Official Rules – Provisional

Updates: nil
Changes within the Rules have been marked in bold text and descriptions of what was changed have been annotated and dated at the footer of the document.
(See Itemised changes at the foot of the document)

Table Of Contents

SPORTSMANSHIP AND CONDUCT

All contestants shall follow high standards of sportsmanship, courtesy and conservation, and shall conduct themselves in a manner that is a credit to themselves, to Hobie, Hobie’s sponsors, the sport of fishing and Hobie’s efforts to promote the sport. Conduct not complying with these standards includes, but is not limited to, the following:

• Violation of, or failure to comply with, any of the rules of the event.
• Consumption and/or possession of alcoholic beverages or any kind of mind-altering substance during registration or tournament hours extending through the weigh-in procedure.
• Abuse of, or addiction to, mind-altering substances.
• Anglers are not to be under the influence of alcohol or drugs while competing. Legally required blood alcohol levels must be adhered to and the International Hobie Fishing Worlds Association committee (IHFWA) reserves the right to request a blood alcohol test prior to the start of the competition or at any time during competition hours.
• Suspension/disqualification, probation or ban from any tournament or fishing organization globally.
• Any comments, conduct or actions reflecting unfavourably upon efforts to promote safety, sportsmanship, fair competition, and compliance with tournament rules, or which fail to comply with the standards set forth in the first sentence of this section. This includes verbal communication and social media.
• In case of any conduct not complying with the standards outlined above, the Tournament Director shall have the right to refuse an application to compete, to deny a confirmed application to compete. A disqualified angler shall forfeit their entry fee.

SAFETY

• The event organizers shall provide a PFD to all Worlds’ anglers. All anglers shall wear the provided PFD at all times on the water. No other PFD shall be worn.
• At the morning check-in each competitor shall be issued with a numbered key tag for that day only. Anglers may be issued with a different key tag number each day.
• All anglers MUST return their key tag to the key tag board when they return to the event site at session finish time, regardless of whether they are measuring fish or not.
• In the event of angler/s not returning their key tag to the key tag board, by the session finish time, the event organizers shall commence a search for the missing angler/s.
• IHFWA committee will encourage fisheries and boating officers to attend all HFW tournaments to police safety regulations, registration, relevant boating legislation, as well as, alcohol and drug laws.
• IHFWA committee’s sportsmanship principals dictate that care of fellow anglers is of the upmost importance. If an angler or boat is in distress, it is expected that other anglers will assist. Remember that safety is more important that your day’s catch.
• Emergency calls should be made to a tournament official when possible.

HOBIE KAYAKS

• All anglers shall fish from the supplied, identically rigged, 2020 Hobie Mirage® Pro Angler 360 series kayaks.
• No decals, mounts, fittings, or modifications shall be made to the factory supplied kayaks.

BRIEFING

• Attendance at daily briefings is mandatory for all anglers. (See the event noticeboard for exact briefing times).
• Arriving late to a briefing may incur a starting time penalty of not less than 5 minutes.
• Failure to attend a briefing shall result in that angler penalized 76.2cm – 30in for that day.

DAILY CHECK-IN

• Check-in times shall be announced at Registration, the Daily Briefing and posted on the Noticeboard. ALL anglers must collect their key tag before the start of each day’s briefing. Failure to do so may result in time penalties of 5cm – 1.96in per minute (or part thereof) late.
• Session start method shall be announced by the tournament director at the Daily Briefing
• After the morning check-in each day and before the start, angler’s kayaks may be checked for safety equipment.

STARTING PROCEDURE

To be announced at the briefing.

FISHING

• Anglers must abide by all the local fishing and boating regulations. Hobie and local authorities may patrol the tournament waterways.
• All session start times shall be announced by the tournament director, the previous day, and posted to the official notice board.
• Kayaks should remain a cast apart (30 metres – 33 yards) while fishing.
• All two species must be at least the minimum legal length. Fish below the minimum size shall be released immediately.
  The legal lengths are as follows:
  Pike: 45 cm – 17.72 inches
  Perch: 25 cm* – 9.84 inches
  * No minimum length for Perch, but 25 cm – 9.84 inches shall be the minimum length for Hobie Fishing Worlds 9.
• If an angler presents an under-size fish to the scorer, they will forfeit that fish.
• 2 Pike, and 2 Perch shall be the daily target (unless otherwise advised by the tournament director).
• It is the angler’s responsibility for the well-being of the fish.
• Any angler on the tournament waterway outside of session times shall be disqualified for that day.

FISHING METHODS

• Cast-and-retrieve only – no trolling, no live baits, no dead baits.
• Only artificial lures and flies shall be used during competition.
• Alabama style rigs or multi-rigs are not allowed.
• Drift fishing is allowed. Anglers may drift up to 50 metres – 55 yards between casts. Once an angler has drifted 50 metres – 55 yards, the angler must retrieve the lure and recast.
• Commercially sold scents may be added and used.
• Only ONE rod, either a casting, spin casting, spinning rod and reel or fly rod shall be used at any one time.
• The rod must be hand held, at all times while fishing.
  Fish grips of any type shall not be used.
• Hobie shall supply landing nets to all anglers. Only landing nets supplied by Hobie shall be used.
• ALL fish shall be caught in a conventional sporting manner. A cast must be fully retrieved before an angler may select another rod.
• Anglers shall not catch or measure fish that have been caged or confined in an area prior to the tournament.
• ALL fish must be caught from the provided Hobie kayak.The angler shall not be outside the kayak, for any reason, between casting and landing of the fish, with the exception of going to shore to assist with measuring and photographing the catch when a large Pike is caught.
• During the hours of competition, contestants shall not obtain or receive assistance, including but not limited to the following: a non-competitor’s boat; the placing of markers by a non-competitor; being towed by or riding on motorized vessels; or receiving electronic, voice or data communication from a non-competitor.

FISHING BOUNDARIES

• All fishing locations shall be identified by the tournament director at the daily briefing and posted on the official notice board.
• The fishing arena shall be announced at briefing each day. Out of bounds areas shall be provided whenever possible at the angler’s briefing.
• Angler’s kayaks shall not be inside any out of bounds area, anglers lure and line shall be considered to be an extension of the kayak.
• Anglers shall not cast, land a lure or fish in any out of bounds location.
• Anglers must remain within the boundaries set out by the tournament director. Failure to adhere to this rule shall result in disqualification for that day.

PREFISH BANS

• Anglers fishing in the 9th Hobie Fishing World Championship shall not be allowed to access the tournament arena 30 days prior to the commencement of the event on Pre-Fish Day 1. A pre-fish ban means anglers are not allowed on competition waterways for ANY REASON.
• During the pre-fish ban no contestant shall be on tournament waters, and no person shall be on tournament waters to locate fish or gain fishing information on a contestant’s behalf.

REGISTRATION AND BRIEFING

• Registration, Briefing, Start, and Finish times may vary. Please read the Noticeboard and pay attention to briefing announcements to confirm times.
• The tournament key tag allocation shall be on the morning of the pre-fish days and competition days and will close 30 minutes before the session begins. Failure to sign in for your key tags within the allocated time shall result in an angler starting in the last position plus 10 mins regardless of reason for absence.
• The Daily Briefing shall be held after the close of key tag allocation.
• It is a requirement of entry that all anglers shall attend the entire briefing. Failure to do so shall result in an angler starting in the last position plus 10 mins regardless of reason for absence.
• Hobie Fishing Worlds 9 will have the official Registration and Briefing the evening before day one of the tournament. Failure to attend the Registration and entire Briefing may result in an automatic disqualification from the championship. Navigation day at Hobie Fishing Worlds 9 will be two days (Pre-Fish Day 1 & Pre-Fish Day2).

EVENT FORMAT

The Hobie Fishing World Championship may consist of two Pre-Fish days, and three days of competition (Weather permitting).

Monday | 24 August 2020

• SPONSOR Pre-Fish Day 1 (session times to be announced at briefing)
• Session times for SPONSOR Pre-Fish Day 2 announced

Tuesday | 25 August 2020

• SPONSOR Pre-Fish Day 2
• Session times for Power-Pole, Hobie Fishing World Championship Day 1 announced

Wednesday | 26 August 2020

• Power-Pole, Hobie Fishing World Championship Day 1
• Session times for Lowrance, Hobie Fishing World Championship Day 2 announced

Thursday | 27 August 2020

• Lowrance, Hobie Fishing World Championship Day 2
• Session times for Daiwa, Hobie Fishing World Championship Day 3 announced

Friday | 28 August 2020

• Daiwa, Hobie Fishing World Championship Day 3

In the event of a bad weather forecast, Pre-Fish days may become competition days.

KEY TAGS AND PENALTIES

• Key Tags shall be placed on the key tag board immediately on return to the event site, at completion of the session. Tags not returned by the allotted time shall be penalized at the rate of 5 cm – 1.96 in per minute.This may apply for Pre-Fish Days.
• If an angler returns later than 15 minutes after session finish time, the angler shall be disqualified for the day and forfeit their day’s catch.This may apply for Pre-Fish Days.
• Penalties shall be deducted from the anglers accumulated length and may incur a negative score.
• The key tag shall be placed on the key tag board by the angler. No one can place a key tag on the board on behalf of an angler.
• Kayak anglers may return to the event site earlier than the allotted time, however, once their key tag is placed on the key tag board, the angler’s session is deemed to be over, and they shall not be permitted to return to the water.
• All anglers shall wait until the designated scoring time to submit their catch cards.

SCORING – Catch Photo Release (CPR)

• Fish must be photographed on the provided measuring device, clearly showing the length of the fish with the Official Token number visible.
• More than one photo of a fish may be taken. Anglers shall record their selected image number on the catch card. Alternate images may be used in the event of a discrepancy.
• Length shall be determined from the forward-most point of the fish to the longest point on the tail. The tail may be pinched to assist in determining length.
• Fish must measure above the minimum length to be scored. Any undersized fish presented to scoring shall result in the angler forfeiting the fish.
• The tournament director shall review the photos to verify results.
• The tournament director is responsible for the final call in all matters.
• A maximum of 2 target fish, per species, per day, shall be presented to scoring (unless otherwise advised by the tournament Director).
• Ties – In the case of a tie, the tie shall be broken by which of the tied anglers, had the longest fish, of either species, on day one of competition. If still tied, the same method shall apply to competition day two, if still tied, the same method shall apply to competition day three. If still tied, the tournament director(s) shall determine the tie break.

DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY

• “Angler Assist” shall be allowed when handling large fish. To get a clear measurement and ensure the safety of the fish, anglers may summon a nearby competitor for assistance to measure and photograph the fish. The photo must be taken with the angler’s own camera.
• Participants shall only use digital cameras with removable memory cards for recording fish (cameras shall not be shared by anglers). Smart phones, may be used only if they have removable memory cards.
• Images may not be digitally altered or enhanced in any way.
• Anglers must take their removable memory card and signed Catch Card to the scorer in the supplied zip-lock bag with their name and that day’s key tag number clearly written on the bag.
• Anglers are to ensure that their camera cards work prior to the tournament.
• Memory cards must be blank at the start of the tournament.

PHOTO CRITERIA

• All criteria must be met, or the photo shall not be scored.
  Show the whole fish, tip to tail (aside from your hand, the fish must be clear of any devices. Mouth/fins/tail cannot be obstructed in the photo).
• Lay the fish with the tip of the mouth at the beginning of the ruler with CM’s being at the top of the photo (back of the fish) and inches to the bottom (belly of the fish).
• You cannot weigh in a fish twice if the same fish is caught.
• Lay the fish with the tip of the mouth at the beginning of the ruler.
• Measurement markings on the measuring board shall be clearly visible in the photo.
• A daily assigned, angler’s Official Token number shall be visible in the photo.
• One overhead photo (taken from directly above, not at an angle) is required for each species.
• Photo criteria, for extremely large fish, will require “angler assist” which shall be demonstrated at the briefing.

RECORDING OF FISH LENGTHS

• It is the angler’s responsibility to write down on the Catch Card the 2 longest fish they have caught of each species. The angler shall nominate the photo ID to each of the fish lengths recorded on the Catch Card. (No photo ID equals no points, and no Official Token in a photo equals no points).
• When filling in the Catch Card, fish lengths shall be rounded up or down to the nearest full centimetre (e.g. 30.5cm and above shall be rounded up to 31cm, 30.4cm and below shall be rounded down to 30cm).
• All Catch Cards shall be recorded in centimetres (only) to be accepted.

CATCH CARD TIME LIMIT

• The time limit for anglers to complete and return their Catch Card and photo memory card is 35 minutes after the official closing time of that day’s session. Failure to return a completed Catch Card on time, may result in a length penalty of 5cm – 1.96in per minute (or part thereof) late. Failure to return a completed Catch Card on time, may result in a length penalty of 5cm – 1.96in per minute (or part thereof) late.

COMMUNICATIONS / SOCIAL MEDIA

• During tournament hours, the use of phone or any other electronic devices to communicate fishing information or to contact other persons including anglers for any reason other than for an “Angler’s Assist”, is strictly prohibited. Anglers caught communicating in the ways listed shall be disqualified for that day.
• The use of Social Media is permitted to make Hobie Fishing Worlds 9 posts only. All posts must include the following tag #HFW9 and #hobiefishingworlds.
• Emergency calls are permitted and should be made to a tournament official if/when possible. Emergency numbers shall be posted on the official notice board if applicable.

NAVIGATIONAL AIDS / CHARTS

• The use of navigational aids, marine charts on tablets, smartphones or any hand-held device is not allowed.
• The use of personal charts / cards shall not be permitted.
• Only Hobie supplied cards / charts shall be used and only with supplied Lowrance fitted sounders.

PROTEST

• All protests must be submitted to the tournament director, in writing, along with a $100 USD cash, within twenty (20) minutes of the end of the session time for each day.
• Any concerns regarding clarification of rules shall be discussed with the tournament director BEFORE the start of the session each day.

PRIZES

• Sponsor prizes may be awarded.

FISHING LICENCE

• No Fishing Licence is required.

MINIMUM HOURS REQUIRED FOR A WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

• In the event of unfavourable weather conditions or unforeseen circumstances, a minimum of 4 hours over the 3 days shall constitute a world championship. In the event of less than 4 hours being fished, no World Champion shall be declared for that year.

EVENT APPAREL

• During Pre-Fish and Competition hours, only approved event clothing and hats shall be worn by all anglers.

RULES AND RULE CHANGES

• Rule interpretation is exclusively left to the tournament directors and/or the IHFWA committee. Decisions made by the tournament directors and IHFWA committee are final in all matters and are not subject to appeal.
• If there is a conflict between languages the English text will take precedence.
• Any/all rule changes shall be posted for viewing on the event notice board and on the event website prior to session starting times each day.
• All rules are subject to change without notice at the discretion of the tournament directors and/or the IHFWA committee.
• The Tournament Director’s and or the IHFWA committee has the right to modify, change or move the arena location.

UPDATES AND AMENDMENTS