CAG Big 4 Competition - What's it All About?

[Savayman]

CAG Big 4 Competition - What's it All About?

 

The CAG BIG 4 Competition takes place twice a year:

In Spring (March 15 - June 15) and Fall (September 1 - November 30th)*.

^*Please note new extended Fall Dates!

Anglers simply upload details (Photo, Weight, Date of Capture and State where caught) of their

Biggest 4 Fish caught during the period of the competition.

Anglers taking part MUST follow the rules especially those regarding Photo Requirements. There are no exceptions. 

*** CAG MEMBERS - Click Here to Register for Spring 2025! ***

CAG Members must login to access registration

 

Any Fully Paid CAG Member can enter for just $12 to take part (temporary memberships are excluded from taking part).

 

*** If you are not yet a member you can join by clicking here: Click Here to Join CAG ***

If your membership has expired please login to your account to renew your membership or message Barry Howard for assistance.

There are now over $2,000 in Prizes  up for grabs! 

Prizes go to the Top Ten Anglers recording the Biggest 4 fish during the competition.

There are also prizes for the Biggest Buffalo  and Biggest Grass Carp!

Additional Prizes are awarded for the Biggest Common and Biggest Mirror as well as

Regional Recognition Awards & Prizes.

+ Canada Region 5

 

 

 

 

[Savayman]

By Registering for the Spring Big 4 2025 you agree to abide by the following rules! 

Spring Big 4 2025

March 15^th – June 15^th 2025

 

Entry to take part in the Spring Big 4 2025 binds you to these rules.

It is the Competitors responsibility to read, understand and abide by these rules.

No changes or allowances will be made to catches or uploads outside of these rules.

*** If in doubt ask! ***

 

1.     To enter the Big 4 competition you must be a FULLY paid up CAG member for the duration of the event (temporary memberships are excluded from entering) and have registered and paid your entry fee of $12.00 payable in the CAG Store for the Spring Big 4 2025 before Noon on March 14th. No entries will be accepted if your registration or payment falls beyond this date.

- Please look for a separate topic on how to post your catches! -

2.     The Competition will run from March 15th at 0:01am until midnight on June 15th 2025. All uploads must be completed by midnight on June 15th. If you have an issue whereby the upload of an entry is not accepted by the CAG Leaderboard on June 15th you must contact Willem by email: big4@joincag.com by no later than Midday June 16th. Provided your entry complies with the rules we will accept your entry and assist you in including it on the leaderboard. No upload or messages posted with a date/time of June 16th midday or beyond will count.

3.     Upload protocol must be adhered to in order to have an entry accepted. If any requirement or detail is missing then the entry will not be counted. It is the Angler’s responsibility to ensure all details are correctly entered. See Rule #6

4.     Only your four biggest carp of the common, mirror or leather varieties count towards the Big 4 Awards (no grass carp, or other strains/breeds will be accepted) and must be caught from North American waters (fish raised in stock ponds or from commercial venues such as paylakes etc may not be entered). Upload the first four fish that you catch during the qualifying period. Subsequently, ONLY upload a fish if it is BIGGER than your fourth biggest fish.

Please DO NOT UPLOAD FISH THAT ARE SMALLER THAN YOUR FOURTH BIGGEST FISH: this clogs the system and causes errors in uploads. This competition is about four big fish & not the total quantity of fish caught during the competition.

4 (a). For Spring 2025 you can also enter your Biggest Grass Carp or Biggest Large or Small Mouth Buffalo capture for a special Biggest Grass Carp or Buffalo Prize. This runs separate to the CAG Big 4 Common Carp event but all other rules apply.

5.     Upload your entries within 48 hours of capture and before midnight on the last day when the competition ends. If you have upload problems or unable to upload within 48 hours of capture you must notify us using this email address only: big4@joincag.com  See Rule #2

6.     Your Upload must include the following details: (1)Trophy Photo of You, the captor, with the Fish, the Scales used to weigh the fish & the Spring Big 4 Logo for 2025 clearly visible in black and white or color; (2) The exact Weight of the fish in lbs and ozs; (3) The State in which the fish was caught. (4) The Date and Time of capture which must be entered in the comments section under the photo. 

7.     Photo Requirements: (1) Images must be clear. (See notes below). The fish, angler, scales and logo must all be in focus and clearly visible. (2) The Scales & Big 4 Logo must be positioned in the foreground and as close as possible to the fish (scales or logo’s positioned in the background behind the angler and fish are not acceptable). (3) All photo images must clearly show the full width of the fish. Photos where the fish is presented at an angle (45 degrees, tail or head first etc) to the camera will not be accepted. (4) Photoshoped or altered entries may be subject to disqualification. (5) The should also show your fish capture being held over a protective mat.

The CAG BOD reserves the right to request any angler entered in the CAG Big 4 to submit his/her scales and photo date stamp for verification in the event of any disputes.

8.     The Spring Big 4 2025 logo will be available for download in a separate thread just before the start of the Competition (just before midnight on March 14th). 

9.     Prizes will be awarded to the Anglers finishing in the first 10 places which will be determined as the aggregate of that Anglers best four fish caught within the rules and during the period of the Big 4 Competition. There will be individual prizes awarded for Biggest Common and Biggest Mirror. Additional recognition awards will be made to the captors of the four biggest fish in the 5 regional areas. Special prizes will also be awarded for the Biggest Grass Carp and Biggest Buffalo caught during the competition.

10.   Fish Care: Any entries NOT showing proper fish handling or care will be rejected!

11.   For the first 72 hours only entries will be also accepted where the photo shows the CAG Spring Big 4 2025 Logo clearly visible on a cell phone or iPad/tablet etc. Printed Logo’s are valid at ALL times during the event dates.

12.   All Anglers must be in possession of the necessary State Fishing License.

13.   All fish must be caught on a single hook rig, using legal rod and line methods and must be returned safely without harm.

How to Weigh your Catch

Please check your scales for accuracy and ensure that you properly zero the weigh sling (wetted but properly drained) before weighing your catch. Here’s a suggestion: wet your weigh sling, shake off any excess water then hang it on the scales until the water drains and the weight is stable. This usually takes less than 30 seconds. Then zero the sling on the scales and weigh the fish. Scales must be suspended from a Tripod, Weigh Bar or Weigh Crook to ensure stability and accuracy of weight. Holding the body of the scales with your hands will result in an inaccurate reading.

 

Some pointers and suggestions for photos.

The Big 4 Logo should be printed out to ensure it can be clearly seen in the photo (Letter or half letter size is ideal). Enclose your logo in a zip lock bag or get it laminated to prevent it getting wet or damaged.

When taking the photo have the fish close to your body with your elbows balanced on the thigh/knee area and over a suitable un-hooking mat. This allows you to keep proper control of the fish and to place it back on the mat easily and quickly if required. Do NOT hold the fish out at arms length or while standing. The fish, angler, scales and logo must all be in focus. When taking the picture do not zoom in to just have angler and fish. Zooming in reduces the pixilation count on the photo and reduces the quality of the photo. Winners photos will be used for magazine publication and the biggest regional fish photos will be used for awards.

A good example of a Big 4 Entry Photo that meets the Requirements for Rules # 7 & #10

The Big 4 logo and Scales are positioned & clearly visible in the foreground.

The fish is also being held & supported correctly & positioned over a suitable protective mat

 

These are the final and definitive rules for the CAG Spring Big 4 2025.

 

 

[Savayman]

SPRING Big 4 2025 - The Prizes!

*** $2,250 in Prizes Up for Grabs! ***

There are also Regional BIG 4 Awards and Photo Plaques (Canada is Region 5)