Bass Point event a classic

SHELLHARBOUR GAMEFISHING CLUB

“QUALITY, not quantity” was the catch cry at the recent Bass Point Classic fishing tournament.

The event was Shellharbour Gamefishing Club’s second of the season and attracted boats from as far as Lake Macquarie and Jarvis Bay.

Although cooler waters made the fishing a little slow for some boats, several outstanding specimens were snared.

Shellharbour’s Roger Fooks snared a Tiger shark that weighed 406.9kg – that catch was good enough for a new club record and the heaviest shark and most meritorious trophies.

Fooks caught the monster, using 15kg tackle, aboard Reserection, skippered by Jamie Reid.

Next best was a Mako weighing 355kg, caught on 15kg tackle by Tony Weston, who was fishing on Kiama GFC boat Wet Dream.

That catch helped Wet Dream win the champion boat trophy and would have won the heaviest shark and most meritorious trophies at many other tournaments.

The cooler water attracted yellowfin.

The biggest specimen caught weighed 69.2kg and was snared by Bob Kernot on Wollongong’s Pool Freak.

However, the cold water meant the marlin stayed away – only three were caught during the tournament.

Shoalhaven’s Dadsboat won champion boat tag and release and most marlin tagged for their specimen.

After a big turn-out for the February tournament, Shellharbour’s neighbouring clubs each entered a handful of boats.

“We have had several letters and emails congratulating us for a professional, well-run tournament that was a lot of fun, and also commending our friendliness and camaraderie within the club,” Shellharbour Gamefishing Club’s Greg Barea said.

The tournament committee would to thank all competitors for ensuring the success of this one-off tournament.

They want to thank the large crowd that gathered at the weigh station on Saturday night, as this created such a buzz for the anglers to see as they came into the harbour.

Also thanks to the tournament sponsors, whose support was vital to the event.