REEL OARSOME FISHING COMP RULES, TERMS AND CONDITIONS
ELIGIBLE SPECIES
These competitions are based on a regional selection of species as follows:
Auckland Tournament – snapper, kahawai, trevally, kingfish
Bay of Plenty Tournament – snapper, kahawai, tarakihi, kingfish
Wellington Tournament – snapper, kahawai, kingfish
Bay of Islands Tournament – snapper, kingfish
Coromandel – snapper, kingfish
FISHING METHOD
Fish can be caught via boat, kayak or jetski. The catch being entered must be caught on a rod and reel. Longlines are not permitted.
ENTRIES OF CATCH
Please refer to your printed fishing guide for the catch submission times at your event. Each angler can submit one photo, per species, per day. A maximum of ONE entry per species for each registered angler will be counted towards the final submission. We advise you to take photos of all catch throughout the day and only submit your largest catch photo.
RULES
Fish must be reasonably fresh, relatively clean and in good condition. Each individual fish can only be entered once, i.e. multiple entries of the same fish are not permitted by either the same or multiple individuals. For purposes of eligibility for any prize draws, the date used is the date the fish has been caught, NOT the date of upload or entry to reeloarsome.fishingcomp.co.nz.
To be eligible for entry, and the recipient of a prize, the fish entered must be caught on the same day as the competition. Catches made outside of the tournament date will not be counted. All catches must be ENTERED by the cutoff time listed in your printed guide in order to be eligible.
In the event of a tie (i.e. two or more catches the same length), a winner will be randomly drawn.
MEASURE MATS
All catches and entries must be measured on the approved Reel Oarsome fishing mat measure. These have been provided to you as part of your team merchandise pack. At least one measure mat should be carried per boat.
MEASURING YOUR CATCH
A clear photograph of your fish, correctly placed on the measure, is essential for your entry into the competition. An angler must upload an image that is clear to validate the entry of a catch. Place your fish on the official ‘Reel Oarsome’ measure mat and take one or more photos on your phone. New measure mats have been provided to your team. However, the 2025 Reel Oarsome measuring mat can also be used. The image must clearly show the length of the fish from nose to tail when placed on its side. The upper or lower jaw of the fish must be touching the edge of the L-shaped plastic at the end of the measure. Please take your photo in landscape format. A portrait photo will make it difficult to verify the catch and may result in rejection of your catch entry.
It is permissible to place a hand or damp cloth on the fish to settle it while a photo is taken provided it does not obscure the fish significantly or prevent the competition administrators from being able to verify your catch. The measure should be placed on a flat surface. All fish should be placed side on, on the measure, and the V- tail should be as close to the midline of the measure as possible.
Things that will result in a rejected catch submission
• If your image is not focussed or is blurry your catch will not be verified.
• If your image doesn’t show the whole fish your catch will not be verified.
• If your image has a strong shadow or light spot over the fish or measure your catch will not be verified.
• If your fish is partly gilled or gutted your catch will not be verified.
• The jaw of the fish must not be distorted. If the jaw has been extended or the tail appears to have been squeezed together to exaggerate the fish’s length, then the catch may be declined or deduction in length may be made at the discretion of the administrators.
• If there is evidence of editing or tampering with the submitted image your catch will be rejected.
Photos should be taken as close to the fish as possible.
We recommend you do NOT gut or gill your catch before taking a photo as it may render your catch ineligible.
Images with fish clean of blood are preferred. Images with excessive blood may be declined.
No need to crop your photos – just upload them as they are.
Please note that your catch may be declined at the discretion of the Reel Oarsome tournament administrators if the above conditions are not met. Competition administrators reserve the right to disqualify anglers’ submissions or issue a length point deduction for noncompliance for any reason, including but not limited to suspected image or measure tampering or false date submission.
Your entry should look like the photo below (example taken from 2025 tournament).
Defective Photograph Entry Examples
