Tournament Rules

Membership

The yearly membership term shall run from January 1st to December 31st. Dues will be announced by January 1 of that year and must be paid before an event can be particpated in using the “member” designation.

Entries

All participants must complete an event registration form, specify themselves as a guest or CSCA member, and pay the appropriate fees for that event. The CSCA reserves the right to refuse entry to any would-be participant.

Rule Amendment

Tournament rules can only be amended by agreement between all club officers.

Rods

There shall be no restriction upon length or material. There shall be not less than 3 guides plus tip ring on rods, and the running line shall be threaded through each guide when casting.

Reels

Any reel may be used as long as it is possible to fish with that reel.

Casting by Officials and Officers

Officers and acting officials may cast in tournaments, and are subject to the rules and regulations of the event. If there is a dispute involving the sportsmanship of an official or officer, judgment will be made in such cases by another officer and an impartial witness-participant.

Break-offs

Anyone experiencing a break-off/crack-off shall endeavor to retrieve the lead and line. Failure to do so will result in disqualification. At the end of the days casting, if there are any unaccounted for crack-offs all competitors will line up across the field and walk down to look for them.

General Safety

Please observe the following recommendations:

• No horseplay near the oche.
• Frequently check your shock leader for nicks or other damage, as well as knot integrity.
• Make sure an area of 50’ in all directions from yourself is clear before beginning the cast.
• Make sure the “powerstroke area” is completely clear. This means, if you are a right handed caster looking downfield from the oche, there should be no people or property 90 degrees to your right, as sometimes a sinker can break off early and fly in that direction once power is introduced to the cast. If you are a left handed caster, make sure your left is clear.
• The consumption of alcoholic beverages during tournaments is strongly discouraged by the management of the CSCA. Abuse of alcohol or illegal drugs will result in immediate disqualification and/or expulsion from the organization and its events. 

General Etiquette

• Participants shall refrain from unusually loud noise during a cast. Try to refrain from cheering or yelling until the caster’s sinker has landed.
• Once the casting order is announced, be prepared to cast immediately following the caster before you. Event officials reserve the right to skip a caster, who loses their turn for that round, if they are extraordinarily slow to approach the oche. If the delay is due to a short-term equipment malfunction, a caster should alert the official, who may allow them to cast later in that round.

Athlete and Angler Level Competition

For events that include both a traditional “Athlete” division, plus an “Angler” division of competition, a caster must declare which division he will be casting in at the beginning of that tournament and may not compete in both divisions at that tournament.

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CSCA/international rules for standard Athlete level competition.

Casting Method

All Surfcasting shall be executed with both hands. Any safe style is permissible. In making a cast it shall not be permitted to use a power stroke of more than 360 degrees or any cast that in the opinion of the event officials is deemed dangerous.

Casting Weights

The primary casting weights will be 100 grams, 125 grams, 150 grams, and 175 grams. Only weights supplied by the CSCA are to be used, fixed to leader via a supplied split oval. No excessive polishing of weights by participants will be allowed.

Line

They must be of general circular section and parallel throughout and be of basic monofilament construction. Color for both running lines and shock leaders must be high visibility color for easier retrieval of break-offs. Shock leader is required for all casts, with at least 8 complete turns on the reel when ready to cast.

No line thinner than the below listed diameters, corresponding to their sinker weight, may pass through the tip top guide of the rod at any point during the cast. Any casts found to violate these rules will invalidate all casts made to that point. Repeated violations may result in ejection from the event.

Before each participant’s first cast of the day, an event official will check the diameter of running line and leader and that there are sufficient turns of leader on the spool. At the completion of the first casts the running line will again be measured. After first round of casting random checks will be made throughout the event.

Sinker weight	Minimum main line diameter	Minimum shock leader diameter
100 gram	0.25 mm	0.65 mm
125 gram	0.28 mm	0.65 mm
150 gram	0.31 mm	0,75 mm
175 gram	0.35 mm	0.75 mm

Classes

In the interest of maintaining a competitive environment for all, no matter their skill level, casters shall be categorized into one of the following groups, depending on gender, age and typical casting distance. A returning caster’s class must be declared prior to any tournament event, and should be based on their best distance to date, regardless of weight class. New casters without any documented casts may withhold declaring a class until the tournament is over, at which time their class will be assigned by the event officials based on the caster’s best distance at that event.

Class	Men	Women
C	0′ – 349′	0′ – 299′
B	350′ – 449′	300′ – 399′
A	450′ – 549′	400′ – 499′
AA	550′ – 649′	500′ +
AAA	650′ – 724′
Master	725′ – 799′
Elite	800′ +

Junior: Age 0 – 17

Senior: Age 65+

Records

In the case of records being broken the running line shall be measured at a minimum of every 10 meters and at either side of any knots, and will only be ratified if all rules are adhered to and the cast is measured in the presence of at least 1 official and a non-partial witness-participant.

Awards + Prizes

Only members of the Carolina Surf Casters Association are eligible to be recognized with awards and rewarded with prizes.

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Modified rules for Angler level competition.

Casting Method

All surf casting shall be executed with both hands. Any safe style  with a power stroke of less than 270 degrees is permissible.

Casting Weights

The primary casting weights will be 3 1/2 ounces, 4 3/8 ounces, 5 1/4 ounces, 6 1/8 ounces, and 8 ounces. Only weights supplied by the CSCA are to be used, fixed to leader via a supplied split oval. No excessive polishing of weights by participants will be allowed.

Line

They must be of general circular section and parallel throughout and be of basic monofilament construction. Color for both running lines and shock leaders must be high visibility color for easier retrieval of break-offs. Shock leader is required for all casts, with at least 8 complete turns on the reel when ready to cast.

Main running line sizes are unrestricted, but shock leader thinner than the below listed diameters, corresponding to their sinker weight, are not permitted.

Before each participant’s first cast of the day, an event official will check the diameter of shock leader and that there are sufficient turns of leader on the spool. After first round of casting random checks may be made throughout the event.

Sinker weight	Minimum main line diameter	Minimum shock leader diameter
100 gramm	(unrestricted)	0.65 mm
125 gram	(unrestricted)	0.65 mm
150 gram	(unrestricted)	0,75 mm
175 gram	(unrestricted)	0.75 mm
8 ounce	(unrestricted)	0.75 mm

Records

Casts made in the Angler division do not qualify for records or other recognition outside of that event.

Awards + Prizes

Both CSCA members and non-members are eligible for awards and prizes when casting in the Angler division.