Port Vila Game Fishing Club
2014 Anchor Inn
GAME FISH CLASSIC
15th & 16th November
Supporting sponsors
Credit Corporation
Anchor Inn
Carpenter Motors
Thornburgh Lawyers
Nautilus Watersports
Kingfisher Waste Management
Vancorp
Harbour Fishing Charters
Thanks also to Salt Water Fishing/Shimano, Vila Distribution, Vila
Hardware, Pandanus, Daily Post, Holiday Inn Resort, La Tentation &
Top Signs
An Offshore World Championship 2015,
Costa Rica, qualifying event.
2014 GAME FISH CLASSIC
15th & 16th November
Dear Anglers and Friends,
As the Tournament Director of the Port Vila Game Fishing Club I welcome you on behalf of our
entire membership and committee to the 2014 International Game Fish Classic.
Join us to fish, make new friends and toast the Anchor Inn and Credit Corp our Platinum Sponsors
for their great support.
The Club has again created a tournament for anglers with all levels of skill.
We aim “to have fun doing it” - PVGFC is all about having fun with family and friends both from
within and outside Vanuatu. Our November competition attracts a wide following with anything
up to 20 boats competing ranging from rubber duckies to prestige game fishing charter vessels.
Whether you are a bottom basher, fly fisherman, sport fisherman, big game aficionado, whether
you like baits or lures, or just being on the water, Vanuatu offers a host of fishing action with many
world records having been caught in our fish rich waters.
Of course a non-profit club cannot operate without support from our sponsors and we are always
looking for that support (!!). We encourage you to seek out their services or products wherever
possible.
The chance to fish the World Offshore Championships in Costa Rica is, again, the major prize to
the Tournament. The Champion Team Tag & Release/Capture will receive an invitation to fish the
Tournament and have up VT1,000,000 contribution to the cost of entry meet by the Club as part of
the Team Prize.
Please take the time to read through the tournament booklet and OWC rules and make this event
a fabulous time to enjoy the thrill of fishing, some time on the water and building that special
camaraderie that comes from fishing in a tournament of the calibre of the 2014 International Game
Fish Classic. I trust you will all enjoy the weekend of fishing and wish you all the best in the
tournament. Here’s wishing you all a fun and safe weekend.
Steve Landon, President - PVGFC
Port Vila Game Fishing Club
International
Game Fish Classic
Rules and Regulations
All skippers and anglers should carefully read the selection criteria for the Offshore World
Championships and the awards for Champion Team. The information follows on from these rules
and regs.
Tournament Times
Sign Up – Thursday 13th November, Anchor Inn at 6.30pm.
Fishing:
DAY1: Saturday
15 November 2014
6:00AM
Lines In – 6.00AM
Lines Out – 4:00PM
Weigh In: 5.30 PM - all fish to be at
weigh-station by 5.30PM at the
Anchor Inn
Presentation Function
DAY2: Sunday
16 November 2014
Lines In – 6:00AM
Lines Out – 2:00PM
Weigh In: 3.30PM - all fish to be at the
weigh-station by 3.30PM at the
Anchor Inn
The Anchor Inn, Sunday.
Entry Fees and Eligibility
The tournament is open to all ages and we encourage participation from the local
community. Teams are to be a minimum of 2 anglers, with a maximum of 5 anglers per
team.
Entry fees: (Cash or Cheque only)
Senior Angler: Vt 15,000
Junior Angler: Vt 8,000
Entry fees include:
Tournament Shirt
Drinks and Snacks at Briefing and Weigh In each day
Presentation Dinner, including Beer and Selected Wines
1 Boat bag and Tournament Booklet per boat.
A Skippers pack is also available at Vt9,000. Includes all angler benefits.
It is a requirement that all nominated anglers are either:
-
a fully paid member of PVGFC; or
a card carrying member of an IGFA affiliated club – proof required please.
PVGFC membership form to be completed by new members on registration.
NOTE: PVGFC membership is due for renewal at the time of this comp.
All must renew to fish.
Membership can be paid at the time of registration. Costs as follows:
-
Senior Member: Vt 5,000
Junior Member: Vt 2,500
Family Membership: Vt 7,500
Entry Forms
All anglers must be entered on an official registration form attached to this document or
downloadable at www.pvgfc.com.
Disclaimer and Indemnity
Entry to the competition for all skippers, crew, anglers and visitors is conditional on
acceptance of the terms contained in the PVGFC disclaimer and indemnity which forms
part of the entry form. Boat skipper or team captain must sign the acceptance.
Briefing
The Tournament Briefing will be held on Thursday 13th November, 2014 at The Anchor
Inn from 6:30 pm. At least one angler per boat must attend the briefing. Drinks and
nibbles will be provided. All fees must be paid at the briefing.
Skippers Pool
In place of a Calcutta for 2014 the Club will run a Skippers Pool. Those skippers/boats that
choose to enter will pay Vt20,000 each with a single winner prize pool of the total amount
collected.
Winning Skipper/Boat will be the highest point scoring boat capture/tagging combined.
Weigh In
Weigh In will be conducted at the Anchor Inn at the following times:
Saturday 15thNovember: 5.30PM – NO FISH WILL BE ACCEPTED AFTER 5.30PM
Sunday 16th November:
3.30PM – NO FISH WILL BE ACCEPTED AFTER 3.30 PM
Times - Definitions
Weigh In
1730 hours Saturday, 1530 hours Sunday
Lines In
Time at which fishing may commence - 0600hrs Sat & 0600hrs Sun.
Lines Out
Saturday 1600 hours, Sunday 1400 hours or at the latest time at which
your boat can depart your fishing location and travel at normal speed
to reach the Weigh Station by Weigh In.
NOTE: Normal speed is your transit speed advised to Tournament
Base when you log on each morning. This speed will be used to
calculate lines out times for boats fishing in distant grounds, together
with the lat. and long. advised by the boat to Tournament Base when
they ceased fishing.
TEAMS FISHING DISTANT WATERS SHOULD NOTE THIS RULE
All fish presented to the Weigh Master must be accompanied with a completed catch
form, included with the Registration Booklet. A roll of plastic tape is included in your
boat bag, this MUST be tied around the tail wrist of ALL fish presented for weigh
in. Please write on the tape using the supplied marker pens: Boat Name, Anglers Name,
Line Class and Capture Number. The Capture Number will be supplied by Watchdog
when the capture is called in.
ALL billfish releases must be accompanied by the video footage of the fish at the boat
being released and clearly identifiable. Time and date must be displayed.
Fish may be transported to the weigh-in station by vehicle. Should a vessel have a fish,
which is not capable of being brought to the weigh station by vehicle, then Watchdog
should be contacted to make alternate arrangements.
In the interests of maintaining fish quality, catches may be brought to the weigh station
gutted and iced. An additional weight factor of 10% will be awarded. Note that record
claim fish must be weighed intact.
RECORD CLAIMS:
All anglers are required to submit to the Weigh master, upon request, the lure, leader,
double line and rod and reel to verify conformity to IGFA rules. For any fish caught that
may be subject to National or World record claims, it is required that the leader/lure,
double and at least 50 feet of main line remain intact and be presented with the fish at the
time of weighing. The Weigh master reserves the right to investigate any and all tackle on
a boat to see that it conforms to IGFA rules.
Anglers intending to make Record Claims should remove the required line, leader & lure
immediately the decision is made to make a record claim.
Mutilated fish will be treated in accordance with IGFA rules.
All fish weighed and presented for weighing and not promptly removed after weighing
become the property of the Port Vila Game Fishing Club.
A record-processing fee of VT 1,000 will be charged for all eligible Vanuatu records.
In order to support the sponsors of the Tournament, anglers are requested to wear the
Tournament Shirts at the weigh in.
Don’t forget to bring your family and friends down to the weigh station to enjoy the
spectacle.
Presentation Dinner
The presentation dinner will be held on Sunday night 16th November at the Anchor Inn
from 6:00pm. Again the PVGFC encourages you to invite non-anglers to come along and
hear about all the fish that got away. Anglers’ dinner is included in entry fee. Non-anglers,
including non PVGFC member skippers and crew, will be charged Vt 4,000 for dinner
(beer, wine and soft drinks included), Children Vt 1,500.
In order to confirm catering numbers we require that you purchase any additional dinner
tickets at the time of registration. See the Nomination form for details.
Seaworthiness and Safety
It is the boat owner’s responsibility to ensure that all boats entered in the Game Fish
Classic 2014 Tournament are completely seaworthy and meet local Marine Safety
Authority standards. The PVGFC accepts no responsibility for decisions made by
skippers, crew members or competitors going out to sea. As noted above, all competitors,
skippers and crew will be required to acknowledge a competition disclaimer at the time of
registration.
All boats must carry a functioning reliable VHF radio on board at all times. Any boat
without a working VHF radio will not be permitted to enter the Tournament. All boats
must also carry a minimum of 2 distress flares and 1.5 litres of back up water per angler.
Radio Schedule
All boats must be able to receive and transmit on VHF Channel 60 and must maintain
contact with the Tournament control base – Watchdog - directly or by relay through
another boat at every sked. The first daily radio sked will be at 0705 hours and then every
2 hours, 0905, 1105, etc. (Advise grid location [alpha – numeric from the SAR chart
provided] and score i.e. strikes, hookups, landed, tagged.)
Boat skippers must sign "on" on departure and "off” on return, both by radio to Watchdog.
In the departure radio call skippers are required to advise team name, angler names and
the total number of people aboard the boat.
Boats that miss two consecutive radio skeds (directly or by relay) will be liable to
disqualification for the day. Where reasonable concern exists for the safety of any vessel
a search may be instituted. Variation to communication requirements may be made
in the case of radio failure whilst at sea (e.g. mobile phone, satphone, HF) at the discretion
of the committee.
It should be clearly understood by all skippers that if their boat has limited radio range
they will be required to operate inside the range of their fixed radio unit. This important
safety aspect will be enforced.
Fish hooked up prior to Lines Out may be played until the fish is either landed or lost,
providing that the hookup and location were reported to, and acknowledged by
Watchdog prior to that boat's Lines Out time. The loss or capture of such hookups must be
reported immediately to Watchdog. In these circumstances, Weigh In timing may be
extended to allow safe passage of the boat and anglers.
Marlin hook-ups should be reported immediately to Watchdog. If boats are planning to go
out of radio range – e.g. Forrari – you should advise Watchdog before leaving and relay
scores through other boats wherever possible.
Fishing Area
Fishing will only be permitted within areas designated on the grid map included in this
book. In the interests of fairness to small boat owners, eligible fishing grounds DO NOT
include the area known as Erramango Sea Mounts, but will include all of Efaté to and
including Mataso Island and Monument Rock. Exact guidelines will be provided at the
briefing.
Fish Eligibility
To be eligible for weigh in all fish must be:
• An IGFA recognised game fish
1. Weigh at least one third the weight of the line class (except Skip
jack/bonito/mack tuna/scad etc must weigh double the line class used to be
eligible.)
• Captured as per IGFA rules attached
IGFA RATED LINE CLASS 15KG ONLY MAY BE USED.
If you are unfamiliar with IGFA rules please take the time to read the attached IGFA rules
and equipment regulations.
Billfish Tag & Release
The PVGFC encourages tag and release. Please NOTE WELL the important changes for
the comp.
Billfish may be tagged as per usual, billfish will also be considered tagged when the leader
is to hand and the fish cut away and free released.
FOR 2014 BILLFISH TAGGING / CAPTURE RULES ARE:
–
Billfish are to be tagged and released on all line classes
–
Tag points awarded per table below
–
Sailfish attract half tag points
–
Spearfish will be capture only
–
Fish may be weighed only if they are a Vanuatu or IGFA world record.
Anglers must be certain that this will be the case
Digital video footage requirements
Digital video footage must verify all tag and release claims and be shown to the weigh
master at the time the tag card is handed to the weigh master. To score an official
release, the video footage must include sufficient continuous footage to (1) clearly
identify the species; (2) show a team member, angler or crew touching the leader while
the fish is still hooked; (3) identify the time and date of the catch; and (4) show the catch
and full release of the fish. By digital photography the Club intends that live
continuous footage will be provided by the team. It is understood that your camera may
have limited battery life. The Club requires that any video taken be on the same camera
and that pauses in time will be accepted. Date and time must be displayed.
–
If there are two or more boats with the same number of tagging points, the winner will
be based on a count back to the first tagging points for an individual fish. Time will be
taken as the time of tagging. In the case of boats fishing outside of radio
range it is up to the vessel to relay a message to Watchdog. The time the report is
received is the time the fish will be recorded as tagged by the tournament referee.
–
Weighed billfish must be removed from the gantry by the angler or skipper.
TAG AND RELEASE POINTS BY LINE CLASS:
LINE CLASS:
15KG
MARLIN / BROADBILL 1500
SAILFISH
750
Line Class Points
Line class points will be awarded using the following formula:
POINTS =
Fish Weight X Fish Fighting Factor X 100
Line Class
The following fighting factors will apply:
Marlin (all species) - refer specific rules above
Sail Fish / Spearfish – refer specific rules above
Tuna (Yellowfin, Big Eye, Dog Tooth)
Mahi Mahi
Wahoo
Trevally (all species)
Barracuda
Rainbow Runner (juniors only)
Skipjack / Bonito (juniors only)
2.4
2.4
2.4
2
2
2
1.8
1
1
Examples:
30kg Yellow fin on 15kg line
7kg Mahi Mahi on 15kg line
30 X 2.4 X 100
15
7 X 2 X 100
15
= 480 points
= 93 points
IMPORTANT NOTES FOR ALL CAPTURE ANGLERS
2.
To be eligible for weighing, fish must weigh greater than 1/3rd of the line class
fished.
3. Skip jack/bonito/mack tuna/scad etc must weigh double the line class used to
be eligible.
4. All fish are to be labelled with the tape provided in the boat bag, including
boat name, angler name, line class and capture number.
5. Line class 15kg only.
6. MAXIMUM OF 3 FISH OF A SPECIES PER ANGLER PER DAY - anglers may
only weigh their best 3 fish of a species per day for capture points for prize
categories other than Champion Team.
7. PRIZE FOR BEST BOAT / CALCUTTA PLACES - points allocation for best boat
will be calculated on the basis of the best 3 fish of each species for the boat for
each day (i.e. regardless of how many anglers are on board) plus tag points.
8. GILLED AND GUTTED FISH - in the interests of maintaining fish quality,
catches may be brought to the weigh station gutted and iced. An additional
weight factor of 10% will be awarded. Note that record claim fish must be
weighed intact.
Penalties
Any angler caught cheating, misrepresenting captures or not competing in the spirit of the
tournament will be disqualified from the tournament or hung, drawn and quartered at the
Committee’s discretion.
A SPECIAL MENTION TO ALL OUR SPONSORS
The PVGFC Committee would like to thank all those persons and organizations both from
Vanuatu and Overseas who have generously assisted with the organization of the 2014
Game Fish Classic.
Without your help and the help of all our contributors noted – the event simply would not
happen – THANKS TO ALL OF YOU.
We ask that all Club Members support our sponsors in the same way.
The Offshore World Championships
The 2014 Game Fish Classic is a qualifying comp for the 2015 Offshore World
Championships to be held in Costa Rica, April 12 – 17 2015.
The Championships are fished as purely catch and release and as such the Club has
chosen to award the Offshore World Championships Invitation to the Champion Team at
this year’s Game Fish Classic.
The Costa Rica Tournament organisers have their own specific set of rules for the
Tournament and these are available on the OFC website. The Club suggests all interested
anglers should visit the site and read the rules.
Following is the Club’s stipulation for the awarding of the major prize.
Awarding of the OWC Invitation, trophy and prizes.
The highest point scoring team capture, tag & release/free release will be awarded the
following:
-
Name plate on perpetual Anchor Inn trophy.
Prizes as allocated by the Club.
Invitation to fish the Offshore World Championships, Costa Rica.
Entry fees to the OWC to the value of Vt1,000,000 for a maximum of 4 anglers.
Team shirts for the Costa Rica team.
In the event that the winning team is not able to travel to Costa Rica to compete the
following applies:
-
Awarding of a Vt500,000 cash prize only.
Prizes as allocated by the Club.
Name plate on the Anchor Inn trophy.
Awarding of the OWC Invitation in the event of the above:
-
The second placed team capture, tag & release/free release will be given the
opportunity to accept the invitation to compete at the Costa Rica event.
Team shirts for the team.
Prizes and Giveaways
Champion Team
- total points capture & tagging
Invitation to fish OWC Costa Rica
Team shirts for Costa Rica
Entry fees to a value of VT1,000,000 to the OWC
Other categories to be competed for are as follows. A selection of great prizes from our
sponsors to be determined.
Champion Angler Tag & Release
Champion Angler Capture
Champion Male
Champion Female
Champion Junior Angler
Lowest scoring boat
Heaviest of Species
Yellow Fin Tuna
Mahi mahi
Wahoo
Dogtooth Tuna
Heaviest other species
PORT VILA GAME FISHING CLUB INTERNATIONAL GAME FISH CLASSIC
COMPETITION LOG – DAY 1, 15 NOVEMBER 2014
BOAT:_____________________
Watchdog Grid:
CALL
7.05 AM
9.05 AM
11.05 AM
1.05 PM
3.05 PM
4.05PM
GRID
STRIKE
HOOKUP
LAND
CAPTURE DETAILS
TIME
FISH
LINE
ESTD.
TAGGED ANGLER
CLASS WEIGHT Y/N
CONTINUED
TIME
FISH
LINE
ESTD.
TAGGED ANGLER
CLASS WEIGHT Y/N
PORT VILA GAME FISHING CLUB
INTERNATIONAL GAME FISH CLASSIC
COMPETITION LOG – DAY 2, 16 NOVEMBER 2014
BOAT:_____________________
Watchdog Grid:
CALL
6.05 AM
8.05 AM
10.05 AM
12.05 PM
2.05 PM
GRID
STRIKE
HOOKUP
LAND
CAPTURE DETAILS
TIME
FISH
LINE
ESTD.
TAGGED ANGLER
CLASS WEIGHT Y/N
CONTINUED
TIME
FISH
LINE
ESTD.
TAGGED ANGLER
CLASS WEIGHT Y/N