Fishing Rules

Not withstanding any of the following rules, it is expected that at all times members will only fish in an acceptable sporting manner.

1.Championships & Festivals - General

1.1 The Federation will stage the European Championships -Boat-Shore-Gamefish and Light Line annually. At least four months prior notice of an application by a section to act as hosts for the European Championships two years hence should be received by the General secretary ,and at least two months prior to the A.G.M. Information with estimated costs should be circulated to all member countries. Such application must be subject to the approval of the A.G.M. and must, if necessary, be vetted by a sub-committee set up for that purpose.

1.2 It is desirable that the Championship be held in a different country each year.

1.3 Member countries having no national sea water may, with the full co-operation of another nation, nominate their Championship to be held in that country's waters, but the organisation of such events shall rest with the country applying, which will be recognised as the Host country.

1.4 For the two European Boat Championships generally, two (2) days line class and three (3) days general Championships, with not less than six (6) hours fishing per day is usual for both Championships. Deviations must be decided or agreed by the Standing Committee. The Line Class Championships to be held on the first two fishing days. The Standing Committee meeting and The A.G.M. to be held on consecutive days prior to the start of the Championships. For the European Shore Championships fishing shall be over two or three days, with a minimum of ten hours and a maximum of fifteen hours fishing, split into fishing periods as appropriate.

1.5 A points system shall be used that has been approved by The Standing Committee. The angler with the highest number of points accumulated over the total available number of fishing days of The Championships shall be declared The European Champion for that year.

1.6 Members of National teams and reserves must be registered by name with the Organising Committee by the closing date for entries of the Championship. One reserve angler per team will be allowed. When a member of a team is unable to fish, his/her name, together with the name of the reserve angler being substituted must be submitted to the Organising Committee prior to commencement of fishing. For the European Championship the National team shall consist of five anglers. No reserves are allowed after commencement of the Championship.

1.7 Any sponsorship can only be accepted if approved by the Standing Committee.

1.8 In the interests of conservation, and if possible, all fish should be returned alive to the sea, unless required for record purposes or for consumption.

1.9 All fish retained must be killed after landing.

1.10   There shall be a limitation of 5 fish of any species to be landed per Angler per day, but the organising Committee can request a waiver for specific fish, important in that area. After killing a fish it cannot be replaced by a heavier/larger fish.

1.11   The Host Section must take out third-party insurance to cover the Section and HO against all possible claims. The Organising Committee shall insure the event against unavoidable losses arising from cancellation of the event. It is the responsibility of the individual angler to insure himself against losses arising from illness, breakdown or his/ her cancellation for other reasons.

2. Officers Participation

2.1 All members fish as members, no special privileges will be extended to the holder of any office in the Federation.

3. Qualifications

3.1 The European and International Championships and any other International event held under the auspices of the Federation shall be open to all members of the Federation who fish for sport.

3.2 International team events are open to two Official National teams consisting of 2-5 members   from any Member country. These teams must be approved by the Executive Committee of the Member country and only teams so nominated can be accepted by the organising committee of the host country. For European International events the interna­tional teams shall consist of five anglers with the lowest results each day or session not counting. No member may compete in more than one team in any category within a Championship. A Member country may not enter a National Team in the Championships unless membership fees have been paid as under clause 17.2 of the Constitution. In addition a Member country must be represented at the Standing Committee Meeting held in conjunction with the Championships to qualify for the National Team entry.

3.3 All fish caught in Championships/Festivals organised by, or on behalf of the Federation shall be disposed of at the discretion of the Organising Committee.

4 Boat Limitations

4.1 Official National Team members shall not be allowed to fish together in the same boat on any day of the Championships. These anglers must be seeded before the boat draw. No more than two members of a four/five man team can be members of any other four/five man team. No member may compete in more than one team in any category within the Championships.

4.2 Under no circumstances shall any country, club or individual be allowed to reserve a boat for their own use in any championship event.

4.3 The Organising Committee shall be responsible for selecting the competitors for each boat. Competitors names will be drawn for named boats by public ballot, witnessed and signed by independent people, followed by a draw for boat places in the same way.

4.4 For reasons of disablement only, the organising committee may allocate a special safe boat place, provided application is made on the application form. If man and wife or adult/Junior wish to fish together, this must be stated on the application form. The safe boat position rule may also be applied at the discretion of the fishing captain, but only for Senior anglers over the age of 60 and Juniors under 14 years of age.

4.5 A Fishing Captain shall be selected for each boat and he shall be responsible for the liaison with the skipper of the boat and the observance of the Federation rules.

4.6 Each competitor shall have equal fishing time. The qualification being that those competitors in smaller, slow boats will have no handicap in relation to competitors fishing on larger and/or faster boats. In the event of a significant (minimum 1/2 an hour) fishing time being lost, due to breakdown of boat, the anglers on that boat will be allocated points / weight proportionally to the fishing time they have lost, to bring their result up to a full days fishing. It will be the duty of the boat skipper and fishing captain on each boat to enforce the time for "lines down" and "lines up". Boats may leave and arrive at port at staggered intervals as decided by the Organising Committee.

4.7 In the event of an angler being in the process of playing a fish at the end of fishing time, and provided that he / she has announced that a 'fish is on', this angler shall be allowed to land this fish. Any fish hooked after "lines up" has been called does not count. This and/or any other cause resulting in a late arrival at the weighing-in point must be reported in writing to the Organising Committee by the boat skipper and fishing captain of the boat concerned. Non acceptance of such a report by the Organising Committee may result in all anglers fishing from the boat concerned being disqualified. Catches should, however, wherever practicable, be officially weighed and information passed to the Organising Committee whose decision will be final.

5. Game Fishing

5.1 For a specific EFSA Game Fishing Festival, or for anglers wishing to make claim for a catch of a world record game fish, rules will be as laid down by the International Game Fish Association, details of which can be obtained from the Hon General Fish Recorder or the Hon Secretary of the country concerned.

6. Ground Bait

6.1 Ground bait and the use of rubby dubby is permitted on all occasions during a competition but may not be laid previous to a competition. The blood of mammals is not permitted.

7. General Boat Competition Rules

7.1 A competitor taking part in any event organised by, or on behalf of the Federation in conjunction with any Country, Federation or Club, shall use only one rod and reel with running line, a second rod and reel may be assembled and ready for use but terminal tackle

must NOT be attached to both rods at the same time. Terminal tackle is classed as the trace/s to which the hook/s is attached. Additional reserve rods may be carried, but these must not be assembled in any way whatsoever.

7.2 Terminal tackle and species limitations shall be laid down by the National Organising Committee but shall meet the approval of the Executive Committee. Only justifiable limits on tackle / methods will be approved.

7.3 The Committee organising the competition may prohibit the use of any type of equipment which in their opinion is likely to cause danger or discomfort to any competitor or other person. Casting is only allowed if sanctioned by the Organising / Standing Committee.

7.4 Bait Fishing : A maximum of two single hooks may be used. Each hook must be a separate single hook and must be free swinging. Positioning of hooks may be spaced on the trace above or below the weight.

Pirks: Must be fitted with one free swinging hook (single, double or treble) with a maximum distance between the point of the hook and the shank of 21mm. A second single hook (baited or artificial) may also be fished simultaneously on a dropper provided it is positioned a maximum of 1 metre and a minimum of 30 centimetres above the pirk.

Plugs/Artificial Lures : Gang hooks are permitted when attached to plugs and other artificial lures that are specifically designed for this use. Gang hooks must be free swinging and shall be limited to a maximum of three hooks (either single, double, treble or a combination of any three). A photograph or sketch of the plug or lure must be submitted with record applications. If not satisfactory the plug or lure itself may be requested. When using an artificial lure with a skirt or trailing materials, not more than two single hooks may be attached to the lure, leader or trace. The hooks need not be attached separately. The eyes of the hooks must be not less than an overall hook's length (the overall length of the largest hook used) apart and no more than 12 inches (30.48 cm) apart. The only exception is that the point of one hook may be passed through the eye of the other hook. The trailing hook may not extend more than a hook's length beyond the skirt of the lure. A photograph or sketch showing the hook arrangements must accompany a record application.

7.5 Length of Shock Leader: Shock leaders must not exceed 4.50 mtrs for up-tide fishing, and the combined length of shock leader and trace should not exceed 6.00 mtrs.

7.6 Handlining is barred, as is the shooting, harpooning or lancing of a fish.

7.7 Beaching or driving of fish hooked from a boat into shallow water in order to deprive said fish of its normal ability to swim is prohibited.

7.8 Persons other than the angler are not allowed to adjust the reel drag or touch any part of the tackle during the playing of a fish, nor may they give aid other than taking hold of the leader (trace) for gaffing purposes, or in replacing or adjusting the harness or gimbal. Only one person is permitted to hold the leader, but others may gaff or net.

7.9 At no time during the playing of a fish shall the rod rest on the gunwales or any part of the boat, except by special permission granted by the Organising Committee to disabled persons. Permission for dispensation must be requested on the application form.

7.10 Competitors must bait their own hooks. Assistance is allowed with the extraction of hooks.

7.11 Fighting chairs may be used but the gimbal must be free swinging. Any gimbal which allows the angler to reduce the strain or rest while fighting the fish is prohibited.

7.12 Mackerel shall not be weighed in except when specially intimated by the Organising Committee. An angler may however submit one which he considers to qualify as a record.

7.13 A foul-hooked fish is one which has not been brought to the gaff hooked in front of the rear edge of the gill cover.

7.14 Any fish which is foul-hooked or hooked on more than one line is automatically disqualified and should be returned immediately where practicable. The responsibility comes under the jurisdiction of the person appointed as fishing captain of the boat.

7.15 In the interests of conservation, slow growing species, particularly common skate, should be returned to the water without undue delay, and whilst still alive, if taken in a competition such species should if possible be weighed on board and returned to the water after witnessing by at least two other anglers and boat skipper. Weavers can not be weighed in.

7.16 As an alternative to weighing on board a points system may be applied according to measurement e.g. in the case of skate the maximum width in a straight line from wing tip to wing tip. Any such system must be approved by the EFSA Standing Committee before being applied.

7.17 Bait : Bait must be supplied by the Host country, same kind and same amount to each competitor and only that may be used in the Championships. The only other bait allowed will be bait caught by the competitor during that day's fishing at sea. Bait for Festivals and National Competitions is at the discretion of the Organising Committee

7.18 The angler is totally responsible for his catch until it is brought to the scales and a receipt is received.

7.19 Where a fish hooked fairly is lost in the process of being gaffed or netted, it shall be allowed to count provided it is immediately recaptured by the gaff or net handler. Any fish lost by any angler whilst attempting to lift it into the boat unaided shall not count. Recaptured fish shall not be eligible for record purposes.

7.20 In the event of a dispute as to the identity of a fish, then the angler who has caught the fish must retain the fish and bring it to the weigh-in point so that formal identification can be carried out by the event organisers.

7.21 Any deviation from these rules must be sanctioned by the Standing Committee.

8. Size Limits

8.1 Minimum sizes as laid down by the Government of the country concerned must be recognized (and in the case of cod this will be 36 cms).

8.2 Size limits shall be published prior to the Championship. Any physical attempt to interfere with the size of the fish (eg extend its length) shall lead to immediate disqualification of the competitor.

8.3 Any competitor bringing ashore a fish under the stipulated size may be disqualified from the event taking place.

8.4 No allowance can be given for shrinkage occurring from the time of capture to the time of weigh-in.

9. Boatmen And Boats

9.1 Boatmen in charge of boats that have competitors on board are barred from fishing except for the catching of bait.

10. Awards

10.1 The decision of the Organising Committee of the country concerned with the running of any competition shall be final so far as the award of trophies and prizes is concerned.

10.2 In the event of bad weather, the Organising Committee reserve the right to award trophies and prizes on the total number of days fished.

10.3 The EFSA Award Pins and certain other trophies allocated to Festivals can only be awarded to individual (also Junior) and Life members (also Hon Life) members of EFSA.

10.4 Championship Pins with laurel leaves (Gold, silver and bronze) to be presented only to the winner, runner-up and third place in the European Boat Championships. For other Championships, Game Fishing, Line Class and Shore, the winners, runners-up and third places will be presented with the Pins, Game, Shore and Line respectively.

11. General Shore Competitions

11.1 Fishing will be from a peg allocated by means of a draw, competitors must fish from their allotted peg number. Alternatively the match could be a roving match, provided permission from the Standing Committee.

11.2 The start and finish of the match will be signalled by a whistle, or other audibly or visible signal.

11.3 Competitors must not cast the line into the water before the starting signal is given.

11.4 Competitors shall not have in use more than one rod at a time. A reserve rod is allowed but must not have terminal tackle attached. A maximum of three single hooks is allowed. Spare baited traces are allowed.

11.5 Assistance may be given to land fish, but no one other than the competitor shall handle the rod, except for reasons of safety. Any fish which is foul hooked or hooked on more than one line is automatically disqualified and should be returned to the sea immediately where practicable. This also applies to fish landed on lost traces. The responsibility comes under the jurisdiction of the neighbouring angler.

11.6 All competitors must bait their own hooks, cast and retrieve their own tackle/trace. Assistance is allowed with the extraction of hooks.

11.7 Bait will be provided by the Organisers, sufficient for each day. Competitors are not allowed to use any bait other than that supplied or caught on the hook whilst fishing. Any infringement of this Rule will result in automatic disqualification. Upon conclusion of each days fishing any unused bait shall be disposed of and none shall be carried over to the next day. No bait additives or extract shall be permitted.

11.8 All fish must be recorded on the competitors official bag label (fishing ticket) by a neighbouring angler and the official steward's sheet and signed at the time of capture. A fish must be recorded before another fish is reeled in. Teams must have their fish recorded by an angler who is not a member of their own team. It is a condition of entry that all anglers must be prepared to act as steward if requested by the match organisers.

11.9 Fish may be kept in water, but any physical attempt to interfere with the size of the fish (extend their length) shall lead to disqualification of the competitor. The match organisers’ decision with regard to the size of the fish at the time of weighing-in , or in the event of any dispute not covered by these rules shall be final. A minimum size list shall be given to all competitors before the competition starts. All undersized fish must be returned alive immediately after capture.

11.10 No allowance can be given for shrinkage occurring from the time of capture to the time of weigh-in.

11.11 No competitor shall fish along the waterline closer than five metres to another competitor, other than by mutual consent.

11.12 Competitors must place their fish in their own bags and are responsible for bringing their bags to the weigh-in.

11.13 No competitor shall wade into the sea beyond their knees in order to cast and will then return to the beach.

11.14 No competitor shall fish in the match area in a period commencing six hours before the start of each day's fishing.

11.15 The match organisers have the right to refuse any entry.

11.16 Double drawing of pegs is not permitted.

11.17 The weigh-in will commence immediately after fishing finishes and will close after the time specified by the organisers.

11.18 Any complaints must be submitted in writing to the match organisers not later than 15 minutes after the weigh-in closes; the decision of the match committee shall be final.

11.19 All competitors should weigh-in and/or return the fishing tickets/official bag labels.

11.20 Any competitors who acts in a manner considered by the organisers to be against the spirit of the competition or the interests of other anglers and fair play, may be disqualified at the sole discretion of the organisers.

11.21 Weavers cannot be weighed-in.

11.22 . In the event of a dispute as to the identity of a fish, then the angler who has caught the fish must retain the fish and bring it to the weigh-in point so that formal identification can be carried out by the event organisers.

11.23 A shock leader of minimum 24kg breaking strain and 7 metres long shall be used by all competitors.

11.24 All competitors shall collect and remove their rubbish from the beach at the end of each day's fishing.

11.25 The Organising Committee and EFSA shall not be held responsible for any loss, damage, accident or injury occuring during the event.