Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 4412 West Palm Beach Fishing Club annual contest standings more angling news Angling Committee Makes Rule Changes During their last review of club angling programs the WPBFC Angling Committee made a few modifica- tions to some rules and definitions. Many of the issues addressed by the committee had been prompted by club member input. A detailed listing of all rules, tackle specifications, award descriptions and entry criteria can be found on the club website. Here’s a brief run down on the recent changes that were made: • Summer & Winter Contest Boundaries (also includes club record entries) Clarification was made that the boundary for the Summer & Winter Fishing Contest extends 25 nautical miles from the coast of Florida with Key West being the southern most and westernmost point in south Florida. The Dry Tortugas & Bahamas are excluded. • Tackle Definition Reference to ‘one-handed rods’ has been deleted from tackle definitions for Fly, Spin & Plug in the club’s Tackle Specification & Definitions. The committee concurred that the term and use of a one-handed rod was outdated and did not conform to most rods that members are using. • No Assistance When Fighting Fish Rule #4 in the club’s General Angling Competition Rules regarding assistance was further clarified stating, ‘No other person may touch the rod, reel or line during the fight.’ • Winter Contest Standardized Point Chart Quite a few minor changes were made to the Winter Fishing Contest standardized point chart that is featured on the reverse of official WPBFC fish affidavits. The point modifications were made based upon a variety of factors including how hard the fish is to catch on artificial lures compared to general tackle, how heavy the fish grows, and the point values compared to other higher quality or less abundant fish of similar weight. Revised affidavits reflecting these changes have been printed and are available at the clubhouse. A revised affidavit can also be downloaded from the club website. • Summer Fishing Contest Rule Changes Several changes were made to the club’s Summer Fishing Contest rules. The practice of ‘bumping up’ anglers at the end of the contest has been eliminated. All winning fish and the anglers who caught them will be listed on the final standings sheet, but anglers will still only receive two physical awards (not including special award categories). The Angling Committee also decided to move Jack Crevalle from the Offshore Division to the Inshore Division, since most jacks entered are caught from inshore/near shore waters. This will encourage more entries since there is a lower minimum weight requirement (10 pound minimum for Offshore Division fish/3 pounds for Inshore Division fish). The committee also decided to bring the Summer Contest Grand Champion Inshore and Offshore awards criteria more in line with the Winter Contest Grand Cham- pion award by requiring the following: angler must post the most winning fish, which must include at least two winning fish in two of the three casting categories (Fly, Spin, Plug) and a minimum of three different species. • New Non-Motorized Vessel Awards In a nod to the growing popularity of kayak and standup paddle board fishing the Committee decided to add new awards in the Summer Fishing Contest for the two best catches made from a non-motorized vessel. The awards would be for people fishing from hand or foot powered vessels with out any aid from a motorized boat. It was decided sailboats would not be included. • International Angling Trophy Regarding the annual Donald Leas International Angling Trophy it was decided that catches made by club mem- bers in Hawaii and Alaska will be eligible for entry for the trophy. The Leas family was consulted on this as well and they were supportive of the decision.