FISHING COMPETITION RULES

Yamba's famous annual 'Tim the Bream' national fishing titles which previously attracted crowds of up to 17,000 entrants in it's heyday will return again to the Clarence River in September 2018.

After a successful return to the Clarence in 2016, the Rotary Club of Yamba have continued the tradition to host the Yamba Fishing Classic  again with this year's event again mirroring the original 1958 prizes for catching tagged fish.

Cash prizes for this competition relate to specifically tagged Bream. One Fish - “Tim The Bream” is tagged for $20,000. 10 tagged Bream are tagged at $1,000. Tagged Bream are released under supervision of the Department of Fisheries in the Clarence River at Yamba in the week prior to the competition. The prizes for these fish will only be awarded if they are caught between the competition hours from 0600 hrs on Saturday 1st September 2018 until 4pm on Sunday 2nd September 2018 by a person registered in the competition. There are also great prizes for the heaviest Yellow Fin Bream, Flathead, Luderick, Jew Fish (or Mulloway), Trevally and Whiting and junior encouragement awards. A $750 cash prize will go to the overall winner of the weekend selected by the organisers.

The main weekend event will be held at Ford Park Yamba. Bring your live Yellow Fin Bream, Flathead, Luderick,, Jew Fish (or Mulloway), Trevally and Whiting for weigh in and go in the running over the weekend for the biggest catch caught. Prizes are also awarded for the weirdest fish species weighed in. There will be fishing related markets, boating and fishing education, Rotary BBQ & music. Registration is online however tickets will be available soon at all bait and tackle shops in Yamba and Iluka.

Day of Registration is available at Ford Park over the weekend from 6am .

Major competition Prizes and Draws:

The following species are eligible for heaviest of species of the competition, and are to be weighed in live for release at Ford Park Yamba:

 Prizes will be presented 4pm Sunday @ Ford Park

All fish are to brought to Ford Park weigh station to be accepted in the competition. Weigh in occurs from 8am to 4pm on both days. Overnight weigh in will occur only for large Jewfish or Flatheads at Ford Park.

All competition fish accepted will be live fish ONLY. Fish must be in a healthy condition so as they can be released to be eligible for entry into any category of this competition. THIS IS A LIVE FISH COMPETITION – CATCH AND RELEASE. Live fish are to brought to Ford Park Yamba for weighing and/or measurement and will be placed in a holding tank for viewing. All fish will be released in the Clarence river at the end of the competition.

Fishing boats may be secured at the Ferry Pontoon wharf at Ford Park to enable weigh-in to occur. Marshals will be available to help unload your catch. Weighing/ Brag Mat measuring at Ford Park will be done by a committee member for competition size lengths.

1. The area of operations for this competition run from the eastern side of the Harwood Bridge to the river mouth at Yamba and include all estuaries east of the bridge. Fishing can be conducted from the southern and northern banks of the river or by boat.

2. All fish weighed in at Ford Park will be placed live into the Rotary holding tank at Ford Park for viewing.

3. All competitors must be licensed to fish in NSW waters or hold an exemption card. Persons under 18 do not require a Fishing License. Please note that Senior's Cards, Health Care Cards and Repatriation Health Cards will not exempt persons from a fishing license. Check the NSW DPI web site for exemptions for fishing licenses.

4. Fishing size limits and bag limits apply as per the NSW Department of Primary Industries Bag and Size Limits Salt Water 2018 charts.

5. Anglers utilising a boat must comply with Roads and Maritime Services rules and have all safety equipment onboard, and must be licensed to utilise the vessel driven.

6. Anglers may ONLY fish with a maximum of 2 lines at a time, these can be of any combination, e.g. lure or bait.

7. NO set lines or nets are to be used by competitors to catch competition fish. Competitor’s lines are to be attended to at all times. Landing nets to secure fish caught on a line are exempt.

8. Care for your own safety and never take undue risks when fishing.The organisers of this competition take no responsibility for any injury or death, or loss of equipment by any persons fishing this competition.                                      
9. Fish must be caught by the person entering the  competition. Entering a fish caught by someone else is cheating. Participants caught cheating in any matter will be disqualified and banned from the site without refund and any outstanding prizes will not be awarded.

   Any competitor found not abiding by these Competition Rules and NSW Fishing Rules will be disqualified from competition with no refund of entry fees.

Good luck and tight lines