CFN Fish Off 2024 

Saturday, June 29 - Monday, August 5, 2024

Canada Wide Event

Rules

1. OVERVIEW

A. Anyone fishing in Canadian waters can participate in the CFN Fish Off (all provinces and territories). Certain Provinces (MB & SK) have a maximum allowable number of participants - sign up early to make sure you are eligible. 

B. The CFN Fish Off is a FREE event for ALL ages sponsored by Shimano. 

C. All entries must be submitted using the MyCatch mobile app (available to download for any Apple and Android mobile device).

D. All fish species in-season in the region you are fishing are eligible to be entered. Make sure you abide by all the zone/regional rules and regulations (season, limits, restrictions) set by each individual province and body of water.

E. Any species caught in Canadian waters can be entered in the CFN Fish Off.

F. A minimum length of 8 inches is required for all fish entered. Fish that do not meet the minimum length requirement are not eligible.

G. There are multiple prizes to be won for anglers of all skill levels. See list of prizes below.

H. All catches entered by anglers 17 years and younger will be entered into a separate Kid’s Prize pack draw. 

I. All catches are also eligible for our Facebook Video Prize. In order for you to be eligible for this prize, you must post your videos on the CFN Fish Off Facebook Page. (See details below). 

J. Catches must be submitted through the MyCatch app for judging anytime during the tournament period (June 29, 2024 to August 5, 2024).

K. Register for the CFN Fish Off by going to www.anglersatlas.com/events. An Angler’s Atlas account is required (free to sign up).

L. Anglers participating in other Angler’s Atlas MyCatch tournaments during the tournament period are eligible to submit their same catches into the CFN Fish Off.

Eg. If you are registered in the Angler’s Atlas Multi-Species Madness tournament, your catches in that event can be simultaneously entered in the CFN Fish Off.
**As long as you are registered for both events, your catches will automatically be entered in each tournament.

2. GETTING STARTED

A. The CFN Fish Off is an online tournament run through Angler’s Atlas website and their mobile app MyCatch. The first step is to join the CFN Fish Off Facebook page for up-to-date tournament information, updates, and live prize draws. www.facebook.com/groups/cfnfishoff  

B. Create an account at www.anglersatlas.com.

C. Register for the event by going to www.anglersatlas.com/events and find the CFN Fish Off registration page. 

D. Registration is currently only able to support individual registration. For those without a personal cell phone (such as children) the participant will need to submit their entries using their own unique account and login credentials - it will be necessary for people sharing a cell phone to use the switch account feature.

E. In order for catches to be sent properly, you must use the same login email and password for both the Angler’s Atlas website and the MyCatch app.

F. You will receive an automatic email confirming that you have entered the tournament.

G. Once accepted into the tournament, download the free MyCatch mobile app which is available for both iOS (Apple App Store) and Android (Google Play Store) and login to activate the tournament on the app. Make sure to use the same login email and password that you used to register in the tournament. (https://www.anglersatlas.com/mycatch)

H. If you already have the MyCatch app installed on your mobile device, make sure to download the most recent version of the app.

I. Protecting anglers’ privacy is a priority. Any location data collected during the tournament will not be released to the public. Our promise to anglers is “Secret Fishing Spots Stay Secret”. See below for further details.

3. PRIZES AND ELIGIBILITY 

5 Species Draw - Catch any 5 species and you will earn 1 ballot into the Shimano 5 species prize pack. If you catch 10 species, you will get 2 ballots into the 5 species draw (every multiple of 5 earns you a new ballot). Any species that meets the 8” minimum length requirement is eligible. 

10 Species Draw - Catch any 10 species and you earn 1 ballot the Shimano 10 species prize pack. If you catch 20 species, you will get 2 ballots into the 10 species draw (every multiple of 10 earns you a new ballot). Any species that meets the 8” minimum length requirement is eligible. 

15 Species Draw - Catch any 15 species and you earn 1 ballot into the Shimano 15 species prize pack. If you catch 30 species, you will get 2 ballots into the 15 species draw (every multiple of 15 earns you a new ballot). Any species that meets the 8” minimum length requirement is eligible. 

Largest Fish Draw - The largest fish for each species will earn 1 ballot into the Shimano longest fish draw. Size matters! There is no limit on the number of longest fish ballots an angler can earn. If there is a tie for the longest fish in a particular species, both anglers' names will be entered into the draw.

Kid’s Prize Draw - For anglers 17 years and younger. Every fish caught (any species) equals 1 ballot into the Shimano kid’s prize draw. Unlimited ballots can be earned. Multiple fish within a single species can also be entered. Catch as many fish as you can to increase your chances.

FACEBOOK VIDEO DRAW

#ShowMyShimano Draw. This will be our biggest prize pack. Anglers are encouraged to film a video of each of their official entries either by using the “release video” function on the MyCatch App or native camera phone app. In order to earn a ballot into this draw, anglers must include all the following requirements. 

Videos must…

1. Include the angler holding or releasing the fish submitted

2. Include the angler showing a Shimano fishing product (eg. rod, reel, apparel, bag, tools, etc).

3. Include the angler saying the tournament phrase, “Show my Shimano.”

4. Be uploaded to the CFN Fish Off Facebook page (www.facebook.com/groups/cfnfishoff) using the hashtags:

1. #ShowMyShimano

2. #CFNfishoff2024

**Videos not uploaded to the CFN Fish Off Facebook page are not eligible for the draw even if they are taken using the MyCatch App.

WEEKLY DRAWS

One Shimano combo will be given away each week. Every fish entered on the MyCatch App each week earns you one ballot into that specific weekly draw. All fish need to meet the 8 inch minimum requirement. Any species is eligible. Multiple fish in any particular species is permitted. Enter as many fish as you want. There is no limit on the number of weekly entries. For example: 14 perch, 9 Bluegill, and 6 Black Crappie = 29 ballots. 

Weekly live draws happen every Tourney Tuesday at 7:30 pm ET every Tuesday starting Tuesday, July 2. Watch the live or recorded show on the following 3 platforms:

CFN Fish Off Facebook 

Canadian Fishing Network Facebook

Canadian Fishing Network Youtube

Week 1 - Saturday, June 29 to Sunday, July 7, 2024

Week 2 - Monday, July 8 to Sunday, July 14, 2024

Week 3 - Monday, July 15 to Sunday, July 21, 2024

Week 4 - Monday, July 22 to Sunday, July 28, 2024

Week 5 - Monday, July 29 to Monday, August 5, 2024

To be eligible for any particular weekly draw, at least 1 fish must be entered that particular week using the MyCatch App. Enter as many fish as you want to increase your chances of winning. Note: Participants are only eligible to win one weekly prize draw (if a previous weekly winner is selected, the raffle will be redrawn to get a new winner). 

4. MULTI-SPECIES MADNESS TOURNAMENT

Multi-Species Madness run by Angler’s Atlas is a separate event which runs simultaneously with the CFN Fish Off. In other words, any fish submitted on the MyCatch app between June 29 and August 5, 2024 EDT are eligible to be entered in both events. 

There is a $50 entry fee to participate in Multi-Species Madness and cash prizes to be won! Enter here!

MULTI-SPECIES MADNESS PRIZES

Total Length - Awarded to the angler that has the longest total length across 10 different species. Only one fish per species counts.

1st place - 40% of total cash pool

2nd place - 20% of total cash pool

3rd place - 10% of total cash pool

4th place - 5% of total cash pool

5th place - 2.5% total cash pool

Footlong Draw - Every fish entered over 12 inches = 1 ballot. Only 1 ballot per species. Ex. A 10 foot long smallmouth bass only = 1 ballot. However, a 12” yellow perch, a 24” channel catfish, and a 30” Northern Pike = 3 ballots into the footlong draw. A maximum of 10 species can be entered in the footlong draw.

5. CATCHING AND REPORTING RULES

A. Catch and release is encouraged but not mandatory. All in-season, unrestricted  species are eligible for this event.

B. Your measurement photo will automatically be sent to our MyCatch judging team to be verified. 

C. After verification, each fish entry will be included into the appropriate prize draw(s).

D. All contestants must have GPS/location services enabled on their mobile device for catches to qualify. Your location data will be protected and will only be used for scientific and research purposes. For more information, see details below.

E. There is a minimum 8 inch length requirement. In addition, all anglers are required to measure their fish for scientific and research purposes. The total length of a fish is measured from the tip of the nose or jaw to the tip of the tail.

○ Mouth needs to be in a natural and relaxed position (opened or closed).

○ Tail can be pinched to get maximum length.

F. The nose of the fish must be at the start or zero mark on all measuring devices and the total length is taken where the longest length of the tail crosses the measurements on the measuring device.

G. If you measure your fish on a commercially produced bump board, the measurement rules are as follows:

○ The nose of the fish must be visibly touching the bump end of the board.

○ The fish must be placed on top of the board.

○ The entire fish showing the head and past the tail must be visible in the measurement photo.

H. Hard measuring devices (ex. wood, metal, or plastic) are also permitted for this event. The measurement rules are as follows:

○ The fish's nose must be aligned with the zero mark on the tape.

○ The fish cannot be on top of the tape measure or cover the tape measure in any way. The entire fish showing the head and past the tail must be visible in the measurement photo

○  Do not use fabric or flexible measuring tapes.

○ *Rapala roll out tapes will be treated as a tape flexible measure*

I. If you measure your fish entry on a homemade bump board, the measurement rules are the same as above BUT you must provide a photo or your homemade bump board to the organizer to verify measurement accuracy. Unverified boards will NOT be accepted.

J. All photos must be taken from a birds-eye view looking down on the fish (not on an angle).

K. A photo that does not clearly show the overall length of the fish, including head and tail, on the ruler, may not be scored for length as a measured entry. However, this catch can still be entered as a non-measured fish and a total species ballot can still be awarded (at judges discretion). More than one attempt to get a valid scoring photo is allowed. The app will prompt you to either accept the photo or retake a photo.

L. There are to be no fingers placed in the gills of the fish within the measurement photo. Any fingers in the gills of the fish can disqualify that entry.

M. A second optional photo, of you holding the fish often can also be taken using the MyCatch App. We call this a “Hero Shot.” These pictures will be collected and potentially displayed on CFN social media pages and websites.
**We encourage all participants to take, download, and post their Hero Shots onto the CFN Fish Off Facebook page. Let’s build community and show off our catches.

N. Photo entries must show the entire fish so it can be identified by tournament organizers.

○ Depending on the species, other distinguishing features should also be shown by video or pictures so our judges can properly identify what species is entered.

○ Ex. Anal rays on a bullhead

○ Ex. Dorsal fin shape, mouth shape/features, and tail colour of a redhorse.

O. The MyCatch App allows you to take a video of your catch using the “Release Video” function. This is optional but special prize draws will be given to anglers that film, download, and post their videos on the CFN Fish Off Facebook page. See details in Section 3: Prizes & Eligibility.

P. The app will work without WiFi or strong cell service. If you submit a fish without any or strong enough service, the app will tell you that the fish has been recorded, and that it will sync up to the server once you return to service. Every fish you log (whether in good service or not) will appear in your app’s Log View (2nd icon from the left at the bottom). If you have fish “awaiting sync,” it will indicate this here. The submissions will eventually come through on their own once you return to service, but you can help speed up the process by “manually syncing” those pending logs (see how here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YU-AwLc8OLY) once you’re in service. The logs are time/date/location stamped to the moment that they were taken, so even if the submission is delayed, the time on that submission will still be accurate.

Q. Catches that are submitted will be reviewed by our team as soon as possible. Once the submissions are reviewed and approved, they appear immediately on the appropriate leaderboard(s). DO NOT EXPECT to see entries show up immediately after you log them. With thousands of submissions, it will take our team some time to review all entries. 

R. A great resource is the MyCatch video that shows how to complete an entry: https://youtu.be/fS65wMakQHA 

6. TOURNAMENT TIMES AND LOCATION

A. Tournament boundaries are within the limits of Canada. Anglers can fish within fresh or saltwater.

B. The tournament runs from:

Saturday, June 29th from 12:01 am (ET) to Monday, August 5th at 11:59 pm (ET), 2024.

C. All catches made within the start and end times must be synchronized with the Angler’s Atlas server within 12 hours of the end of the tournament.

D. At the discretion of the tournament director, tournament days may be shortened, postponed or cancelled due to unsafe weather or water conditions.

7. AWARDS AND PRIZES

A. All prize winners will be contacted directly to arrange the delivery (Shipping charges may apply).

B. A participant can only win one raffle draw. If an angler's name is drawn for more than one prize, he/she will be able to select the one prize of their choice. The remaining prize will be redrawn.

C. Trophy (non-raffle) prizes can be won by the same angler. Example: Total length Prize and Total fish prize.

D. Awards will be announced by the end of August after the conclusion of the tournament. 

E.Anglers will be contacted directly using the contact information provided in the tournament registration process. 

F. Winners will be drawn live on Facebook during our CFN Tourney Tuesday broadcast. Join us every Tuesday at 7:30 pm ET during the tournament period on the CFN Fish Off Facebook page. 

G. Tournament organizers reserve the right to adjust or reject any entries.

8. OTHER RULES

A. By registering and participating in the tournament, all participants agree to abide by all the rules and regulations listed in this document and posted on the Anglers Atlas website.

B. Anglers can only submit catches that they have caught themselves (see Kid’s rule exception below). This is an individual tournament, so you cannot enter as a partnership or team, and under no circumstances can you share fish with any other angler. Anglers are free to fish alone or with other tournament or non-tournament anglers, but each registered angler may only enter their own fish on the app using their personal account and login. Anglers can submit their entries using the same mobile device provided that he/she logs on to the MyCatch app using their individual account.

C. Kids under 17 have 2 options for participation. 1) Create their own account on the www.anglersatlas.com website and register as an individual for the event. 2) Have their catches included within a registered angler’s submissions. For example, if a registered adult participant takes 2 kids out fishing, their catches can be submitted under the registered adult angler’s account. This is to encourage participants to take more kids out fishing.

D. All fish entered for this event must be caught via angling i.e. using hook, line, rod and reel. At no time will fish caught by non-angling (i.e. use of traps, trap nets or cages) be allowed to be entered. Usage of a landing net to land a hooked fish is allowed.

E. Each participant who is required to have a valid fishing licence must have it in their possession when participating in the tournament. 

F. Each contestant must conform to the fishing rules and regulations that are in place for the jurisdiction in which they are fishing.

G. Promoters and organizers assisting in the tournament operation are not responsible for death, injury, damage, liability, theft, fire or any loss to any contestants.

H. Any angler found to be cheating will be disqualified from the tournament. Angler’s Atlas, the Canadian Fishing Network, and The CFN Fish Off also reserve the right to ban anglers from competing in future events.

I. All rules have loopholes. It is our intention to provide an honest sportsmanlike tournament. In the interest of good sportsmanship, contestants are reminded the spirit of the rule will prevail in all judgments.

J. All questions or concerns relating to the rules of this tournament are to be referred to the tournament organizer or their designated Authorized Tournament Protest and Appeals Committee. Their decision will be final in all cases. No other person can be considered a spokesman for the rules during the tournament. The contact person for this event is Michael Consul and can be reached at [email protected]

K. Any contestant has the right to make a protest against another contestant by contacting an organizer through email and must be completed and presented within 1 hour of the close of the tournament. The organizers' decision will be final in all cases. A $100.00 dollar protest fee may need to accompany the protest. The fee will be returned if the protest is found to be valid.

L. To ensure the best chances of survival for the fish, all participants are to handle fish safely. Blatant abuse to the fish or the resource is reason for disqualification.

M. If you are fishing in sub-zero temperatures, measure fish inside tents or ice shacks whenever possible, especially when temperatures dip below -10 degrees celsius.

N. Wet boards/rulers prior to measuring fish in cold conditions to help protect the fish’s slime coat. 

O. All COVID-19 Public Health orders and gathering restrictions at the time of the event must be followed by all participants.

P. All photo submissions may be used by MyCatch by Angler's Atlas and the Canadian Fishing Network for future use.

9. DATA PRIVACY AND FISHERIES RESEARCH

“Secret Fishing Spots Stay Secret” — This is our primary commitment to anglers who report their catches through MyCatch. So what does this mean in practice?

A. Angler’s Atlas does not release MyCatch GPS data to the public. It is treated as confidential and is provided to fisheries researchers under strict conditions.

B. Every research team we work with must sign a data sharing agreement that sets the terms of use for the data.

C. Data is anonymized before it is provided to the researcher. Ex. Angler names are not attached to data.

D. Researchers agree not to share the data with anyone outside of the agreement.

E. Researchers cannot use the data for any purpose other than the research specified in the agreement.

F. Exact location data cannot be published as part of the scientific research. Instead, data has to be generalized to a larger region so the location cannot be reverse engineered.

G. Angler’s Atlas may release data to a law enforcement agency if compelled to do so under court order.

These data privacy rules are designed to protect our angler’s private data, to conserve the fisheries, and to make sure we maintain a trusting relationship with our anglers into the future. If anyone has any questions, please feel free to reach out to Angler’s Atlas President directly by email ([email protected]).