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Inaugural Ballina Fishing Classic
  |  First Published: November 2004



Catch-and-release competitive fishing comes to the Richmond River with the Ballina Fishing Classic from November 26 to 28.

Purely a catch-and-release event, the headquarters will be the Ballina Seagulls Rugby League Club at Kingsford Smith Park, where the 20,000-litre Reef Science display tank will be the focus of live weigh-ins, prize draws and presentations. There’ll be thousands of dollars’ worth of Shimano prizes, including 40 random draws from all entrants.

There will be first, second and third prizes for juniors under 12 and seniors for the heaviest bream, blackfish, flathead and whiting, and free big sample bags for early junior registrations. Entry is a very reasonable $22 for juniors and seniors.

Weigh-ins of legal-length fish will be between 8am and 3pm on November 27 and 28. Boundaries are from Evans Head to the Cape Byron lighthouse.

Entry forms are available at Dave’s Bait Shop, Ballina, phone 6686 2481, or Suffolk’s Sports Store, Lismore, phone 6621 3047. Entries will also be taken at any time at the competition site at the leagues club. For more information phone Dave Moss at Reef Science on 0427 241 117.

– Reef Science

Ulladulla if you’re game

The Jess Sams Game Fishing Tournament will be held over the weekend of January 28 to 30 2005 in the waters off Ulladulla, on the South Coast.

All anglers will be eligible to win a full suite of 10kg, 15kg, 24kg and 37kg Ian Miller rods with matching Penn International reels spooled with Tortue line, valued at more than $8000 – winner takes all.

“It will be good to see crews from other game fishing clubs including Sydney, Victoria and the South Coast come to Ulladulla for the tournament,” the secretary of the fishing club, Wayne Fry, said.‰

The fishing tournament is the 67th anniversary of the late Jess Sam's Australian record 330lb striped marlin caught off Ulladulla from the 1938 nationwide fishing contest and a part of Australian angling history. This national record catch still stands to this day.

Modern fishing methods mean most of the fish will be tagged and released, but record-breaking catches will be brought back to the harbour for official weigh-in.

Anglers will target mako, whaler and hammerhead sharks, marlin, mahi mahi, and yellowtail kingfish.

There will also be a bottom-fishing competition for snapper, flathead, morwong and bream.

Further details can be obtained from Don Goswell, phone 02 4455 2707 or Ulladulla Sport and Game Fish Club, PO Box 204, Ulladulla 2539

The Jess Sams Fishing tournament will launch the 2005 Ulladulla Summer Games – visit www.ulladulla.info/summergames/jesssams.html

Ulladulla Sport and Game Fish Club

Fifth Grabine Classic

The Fifth Annual Grabine Classic was conducted from August 26-29 at Wyangala Dam.

With Wyangala at 9%, organisers were concerned about participation, but these fears proved foundless and a great event was held with around 760 competitors.

Forty-four prize divisions were on offer with the major prize of a Brooker Trekka v-nose punt, 15hp Mercury and Brooker trailer valued at $7,500 (supplied by Cowra Marine) being one by any of the registered entrants. Chris Madden from Harden was the lucky angler of the draw and a further $1500 worth of prizes were handed out at the presentation.

Andrew Halls won the major prize with a great 19kg cod, while the largest silver perch was 830g and was caught by Lucy Foster from Forbes. The largest catfish was weighed in by Paul Tozer from Goulburn with a 1.29kg fish.

435 native fish were weighed in with three silver perch, four cod, 17 catfish and 411 golden perch weighed. No trout were weighed in during the tournament.

This year a new perpetual trophy, the Boyd Carruthers Memorial Trophy for the biggest catch and release fish was on offer. Donated by Trevor and Enid Carruthers and family, junior angler Stephen Roberts won with a great 9.85kg cod. There were only seven fish released this year, but organisers expect more next year.

Ninety-three carp were weighed for a weight of 219kg and the largest carp was a whopping 5.58kg caught by junior angler Jarad Ward from Theodore in the ACT.

The tournament for next year will be conducted during the last full week in august on the provision there is enough water in the lake. Anybody interested should contact the Grabine Lakeside State Park or Secretary Wayne Cummins on (02) 4835 6024.

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