ANGLING RULES & REGULATIONS

Rules: General

All participating angling members (anglers), unless exempted under the current ‘Victorian Recreational Fishing Guide’, must have a current Victorian fishing license.
All eligible fish, sharks or squid/cuttlefish (as per the RPIAC Eligible Species Table) weighed in for RPIAC angling competitions must be caught using permitted legal fishing equipment and methods (e.g. line-caught) in accordance with the Victorian Recreational Fishing Guide for the current fishing year. Fish must not be hand caught, trapped or speared.
Eligible species that are frozen or thawed out are not eligible to be weighed in for any competition.
Any angler wishing to weigh in an eligible species for RPIAC angling competitions must also be a financial member of the RPIAC prior to catching and weighing in the eligible species.
All eligible species weighed in for competition weekends must be caught in Western Port Bay/Bass Strait, within the area bounded by: North Lat.: 38° 11.90’ S, South Lat.: 38° 52.80’ S, East Long.: 145° 36.76’ E, and West Long.: 144° 53.20’ E. This area is East of Cape Shank Lighthouse, West of Cape Patterson Tower North of the lower part of Cody Bank, where the depth of water is approximately 70 meters.
All eligible species for the 365 Competition must be caught in Victorian salt waters. Note: all fresh water fish are ineligible.
All fishing anomalies will be managed by the weigh in master and /or club captain. In any unresolved dispute, the RPIAC President will have a casting vote for resolution.
The weigh in master and/or club captain, from time to time, may elect to mark eligible species that are weighed in on a particular club event, for example, by snipping the tail or a fin of the eligible species.
Any member found guilty of an infringement of the Fisheries Act 1995, the Fisheries Regulations 2008 or other Acts and subordinate legislation applying to, or affecting recreational fishing, or a serious breach of the RPIAC Rules and Regulations, will be penalised in accordance with our constitution and will be ineligible to run for club champion.

Rules: Monthly Competitions

All eligible species weighed in for RPIAC angling competitions must be defined as ‘eligible’. RPIAC eligible species and size limits are clearly defined in the ‘Eligible species & sizes, points, units and 365 eligibility table’ (Eligible Species Table), which is part of the RPIAC Inc. Angling Competition Rules and Regulations.
Each eligible species weighed in must be caught using a legal fishing line, not speared or netted.
Eligible species entered in monthly competitions must be caught during the designated competition weekend from Friday 12:00 midnight to 5pm Sunday. Times for other designated competitions will be advised when announced.
Each eligible species must be weighed in by the angler who caught it, and where possible, should be weighed in on the day of capture. Eligible species are to be weighed in without any wrapping or excess water, except for squid/cuttlefish.
When 2 or more anglers are fishing together, eligible species captured must be clearly identified for each angler, for example by snipping the tail, fin, or similar, to distinguish the eligible species caught by each angler.
When two or more club members are fishing together, we recommend a predetermined allocation of rods, or angling space (e.g left-hand side or right-hand side of a shared area). If, for example during trolling, there is a centrally located rod (i.e. used as a “shotgun”), this rod should also be pre-allocated.
When two or more club members are fishing together, and there are less rods than members, we recommend a predetermined order for allocating each fish-strike. In the case where, one angler physically pulls on the line, or takes the reel out of free spool and sets the hook, they are responsible for landing that fish.
The RPIAC weigh in room is open on Saturday and Sunday from 4:30pm – 5:30pm during competition weekends, unless alternate times are advised prior to a competition weekend.
All eligible species, excluding sharks and squid/cuttlefish, must have a total length that is equal to, or greater than, the required minimum size limit provided in the Eligible Species Table and should be weighed in whole (not gutted, gilled, or scaled).
All sharks must be gilled and gutted prior to weigh in. Eligible sharks must have a partial length, measured from the rear most gill slit to the base of the tail fin, that is equal to, or greater than, the required minimum size limit provided in the Eligible Species Table.
All squid/cuttlefish must be drained of excess liquid and placed into a freezer bag (or similar) prior to weigh in. Any squid/cuttlefish that is weighed in must be equal to or greater than the minimum size limit provided in the Eligible Species Table.

Seniors and Juniors (10 to 16 y.o) Competitions:

Two eligible species for the Club Championship, other than shark or squid/cuttlefish, may be weighed in for each angling competition weekend, one for weight and one for points, however they must be of two different species.
One eligible shark and one squid/cuttlefish may also be weighed in by Seniors or Juniors, but these do not contribute to determining the Club Champions.
All eligible species caught and weighed in on competition weekends will be automatically eligible and entered in the 365 Competition
Eligible species weighed in by Senior anglers for ‘Point’s and ‘Weight’ categories, where they did not win another

category (i.e. ‘Points’, ‘Weight’, ‘Shark’, or ‘Squid/Cuttlefish’), are eligible for the Secret Weight prize.

Senior anglers will receive one entry into the end-of-season Reverse Draw for each angling competition weekend where they weigh in an eligible species.

Squidgies (9 y.o. and under) Competition:

All Squidgie Eligible Species for Squidgie Club Championship, as defined in the Eligible Species Table may be entered, limited to 1 fish per species for each competition weekend.

Rules: 365-Day Competitions (365 Competition)

All eligible species weighed in for RPIAC 365-Day angling competitions for Seniors and Juniors must be defined as ‘eligible’. RPIAC eligible species and size limits are clearly defined in the ‘Eligible species & sizes, points, units and 365 eligibility table’ (Eligible Species Table), which is part of the RPIAC Inc. Angling Competition Rules and Regulations.
Each eligible species weighed in must be caught using a legal fishing line, not speared or netted.
All eligible species caught and weighed in on competition weekends will be automatically eligible and entered in the 365 Competition.
Eligible species not entered and weighed in on Competition Weekends must be weighed in on registered scales using a 356 day weigh in ticket or equivalent. Tickets MUST clearly state your name, the current date, type of fish caught, weight in both words and grams, area caught, and carry the official signature and stamp of the business owner or weigh in representative, or else the fish may be disqualified.
Each eligible species must be weighed in by the angler who caught it. Where possible, eligible species should be weighed in on the day of capture.
Eligible species for Seniors and Juniors are stated in the Eligible Species Table and may be caught on any day or night of the competition year.
The 365 day Competition concludes on the last day of the season’s angling competition.
Fish other than eligible fish may also be weighed in, as from time to time the RPIAC may elect to present additional

trophies such as ‘unusual catch’, ‘outstanding catch’, or other category.

It is the responsibility of the angler to place the correctly completed 365 day ticket in the designated ‘365 day competition box’ which is held at the Angling club rooms.

Rules: Bill Wallis Trophy

The Bill Wallis Trophy is kept at the RPIAC clubroom and is awarded to anglers in a nominated angling competition weekend, typically held in November.
Eligible species weighed in for the Bill Wallace trophy are also included in the normal RPIAC monthly competition.
RPIAC eligible species and size limits are clearly defined in the ‘Eligible species & sizes, points, units and 365

eligibility table’ (Eligible Species Table), which is part of the RPIAC Inc. Angling Competition Rules and Regulations.

Anglers may weigh in up to two eligible species, other than shark or squid/cuttlefish, to be eligible for the Bill Wallis Trophy, one for weight and one for points, however they must be of two different species.
The Bill Wallis Trophy entries are calculated by adding the total weight (not allocated units) of the ‘weight species’, to the total points allocated for the ‘points species’ to give ‘Bill Wallis Units’.

The angler with the greatest number of ‘Bill Wallis Units’ will be awarded the Bill Wallis Trophy.