A unique part of tournament kayak fishing is the use of Catch Photo Release (CPR) to measure fish and submit them for judging. This is often one of the areas where even experienced bass anglers struggle when converting to competitive kayak fishing. Most tournaments use a service like TourneyX or iAngler Tournament to collect the photos and to display the results.

Having just spent two concurrent weekends judging tournaments and approving more than 550 total fish, it is clear that most anglers have Catch Photo Release (CPR) down – and that many do not. In my first tournament a few years ago I finished third instead of second due to three deductions. These are hard lessons learned and everyone has been there.

In this article we’re going to take a look at the Seven Sins of Catch Photo Release (CPR) that are the most common mistakes by anglers. These are real examples of tournament submissions, including a couple of my own from the past.

Seven Sins of Catch Photo Release (CPR) Submissions

 

1. Covering the eye of the fish is a sure way to get the fish disqualified. A visible eye is important so the judge can tell that the fish is alive and well.

2. Every tournament has an identifier that must be fully visible in the submitted photo. In this example, the angler was in two different tournaments and had two identifiers on his card. One was in view but the other was cut off and this 19.25″ was disqualified. If this fish had counted he would have finished in the money for the tournament.

3. It never had occurred to me someone would make this mistake, but it happens more than you would think for new tournament anglers. The measuring board bump should be to the left, with the fish facing left, not facing to the right like shown here.  This angler is also almost covering the eye which was mentioned above.

4. One of the most common issues you see is where either the nose of the fish is cut off where you can’t see it touching the bump board. It can also happen, although more rarely, where the end of the tail is not visible to see where it measures to. Either way, it’s going to cost the angler length off of the fish.

 

5. Blurry photos like this make it difficult for the Tournament Director to see the lines on the board or to read the identifier. Note that this fish is facing left, but is properly oriented on the board, the photo is upside down.

6. Fish is upside down on the measuring board. Like the example of fish facing the wrong way, this one rarely happens twice for an angler once they get a DQ. Fish should be upright and facing left toward the bump board.

7. The most common problem with Catch Photo Release (CPR) submissions is the mouth not being closed. KBF rules state that the mouth cannot be more than 1/4″ open which I believe is too generous. Many other trails require it to be closed with no allowance for a gap. In some cases the fish’s mouth is shaped in a way where it could look open a bit, but the jaw is clearly closed and locked. Judges have to look at this closely and make their best evaluation.

Some Additional Photo Catch Release (CPR) Problems

Glare from the sun can lead to a disqualification if it makes the identifier or the board unreadable. Identifiers in plastic sleeves like Tourney Tag can have this problem, but the Ketch Board can also have this issue as well if the angle is just right. These are bad situations because the angler may do everything right but loses out because of glare.

The tail must be flat on the board to provide an accurate measurement. Most of the time the tail is slightly off the board and you can see a shadow. In this example the tail is significantly off the board to the point it is very obvious. To his credit, the angler only entered the tail up length instead of the full length…but still was denied. 🙂

Best Protection from the Seven Sins of Catch Photo Release (CPR) Submission Errors

The best protection is simply to practice taking your pics, but more importantly take multiple photos and if there is any question, check them before releasing your fish.

Don’t come crying to the judge when you’ve made a Catch Photo Release (CPR) mistake, it’s all a part of the game.