Tapered Leaders

The use of Tapered leaders fordistance casting under International rules (FIPS) is not allowed. TheInternational rules state Parallel leaders are to be used for line weights:  .25, .28, .31 and .35mm. This is the systemused for World Casting Tournaments and most Governing Surfcasting and Casting  organisations in their respective countries.In accordance with international guidelines, braid cannot be used for distancecasting either.

Many fisherman in New Zealandjust want to cast with their fishing gear which includes their tapered leaders.The NZACA have now brought in a casting system which allows them to do justthat. There are only 2 requirements:

1.       thatthe tapered leaders must be high vis so that if they snap off they can beeasily found (so we don’t get in trouble from the grounds men)

2.       themainline must be a minimum of .25mm (approx 10lb depending on the brand of lineused)

This will give the general publicand club members the opportunity to come along to an event and have a gowithout having to buy any special gear. Once someone can consistently cast over170m they’ll need to step up to A grade (NZIR) which requires slightlydifferent terminal gear to be used. Under the NZACA RULES, casters will beplaced in grades (A, B & C) according to their average castingdistance. 

NZACARegional Casting Event Rules 

Regional Casting Events are opento NZACA members and the general public for the purpose of Distance Casting andCasting Tuition. The general public cannot claim records if they are not amember of the NZACA or an affiliated club of the NZACA

Rules / Guidelines forNZACA Regional Casting/Tuition Days

Casting co-ordinator - A Casting Co-ordinator shall be present at all NZACAevents and is in charge of all aspects of the event. The Casting Co-ordinatormay appoint Officials to help with running the event.

Equipment

The casting co-ordinator mustbe advised of any equipment changes during the course of the day. All changesmust be checked.

Conventional Tackle

Rod: There shall be norestriction upon length or on the material used in its construction. Reel: Mustbe able to be used for fishing, but must have a standard factory manufacturedspool.

Spinning Tackle

Rod: Same as for conventionaltackle.

Reel: To contain a spool thatis fixed during the cast. Must be able to be used for fishing, but must have astandard factory manufactured spool.

Main Line

The main line shall be made ofhigh visibility monofilament material and be the same diameter throughout itsentire length. The main line (running) must not have a thickness of less than0.25mm. No braid is to be used at any NZACA sanctioned events.

The mainline shall have the following minimum diameters:

 Shock Leader - B & C Grades

The shock leader shall be madeof high visibility monofilament material and can be either parallel or tapered.Shock leader must be strong enough for the individual casters ability.

As a guide:

100gm (3oz) sinker with 30lbleader

125gm (4oz) sinker with 40lbleader

150gm (5oz) sinker with 50lbleader

175gm (6oz) sinker with 60lbleader

Thecasting co-ordinator may require the caster to change their shock leader if thecasting co-ordinator is concerned about size or quality being used.  

Shock Leader – A GradeCasting or those wanting to cast under NZI Rules Shock leader shall be made of high visibilitymonofilament material and be parallel throughout its entire length. There shallbe at least eight turns of the shock leader around the spool before any cast isattempted.

Casting Weights Only official weights provided by NZACA must be usedin all NZACA regional casting days. The official weights are 100 gram, 125gram, 150 gram, and 175 gram. The weights may not be altered in any way and allweights must be retuned at completion of the day.

Equipment Failure

In the event of equipmentfailure before a cast e.g. rod breakage, line snapped etc, replacement oftackle may be made providing this can be done within the given time limit offive (5)minutes or at the discretion of the casting coordinator. All equipmentmust be rechecked.

Line Clips - An approved line clip must be used to attach thecasting weight to the shock leader.

Casting Rules

The number of casters, daylighthours, and weather will determine the number of casts for an event. A stopcasting time will be set at the beginning of the day.  No cast will be made after that set timeunless a new time is agreed on by all casters in event and the CastingCo-ordinator.

The casting coordinator may usetheir discretion to allow a competitor extra time or casts if justified byoutside interference or other mishaps beyond the casters control.

Random measuring of linediameter will be carried out at all events. All NZ Records will have the mainline diameter measured close to join with the leader, at the midpoint and at apoint close to the reel end at completion of each cast.

All casters and spectators willmake every effort to safely execute casts and to help others be safe andpromote safety at events.

If your equipment is deemed notsuitable for your casting style (OHT, OTG, Pendulum) by the castingco-ordinator you will be required to change your casting style and/or equipmentfor safety reasons.

All those wishing topractice/warm up/tuition will be required to use a casting ball for safetyprecautions. Practice/warm-ups/tuition will be held in a designated areadetermined by the casting co-ordinator. Event day practice will take place atthe discretion of the Casting Co-ordinator.

Contestants may cast anyofficial weight at any time during a event. Children under the age of 12 maycast weights provided by their parents.

Each caster will be given anumber and a set of flags for marking the cast. Casting shall take place in thefollowing order:

First – Children

Second – Women

Third – Men in order ofincreasing classification.

A caster will be called to castby an Official and must be ready to cast when called. No re-entries orduplicate entries are permitted. Casters that arrive late to cast and misstheir turn will not be permitted to cast in that round.

Allcasters shall cast forward from behind the base line in a designated area. Nocompetitor may pass this board whilst in the action of casting or until thelead weight has landed. The line must remain unbroken after the cast has beenmade until the weight has come to rest.

All break-offs will be recordedby the Casting Co-ordinator and must be retrieved by the caster and given tothe Casting Co-ordinator before the start of the next round. Any caster whoexperiences a break off will be required to return their breakoff to thecasting co-ordinator by the completion of the day. All casters who experiencegear malfunction/breakoff will be required to have their gear re-checked by thecasting co-ordinator prior to their next cast.

After a cast is completed, acaster must place his/her rod in a designated area set aside by the CastingCo-ordinator until the round is over.

Retrieving weights shall be inthe reverse order of casting and shall be accomplished by reeling while walkingout to the weight. Marking the distance shall be accomplished by the castingco-ordinator or nominated official placing the appropriate flag at the pointwhere the weight penetrated the ground. If the sinker has not penetrated theground the flag shall be placed where the sinker lies on the ground. No oneexcept casters and officials are permitted on the field while the weights arebeing retrieved.

Casters are responsible forensuring registration documentation is completed accurately on the day.

Casting Court

A thirty (30) degree “V” shapedcasting court will be used at all event and regional events. The casting courtshall be laid out in the following manner:

At 100m from the base board thedistance between the side-line and the centreline must be 26.1mtr. The metricradial system of court measuring from the centre of the base will be used inthe case of records. Any court change will be at the discretion of the castingcoordinator.

Casting shall be from behind a2.5mt board set at 90 degrees to the centre of the court.

There shall be a safety zoneestablished at the back of the base line which will be determined by thecasting coordinator. No person or vehicle shall be allowed within this safetyzone.

There will be a designatedparking and activity area at all casting events.

Failure to comply with therules will, at the discretion of the casting co-ordinator, result in either aNO CAST being recorded or expulsion from the event.

Measurement of Casts

No one except the officials arepermitted on the field while the measurements are taking place. A tape or alaser measuring device shall be used to measure all casts. Measurement of everycast will be recorded to two decimal places. Officials shall record the casternumber, weight size, and distance on the appropriate chart. Out of bounds castdo not count and will not be recorded.

Records

Records will be kept forlongest cast in each category for both NZIR and NZACA.

The onlyrecords recognized by NZACA are those made at the sanctioned events authorizedby NZACA. NZACA records can only be set by current financial NZACA members.

Classificationof Casters

Kids – age as at 1st of January ofcurrent financial year. (NZACA rules apply)

Juniors – under 17

Midgets – under 12

Smallfry – under 10

Moving between Grades

In order to stay within a gradethe caster must consistently cast within the required distance. Should thisdistance not be consistently met then the caster will be required to move tothe appropriate grade. To move up a grade the caster must consecutively cast 3casts meeting the minimum distance of the grade above.

Amendments

The NZACAreserves the right at any time to amend the rules without prior notice.

Hi, I believe Bethells Club is holding a casting day next sat Sept 27th @ the Kumeu Showgrounds. I have 5 casting reels & 2 rods surplus to my requirements. Old style Mag 11 & Mag 111 ABU reels & Ultra Mag 11 & 111 reels.( this model was the first to ever cast 300yds in the UK). Set up for casting with spare spools. @ CD custom made casting rods, set up for overhead reels, which I have cast up to 235M with. Any interest & I can bring along, ph Jeff Murray 09 8176591, thanks