Hervey Bay Game Fishing Club - Major Membership Drive
Hervey Bay Game Fishing Club is on a major membership drive. If you are interested in game fishing and want to know more about this exciting and challenging pursuit the next couple of months will give you a number of opportunities to satisfy your curiousity.
The first event is a "meet the fleet", on Sunday 29th January 2012, when a number of game fishing vessels will be berthed at the Boat Club pontoons. Interested anglers (or would-be anglers) can look over the boars, check out the tackle and talk to the skippers and crews to gain a great insight into what is involved.
Start time is 11.00am
Following this the February meeting (Wednesday 8th February) will be an introductory talk. Several experienced anglers will talk about administration, rules and ethics of game fishing, how to set a trolling pattern and the equipment required.
The venue is the Hervey Bay Boat Clun with a 7:00pm start.
In late March the club will run a weekend "friendly" competition, when new game fishermen can be guided by experienced club boats, have an experienced crewman on board their own boat or perhaps hitch a ride on a club boat.
If you are interested in the meeting or fishing weekend in March, please register your interest with Brad on 0431 611 196 or Paul on 0427 356 566.
Hervey Bay Game Fishing Club meets the second Wednesday each month at the Boat Club at 7:00pm
The Hervey Bay Game Fishing Classic November 2010 Tournament
It's Tournament Time
Way back in 1997 The Fraser Coast Chronicle reported on the first Game fishing tournament held out of Hervey Bay. This first tournament was held in February but tournament time was quickly changed to November to coincide with the early season run of juvenile black marlin for which our area has become well known.
These early reports talk glowingly of many fish tagged and released. And of some notable captures. Founding members like Rod March who ran the areas first (and only) dedicated game-fishing charter boat and Brad Rocke who won the first tournament in his 18’ Markham Whaler are mentioned. So too the competition between long time committee member Paul Rosman and president to be Scott Bradley, who, for several years, had close battles in the under 7.5 metre class.
Starting as Fraser Coast Game Fishing Club the club underwent some changes and became an intra club of Hervey Bay Boat Club changing its name to Hervey Bay Boat Club Game Fishing Club in the middle of this decade.
In more recent years there have also been notable performances including the 2007 capture of a 940lb. plus black marlin or the 23 billfish tagged by 10.00 am on the first day of the 2008 event. Last year saw few juvenile black marlin but, forced to look further afield, the larger vessels found an aggregation of blue marlin.
These hard fighting speedsters are very highly regarded game fish and fourteen were tagged and released with many more lost. This is a phenomenal result. Anglers travel far to foreign hot spots for a chance to match strength and wits with a blue marlin.
Often more memorable are the fish that win their battle with the angler. I well remember a certain Queensland record Wahoo which I lost beside the boat after a twenty five minute battle. The double line broke at the rod tip. Shelley Jackson similarly lost a certain Queensland ladies record cobia at the gaff after more than half an hour. Many potential records are tagged and released the angler choosing to give a worthy adversary freedom.
Col's 45-50 kilo Dolphin Fish ... seen here ... was one example of what some competitors caught during the Tournament last year.
This years Tournament, the fifteenth, will be held from the 18th to the 21st November with fishing on the Friday through to midday Sunday. There are categories for light (8 kg line) and heavy tackle (15, 24. 37,60 kg line), and for vessels up to and over 7.5 metres. Ladies and juniors have their own categories and in all there are thirteen prize divisions. Trophies are awarded and a smorgasbord of valuable prizes is on offer. These include the lucky draw prize of a $3000 inflatable boat and outboard.
Tournament details are available at tackle stores, marine dealers and marinas and they’re also available here.
You don’t need a large boat to compete. More trailer boats enter than moored vessels. The fleet is supported by a mother-ship and fuel barge. By anchoring at Rooney’s Point these support vessels allow even smaller competitors to fish the Breaksea Spit area for three days with the ability to refuel on Friday and Saturday night and have hot meals prepared, have shower facilities and, if desired, somewhere to sleep.
Paul Rosman
The Hervey Bay Game Fishing Classic November 2009 Tournament
The November 2009 tournament is fast approaching, and applications will be available on our Tournament page in the near future.
We would like to thank our Sponsors:
- Hervey Bay Boat Club
- Win TV
- Anglers Den
- Bluewater Magazine
- Tackle World
- Tropic Angler
- Shimano
- Buccaneers
- Bob's Bridgestone Tyres
- Let's Go Fishing Magazine
Further details of our sponsors can be found here
Some More general News
Picture of Doug Sanderson & Jason Bould from the Hervey Bay Boat Club Game Fishing Club WHO RECENTLY CAUGHT AND RELEASED a 250 kg plus Blue Marlin while competing in the Mooloolabah Billfish Bash. The event was fished over the Saturday and Sunday out of Fridays Wharf at Mooloolabah. On the Saturday we headed out to the Noosa Canyons into 25 knot plus north East winds a slow hard slog out to the Canyons 50 mile off Noosa in Jason`s 6.2 meter Kevla Cat.
We had a reasonable day with 3 strikes unseen and unhooked and a Wahoo And Dolphin fish boated but due to us fishing Heavy Tackle only, both fish were less than line class and ineligible for points, but a great days fishing.
Sunday was perfect conditions light winds and an easy run back out to the Canyons we pulled Lures all day for nothing until 1.45 pm when the long Lure went off with an unbelievable shower of whitewater and spray for about 50 meters Jason on strike took the rod and I proceeded to get the other 3 lures and teaser into the boat and get the outriggers up and out of the way so we could begin the fight, by the time I got the gimble and harness on to Jason we believe the fish had taken 600 meters of line, needless to say 1 hour and 20 minutes later we tagged the fish but luck was not on our side cease fishing was at 3pm and we never tagged the fish until 3.04pm and extra time was not allowed so again no points but the biggest fish both of us had ever caught and a huge Buzz to get the fish to the boat.
It was approx 11 feet long from the tip of its beak to the end of its tail an absolute horse off a fish. At the presentation evening that night Doug and Jason were awarded the most meritorious catch of the tournament a great result for the Hervey Bay Game Fishing Club and Doug and Jason. Peter Kendle also fished the tournament in his new Grady White Mighty Tonka with a team from the Hervey Bay Club and had a similar size Marlin to Jason`s strike at 2.55 pm on Sunday but it was not hooked.
A big night was had celebrating the fish until the wee hours of Monday morning for all concerned a great tournament.
Doug Sanderson
More photos can be found on our gallery page
