A near record number of anglers converged on Boondooma Dam for the 15th Annual Yellowbelly Fishing Competition held on February 12 and 13. 559 anglers consisting of 105 juniors and 454 adults weighed in a total of 297 fish.

Hanwood Fish Farm champion junior anglers were Mitchell Henderson of Bell who weighed-in a 1.175kg Yellowbelly and Matthew Conduit of Cleveland who weighed in a 1.085kg Australian Bass.

Adult anglers Paul Renfree of Buderim took out the ‘Buccaneers’ heaviest Yellowbelly 1.455kg and Jenny Cooper of Kingaroy the heaviest ‘Pioneer Permanent Building Society’ Australian Bass 1.615kg.

Major prize winning draws for Yellowbelly, Australian Bass, Silver Perch, Jew and Spangled Perch were won by Jeff Wenck, Wondai; Drew Cullen, Maryborough; D Barkle, Condamine; Iona Doherty, Dalby and Carlo Marchese, Minyama.

Major Lucky draws sponsored by Reliance Petroleum, Hans Continental Small Goods Pty Ltd, Kingaroy Mower Centre, Kingaroy Canvas & Camping, Wondai Plumbing & Hardware, Wilson Fishing Tackle Specialist & Sure Catch, Carsburg Grains, Hervey Bay Marine Training Centre, Golden Spurs Hotel, Buccaneers, Eva Kool Fibreglass Ice Boxes and Handy Hire were won by S. Palmblad, T. Hopkins, B. Rynne, J. Kelly, L. Gray, T. Rogers, W. Hanley, N Chesterton, S. Weller, R. McHugh, T. Irwin, P. Renfree, J. Wentriro, S. Langton and I. Carlsson.

The cooler weather made for a comfortable weekend however angling action was quite.

Once again the Burrum Heads Fishing Club made a donation of $500 to assist with the purchase of fingerlings. Their continued support and that of Allround Angler who donated prizes for the weigh-ins is very much appreciated.

The Boondooma Dam Fish Stocking and Management Association and Proston Local Ambulance Committee would like to thank all competitors and especially our many sponsors who made this competition possible.

The 2006 competition will be held on February 11 and 12. – BDFSMA