2026 Online Freshwater Spearfishing Tournament

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Nationwide

2026 Online Freshwater Spearfishing Tournament

2026 Online Freshwater Spearfishing Tournament

REGISTER HERE

Entry Fee - $50 per participant
Juniors – Free!! (Under 18yrs by April 1st)
Starting Date – April 1st
Ending Date - October 31st
No entry deadline but must be registered prior to shooting eligible fish

Contact Information
Email - info@nationalfreshwaterspearfishing.org
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/nationalfreshwaterspearfishingassociation
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/nationalfreshwaterspearfishing
Facebook Handle: @nationalfreshwaterspearfishingassociation
Instagram: @nationalfreshwaterspearfishing

OFST Committee

The OFST Committee oversees rule enforcement, submission review, and dispute resolution.

Committee Members:

  • Kenny Hekhuis
  • Steve Gottfredson
  • Greg Hall
  • Colby Kittle
  • Luke Winge
  • Liam Culhane
  • AJ Vick
  • Kalvin Cackler

Committee Responsibilities:

  • Review submissions that would take over a category lead
  • Review submissions from tournament directors
  • Investigate questionable submissions
  • Resolve disputes between competitors

Committee reviews are conducted promptly. Category-leading or questionable submissions are reviewed weekly by the full committee.


TOURNAMENT FORMAT AND RULES

Format

This is an online tournament consisting of Freediving and Scuba Diving. Your choice!

OFST is run using an app called “Fishing Chaos”. Every diver will submit and log fish and see live tournament standings through this app. Search for it on the iOS and Google Play App store. It should be titled "Fishing Chaos" and will have an icon like below:

 

The longest fish in each individual category at the end of the tournament wins OFST for that category. At the end of the tournament there will also be a winner dubbed “The King of Freshwater" (or Queen). The King of Freshwater will be determined by adding up the total length of each individual competitor’s longest fish in each category. You will want to enter a fish in as many categories as possible. Just because your big fish didn’t win you the OFST for the category, it will help you add up overall inches and increase your chance for being crowned “The King of Freshwater" (or Queen). 

There will be 2 divisions in the tournament. Adult and Juniors. Juniors will be split into 2 age brackets, 5 - 12 years old and 13 to 18 years old and will compete with the same rules as the main OFST competition. Junior Division fish submitted are eligible to win an OFST Fish Category. Parents, no shooting fish for your kids! If you are making a submission for the Juniors division, the rules are still the same, but you must submit it as a Juniors Division entry. 

As always, safety is of the utmost importance. Remember there is no fish worth of your life! Always dive with a buddy and remember 1 up and 1 down and use your dive flag on every trip. From all of us at NFSA, we would like to wish you all the best of luck!

Tournament Rules

  1. Fish must be harvested using a rubber-powered or pneumatic speargun, or pole spear
  2. Fish must be taken from named public freshwater waters within the United States or Canada where spearfishing is legally permitted.
  3. All participants must follow all state, provincial, and federal regulations.
  4. Any violation or suspected violation of laws or tournament rules may result in disqualification, including potential bans from future events.
  5. Cheating or suspected cheating—after committee review—results in immediate disqualification and permanent ban.
  6. Fish must be submitted within 3 days of harvest.
  7. Artificial manipulation of the fish’s mouth or body to increase length is prohibited.
  8. Fish must be measured straight and flat—no diagonal measurements.

Special Measurement Rule:

  • Catfish are measured belly-down from the front of the mouth to the fork of the tail due to body shape

Fish Documentation & Submission

All entries must be submitted through the Fishing Chaos app.

Each submission must include:

  • Clear photos showing the full fish length on the measuring device
  • A photo of the diver with the fish (selfie or holding the fish)
  • A continuous measurement video clearly showing the full measurement process

You must retain the measurement video until the submission is approved.

Timestamp Requirements:

  • The Fishing Chaos app provides timestamp verification
  • App permissions must be enabled
  • Any submission without a valid timestamp will be rejected

Measurement Requirements

  • Fish must be measured on a flat surface
  • Fish must lie on top of a 1-inch-wide steel tape or commercial bump board (here is a cheap one we recommend: Frabill Bump Board ) and the length must be CLEARLY VISIBLE. If not visible on a bump board, use a steel measuring tape.
  • The nose or mouth (whichever extends furthest) must be firmly bumped against a flat surface, mouth closed
  • Measurement is taken from the front of the fish to the fork of the tail, unless otherwise specified.
  • The process should be hands-off; one finger may be used only to stabilize the fish

If measurement standards are unclear or violated:

  • First violation: 10% length deduction
  • Subsequent violations: submission rejected

Here is a step by step explanation of how to measure a fish:

  1. Begin recording
  2. Show the unaltered measuring device
  3. Place the tape or bump board against a hard surface
  4. Lay fish flat and bump the nose against the surface
  5. Show your face and state your name, date, and species
  6. Record the full length of the fish to the tail fork
  7. Show a clear hands-off measurement
  8. Zoom out to show the fish and tape remained stationary

The burden of proof always rests with the submitter.

You may submit as many fish throughout the tournament for every category as you wish. Meaning, if you submitted a fish today and went out tomorrow and shot a bigger fish, you can upgrade your smaller fish by submitting your bigger fish. This will play a key role in becoming “The King of Freshwater”.

For all species other than Panfish, measurements round down to the nearest 1/4 inch. To take over the leaderboard you must beat the previous leading fish by 1/4 of an inch! Measurements for Panfish will round down to the closest 1/8 of an inch. To take over the leaderboard for Panfish, you must beat the previous leading fish by 1/8 of an inch. All fish competing for a leaderboard position within 4/8 of an inch (1/2 inch) are subject to review by the OFST Committee.

TOURNAMENT

We have selected 5 fish categories that will contribute directly to the OFST tournament and the “King of Freshwater”. We have also selected 2 optional fish categories that will not be related to the tournament in any way but will provide spearos who don't have access to all the OFST species to still compete with others in the same elective species category. No duplicate categories allowed.

Official OFST Categories

  1. Common Carp, Buffalo Carp
  2. Striper, Lake Trout, Flathead Catfish, Northern Pike
  3. Walleye, Drum, Channel Catfish
  4. Largescale Sucker, Utah Sucker, White Sucker, Gizzard Shad
  5. Bluegill, Yellow Perch

Each category awards 1st  and 2nd place.

Optional Categories

  • Panfish - winner is sum of all subcategories
    • Perch
    • Bluegill
    • Sunfish
    • Crappie
  • Trout - winner is sum of all subcategories
    • Rainbow Trout
    • Cutthroat
    • Splake
    • Brown Trout
    • Tiger Trout

PRIZES

Main Tournament

The category winner will receive an OFST trophy for "OFST Biggest Fish" and selection from a virtual prize table. 2nd place will not receive a trophy but will be able to select a prize from the virtual prize table. The virtual prize table selection will be awarded in order by category and by placement in each category. For example, all those who won first place will pick first in order by category rank. Then all those who placed 2nd will pick in order by category rank, etc. Win a maximum of 2 categories per diver of the main OFST categories. 

The Juniors King of Freshwater will be awarded a WWE Style Trophy Belt. They will also get to pick from a separate virtual prize table from sponsors who donated specifically for the Juniors division. The Juniors winner with the longest fish gets to pick their prize first.

The award for “The King of Freshwater” will be a snazzy custom belt buckle and bragging rights for the next year!

Be sure to thank the sponsors by getting more divers involved and sharing the OFST tournament with your friends on Facebook or Instagram! Sign a Junior diver up with you and get them out on your next spearfishing adventure!

Mini-Tournaments

We're excited to be hosting mini-tournaments throughout the year during key holidays. This allows for more divers to compete and win some prizes! We will be hosting mini-tournaments during the following dates:

  • Memorial Mayhem - May 20th, 12:00AM to May 27th, 11:59PM
  • Stars and Stripers Shootout - July 1st, 12:00AM to July 8th, 11:59PM
  • Spear the Nation - Sept 2nd, 12:00AM to Sept 9th, 11:59PM

There will be 2 categories for each mini tournament: Biggest Game Fish, and Biggest Carp. Our sponsors have generously provided prizes for the biggest fish in each category. Submit your biggest game fish or carp to be entered into a raffle for a prize! 

Prizes will be awarded to the biggest Carp, the biggest Game Fish, and the winner of a drawing from amongst all of the tournament participants (category winners excluded).

Disclaimer
OFST can change tournament rules at any time. You must comply with the rules at all times. If we make changes due to some unforeseen reason, we will update you via email and/or text.

OFST, NFSA, or any of its people cannot, and will not, be held liable for any death or injuries to any participants by them or their families partaking in the tournament. By signing up for the tournament, you acknowledge this and can not hold OFST and any of its people liable.


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