Rules & Regulations 2025-2026

Rhyll-Phillip Island Angling Club Inc (RPIAC)

Recreational Angling Competition Rules and Regulations
(Amended September 2025)

Rules: General

• All participating angling members (anglers), unless exempted under the current ‘Victorian
  Recreational Fishing Guide’, must have a current Victorian fishing license.
• Angling members who are fishing as part of their employment (e.g. gathering fish for sale or as
  part of a charter operation), or are assisting someone employed to fish, are classified as
  commercial fishers and cannot compete in RPIAC recreational angling competitions.
• Participation in an RPIAC-approved fishing charter grants angling members access to RPIAC
  recreational angling competitions.
• All Regular species, Squid/Cuttlefish, Sharks or Game species (as per the RPIAC Eligible Species
  Table) weighed in for RPIAC recreational 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 recreational 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: Weekend Competitions

• All eligible species weighed in for RPIAC recreational 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. Recreational 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. Only Snapper may be weighed in using the RPIAC Brag Mat /
  Catch and Release System. All eligible species are to be weighed in without any wrapping or excess
  water, except for squid/cuttlefish.
• Anglers who intend to Catch and Release a Snapper may choose to weigh in the Snapper using the
  RPIAC Brag Mat / Catch and Release System. Anglers must use the Official RPIAC Brag Mat (available
  from RPIAC) and have 2 photos of the Snapper, comprising an “above view”, and a “tail view”. Photos
  must include the angler’s “Name”, “Date” of capture, estimated “Length”, and weekend “Code” (which is allocated for each competition). The “above view” photo must clearly capture the whole Brag Mat and live Snapper with the nose in line with the “0” (zero) measurement on the Brag mat, as it lays, on a flat surface. The “tail view” photo is a top view close-up of the whole tail section. The
  angler must fill out the weigh in paper work and present the photos during the normal weigh in
  times, as per RPIAC’s standard process.
• When using the RPIAC Brag Mat / Catch and Release System, the weight of Snapper will be
  determined using the Victorian Fisheries Authority’s (VFA) “Length-weight & Length-age
  relationships for key Victorian fish” calculator (Version 1.2, dated 21-Dec-2022).
• 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 4.00pm – 5:00pm 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, Tuna and Kingfish must be Cleaned 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, as per
  VFA fishing regulations, 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 club provided freezer
  bag 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 recreational 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. Recreational 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 365-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.
• Anglers who wish to use the Snapper RPIAC Brag Mat / Catch and Release System for entry into 365
  Competition must fill out 365 tickets and present 2 photos of the Snapper using the Official RPIAC
  Brag Mat at the RPIAC clubroom. The photos must comprise an “above view”, and a “tail view”.
• 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 take and place the correctly completed 365 day ticket
  in the designated ‘365 day competition box’ which is held at the RPIAC 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
  weekend 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.
  Recreational Angling Competition Rules and Regulations.
• Anglers may weigh in up to two eligible species, other than shark, Tuna, Kingfish 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.