KEEN fishers planning a holiday next March should mark the Fraser Coast as a definite for their diaries. The 23rd Annual VMR Hervey Bay Family Fishing Competition organised by the Hervey Bay Boat Club Fishing and Social Club will be held from Thursday, 5 March to Sunday, 8 March at Dayman Park in Pulgul Street Urangan Hervey Bay.

There will be hundreds of prizes to win and you don’t even have to catch a fish to be in the running for most of them.

Many entrants don’t fish at all and simply go along to enjoy the atmosphere at the presentations, partake in the food and refreshments, perhaps win $5,000 cash or a $8,000 boating package, a computer, one of the hundreds of prizes in the lucky draws or the $1,000 cash give-away drawn every day, sponsored by the Boat Club.

Draws and presentation times are Thursday, Friday and Saturday 6pm to about 8pm and Sunday noon to about 3pm.

Entry fees are seniors $40 and juniors $10. There will be a licensed bar and this year’s catering will be done again by members of the Rotary Club of Hervey Bay Sunrise and they will provide plenty of hot food and cold drinks for everyone.

The live weigh-in will again be sponsored by Fisherman’s Corner Hervey Bay with eligible species flathead (live only), bream and whiting.

Species of fish eligible for the dead weigh-in are whiting, blackall, bream, golden trevally and coral bream and also for the seniors an ‘any other species’ category with $1,000 for the best fish, (excluding flathead, cod, Spanish mackerel, shark and ray). This prize structure will encourage entrants with bigger boats to venture to the gutters and to waters off the eastern side of Fraser Island after bigger, quality fish.

Thanks to the excellent support and generosity of local business houses the competition has been a huge success each year, so make plans now to enter this popular event.

Entry forms are available at tackle shops in Hervey Bay and Maryborough, at the Chronicle offices and at the Boat Club and Sporties or phone 4194 6138 or see www.fishingcompherveybay.org.au