The short version
You and one to three mates enter as a team. You fish from a boat on the Mallacoota lake across the weekend of 23 to 25 October, measuring flathead on a brag mat, photographing them and letting them go. Nothing comes back to the scales. Longest ten fish across the weekend wins.
You do not need to have done this before. You do need a boat, a licence and a phone that holds charge.
How teams work
- 2–4anglers per team
- 18+the captain
Teams are 2 to 4 anglers. One person registers the whole crew in one go and pays the full team entry on one card, so sort the money with your mates before you sit down to register. You cannot enter as an individual, but if you are a crew short, get in touch and we will see who else is looking.
The captain has to be 18 or over. Every angler gets their own waiver emailed to them after registration, so the addresses need to be right the first time.
Team rules in the FAQRegistering as an individualWhat to have ready
What you need before you turn up
- 3.7mminimum boat
- 15hpthe floor
A boat. This is a boat comp through and through. Minimum 3.7 metres, with enough horsepower to plane with your crew and gear aboard - 15hp is the floor. Kayaks, canoes and jet skis are out by definition, and you cannot leave the boat to fish. A fish landed away from your boat does not count.
Boat paperwork. Current insurance, current registration, and the marine operator licence of whoever is driving. All three go to the tournament directors before the comp, not on the morning.
A fishing licence. Every angler needs a current Victorian Recreational Fishing Licence unless they are exempt - under-18s and some concession holders do not need one. Buy it online before you arrive. Fisheries officers enjoy a tournament weekend.
A phone that lasts. At least one reliable smartphone per team, working camera, healthy battery. Catches are submitted through the TMF Tournaments app. Mallacoota has black spots, and how out-of-range catches get handled is covered at the briefing.
Boat requirementsBoat paperworkFishing licencesSubmitting photos
How a fish gets counted
- 30cmminimum length
- 1cmper minute late
Flathead only, and it has to go 30cm from the mouth to the tip of the tail. A fish only counts if it swims away when you release it.
The photo does the verifying. Fish flat on the approved brag mat with its mouth touching the 0cm end, camera directly above, your team's key tag in shot, and the measurement at the tail readable. Officials check every photo and the points land on the live leaderboard.
The key tag is your team's ID for the day. You get it at the briefing and a fresh one each morning. It has to be visible in every catch photo, and the whole team has to be back at check-in with it before the session ends. Late back costs you 1cm per minute off your team's total length, and fifteen minutes or more scrubs the session entirely.
What you can and cannot fish with
Lures only. Hard bodies, soft plastics or fly, and that is the list - no bait. Scent is allowed on the lure itself. Berley is banned outright, including beforehand. Any line class, and spin, baitcast, spincast or fly tackle are all fine.
One actively fishing rod per angler at a time. Snag up and you break off before you pick up another.
No trolling. Using the boat's momentum to work your lure is out. Casting along a bank under electric power is fine, and so is holding position on the electric, but leave your lines in the water while you move and you are trolling.
How it is won
- 2ptsper centimetre
- 10best fish count
- 90%back as prizes
Two points per centimetre. A 50cm flathead is 100 points, a 50.5 is 101. Your team's score is your best ten flathead across all sessions of the weekend, not everything you catch. If two teams tie, the one with the single largest fish takes it.
The biggest flathead prize goes to the longest single fish submitted by the Saturday evening deadline. If two fish tie, whoever caught theirs first wins the countback.
Ninety per cent of entry fees go straight back to competitors as prizes. The 2026 pool and categories get announced closer to the comp.
Safety, briefly
Kill switch fitted and the lanyard worn whenever the engine is running. PFDs as per maritime requirements for your vessel and worn by everyone underway - under 4.8m means a Type 1 at all times. Stick to the waterway speed limits, because a speeding fine during a session scrubs that session's score. Whoever is driving stays under 0.05, no exceptions.
If another team is in trouble, you help. It is the law and it is the comp's rule, and officials will sort out the catches and check-in time of anyone who stops to assist.
What the weekend looks like
- 23–25October 2026
23 to 25 October 2026, on the Mallacoota lake. Comp HQ is Scallywags Bar, overlooking the main boat ramp. Briefings, presentations, the leaderboard on the big screen and most of the exaggerating all happen there.
Session times are confirmed at the briefing before the first session, and you fish within them - not before, not after. The Tournament Director can move start and finish times if the weather calls for it. We fish in rain, not in danger.
One thing to know well before you arrive: there is a pre-fish ban covering the entire waterway in the lead-up, and it applies to anyone connected to a team who is on the water gathering information, not just anglers. Exact dates get advertised, but assume roughly the two weeks before the comp.
What it costs
- $250adult angler
- $125junior
- $45event tee
$250 per adult angler and $125 for juniors. The captain pays for the whole team in one payment at registration. Event tees are $45 and can be added any time after you have registered.
And no, you are not out of your depth
Never measured a flathead on a brag mat in your life? You get walked through it at the briefing before anyone touches the water. Some of the best stories out of this comp come from crews who rocked up with no idea and drove home with a fish tale they will be embellishing for years.