● FISHING
club rules
Below are the rules for the prizes and catch board. Please address all correspondence to the Secretary
● 01
General
The fishing season runs from July 1st to June 30th.
1.1 To qualify for BBSFC awards, anglers must be a full financial member.
1.2 Classes are: Men, Women, and Junior
Junior ages are: – 16 years old or under on the day of catching fish. Longline and kontiki fish are not eligible to be weighted in
1.3 Fish to be weighed shall be presented to an approved weighmaster with a Completed catch card.
1.4 Fish can be weighed gutted, gilled or green no clipping of fins, or tails or mutilation by boat or other fish.
1.5 All fish weighed for NZBGFC or IGFA records must be green. (Fresh)
1.6 Anglers requiring a courtesy weigh must present 2 x completed weigh sheets prior to weighing fish.
One sheet to be retained by BBSFC and the other signed and marked copy to be returned to the angler, to forward to their parent clubs weighmaster.
1.7 All fish are to be caught in accordance with BBSFC rules.
1.8 Members seeking NZBGFC or IGFA records should familiarise themselves with the rules in order to qualify for the records prior to fishing.
1.9 Anglers are eligible to fish in one of the three classes only. i.e. Men, Women, Junior. Fish can be weigh in for one competition only
● 02
Pinfish
2.1 To qualify for Pins, minimum weights as per 2.2 and 2.3 below are to be caught and weighed at BBSFC within the area of Chart 54 (Bay Of Plenty):
2.2 Pin Category’s Game Species
Pins are awarded to the first weighed fish of the species then any exceeding weighed marlin and swordfish by 15kg or weighed short billed spearfish by 15kg
| (a) Marlin | (Min) | |
|---|---|---|
| Striped | 90kg | |
| Blue | 90kg | |
| Black | 90kg |
| (b) Short Billed Spearfish | (Min) | |
|---|---|---|
| Swordfish | 90kg | |
| (c) Tuna | Min | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Yellow Fin | 1 Pin Only | 15kg | |
| Blue Fin | 1 Pin Only | 60kg | |
| Big Eye | 1 Pin Only | 15kg |
| Fish | Weight | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| (a) Albacore | 1 Pin Only | 7kg | |
| (b) Skipjack Tuna | 1 Pin Only | 5kg | |
| (c) Yellow tailed Kingfish | 1 Pin Only | 15kg | |
| (d) Kahawai | 1 Pin only | 3kg | |
| (e) Snapper | 1 Pin only | 7kg | |
| (f) Trevally | 1 Pin only | 3kg |
(d) Tag and Release first Marlin ( refer no: 4 )
2.3 Sports fish Pins
Pins awarded to the first fish in each species weighed, must be equal or exceed minimum weights. Sports fish qualify once only.
2.4 A Gold pin shall be awarded for any, recognised, world record fish from the club.
2.5 A Silver pin with a Ruby eye shall be awarded for any recognised nation record.
● 03
Tag & Release
3.1 Official tags and report cards are available from BBSFC office reception.
3.2 A completed care, catch-card and photographic and/or video evidence is mandatory for each tag and release claim.
3.3 Photos and/or video must include deckie or angler holding the bill or leader with a clear photo of the tag in the fish.
3.4 Maximum line breaking strain shall not exceed 60 kg.
3.5 Fish must be recorded in for ONE club only i.e.: Must not be recorded in for more than one club or competition.
3.6 Any protest must be submitted in writing to the fishing committee
3.7 No verbal protects – acceptable.
3.8 Courtesy recorded fish are eligible for trophies and pins.
● 04
Tag & Release certificates
4.1 All Marlin estimated weight. See Calculation Tables in no: 7
4.2 Pins to first tagged and released all game species in ( 2.2 (a) (b) (c) )
4.3 Certificates then to every other tag and release
4.4 Boat points to all tagged and released game species in ( 2.2 (a) (b) (c) )
● 05
Boat points
5.1 There are two boat points’ categories.
One for game species in 2.2
One for sports fish (all other species on catch board) and in 2.3
Tag and Release species qualify for boat point first weighed in only
– Blue & Black Marlin, Broadbill & Striped Marlin 450 points
– Spearfish 100 points
– Tuna (yellowfin, bluefin, bigeye) 150 points
– Yellowtail Kingfish 25 points
5.2 Sport Fish Boat points are allocated to each fish that qualifies for the catch board only.
All game fish in (2.2 (a) (b) (c)) are allocated boat points
5.3 Boat points are calculated on the formula: Weight of fish multiplied by 100 divided by line weight.
5.4 In the instance line weight is unknown the weighmaster will apply a 60kg default line weight for game fish and 37kg default line weight for all other fish species.
● 06
Measure-Only Section
6.1 A sustainable fishing initiative for the 2025/26 season. This section is separate from all weighed prizes.
6.2 Eligible Species and Minimum Lengths
Kingfish – 100 cm
Snapper – 50 cm
Kahawai – 50 cm
Trevally – 50 cm
6.3 Requirements
Must be caught on rod and reel within Chart 54 (BOP).
Fish must be measured and photographed on an official WBBBFC measure mat or IGFA-compliant mat.
Photo requirements:
Fish nose hard against the stop.
Tail V clearly visible and readable.
Anglers are responsible for ensuring photo clarity.
The fishing committee may reject any unclear or non-compliant submissions.
Fish must be released alive as quickly as possible.
If the fish does not survive release, it may not be entered.
The same fish cannot be entered into any weighed category.
Measurements are rounded down to the nearest 0.5 cm.
6.4 Measure-Only Prizes
Longest Kingfish, Snapper, Kahawai, Trevally.
Overall Points Champion (1 point per cm, one longest fish per species per angler).
First recorded eligible measured & released fish (verified by timestamp).
6.5 Submitting Entries
All measure-only entries must be emailed to bbsfc@ or submitted via the WBBBFC online portal. See the following example of correct measure photograph:
● 06
further club rules
6.1 A list of trophies with the conditions and winners will be published annually by BBSFC.
6.2 The club reserves the right to publish photos and trophy plus award results.
6.3 Trophies shall be awarded for the heaviest of each species at the end of the season, based on the catch board. NB: Marlin must be 90kg minimum to for club trophies.
6.4 Fishing waters other than pinfish are defined as anywhere inside NZ waters (i.e.: 200 mile limit)
6.5 Pinfish must be caught in local waters (i.e.: chart 54.)
6.6 Weigh hours
Fish may be weighed during club opening hours or by arrangement with the BBSFC on 07 863 5006 or through Waihi Beach Coastguard on VHF Channel 7 or by special arrangement.
6.7 A list of registered weighmaster and their respective phone numbers is attached to the office door.
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