The official Wales Carp Masters rules.

Would all competitors and those thinking of registering of the 2008 Wales Carp Masters, please familiarise themselves with the rules.

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1. The Organisers are The Wales Carp Masters who have absolute control and discretion over the competition, the rules and any amendments.
2. Entry to the competition will by way of online application to the Wales Carp Masters by clicking here.
3. The organisers reserve the right to refuse entry, cancel or change the dates of any event at their discretion. Refunds will be given in the event of a cancellation.
4. Payment must be made in full before competitor's places in their chosen heat are confirmed.
5. If a team has to cancel their entry, a refund will only be given if an alternative team can fill their reserved entry place. In the event of a cancellation an administration charge of £50.00 will be levied.
6. Competitors may re-enter further qualifying heats if they fail to qualify on their first attempt.
7. Each qualifying heat and the final consists of a 40 hour match. There will be a maximum of 15 pairs in each heat. The top two placed pairs from each heat will qualify for the final to be held at Celtic Lakes Resort.
8. Competitors must arrive and register themselves no later than 12:00 noon on the day of the draw. Competitors must attend the draw in person, which will take place in the event Head Quarters at 13:00 on the morning of the competition.
9. Any pair not having at least one member present at the start of the draw will be excluded from the draw and may be excluded from the competition. In the event they are not excluded they will only be allowed to take up a remaining swim if no competitor objects.
10. No refunds will be given for exclusion for any reason.
11. The allocation of swims will be by way of a draw. The name of each competing pair will be placed into the draw and the first pair to be drawn shall have first choice of swim. The second name drawn shall have second choice and the draw will continue until the last pair has been drawn and has been allocated the last remaining swim. The swims will be pre-numbered prior to the draw and anglers will be allowed onto the venue prior to the draw to allow for researching of the swims.
12. The decision of the draw master is final. Once a swim number has been stated to the organisers by the competitors the choice is deemed final.
13. All competitors must be in possession of an Environment Agency Rod Licence which they must produce at registration or during the competition. Anyone not producing a rod licence may be excluded from the competition.
14. Each competitor must set up his rods no further than two metres from his peg marker unless otherwise authorised by the officials.
15. Competitors must not cast outside the limits of their swim, such limit to be marked by an imaginary line marking the middle distance between his and his neighbours peg marker. Any disputes as to the competitors casting outside the area must be reported immediately to the marshals. Marshals have the discretion to request that competitors re-cast their rods as and when directed and such request must be complied with.
16. The competition commences by way of an air horn at 18:00 hours.
17. There will be no baiting up by any means other than hand/throwing stick/bait rocket or catapult. Free Baits may be attached by PVA to the rig. Wading or swimming to bait up will not be permitted or bait boats of any kind. Competitors must at no time not leave the two metre swim marker to drop bait along the margins. Any competitor found to be doing this will be immediately disqualified.
18. Competitors will be permitted to use a maximum of four rods per pair and must cast and bait their own rods, and play, land and unhook their own fish. No assistance shall be allowed from any person other than a member of that competitors pair.
19. All fish caught must be reported as soon as possible to the marshals. Each fish must be witnessed by at least 1 marshal or one marshal and one competitor in the event that the parties are known to each other (other than the captor or his team mate).
20. Each fish must be weighed on the official equipment of the marshals or it may be excluded from the results. To prevent cheating, where requested, please do not return fish to the water before they have been photographed. Any photograph must be taken by the side of the peg marker and include the peg number, fish and captor.
21. In the unlikely event of a Marshall being unable to immediately weigh and witness a captured fish it may be placed in a carp sack or net for holding until such a time as a marshal is available. The official weight will be that which is recorded by the marshal following weighing procedure by the officials using the official equipment. Retained fish must be secured as fish lost prior to the weighing are the responsibility of the competitor and will not count towards the final results. Competitors are required to possess their own carp sacks for use where permitted as in the event of a multiple capture sacks will be required to hold fish until weighing. They will not be provided by the organisers.
22. Hooked fish should be landed without interfering with other competitor's lines or they may be omitted from the final result.
23. Any competitor who is aggrieved by another competitors hooked fish hitting his lines or disturbing his presentation must make a formal complaint to the marshals as soon as is reasonably practicable or in any case within 30 minutes. There will be an organisation appointed panel of judges before whom the complaint will be placed and who will make a decision as to whether to allow that fish to count in the final results. The judge’s decision will be final.
24. Only officials, press, competitors and marshals are permitted to bivvy up on the banks or stay in the competition area after the hours of darkness unless authorised by the organisers.
25. The organisers retain the right to search all competitors tackle or vehicles to combat any form of cheating or rule breaking. Anglers found cheating will banned for life from the Wales Carp Masters and will be reported to the promoters and the national angling press.
26. The competition shall be decided on total weight with the pair having the greatest weight being declared the winners. In the event of a tie the pair with the most fish will be declared the winners. If the result is still tied the pair catching the biggest fish will be declared the winner. If there is still a tied position then the “fastest fish” rule applies and the angler that landed the fish first will be declared the winner.
27. Only Leather, Common, Mirror, Grass and Koi Carp will count in the competition.
28. All lines must be cast into the water from the bank using a fishing rod and reel or pole. No other equipment will be permitted to assist the angler to cast.
29. Each line may only have one hook attached. For conservation purposes the organisers request that barbless or micro-barb hooks are used.
30. Each team shall be permitted to use up to four rods and baited hooks in the water at any time and have a further two rods per person in reserve set up and ready to use. Two plumbing and two spod rods per pair are allowed in addition to the baited rods. Once used, plumbing and spod rod lines must be removed form the water. Any team using more than the authorised number of baited rods will be immediately disqualified from the competition and reported to the promoters.
31. Fish must be landed within 3 meters along the bank of their peg marker. Competitors are not permitted to wade or walk down the bank to land fish unless authorised to do so by an official.
32. Competitors must comply with requests from authorised media members at all times regarding media coverage.
33. The sounding of a horn will signify the end of each competition whereupon competitors must immediately withdraw their lines from the water. Any fish hooked before the final horn sounds must be landed within 20 minutes of the end of the competition or it will be excluded from the final results.
34. The awards ceremony will take place at the event HQ at the time set by the organisers.
35. For the Final, the prize fund will be £10,000 worth of tackle vouchers for first place, £5,000 worth of tackle vouchers for second place and £3,000 worth of tackle vouchers for third place. Further prizes to be announced shortly.
36. Any competitors found leaving the event before the final horn sounds signifying the end of the competition will be banned for life from the Wales Carp Masters.
37. Any competitors wishing to wear sponsors clothing or to display sponsors advertising must seek the permission of the organisers prior to each event. Any competitor not seeking prior permission will be asked to remove any unauthorised clothing, material or banners. Non-compliance will lead to immediate disqualification.
38. Any competitor who requires clarification regarding any of these rules should contact the Wales Carp Masters organisers or speak to one of the marshals during the qualifying heats or final.