8.
TAGGING/TIPPING & RELEASE & MEASURING, excluded from
league scoring.
9. FISHING
AREA
9.1 The Control boat will, as far as possible, monitor each vessel
and report any infringement.
9.2 All fish must be hooked
within a maximum radius of forty (40) N.M. from Cape
Point this rule applies to all boats fishing out of GBBAC;CBSBC;FBMT & ABC
9.3 Boats launching from YZER;OBBC &
STRUIS all fish must be hooked
within a maximum
radius of forty (40) N.M. from their respective harbours
10.
FISHING TIMES
10.1 No official launch time…….Departure times from launch
site will be determined by each skipper and the onus is on the club Tournament
Officer to ensure the registration book is available at a suitable time agree
by his club anglers before launching and is completed by all participants.
10.2 Lines-in time will be as follows:
07h00 for
November, December
07h30
for October, March, April, May and June.
No
extra time to be given due to late starts or breakdowns.
10.3 Lines-up will be 15h00 for all legs
10.4 An angler may continue fighting a fish for ONE (1) hour after
lines-up, only provided it was hooked prior to the call and is immediately
reported to radio control. Fish hooked after the lines-up call must be
disqualified.
11. SCORING
11.1 All points will be awarded in accordance with the WPDSAA scoring system,
together with a Grand Prix
1000-point percentage (%) system (Subject
to : if 30% or less of anglers
catching fish...500pts will be awarded)The top angler for the day will
receive 1000 points (or 500pts as
above) and all other angler points are scored pro-rata as a percentage
(%) of the 1000 points(or 500pts as
above) The Grand Prix system applies to boats, clubs & anglers.
11.2 Boat
scores will be determined by the total score of the anglers with a minimum of three
(3) participants, including junior anglers. (Novice
anglers are excluded)
11.3 The top angler/boat will be determined by the total score of
that angler/boat over the whole season.
11.4 The club score will be the total score of the top ten (10)
anglers of that club for that particular leg and the total of all the
legs will be the overall score of that particular club.
11.5 Changing of boat points may be considered to another boat by
written application to the WPTO, who will in turn seek the advice of the other
T/O’s excluding the T/O of the relevant club.
11.6 Billfish 100%
Sailfish 80%
Tuna
- Long fin 80%
Dorado 90%
Garrick 90%
Rainbow
Runner 80%
Yellowtail 100%
All
Bonito species 100%
Wahoo 85%
11.7 Scores for juniors will form part of
the main scoring system.
11.8 The introduction of another
individual scoring system on a trial basis to be considered.
12. WEIGH-IN
12.1 All fish must be weighed on the Official Club Scales that have
been asized/calibrated for the season.
12.2 a) All
fish must be individually presented to the scales and recorded against the
angler's name, on the official Weigh Sheet. The Skipper or his/her nominee, who
takes full responsibility, must sign this as correct.
b) If no fish caught, Weigh Sheets must still be signed.
12.3 Scale queue closes at
19h00 unless otherwise decided by the clubs tournament officer to cater for special circumstances.
13. PRIZES
13.1 Prizes will be awarded according to the available trophies and
as determined by the WP T/O.
13.2 If any trophies are incorrectly awarded, it must be brought to
the attention of the WPDSAA Tournament Officer by the Club's Tournament Officer
at the first opportunity.
13.3 Western Province floating trophies may be won by any WPDSAA
affiliated angler, but must remain within our Provincial Boundaries.
14. OBJECTIONS
All
objections together with R50.00 must
be reported to the elected Tournament Committee for that leg or the Club
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 tournament committee.
15. INFRINGEMENTS
Although
the intent of these rules is to rely on the integrity and sportsmanship of all
participants, the Tournament Committee may, at their discretion, rule for
cancellations for any infringement as follows:
a) Boat score b)
Anglers catch (single fish or entire catch) c)
Entire team's score
16. APPEALS
Any
participant may appeal against a ruling by doing so in writing to the WP
Tournament Officer, together with R50.00 (Fifty Rands) within one (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. ALL APPEALS MUST BE HEARD AND
RULED UPON BY THE FRIDAY PRECEDING
THE FOLLOWING LEG.
17. The decision of the
Tournament committee in the implementation of these rules will be
binding and no correspondence will be entered
into.
18. LEAGUE DATES - 2012
LEG
1 14/15 April
LEG
2 5/6 May
LEG 4 2/3 June
LEG 6 3/4 November
LEG 7 24/25 November
NB: only a maximum of six (6) legs will be fished
LINE FACTOR TABLE
LINE
CLASS FACTOR
10 kg 0.32
15 kg 0.142
24 kg 0.055
37 kg 0.0233747
60 kg 0.0088888
N.B.! THE WESTERN PROVINCE INFORMATION TAPE
TELEPHONE NO. 078
711 1105
TOURNAMENT OFFICERS DUTIES
A. WPDSAA TOURNAMENTS OFFICER
1. Make available to club
tournament officer when requested the WPDSAA "SUITCASE"
containing:
* W.P. Certified Scale (to de done
yearly)
* Record claim forms (available from
the WP Records Officer)
* Camera & Spools (if available)
* Tape Measure
* Official registration forms / weighs
sheets
* List of legal specie limits and
minimum sizes
* Offshore League Rules
* Inshore League Rules
2. Call a meeting of the tournaments committee immediately
after close of scales if required, to attend to any objections. If an objection
cannot be immediately resolved, a date must be set with the WP T/O for a
further meeting where a decision must be taken or referred to Exco and Council for
assistance.
3. Ensure the tournaments committee complies with all the rules
as set out, rules will not be changed during the course of the league season
unless an urgent need to in the interest of the league where a special meeting
can be called through the WP Council.
4. Carry out spot checks on
tackle and line samples.
B. CLUB'S TOURNAMENT OFFICER (Clubs supplying a launching venue)
1. Ensure that registration forms are readily available to
anglers at the venue from half-an-hour before launching.
2. Each club participating must select a weigh
masters/mistresses who shall be a non-participant.
3. Completed and signed weigh sheets to be faxed to the WP
official scorer by no later than 19h00 on the day following the league.
4. Must be available at the
venue until after close of scales.
C. WEIGHMASTER/MISTRESS
1. Be available at the
scales from lines-up.
2. Ensure ALL names of anglers are noted on the boat's weigh
sheet - NIL catches included.
3. Enter ALL fish presented
to the scales irrespective of weight.
4. At close of scales, hand over to the Club's Tournament
Officer all competed weigh sheets.
Tournament Officers should at all time, refrain from being involved in contentious discussions regarding rules over the air and should actively discourage their members from same. Any angler with a complaint should contact his club tournament officer, who can in turn, confer with the WPDSAA Tournament Officer on another channel if necessary or preferably back on land.