NZACA Regional Casting Event Rules 

Regional Casting Events are open to NZACA members and the general public for the purpose of Distance Casting and Casting Tuition. The general public cannot claim records if they are not a member of the NZACA or an affiliated club of the NZACA

Rules / Guidelines for NZACA Regional Casting/Tuition Days

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

Equipment

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

Conventional Tackle

Rod: There shall be no restriction upon length or on the material used in its construction. Reel: Must be able to be used for fishing, but must have a standard factory manufactured spool.

Spinning Tackle

Rod: Same as for conventional tackle.

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

Main Line

The main line shall be made of high visibility monofilament material and be the same diameter throughout its entire length. The main line (running) must not have a thickness of less than 0.25mm. No braid is to be used at any NZACA sanctioned events.

The main line shall have the following minimum diameters:

 Shock Leader - B & C Grades

The shock leader shall be made of 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 30lb leader

125gm (4oz) sinker with 40lb leader

150gm (5oz) sinker with 50lb leader

175gm (6oz) sinker with 60lb leader

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

Shock Leader – A Grade Casting or those wanting to cast under NZI Rules Shock leader shall be made of high visibility monofilament material and be parallel throughout its entire length. There shall be at least eight turns of the shock leader around the spool before any cast is attempted.

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

Equipment Failure

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

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

Casting Rules

The number of casters, daylight hours, and weather will determine the number of casts for an event. A stop casting time will be set at the beginning of the day.  No cast will be made after that set time unless a new time is agreed on by all casters in event and the Casting Co-ordinator.

The casting coordinator may use their discretion to allow a competitor extra time or casts if justified by outside interference or other mishaps beyond the casters control.

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

All casters and spectators will make every effort to safely execute casts and to help others be safe and promote safety at events.

If your equipment is deemed not suitable for your casting style (OHT, OTG, Pendulum) by the casting co-ordinator you will be required to change your casting style and/or equipment for safety reasons.

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

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

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

First – Children

Second – Women

Third – Men in order of increasing classification.

A caster will be called to cast by an Official and must be ready to cast when called. No re-entries or duplicate entries are permitted. Casters that arrive late to cast and miss their turn will not be permitted to cast in that round.

All casters shall cast forward from behind the base line in a designated area. No competitor may pass this board whilst in the action of casting or until the lead weight has landed. The line must remain unbroken after the cast has been made until the weight has come to rest.

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

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

Retrieving weights shall be in the reverse order of casting and shall be accomplished by reeling while walking out to the weight. Marking the distance shall be accomplished by the casting co-ordinator or nominated official placing the appropriate flag at the point where the weight penetrated the ground. If the sinker has not penetrated the ground the flag shall be placed where the sinker lies on the ground. No one except casters and officials are permitted on the field while the weights are being retrieved.

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

Casting Court

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

At 100m from the base board the distance between the side-line and the centreline must be 26.1mtr. The metric radial system of court measuring from the centre of the base will be used in the case of records. Any court change will be at the discretion of the casting coordinator.

Casting shall be from behind a 2.5mt board set at 90 degrees to the centre of the court.

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

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

Failure to comply with the rules will, at the discretion of the casting co-ordinator, result in either a NO CAST being recorded or expulsion from the event.

Measurement of Casts

No one except the officials are permitted on the field while the measurements are taking place. A tape or a laser measuring device shall be used to measure all casts. Measurement of every cast will be recorded to two decimal places. Officials shall record the caster number, weight size, and distance on the appropriate chart. Out of bounds cast do not count and will not be recorded.

Records

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

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

Classification of Casters

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

Juniors – under 17

Midgets – under 12

Smallfry – under 10

Moving between Grades

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

Amendments

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

Tapered Leaders

The use of Tapered leaders for distance casting under International rules (FIPS) is not allowed. The International rules state Parallel leaders are to be used for line weights:  .25, .28, .31 and .35mm. This is the system used 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 distance casting either.

Many fisherman in New Zealand just 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 just that. There are only 2 requirements:

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

2.       the mainline must be a minimum of .25mm (approx 10lb depending on the brand of line used)

This will give the general public and club members the opportunity to come along to an event and have a go without having to buy any special gear. Once someone can consistently cast over 170m they’ll need to step up to A grade (NZIR) which requires slightly different terminal gear to be used. Under the NZACA RULES, casters will be placed in grades (A, B & C) according to their average casting distance.