Most fishing tournaments are won on weight: each angler or team weighs in their best fish up to a limit, and the heaviest bag wins. Kayak and catch-photo-release events often score on length instead, measured and photographed on a board, so the fish go straight back.
A season trail then turns each event into points by place and adds them up, so one huge bag does not decide the year. Many trails also give a big fish prize, and many take penalties off the weight for dead fish or a late check-in.