Competition rules 2025

KILPAILUKALAT

• The competition fish are pike, zander and perch.
• The minimum dimensions of the competition fish are pike 60 cm, zander 45 cm, perch 30 cm.
• All fish are exempted in the competition. Any fish that is dead in your hands or in poor condition (which is unlikely to survive) must be reported immediately to the results service. The exemption rule also applies to fish that are not so-called competition fish that are acceptable for the competition.

COMPETITION FORMAT

• A maximum of 70 boats will be accepted into the competition
• On Thursday and Friday, competitors will fish for two days on one card. During Thursday and Friday, the team must catch two (2) pike (minimum length 60 cm), three (3) zander (minimum length 45 cm) and five (5) perch (minimum length 30 cm) as long as possible.
• After the first two days of the competition, the cents on the scorecard determine the point ranking for the Saturday final. All teams participate in the final. The ranking after Thursday and Friday is also the team’s score.
• The scoring is as follows: The winner of the Thursday and Friday one card competition gets 1 point and from there the number of points corresponding to the position up to 19. Places 20 and above get 20 points. The same scoring in the final.
• Final: All teams qualify for the final. In the final, one (1) pike (minimum length 60 cm), two (2) zander (minimum length 45 cm) and three (3) perch (minimum length 30 cm) will be caught as long as possible.
• The final scores will be added to the Thursday-Friday results and the total of these will be the final score.
• In the event of a tie, the largest pike will determine the winner, and if the largest pike is also the same, the other pike will determine the winner. If both pike are the same size for both teams, the largest zander will determine the winner. If all zander are the same size, the perch will determine the final result.
• Teams with a tie in the final results: The one with the better finish in the final will be ranked higher. The team with the lowest score wins the competition and the rankings will continue from there
• All active fishing methods that use free fishing are allowed.
• 1 rod per angler may be used. A rod with a lure in the water is counted as a rod in use.
• When fishing, only one lure may be used, with hooks attached. In trolling, a hookless lure or other similar hookless sinker may be used as a lure. An unlimited number of rods and lures may be carried on the boat.
• Lures must be artificial. The use of worms, larvae, crustaceans, dough, fish, fish parts and other natural baits, with the exception of feathers and hairs, is prohibited.

 

TEAMS

• The boat used by the team consists of 2 competitors, a captain and a competitor. The captain must be at least 18 years old and the competitor must be at least 16 years old. Competitors under the age of 18 must have a guardian’s permission to participate in the competition.
• Competitors aged 18–69 must have paid the fisheries management fee.
• 70 teams will be entered into the competition. However, the organizer has the right to increase the number of competitors to enable the participation of international and domestic partners.

 

FILMING AND PHOTOGRAPHING

• By participating in the competition, the competitor accepts the Northern Fishing Games’ filming permit.
• The team participating in the competition may be filmed and the image may be shown, for example, in live broadcasts.
• The NFG filming permit includes the photographer’s permission to board the competition boat to film.

 

BOAT LANDING

• At boat launch sites, other users must be considered.
• Trailers and cars must be parked in the designated spaces.

 

STATUTORY SAFETY ITEMS AND INSTRUCTIONS AND ADDITIONAL INSTRUCTIONS FROM THE ORGANISER

• Each captain shall verify the seaworthiness of the boat before going out to water.

• All boats shall carry at least: 
• Oar, paddle or anchor with ropes
• emptying tool or a bail
• Approved life jackets for everyone in the boat.
• approved extinguisher for all inboard and outboard motorboats with an engine power greater than 25 kW (33 hp) or on boats fitted with a flame-generating combustion appliance
• first aid kit
• For navigation, a nautical chart shall be onboard. A plotter map is accepted as a nautical chart.

• The amount of fuel must always be checked before departure and must also remain in reserve.
• The competition organisation has the right to inspect the boat, its storage facilities before the competition.
• The competition respects the statutory limit of 0.5 per mil of alcohol for professional use in water transport in Finland. The boat driver may be tested with an intoximeter when the boats are in the water before the start and for 10 minutes after crossing the finish line. The maximum penalty for exceeding the per mil limit is exclusion from competition and a ban on entering the event. In addition, the police are aware of the race and may be patrolling the area.
• During the competition, each competitor must wear a CE approved life jacket/bump jacket.

 

REGISTRATION

• The team will be accepted into the competition when the competition fee has been paid. The competition fee must be paid no later than 7 days after registration or the registration will automatically expire.

• The team’s registration for the competition is done by sending a test image of the team NAME in the Predator App as a screenshot to the Predator App on Wednesday, October 1, 2025 at 4:00 PM.

• The team participating in the competition must ensure that the team name in the fish reporting application (Predator App) is the SAME as the one the team has registered with for the Northern Fishing Games competition. The competition organizer cannot edit the team name in the Predator App.

 

CAPTAIN’S BRIEFINGS

• The Wednesday captains’ meeting will be held by email. Each captain will be sent the latest information on the competition arrangements and rule interpretations by email on Friday, September 26, 2025. Captains will have the opportunity to ask additional questions about the competition arrangements, rule interpretations and competitors’ obligations by email until Monday, September 29, 2025.

• On competition days, short captains’ meetings will be held in the morning at a separately announced time. Only the team captain may participate in the captains’ meetings.

• A team is not entitled to participate in the competition if the captain has not participated in the captains’ meeting.

• The scoreboard for the competition day and/or the race pass for that day, which entitles you to participate in the competition, will be distributed at the captains’ meeting on Thursday. Race passes for Friday and Saturday will be distributed at the captains’ meeting on that morning.

 

START AND END OF COMPETITION DAY

• The boats must have the competitor number given by the race organizer clearly visible on both sides of the engine or in another clear place on a boat without an outboard engine.

• The fish tanks and boxes of each boat will be checked before moving to the starting point. Deficiencies and/or fraud will result in a penalty. The captains will be notified of the BoatCheck time in advance and a team competitor must be on the boat at that time.

• The competition time is Thursday and Friday 10:00–17:00, Saturday 9:00–17:00.

• The boats will move to the competition area in a drawn order. On the second day of the competition, the starting order is reversed. In the final, the winner of the qualifying round will start first and the rest in order of placement.

• The boats must be at the finish line no later than 17:30. The finish line must be crossed in such a way that the team’s competition number can be identified either from the referee boat or from land.

• Each team must report to the finish line judges each day upon reaching the finish line.

• From October 2nd to 4th, 2025, competitors are not allowed to practice or create in the competition area outside of competition time.

 

COMPETITION SITUATIONS

• The competition may be suspended temporarily or for the rest of the day due to thunderstorms or other compelling reasons. If the competition has to be suspended, the boat teams must immediately move to the nearest sheltered shore.

• If the competition has to be suspended for the rest of the day, the results valid at the time of the suspension of the competition will remain valid.

• The boat that is fishing will be passed at a distance of at least 50 meters, if possible. If the situation requires passing closer, the passing will be done at a speed of less than 10 km/h, without disturbing the fishing and without causing waves. Violations will result in a warning.

• The safety distance between the competing boats is 50 meters and the first ones to arrive have the right to a 360-degree casting sector. A team that arrives at the area later may not cast towards a boat already in the area, but they have a 270-degree casting sector in use. Violations will result in a warning.

• Fishing is prohibited 50 meters closer to the shore where there are houses or cottages. If there are residents on site, fishing is prohibited within 100 m of the shore. Violation will result in disqualification.

 

MEASUREMENT AND HANDLING OF FISH

• The minimum dimensions of the competition fish are pike 60 cm, pike-perch 45 cm, perch 30 cm.

• Only fish released in good condition are accepted for the results.

• The fish must be measured and photographed immediately after being caught, and the photographed fish must be reported to the results service without delay.

• A maximum of two fish may be in the net/boat at a time. Fishing must be suspended until one or both have been released.

• The fish are measured horizontally on the NFG’s official measuring board.

• The fish are measured and photographed with the right side of the fish (as viewed from the back of the fish) against the measuring board, with the head touching the zero end of the measuring board.

• Pike and zander may be measured in liplock. The head of the fish must be attached to the end board (lower jaw). The cheek of the fish on the measuring board side must be attached to the measuring board.

• In addition to the liplock, the fish may be held with two fingers around the belly of the fish during the measurement. The hand may not cover the fish from the belly to the back. The measurement must be directly under the fish and the competition pass must also be visible in the photo.

• When taking a photo of a perch on the measuring board, the perch’s mouth may not be held.

• The length of the fish is measured in centimeters, meaning that decimals are rounded down to the next whole number. (For example, 35.4 cm is 35 cm).

• A posing photo is also taken of the fish, showing the fish, the face of the fish catcher and the daily competition passport. The posing photo shows the left side of the fish, i.e. the same side that is visible on the measuring board.

• The entire fish must be visible in both the measuring board and posing photos, and the length of the fish must be clearly readable from the measuring board photo.

• A release video must also be taken of the pike perch; instructions will be given at the skipper’s meeting.

• It is recommended to use a knotless net with a rubber handle.

• Handle the fish carefully and avoid unnecessary contact with the fish’s mucous surface. Do not hang the fish unnecessarily.

• Using a sump is prohibited; the fish awaits measurement in a net outside the boat, and any possible resuscitation of the fish will also take place in a net outside the boat.

• The same fish will not be accepted for the same team again during the competition.

 

REPORTING OF FISH

• The photos taken with the mobile phone camera (2 pcs) will be uploaded to the results service immediately after the measurement in the manner announced at the captain’s meeting.

• If a photo sent once is changed, the results service must be notified separately via WhatsApp message, which will indicate the fish species, length of the fish, and the team name and number.

• Competitors must ensure that the cell phone battery is sufficiently charged and must have a spare cell phone with them for reporting.

• All fish caught must be released unharmed after filming.

• Dead or poorly conditioned fish that are unlikely to survive must be reported immediately to the results service. The team will receive instructions on how to handle the fish.

• The catch report must be received by the results service before the end of the competition time.

 

GROUNDS FOR DISQUALIFICATION: COMPETITION/FISH

• If even one team member neglects to pay the fishery management fee, the entire team’s competition performance will be disqualified.

• If the team fishes outside the competition area or in an area where fishing is prohibited, the team’s competition performance will be disqualified.

• If the picture shows that the fish is undersized, it will be disqualified.

• If the measurement picture does not show the entire fish, i.e. the size of the fish, the fish will be disqualified.

• If the measurement picture cannot be determined, the fish will be disqualified.

• If the fish has been held in violation of the rules when taking the measurement photo, the fish will be disqualified.

• If the posing photo or measurement photo is missing an identification, i.e. a competition passport, the fish will be disqualified.

• If the pike-perch release video is missing or it does not show that the fish is released alive, the fish will be disqualified.

• If the team uses a measurement other than the official competition measurement, the fish will be disqualified.

• If the fish is bloody or the fish’s eyes are bulging from the head, the fish will be disqualified.

• If the team fishes 50 m closer to the cottage shore or 100 m closer to a populated shore, the team will be disqualified.

• If the team does not report to the race organizer at the finish line by 5:30 p.m. after the race day, the team’s performance will be disqualified.

• Fish caught outside the mouth or caught in violation of fishing regulations will be disqualified.

• Competitors may not use the help of a third party in the competition area during the competition. If a team member other than the team member registered for the competition participates in the competition, the team’s performance will be disqualified. Changes to the team composition must be reported by 01.09.2025: info@northernfishinggames.com. In case of last-minute illness, please contact the competition director Jyri Haapanen 0451693977 or Mikko Salonen 0414543666

• If more than one warning is given to the team, the team’s performance will be disqualified.

• More detailed instructions will be given at the captains’ meetings.

 

PROTEST AND JUDGEMENT

• The competition results service has the right to change the reported lengths of the fish based on the photos.

• If a team has any questions about their own fish or has problems reporting, the team must immediately contact the results service directly.

• If a competitor has any comments regarding their own competition fish, the comment must be made immediately, and not only after the competition, by contacting the results service.

• The results service has the right to request additional photos from the competitors.

• Observations of suspected rule violations must be reported immediately to the competition director.

• Protests of rule violations must be submitted to the results service immediately after the competition day.

• A deposit of €100 is charged for the protest, which is returned once the protest is resolved.

• The protest will be handled by the competition director, one judge and a representative of the results service.

• Even after the competition results have been announced, the competition organizer may request additional photos of the catch from the team or disqualify the team and change the final result of the competition if rule violations that affect the results are discovered after the competition. If the disqualified team has been in a prize position, it must return the winning prize to the competition organizer.

• The jury’s decision cannot be appealed.

• The competition organizers have the right to change the rules before September 28, 2025.

 

COMMERCIAL FISHING

• All commercial fishing during the competition and training is strictly prohibited.

• The Northern Fishing Games competition organization and the Haukivesi Fishing Cooperative have decided.

• Professional fishermen in the Haukivesi joint fishing area are allowed to practice their profession during the training and competition. All other commercial fishing is prohibited.