TFFCC Fly Scoring – 2024 Guideline

2023/09/152024/01/13

TFFCC Fly Scoring is providing competition fly fishing opportunities to anglers comparable to Europe and North America by associating with fisheries, fishing clubs, and businesses in fly fishing industry.

Fly Scoring is designed to improve skills of individual fly fishers who can use the score as benchmark for personal training or coaching that can also be measured in matches and tournaments to compete for top positions. Fly Scoring, by practice of keeping records of fish population in fishery, also serves as research fishing to determine the healthy population of fish in fisheries.

Latest Information

Please join our Facebook Group where you can find information about upcoming events, finding partner to play matches, and meeting potential coaches who can help you find out more about competition fly fishing in Japan.

Sign Up as a Player

Please sign up at TFFCC website as a user, if you want to join as a player.
By registering (also retaining) as a player, you earn 50 points. By joining specific season, you earn another 50 points. Please be sure to leave accurate contact information for score master will contact you with instructions and set up player account.

Competition fly fishing focuses specifically on the sporting aspect in fly fishing. Anglers compete for scores gained by catching bigger and more fish that can be only achieved by their agility, concentration, experience, skills, staminas, and strategy.

Fly fishing can stand as pure recreation without clear set of agenda, but it can also be enjoyed as a jam session with fish known as “match the hatch", as trophy fishing like hunting, as competition for the top score proving angling skills, and as collection for species serving to academic curiosity.

While tournaments putting emphasis on victory and place in podium is very important to recognize an angler, TFFCC also focus on the growth of athletes who can match not only domestically but also in international arena such as FIPS-Mouche Championship.

Scoring Fields

To induce higher skills compatible with international arena, we will be providing opportunities for fly scoring in “River Fishing", “Bank Fishing", and “Boat Fishing".

Rive fishing provides scoring in natural rivers, catch & release rivers, and stocked rivers. Bank fishing is played in lakes and stock fisheries known as “area", and saltwater environment. Boat fishing is carried out in lakes and inshore saltwater environment.

Scoring Categories

Fly Scoring as Trout Category

Our primary focus will be “trout category" that is compatible with World Championship and domestic competitions also serving as a textbook standard to promote this sports. Score will be measured on fish larger than 20cm size or the minimum size defined by local fisheries. 50 check maximum to conserve the environment.

Predator Series

We are expanding categories into freshwater and saltwater predators to promote streamer fishing and sight fishing. Score will be measured on fish larger than 30cm size (new from 2024) caught by a fly with a hook longer than 20mm in length (tube or shank accepted) dressed with baitfish or crustacean imitation/impression with at least 1 action added after touch down.

Monster Series

“Monster" from both freshwater and saltwater monsters above 75cm size can make entry. It can be predator for double entry. Since it will be difficult to hold regular check in, Monster Series is played as full-year.

Events to Earn Score/Points

You can earn score and bonus points from following events.
Bonus Point will be added to season score separately.

Event	Round Score	Bonus Point
Player Registration/Retention		50 point upon completion
Join Season		50 point upon joining specific category’s season
Solo Scoring	Score earned in 60 min round (1 session only), if fished in high density fishing area Score earned in full round (180 min for river/bank, 240 min for boat)	50 point upon completion, once a month
1 on 1 Match	Score earned in 60 min round (1 session only), if fished in high density fishing area Score earned in full round (180 min for river/bank, 240 min for boat)	100 point upon completion, once a month
2 on 2 Match (Team)	Score earned in 60 min round (1 session only), if fished in high density fishing area Score earned in full round (180 min for river/bank, 240 min for boat)	100 point per player upon completion, 100 point per team, once a month
Associate Tournament (ATFC)	Up to 50 catch can be converted at 20 point/catch as score	100 point upon completion, once a month
Official Games	Score earned in full round, determined by each game.	200 point upon completion, once a month

Official Games

Games and Tournament are played by more than 12 players. You can earn score by completing the round of official games.

Associate Tournament

You can bring up to 50 catches from associate tournament as points using 20pt per catch conversion.

Competitive Match

You can earn score from 1 on 1 match with other player or from 2 on 2 team match. You will be playing both player and controller in competitive match. 2 on 2 is a preparation for future 5 on 5 team tournaments compatible with FIPS-Mouche.

Solo Scoring

Fly Scoring played by solo player. Player must register to monthly Solo Score event and check in score result with photography submitted to score master to validate the score.

Friendly Match

You can request your friendly match to be recorded in TFFCC Fly Scoring. It won’t reflect your season stats.

Practice

Practice is non-official solo scoring which TFFCC normally don’t register as an event except for PR and sample purposes.

How to Score

Any legal catch will score 1 point for 1cm in size of fish to induce the growth of players becoming compatible with FIPS-Mouche or leading competition in Europe and North America. At the same time, we capture “size" and “catches" so the same score round for Fly Scoring can also provide results for other leagues such as ATFC who rewards by number of catches and so forth.

For instance, if you check 8 x 25cm rainbow trout, 1 x 33cm cherry salmon, 3 x 22cm white-spotted char, 1 x under-legal 18cm cherry salmon, and 1 x 42cm foul-hooked brown trout:

• 25 x 8
• 33 x 1
• 22 x 3
• 18 x 0
• 42 x 0

Your score will be a sum of 200 + 33 + 66 + 0 +0 = 299 points.

If you are competing against other plaer who checked 12 x 25cm rainbow trout:

25 x 12 = 300 points will knock your 299 points for higher standing.

This will eliminate the element of luck and promote stability as sporting angler.

Fly scoring also servers as research for each field’s fish population and condition by documenting the species, numbers, and sizes.

Legal Catch

You can only score on fish larger than 20cm (in case of trout category, 40cm for Predator, 80cm for Monster) or legal size determined by the fishery or by local governments.

In front of gill line← Eligible	→After gill line Not eligible

Full Measurement – for Tournaments and Matches

Please use cm base fish measure sold in market (common one is up to 80cm, IGFA has up to 200cm measure) and download Fly Scoring Score Card from above. Measuring must be done while keeping fish wet on landing net, fish mat, or scaling case.

When another player is present as in match or tournament, please check in with controller to confirm the size of fish. Otherwise please take photograph of every measured fish for check in at Score HQ at the tournament or matches.

Any check without confirmation by controller or by score master with photography will be invalid. Out of focus photography can count as one check, but score will be using the minimum limit size of 20cm.

We are planning for easier, faster, softer measurement device.

Fast Measurement – for Regular Scoring

To avoid unnecessary length in time capturing fish out of water, please use fast measurement where appropriate.

In fast measurement, “average" has to be called by the field manager, controller, or score master present.

When you notice above the average that needs to be measured in, please do so to gain higher score where measuring fish is allowed by local rule.

If controller is available, please pass the net to controller to check the size. Otherwise please take photograph of every measured fish for check in with TFFCC score master.

Scoring Round/Session

A Mini Round – for Solo Scoring and Regular 1 on 1 Matches

1 round is composed of 1 x 60 minute session.

Please choose between “beat" or “shot gun" depending on the filed environment, situation, and rules.

1 beat is 100m section in river fishing, 50m section in bank fishing, boat must be kept 25m apart in 60 minute session.

If beat cannot be set, please walk up within given session time which is called shot gun.

Playtime can be paused only by the controller when there is clear and present danger of angler.

Full Round – for Official Tournament and Matches

1 continuous round of at least 3 hours for river/bank fishing. 1 continuous round of at least 4 hours for boat fishing. 1 beat is 300m section in river fishing, 150m section in bank fishing, and boat must be kept at least 50m apart.

Only carried out in designated stock fishery, C&R fishery, and natural fishery.

Full Game Days Rounds – for Official Tourmanet

5 days of one day round to be carries out inline with FIPS-Mouche rule. Currently not available in Japan and to be discussed with FIPS-Mouche and Team Japan.

Score Result Types & Scoreboard

A player can register his/her score in individual player score in respect of “team" and “league" which will appear on league table prepared by season (in some case by month within season). TOP 3 players at the end of season will be recognized as “gold", “silver", and “bronze".

Player Score Result & Standing

A result of controlled single round or a result of self-controlled single round will be recorded as “Single Score" in the scoreboard.

Player can also confirm the current standing within his/her team.

Team Score Result & Standing

A result of controlled team round or a sum of single round scores done in team comparable with other team(s) will be recorded as “Team Score" in the scoreboard.

Team standing can be confirmed in League Table.

Season

Unless notified, season starts from 1 January and ends on 31 December of each calendar year.

League

TFFCC Fly Scoring is a league in association with other leagues such as ATFC. TFFCC manages the score and points of players under “Fly Scoring" (trout category), “Fly Scoring Final Season (tournament)", “Fly Scoring Predator Series", and “Fly Scoring Monster Series".

Rules

In TFFCC Fly Scoring, we first aim to be compatible with FIPS-Mouche official rules, then articulate to fit the scoring round or tournament to become compliant with local rules.

• Beat and distance between boat will be adjusted by the requirement in the field
• Tackle rule will articulate with the field rules or tournament rules
• “Up to 3 fly" rule will be replaced with “1 x fly, 1 x indicator, 1 x shot" allowed to compensate where fishery doesn’t allow official rule
• All fly must be barbless, real-barbless highly recommended, but we will allow pinched barbless to induce joins to tournaments (TFFCC Scoreboard will place pinched barbless below real barbless in standing)

Objectives of Fly Scoring

TFFCC is examining and promoting fly scoring as a way to realize the 3 key objectives matching with World Championship and club’s credo.

• ENVIRONMENT – Through sporting experience in touch with nature, anglers will learn the value of fish population and importance of surrounding environment promoting for better care for fish including keeping fish wet, using barbless hooks, and safely handling fish with soft rubber net.
• SPORTS – Exchange sportsmanship in the gathering to set goals for improvement and to raise awareness to fly fishing.
• LEARNING – Induce personal growth in the 4 elements of fly fishing guided by sporting principles and competition experiences of different challenges.

TFFCC Fly Scoring Committee Members

Mr. Komatsuzawa has rich experience competing 3 times in FIPS-Mouche World Championship and national tournament in New Zealand in excellent standing. He is advising on scoring session and controller tasks.

Mr. Kunimi has wide range of fly fishing experience including competing for FIPS-Mouche World Championship as a member of Team Japan and being resident tyer for Team Japan. He focuses on not only “sure catch" basics but also on the creativity of “better catch" while demonstrating the sportsmanship in international standard. He is the voice of wisdom for TFFCC.

Coming from serious competition background in UK. Mr. White can speak from his rich and hard experience through club championship, district league, and individual competition where he has won titles in youth category.

Due to his trauma in competition fly fishing, he does not engage with trout fishing in Japan, but his “FlyTuber" perspective provides global scale of knowledge, psychology towards victory, and design of tournament.

Mr. Yoshida is probably the most dedicated fly fishing enthusiast in TFFCC who goes after virtually any fish using fly from #22 jig nymph to #4/0 baitfish streamer, single hand 0 weight to two-hand 12 weight, without minding the boundaries of fly fishing styles to challenge the dogma.

His pragmatism is driving factor to produce TFFCC Fly Scoring into reality.