Paint Creek Fly for Hope 2014

Year 6 of Fly Fishing, Friendship, Good Humor, Good Times!

header photo

Event Rules

Yes, there are rules! We believe that friendship, good humor and good times can still exist with some structure. In fact, it can make the day even more fun! Print these rules and become familiar with them. You'll be expected to know them well at the event.

 

Teams

A. Each team will consist of two (2) fishing anglers.

B. One angler from each team will act as the “Team Official” (See Duties of the Team Official below).

C. Only one member of the team may be a professional full-time or part-time fly fishing guide. 

D. All anglers must possess a valid Michigan All Species fishing license.

 

 Equipment

A. Anglers will furnish their own fly fishing equipment.  Each angler may bring one extra fly rod, reel and line to the event.

B. The type of rod and fly reel is the choice of the individual angler.

C. The type of fly line is the choice of the individual angler (i.e. full floating, sink tip or full sinking).

D. The use of fly floatant, weights, strike indicators and leaders will be at the discretion of the angler.

E. No real or artificial fish attractants, such as scents, are allowed.

 

The Fly

A. Any conventional fly pattern may be used (dry, wet, nymph, streamer) as long as the hook is no larger than size #6 and is 3X or shorter in length.

B. Flies must be tied on a single barbless hook, OR  on a hook with the barb pushed down.

C. Lead or other metal-molded heads, cone heads and dumbbell lead eyes are prohibited. Tube flies are prohibited. A fly with a single metal or glass bead head is allowed.

D. Anglers will choose the fly they will use at the start of the Event.

E. The organizers must approve the angler’s fly selection before the tournament start time. The organizers judgment regarding the legality of the fly, its size and barb-less nature are considered final.

F. Repair of flies may only be done with the use of glue or any adhesive. Any re-tying of the fly with thread or fly tying materials is prohibited. Broken hooks may be honed or filed to a usable sharpness with any sharpening tool.

G. Traditional strike indicators are allowed. Flies, even those with broken hooks, are not allowed to be used as an indicator. Only a single fly may be attached to the leader.

 

Fishing Procedure

A. Michigan DNR rules and regulations governing Paint Creek will be observed. However the Paint Creek Fly for Hope is strictly a Catch & Release event.

B. All trout species will be counted in the scoring. Other fish species such as chubs, shiners, dace, bluegills, etc. will not be counted.

C. Fishing period on Paint Creek will be from your team's start time until 1:00 PM. The Team Officials are the official timekeepers.

D. If an angler’s fly becomes caught in brush or in a snag and breaks off, it may be recovered and reattached to the leader. The angler may continue fishing in the event.

E. Daily scoring ends for the angler when his chosen fly becomes irretrievably lost. That person may continue to fish for the remainder of his fishing period, but no fish caught after the contest fly is lost will count for that day’s scoring.

 

Boundaries and Beats

A. See the official map for legal fishing boundaries.

 

Weather

A. The Paint Creek Fly for Hope is a rain or shine event. The only weather conditions that will cause a time-out is (1) the sighting of visible lightning  or (2) a tornado warning is declared. Upon sighting of lightning or a tornado warning is declared the organizers will announce a time-out and all anglers are to meet at the Kiwanis Pavilion for re-start instructions. Severe rain raising the creek to dangerous levels will cancel the event.

 

Scoring

A. A trout must be five (5) inches long or longer to qualify for scoring.

B. Each trout will have a value of one (1) point per measured inch.

C. Measurement of trout should be done by the Team Official while the trout is in the water whenever possible. The Team Official should measure the trout with the tape measure provided.  Fish are measured from the tip of the nose to the tip of the relaxed tail. The Team Official should measure and record the exact fractional inch and allow the scoring committee to tabulate the final point value. Any trout which measures ½" or greater is rounded to the next full inch by the scoring committee.

For example: a measurement of 21 ½" equal 22 inches for scoring purposes.  

D. 15 points will be awarded to an angler that keeps his originally selected fly until the end of the event.

E. A penalty will be assessed for any trout killed or ruled by the Team Official to be unable to survive. Each of these fish will be measured (as above) by the Team Official and the scored value of that trout will be subtracted from the angler's score. 

F. Snagging or intentional foul hooking of any fish will result in disqualification from the event.

G. In the event of a team tie the anglers of each team will be asked to correctly answer a question based on information found in the Paint Creek Portrait provided.

 

Scoring Committee: The scoring committee will tabulate the final point value of each angler’s trout catch as measured and recorded by the Team Officials.

 

Duties of the Team Official: Every team will be “On Their Honor” and as such, the Team Official is the on-stream judge who's primary goal is to maintain the honesty and integrity of the Paint Creek Fly for Hope. Team Officials will:

  • Measure and record the exact fractional length of each trout.
  • Act as the team's time-keeper for the fishing period. To do this each Team Official must possess a reliable time-keeping device.
  • Maintain the integrity of the Paint Creek Fly for Hope in all instances.