2.     All species of fish that are in season are allowed to be kept up to your license limit (Conservation or Sport). Ontario fishing regulations do not permit to cull or replace a smaller fish in your possession with a larger one. (Example: you may keep the first 6 (or 2 depending on your license type) large or smallmouth bass that you catch, but if you catch another bass, it MUST be released immediately. (This rule does not apply to rock bass.)

3.    MACO Committee officials reserve the absolute right to modify or alter Club rules at any time if, in their considered opinion, it is justified or necessary. For example, the rules may be adjusted for competitors with disabilities to facilitate their participation in the match. Such entrants must notify tournament officials of their disability at the time of registration to enable a decision to be made about any appropriate exemptions. If a request is not made, it will be assumed that there is no disability.

4.    The draw for positions will be made about one hour before the scheduled start of the match, which will normally last for five hours. In the event of bad weather (e.g. thunderstorm), the Committee reserves the right to postpone or cancel the competition. However, only a minimum of three hours of fishing will be recognized as a complete competition for points, prizes, etc. If under three hours, the match will be declared void.

5.    A minimum of ten competitors is required for the match to count towards the ‘Angler of the Year’ competition.

6.    On drawing their peg number, all entrants will proceed to the corresponding number marked on the bank. This will be their ‘fishing ground’ where they must fish for the entire match. No peg can be moved without the consent of a Committee member.

7.    All pegs used under normal conditions must be of a state to give entrants a practicable and fair chance to fish their swim to its maximum potential. The Committee will try to ensure that the fishing limits of a peg are at least 15 yards (14 meters) in width.

8.    Before the starting signal, anglers will be allowed to:

    a.    Clear the bank of obstructions.
    b.    Plumb the depth and adjust floats (bobbers).
    c.    Wet and mix groundbait (chum).
    d.    Groundbait or loose feed the swim.
    e.    Position their tackle, rod rests and keepnet.

9.    Only live fish caught fairly by rod and line and single hook will be weighed and counted. Any entrant seen deliberately trying to catch fish by any illegal method could be instantly disqualified for cheating.

10.    Only 1 rod (or pole) and line with a single hook (no trebles etc.) is to be in use at any given time. Additional rods/poles may be assembled and ready for use on the bank if required.

11.    All live and dead fish, frogs, live crayfish, artificial lures, flies or any harmful bait or groundbait cannot be used. Earthworms, mealworms, maggots, corn and typical (not harmful to fish) baits used by match anglers are permitted together with the usual bread, paste and particle baits.

12.    No bait, groundbait, tackle or equipment can be given to a competitor by anyone during the course of the competition.

13.     Competitors must restrict their activities to their peg boundaries. Their equipment or groundbait shall not intrude into their neighbour’s swim.
    a.    Anglers will be permitted to position themselves to a maximum of 3 feet or an arm’s length on either side of the ground peg.
    b.    Anglers are not permitted to position themselves in the water.

14.    Entrants must not leave their peg at any time during the match other than to answer the call of nature or in cases of emergency. A baited hook must not be left in the water during this time – it should be taken out completely.

15.    Competitors, who abandon their peg, having decided to take no further part in the match, are not allowed to give their unused bait or groundbait to another entrant and may not discard it into their swim. Approaching other anglers will not be permitted until after the final whistle.

16.    Anglers shall, if reasonably possible, only allow tournament officials to enter their fishing ground during the match.

17.    Anglers must hook, play and land their own fish. If a large fish is hooked and surges into another angler’s swim, the fish will not be disqualified. However, the competitor must warn the adjoining peg and make every endeavour to get the fish out of the neighbouring swim as quickly as possible. If the angler has to go beyond his peg limit to land the fish, that fish will be disqualified. Anglers who have such a fish enter their swim are not obliged to take their line out of the water.

18.    Competitors must provide humane means to hold their catch safely until it has been weighed-in Keepnets are preferred. The use of stringers or any other method that could cause injury to the fish or jeopardize its survival will not be permitted. Dead fish will not be weighed or counted.

19.    Anglers must stop fishing at the finishing signal. Should they still be playing a hooked fish at the signal, they will be given an additional 15 minutes to land it.

20.    If a competitor genuinely feels that there has been a breach of the rules or has any other legitimate complaint it MUST be brought to the attention of the Committee no later than 30 minutes after the final whistle. If a resolution is not immediately possible, the Committee will make every effort to come to a final decision as speedily as possible and will inform everybody concerned accordingly.

21.    All participants must pre-register by e-mail or telephone at least 48 hours prior to every match. If the number of pegs at the venue is limited, MACO members will have priority and the ‘first come, first served’ rule will apply after that.

22.    There will be 6 qualifying tournaments in the 2010 season and the best 5 results will be applied towards the ‘Angler of the Year’ standings for each Club member. The year-end Invitational Tournament is also for members only and they must fish at least 50% of the open tournaments to gain entry into the Invitational.

23.    MACO Committee reserves the absolute right to deny Club membership to any individual without providing an explanation for this decision. Likewise, the same right applies to any other open tournament, and the Committee can deny entry to any individual, team, club or group without disclosing its reason.

24.    Pre-fishing on tournament location is not allowed during the 3 days prior to tournament date. This rule is valid for all regular tournaments and pick-up matches. Pre-fishing for Canadian Match Fishing Team Championship (formerly known as the Canadian Shore-Based Team Championship) is not allowed during the 10 days prior to the Championship date.

25.    Gobies and other fish species deemed invasive by the Ministry of Natural Resources will not be weighed or counted at MACO matches. If a goby or any other invading species is caught during a MACO match, it must be immediately deposited into a plastic bag and removed from tournament location after the match. The discarding of these fish, onto the ground during or after any MACO tournament is not permitted.

26.    All photo and video materials from MACO events may be used for informative and promotional purposes at the discretion of the Club.

a.    At the end of the tournament, to be eligible for the weigh-in, competitors must clear their pegs of all litter and be prepared to transfer their catch from the keepnet into the weighing basket as soon as tournament officials approach their peg. For safety reasons, bank sticks must be removed from keepnets prior to transferring fish. Unless attending to Club duties, absence from a peg at the time of the weigh-in will result in the catch not being counted towards the angler’s standing.

b.    Only live fish will be counted and weighed. Anglers must return all live fish to the water after weighing.

c.    The winner and all lower standings are determined by the heaviest weight down to the lowest weight.

d.    In the event of a tie for any place, the competitor with the most fish caught wins the tiebreaker. In the event that both anglers have the same weight and number of fish, the prize money will be pooled and split equally between them. A coin toss will determine which angler gets the trophy and gold or silver medal (or silver or bronze, or bronze or 4th place.)

e.    Prize and money structure (for open tournaments only) is as follows:
Three medals (gold, silver and bronze) will be awarded to 1st, 2nd and 3rd place finishers at each tournament. A trophy will be awarded to the winner at each tournament. Cash prizes will consist of a 75% payout of entry fees. The other 25% will be retained to cover the cost of trophies, medals and all other expenses associated with running the Club and organizing tournaments. Of the 75% allocated to cash prizes, ½ will be presented for 1st place, ⅓ for 2nd place and 1/6 for 3rd place.

Example: If 20 anglers register for a match with an entry fee of $20 per person, then a total of $400 is collected. 75 percent of this money, or $300 is then divided as $150 for 1st place, $100 for 2nd place and $50 for 3rd place. ($100 is retained as explained above.)

f.    Cash prizes for 1st, 2nd and 3rd places will be announced and distributed during the awards ceremony at the end of every MACO open tournament.