The month of February sees the tournament season get kick started with the Newcastle Port Stephens Billfish Shootout. This year our best performing boats were Hoodlum which came in 5th position followed by Casey who came in 10th place. Makira Wright also managed to take home Champion Junior Female Then we headed into the Interclub State Championship in which Sydney entered 5 teams to compete against the other clubs from across NSW. I would like to thank & congratulate all teams, skippers & crew who entered this year's Interclub. And the winner is......Sydney!!
Congratulation goes to Team 4 Sydney winning the Bundabah Trophy Champion club Tag & Release Team 4 SGFC was made up of Smartbill - Eagle – Aluhr 4,480,450 points Ricky Chan Trophy Club team Highest number sharks Team 4 Sydney Marquis Shield Champion Boat Tag & Release overall Smartbill 277,950 points Gloriana shield Boat scoring highest points Tag & Release Billfish Smartbill Jeppesen Trophy Champion Boat tag & release 15kg line Smartbill Jac111 Trophy Tag & release adult angler Jerome Ayad 231,950 points Louis Ardilly Trophy Most marlin tagged by an angler Jerome Ayad Impala trophy Heaviest other game fish Mia Wright 25,9 short bill spearfish (Pending AUST Record) Botany Bay trophy Highest point scoring junior female capture Mia Wright 10,966.26 Peter Goadby trophy Highest point scoring adult angler Brendan Harris (Bones) 15,085.80 Rampage Interesting statistics for the weekend amazing the marlin catches went up during the tournament Day 1 121 Marlin tagged Total tagged fish 131 Capture 9 fish Day 2 135 Marlin tagged Total tagged fish 146 Capture 13 fish Day 3 153 Marlin tagged Total Tagged fish 163 Capture 6 fish The Lyndy Grieves Memorial Ladies Day is always such a great social day for the girls. Little Audrey tagged 2 marlin one to newest Member Jodi Pops & 1 to Victoria Smith, Gale Force tagged 4 marlin 2 to Christine Kirby & 2 to Bev Liddell and Katrina Calleger fishing onboard Smartbill won champion lady Tag & release with 4 marlin 49,500. Onboard Tantrum Mia took over angling duties. Mia weighed a nice shortbill spearfish which went 25.9kg on 15kg. This is a pending NSW & Australian record half an hour later Mia landed a 99.8kg Blue Marlin on 15kg to beat her sister’s current Australian & NSW record (keeping it in the family). Just a quick note for your diary this Year’s Peter Goadby Memorial tournament is on the 18th& 19th April it would be great to see as many Sydney boats fish our tournament, stay tuned for some exciting bonus tag cash prizes plus the big $50,000 cash for heaviest blue marlin over 300kg.
COVER : Casey looking for a quick tag shot on a Sydney black marlin. Photo: Nick Martin
Tight Llnes Tiddles
Smartbill coming into the weigh station after another great Ladies day.
FROM THE PRESIDENT
Calendar of Events SGFC March 2020 3rd - Club Meeting 7th - 8th Summer Pointscore Weekend 14th - CCGFC Bluewater Classic + Central Zone Weekend 2 Days 21st - 22nd Summer Pointscore Weekend 21st - 22nd Broken Bay Invitational Tournament + Central Zone Weekend 31st Committee Meeting April 2020 4th - 5th Summer Pointscore Weekend 7th Club Meeting 18th - 19th SGFC Peter Goadby Invitational Tournament + Central Zone Weekend 18th - 19th Summer Pointscore Weekend 28th Committee Meeting May 2020 2nd - 3rd Port Hacking 100 Tournament + Central Zone Weekend 2nd - 3rd Last Summer Pointscore Weekend 4th - Start of SGFC Winter Pointscore 5th - Club Meeting 28th - Committee Meeting
New South Wales Game Fishing Association 58th 2020 NSWGFA INTERCLUB TOURNAMENT Port Stephens, NSW Friday 21st to Sunday 23rd February 2020
IC Frith & Associates Trophy Most Tag & Release Points by an Adult Lady Angler CARON COLLINS 150,500 POINTS WEEKEND DETENTION GLGFC J.A.C III Trophy Most Tag & Release Points by an Adult Male Angler JEROME AYAD 231,950 POINTS SMARTBILL SGFC Peter Bennett Trophy Most Tag & Release Points by a Female Junior Angler MARNI FITZALAN 23,000 POINTS REEL TROUBLE GLGFC Peter Bennett Trophy Most Tag & Release Points by a Male Junior Angler ALEX BINKIN 61,500 POINTS CAPTAIN NGFC Newcastle & Port Stephens GFC Trophy Most Tag & Release Points by a Female Small Fry Angler NOT WON Newcastle & Port Stephens GFC Trophy Most Tag & Release Points by a Male Small Fry Angler COBY ROGERS 35,010 POINTS NIRVANA KGFC Port Macquarie GFC Trophy Tag & Release Most Sharks by an Angler MICHAEL LAVERS 2 SHARKS ESCAPADE BRBGFC Louis Ardilly Trophy Tag & Release Most Marlin by an Angler JEROME AYAD 20 MARLIN SMARTBILL SGFC Botany Bay GFC Inc. Trophy Highest Point Scoring Capture by a Female Junior Angler Overall MIA WRIGHT 10,966.26 POINTS TANTRUM SGFC Botany Bay GFC Inc. Trophy Highest Point Scoring Capture by a Male Junior Angler Overall COREY RADFORD 34,596.60 POINTS PUBLIC ENEMY N&PGFC
Jay –Ah Trophy Heaviest Blue Marlin JOSHUA HALLAM139.50 BLUE MARLIN KILL TANK CCGFC Bob Dyer Trophy Heaviest Marlin JOSHUA HALLAM 139.50 BLUE MARLIN KILL TANK CCGFC Fred Toll Trophy Heaviest Shark CHAD KAVANAGH 240.20 KG TIGER SHARK REEL CRAZY LMGFC Newcastle & Port Stephens GFC Trophy Champion Boat Tag & Release 60kg NOT WON David Litchfield Trophy Champion Boat Tag & Release - 37kg Line LOCKOUT 8,500 POINTS BOBGFC Otto Volz Trophy Champion Boat Tag & Release-24kg Line CAPTAIN 60,000 POINTS NGFC Jeppesen Marine Trophy Champion Boat Tag &Release - 15kg Line SMARTBILL 267,950 POINTS SGFC Broken Bay GFC Trophy Champion Boat Tag & Release 4kg – 10kg Line THE OMEN 62,500 POINTS N&PSGFC Gari-Lee Shield Boat Scoring Highest Points for Tag & Release of Other Game Fish ESCAPADE 1,150 POINTS BRBGFC Ricky Chan Trophy Club Team Scoring the Highest number of Sharks Tagged & Released SGFC- TEAM 4 2 SHARKS BOATS: SMARTBILL, EAGLE, ALUHR
Port Macquarie GFC Trophy Tag & Release Most Sharks by an Angler MICHAEL LAVERS 2 SHARKS ESCAPADE BRBGFC Louis Ardilly Trophy ag & Release Most Marlin by an Angler JEROME AYAD 20 MARLIN SMARTBILL SGFC Botany Bay GFC Inc. Trophy Highest Point Scoring Capture by a Female Junior Angler Overall MIA WRIGHT 10,966.26 POINTS TANTRUM SGFC Lake Macquarie GFC Trophy Highest Point Scoring Capture by a Female Small Fry Angler Overall MADISON FAIRLIE 8,926.97 NO EXCUSE N&PSGFC Lake Macquarie GFC Trophy Highest Point Scoring Capture by a Male Small Fry Angler Overall NOT WON Bill Heyward Trophy Highest Point Scoring Capture by a Junior/Small Fry Angler JOSHUA HALLAM 19,460.25 KILL TANK CCGFC Tom Roche Trophy Highest point Scoring Capture by an Adult Lady Angler KELLY SWEETMAN 15,120.20 PUBLIC ENEMY N&PSGFC George Besoff Trophy Highest Point Scoring Angler Capture COREY RADFORD 34,596.50 POINTS PUBLIC ENEMY N&PSGFC Peter Goadby Trophy Highest Point Scoring Capture by an Adult Male BRENDAN HARRIS 15,085.80 POINTS RAMPAGE BRBGFC Impala Trophy Heaviest Other Game Fish MIA WRIGHT 25.9 SHORTBILL SPEARFISH TANTRUM SGFC
Barbara Bee Shield Boat Scoring Highest Points for Tag & Release of Sharks TAILWALKER 6,900 POINTS SHGFC Gloriana Shield Boat Scoring Highest Points for Tag & Release of Billfish SMARTBILL 274,500 POINTS SGFC Sydney GFC Tag & Release Trophy 3rd Place Boat Tag & Release Overall PRO-FISH-ENT 195,529 POINTS KGFC Port Hacking GFC Tag & Release Trophy 3rd Place Team Tag & Release N&PSGFC - TEAM 3348,450 POINTS SHELBY, TRUE GRIT, WILD THING Ken Hanley Trophy 3rd Place Boat Capture NO EXCUSE 36,340.32 N&PSGFC Bill Southam Spoon 3rd Place Team Capture LMGFC – TEAM 2 39,411.57 REEL CRAZY, FINATIC, DARK N STORMY Sydney GFC Tag & Release Trophy Runner Up Champion Boat Tag & Release Overall FREEDOM 207,000 CCGFC Ken Hanley Trophy Runner Up Boat Capture RAMPAGE 45,420.77 BRBGFC Bill Southam Spoon Trophy Runner Up Club Team Capture BRBGFC - TEAM 2 54,849.18 POINTS WILD BLUE, GERONIMO, RAMPAGE Port Hacking GFC Tag & Release Trophy Runner Up Club Team Tag & Release CCGFC- TEAM 1 414,025 POINTS FREEDOM, ASALT WEAPON, CHASIN TAIL
Boat 63 68 101 10 100 108 64 107 8 69 58 60 61 62 65 57 59 67 66
Boat Name PUBLIC ENEMY RAMPAGE NO EXCUSE REEL CRAZY CRITAKILL KILL TANK OHANA MR PIG FINATIC TANTRUM GERONIMO UNDERTAKER POINTER CARNAGE EL NINO INSTANT KARMA
Boat 4 31 104 35 9 71 90 72 36 54 30 88 95 105 25 93
Points 49716.80 45420.77 36340.32 26300.99 24562.20 19460.25 15083.60 14683.22 13110.58 10966.26 9428.41 4844.16 3459.58 797.09 513.38 365.04
Skipper SWEETMAN Luke PAGE Glenn FAIRLIE Matt WILKINS Sam CHRYSTIE Steve WILLIAMS Jason "Bluey" CASSAR Dave DAVIS Tristan BROWNE Aaron WRIGHT Glenn YATES Brenton DARDAS Ibby BEHA Tumay WARD Jamie KERTESZ Emery DALTON Ben
CLICK on the photo above for a link to a video about Smartbill's Interclub campaign
Points 277950.00 207000.00 195529.00 152950.00 150500.00 149500.00 149500.00 149500.00 138000.00 126525.00 118450.00 95450.00 89000.00 72450.00 53000.00 46029.00 37950.00 20000.00 12500.00
Skipper AYAD Sam THORRINGTON Scott BENSAN Sondal RUSSELL Chris HERBERT Jacob BONNICI Michael FORDHAM John FINDLAY Craig HANCOCK Brent BELL Luke DANCKERT Robbie BENNETT Ivan GILLEN Brendan DULLARD Benn HUNTER Glenn KIRBY Michael LIDDALL Stephen LO David LYONS Jack
Point Score Report Summary of Boat Tag&Release Points
Boat Name SMARTBILL FREEDOM PRO-FISH-ENT WILD THING WEEKEND DETENTION ZORRO EAGLE MURRIFIN TRUE GRIT SALT WEAPON HOODLUM AMBITION LITTLE AUDREY MARKOO ALUHR GALE FORCE CASEY SOAVE GROUNDSWELL
Point Score Report Summary of Boat Capture Points
2020 LYNDY GRIEVES MEMORIAL LADIES DAY RESULTS TAG & RELEASE CHAMPION FEMALE ANGLER TAG & RELEASE KATRINA CALLEGER 4 MARLIN & 1 SHARK ON 15KG LINE - 49,500 POINTS MOST MARLIN KATRINA CALLEGER 4 MARLIN MOST SHARKS ALEXANDRA TECHNITIS 1 SHARK ON C/B - 12.05PM MOST OGF LEXIE MANDERSON 1 MAHI MAHI CAPTURE CHAMPION FEMALE ANGLER CAPTURE KELLY SWEETMAN 72.5KG STRIPED MARLIN HEAVIEST MARLIN KELLY SWEETMAN 72.5KG STRIPED MARLIN HEAVIEST OGF TRACEY SWEETMAN 17.5KG MAHI MAHI
Marquis Shield Champion Boat Tag & Release Overall SMARTBILL 277,950 POINTS SGFC Broken Bay Trophy Champion Boat Capture PUBLIC ENEMY 49,716.80 POINTS N&PS GFC Interclub Shield Champion Club Team Capture N&PSGFC – TEAM 2110,619.32 POINTS PUBLIC ENEMY, CRITAKILL, NO EXCUSE Bundabah Trophy Champion Club Team Tag & Release SGFC – TEAM 4 480,450 POINTS SMARTBILL, EAGLE, ALUHR
BOAT SNEAKY PETE PUBLIC ENEMY
2020 LYNDY GRIEVES MEMORIAL LADIES DAY POINT SCORE
ANGLER ALEXANDRA TECHNITIS ALEXANDRA TECHNITIS ALEXANDRA TECHNITIS ANGELA HUGHES ANGELA HUGHES BEV LIDDALL BEV LIDDALL BIANCA RIGGS CAROL ARMSTRONG CASSIE HERBERT CHRISTINE KIRBY CHRISTINE KIRBY DEBBIE DICKSON DEBBIE DICKSON HELEN LITCHFIELD HELEN LITCHFIELD HILARY LEOTTA HILARY LEOTTA HONG DINH JANENE LOWE JENNI NEUMANN JESSICA NIXON KAREN LUCAS KATRINA CALLEGER KATRINA CALLEGER KATRINA CALLEGER KATRINA CALLEGER KATRINA CALLEGER LEXIE MANDERSON MCKENDRY MELINDA JONES MELINDA JONES PIP ROBERTSON PIP ROBERTSON SARAH LAWTON SHALEA TOWNSEND SHALEA TOWNSEND SHERIDAN PURVIS SKYE KIRNE SMALL STEPHANIE ZAMMIT SUE PARKER SUE PARKER SUE PARKER TINA STANSFIELD VICTORIA VINCENT
LINE CLASS 24KG 15KG 24KG 15KG 15KG 15KG 15KG 24KG 24KG 15KG 15KG 15KG 15KG 15KG 24KG 24KG 15KG 15KG 24KG 24KG 24KG 15KG 24KG 15KG 15KG 15KG 15KG 15KG 15KG 24KG 15KG 24KG 15KG 24KG 24KG 24KG 15KG 15KG 24KG 15KG 24KG 24KG 24KG 24KG 24KG 15KG
WEIGHT 17.5KG 72.5KG
SPECIES BLACK MARLIN STRIPED MARLIN WHALER SHARK BLACK MARLIN STRIPED MARLIN BLACK MARLIN STRIPED MARLIN STRIPED MARLIN STRIPED MARLIN BLACK MARLIN STRIPED MARLIN STRIPED MARLIN STRIPED MARLIN STRIPED MARLIN BLACK MARLIN STRIPED MARLIN STRIPED MARLIN STRIPED MARLIN STRIPED MARLIN STRIPED MARLIN STRIPED MARLIN BLACK MARLIN BLUE MARLIN BLACK MARLIN BLACK MARLIN BRONZE WHALER STRIPED MARLIN STRIPED MARLIN MAHI MAHI BLACK MARLIN BLACK MARLIN BLACK MARLIN STRIPED MARLIN STRIPED MARLIN STRIPED MARLIN BLACK MARLIN STRIPED MARLIN STRIPED MARLIN BLACK MARLIN STRIPED MARLIN BLACK MARLIN STRIPED MARLIN STRIPED MARLIN STRIPED MARLIN STRIPED MARLIN STRIPED MARLIN
TAG & RELEASE
ANGLER TRACEY SWEETMAN KELLY SWEETMAN
SPECIES MAHI MAHI STRIPED MARLIN
CAPTURE
BOAT BAD WOLF BAD WOLF BAD WOLF GLAUCUS GLAUCUS GALE FORCE GALE FORCE ALUHR WEAPON WEEKEND DETENTION GALE FORCE GALE FORCE BORN FREE BORN FREE MEGABITE MEGABITE GLAUCUS GLAUCUS COOKIE CAPTAIN COOKIE SKIPPIN SMARTBILL SMARTBILL SMARTBILL SMARTBILL SMARTBILL WEAPON BAD WOLF DARK N STORMY DARK N STORMY SKIPPIN SKIPPIN COOKIE AWATEA AWATEA BORN FREE CAPTAIN AWATEA ALUHR FIFI FIFI FIFI FIFI HOODLUM
POINTS 10,000 11,500 3,000 11,500 11,500 11,500 11,500 10,000 10,000 11,500 11,500 11,500 11,500 11,500 10,000 10,000 11,500 11,500 10,000 10,000 10,000 11,500 10,000 11,500 11,500 3,450 11,500 11,500 29 10,000 11,500 10,000 11,500 10,000 10,000 10,000 11,500 11,500 10,000 11,500 10,000 10,000 10,000 10,000 10,000 11,500
2020 NSWGFA Interclub State Championships Team Soave
immediately started trolling, poured out some Bloody Marys and located our first bait. We ripped in a full tank in 15 minutes and, after witnessing a lot of the teams dropping livies right onto the tops of big bait balls, we did the same and it wasn’t long before our first reel started screaming. The first fish was mine and we had a ripper Stripe jumping around and running hard and fast, forcing our skip Matt up into high speed concentric doughnuts as we chased it down. Our much discussed plan around “who was to do what” was being executed brilliantly right up until the tagging where we had the leader in hand but 4 attempts to tag it failed and the leader snapped. We consoled ourselves that “leader in hand” on any other day would be a“catch” but it didn’t help our team score in any way. Next fish was a completely different story and we drove a tag perfectly into the left shoulder of a 90 kg stripey and it was high-fives all round. Big congrats to John Flavell (new to the club and to game fishing, on his first ever Marlin).One more strike and 40 min fight for the day, again on 15 KG, saw us busted off. Didn’t matter though- we created many firsts on this day and it was a day that all five of us will never forget. We hit the channel feeling pretty proud of our 3-3-1. Dinner at the pub (dodging some very lean and hungry cougars) and another early night. Day 3 A bit more weary but buoyed by our relative success on day 2, we followed exactly the same plan with a gentle 20 kt run to the shelf, Bloody Marys and trolling till first bait. A number of frustrating stuff-ups saw us floating in the middle of the thickest bait we’d seen all competition with pretty much every boat around us hooked up and zero bait in our tank! After a bit of yelling and swearing we had our bait tank full and we started our slow troll;focusing on sitting on the outside of the big groups of boats but still marking bait and feeling more confident that we could manoeuvre away from the significant “traffic” on a hook-up. There were some nice little glass-offs at times and there were huge streaks through bait balls on our sounder. Some slicks were so thick on the surface we could smell them on approach. Skipper Matt was bang on the money when he said “get ready boys, there is a bloody massacre going on below us right now” when sure enough a reel started to scream and we were on. It was action all day and we watched the bigger boats (you know who you are Cookie) sit as if they had a Skyhook (maybe they do?) right atop bait balls and presumably, feeding livies down onto the tops of Marlins’ heads. At 2.30pm we were in the middle of a red hot bite and, as a result, also in the middle of a big flotilla of bigger boats. This was not our plan but they were all sitting on the bait and many were hooked up. We could smell a hookup and had to get in there. Next tagged fish went to Shant “the Rod Grabber” Keshishian whobroke all our “team rules” and ran counter-plan, not being able to resist the excitement. He worked hard with the team all weekend and deserved the fish. Our last big fight had me on the rod (24kg this time so we were hopeful) and Matt driving like Brocky at Bathurst in his prime to chase it down. We were 2-2-1 at this stage and the last scheds suggested we were ahead of teammate (and good mate) Jamie on Groundswell (not that either of us are competitive- much). We really wanted this fish just to make it a conclusive win. The last 2 hours had seen action everywhere, so who knew how many other boats were tagging plenty. We zigged, zagged, pulled monster dough-ies and even
Team Soave (the newbie’s perspective) After Cyclone Omar blew out the comp last year, team Soave entered the 2020 interclub comp with even double the anticipation of 2019. Thursday Night Arrival Constant debate about set- up’s, lots of leader checking and knot tying dominated our evening. Hit the hay early and the team was up at Dawn’s crack to make pre-pack lunches and we headed into the queue for the sail past. Day 1 As complete newbies we were incredibly impressed with the organisation and the sheer number of boats competing. The vibe was fantastic and it seemed like some of the more experienced crews on the big game boats had not been to bed and were still drinking as we all jostled for our places in the lineup. At times there was also an unfamiliar tobacco odor none of us had ever smelt before as well. Curious. It was game on as we left the 4 knot zone and we started to launch Soave across numerous big game boat wakes like a jet ski behind a speedboat. A bit (very) clueless, we started blasting out to sea when we realised that everyone had come to a stop.So we gently motored towards the front, cheekily trying to get on pole position – for what purpose we were unsure, but the front of the queue always has to be better than the back right? The call of “start fishing” across the radio saw the hammers drop so we thought the yellow rocket should do the same and we launched like a stone from slingshot under the watchful command of our skipper, Matt Eding.Despite our 600 horses, and only 4000kgs, we soon realised we didn’t stand a chance of getting to the shelf first in the meter+ sea. Some of the big boys put the hammer down and unleashed presumably somewhere around 3500- 4000hp more than Soave as their crews appeared to be sipping martinis in open top glasses on their back decks while our 5 crew bounced around like pinballs in a pinball machine. We tried to sit on 30kts but didn't stand a chance. Sadly, that was about as exciting as Day 1 got for us and we went 0-0-0 for the day! However, being new to these competitions we were happy enough simply to witness all the boats hooked up around us with fish jumping pretty much all day. Despite how infuriating that was for us to be so close to the action and not be able to hook up we had a cracking day. Takeaway pizza and a few calls to friends about tips and ideas was all we had energy for. The hot goss was run leader as light as you dare, no wind-ons and 15kg set ups.We rigged them up and were in bed asleep before our heads even hit the pillows. Day 2 A new day and with our determination peaking, we decided on a slower, more body-friendly run to the shelf and dialled back from 30kts to a very comfortable 20kts. On arrival we
be my bag, but I am HOOKED. To Ivan, Ed Aspen, David Moses, Peter Garret, Tim Mazraki, Daniel Kirby and Shane Banks who always offer tips in the group chats and, the Wright family for the Marina chats and pep talks and last but definitely not least, Anita who chases down all our forms and is never too busy to point us in the right direction. Sorry all the pics are blurry. For some reason everything on Soave was wet and salty all weekend. Dave “Loey” Lo Soave PS It was awesome that by day 3 Tracy had the boat pronunciation down pat as did other boats and anglers. PPS We didn’t catch the most fish but we didn’t lose a channel drag. 43kts this year but when we finally get our trim tabs back on her 50kts will be easy again. SOAVE; over and out.
tried reversing up on our fish like the big boys (till we completely submereged both Verados and briefly shat ourslelves). The fight ended when our fish cleverly swam at us at full speed and took my line under the props (see screen-grab from the Go-Pro footage showing my abject despair). We had more run right on the close of the Comp and were just starting to fight when we dropped it. We finished the day 4-2-1 and the Comp for a respectable (we are told) first timer’s crack at 7-5-2.More importantly, 5 mates came together to compete as a team, with some never having met each other before, let alone fished, to have a crack atarguably the most prized competition fish in the ocean. 3 of the 5 of us fought a Marlin for the first time with all 3 “virgins” getting their fish alongside the boat or leader in hand (yes we need more tagging practice!) A massive thanks to all the people that made us feel so welcome. Jamie Mackay and Groundswell; thanks for introducing me to this crazy “sport”. I didn’t think SGFC and this stuff would be my bag, but I am HOOKED. To Ivan, Ed Aspen, David Moses, Peter Garret, Tim Mazraki, Daniel Kirby and Shane Banks who always offer tips in the group chats and, the Wright family for the Marina chats and pep talks and last but definitely not least, Anita who chases down all our forms and is never too busy to point us in the right direction. Sorry all the pics are blurry. For some reason everything on Soave was wet and salty all weekend. my bag, but I am HOOKED. To Ivan, Ed Aspen, David Moses, Peter Garret, Tim Mazraki,
2020 was our teams second Interclub having fished Tim Pope’s Riviera 47 ‘Fast’ in 2018 where we were lucky enough to go 15/15/11 just dragging lures! An amazing year that guaranteed we would be back for more. In fact 2018 had we not forgotten to put our tags into the weigh station and copped a protest from a trailer boat for almost running them over at the Carpark, we may have actually been competitive! 2019 by comparison was an aborted attempt on what should have been my new boat Groundswell’s first comp. The southerly low forced us to ‘turn left’ at Broken Bay and opt to spend the weekend up the Hawkesbury with ‘the boys’ instead. We decided a couple of tag and released juvenile hammerheads and a captured 800g snapper were not really worth claiming on the sched! So, this year we were determined to give it a proper crack. Plans to fish the Shootout were quickly smashed by what turned out to be a Clayton’s cyclone spiraling down from New Caledonia forecasting a 4 metre swell on the Saturday. That decision was reinforced on the Sunday watching the terrifying footage of Gamechanger on the bar, ironically one of our teammates in the Interclub. Our 2020 crew: The anglers: Bryan Rose, Tim Pope, Pete Calligeros, Matt Hunt, Bryce Marshall, myself and skipper Mic Lyons. As finer bunch of gents as you could ever be fortunate enough to fish with. The boat: Groundswell is a 52-foot Horizon, a brand not really noted in game fishing circles. Horizon are built in Malaysia and specialise in the luxury yacht market, the 52 is their only attempt at game boats and modelled the legendary Buddy Davis targeting the US market. Powered with C18 cats, latest Raymarine electronics and fitted with a 33-foot tuna tower, Groundswell is a fishing weapon. Most of you will appreciate the amount of boat and tackle preparation required to make the trip to Port Stephens and fish an Interclub. But try doing it with an 18-time Sydney to Hobart Superachty. Groundswell is near built to survey but still not enough to satisfy Pete
The rest of the day ran quickly with numerous hook ups but nothing to the boat then at 4.25pm Matt Hunt hooked up on a livey dropped to 30 fathoms. A massive run was followed by a decent stripey tail dancing a good 400 metres off the bow, some quick action from Mick had us on him in under 10 minutes, green and head shaking on the surface but not quite close enough to tag. Down she went with peeling line and screaming drag off the little Tiagra again the only outfit spooled with 10kg and 3 metres of 60 kg fluorocarbon leader. 25 minutes into the fight and three attempts at a gaff shot into a very sloppy sea and we had a stand-off, fish deep drag slipping as we all worried more and more about just how long that leader and 10kg could last! Then suddenly the fish is on the surface again and we are backing up but disaster strikes and we inexplicably lose the starboard gear lever, won’t go in reverse or forward and the fish is right under the boat, then ‘bang’ the main line scrapes the hull and it’s all over. Typically we reboot the engine, and everything is back in control. But it’s all too late. Base calls end of fishing and we head home somewhat numb and listening to a sched full of fish. Back to the anchorage and reports of great weather on the Sunday and video of fighting fish through the day keep our spirits high, ‘tomorrow will be our day boys!” Sunday 23rd– How not to fish deep bait Sunday dawns pristine, throw ropes at 5am, Groundswell flies out at 25 knots and we are first on the bait at Romeo 8 even before Ningaloo and Cookie turn up. Within a few minutes we have 10 slimey’s in the bait tank and as we drop our first baits a big stripe swims up to the teasers. It looks like it’s going to be a cracker last day!! Despite the promising start as the morning turned to afternoon and we watched boats hooked up all around us we learnt a hard lesson on the importance of dropping livey’s on deep bait schools, all too late. While the rest of the fleet focused, dropped deep and hooked up all around us we skipped baits and struggled for a 1:1:0. All round a tough comp for Groundswell but still great to be part of the SGFC fleet and massive congratulations to Smartbill, Eagle and Aluhr.
We will be back more prepared and skilled in 2021!
Groundswell 2020 Interclub – Lessons, laughs and live baiting
Callig’s obsession with safety, if any members are in need of spare flares, food rations, epirbs, life rings, fire extinguishers and an eight-man life raft. Please get in touch I have triple everything! Thursday 20th - A good start Finally, a break in the weather and we headed up the coast from Sydney in tandem with Brian Rose’s Riv 43 ‘Wild Rose’. We fished from some marks off Terrigal where we had scored a nice blue only a few days before. Groundswell fished the deeper water whilst Wild Rose stayed in 85 fathoms. Staying inshore turned out to be the right call with Wild Rose going 4-3-2 on stripe and black marlin and giving angler Matt Hunt his first ever fish. Added to some encouraging scheds for the Women’s Day and a great weather forecast it was certainly boding well for the next couple of days and morale was high! We arrived at the Anchorage by about 5pm, washed down and checked out our neighbors which included Murrifin, Ningaloo and Wild Thing. That evening after the Interclub briefing and sign on, our skipper Mick Lyons briefed us on the new world of fishing 15kg with live and dead baits. “Put away the skirts boys this is the Interclub”. Friday 21st – Live-baiting 101 Friday dawned and we headed out, (a little rum dusted from first night fever) into the sail past picking up our teammates Dave Lo and his new Bahama center-console ‘Soave’, rather rudely nick-named ‘the banana’. We were met with a great SGFC vibe as we waited for the sail past with amongst others Tantrum, Ambition, Eagle, Markoo and Soave. Day one we decided to avoid the pack and head for a bait school we’d marked the previous day on the way up. The sounder marked bait at 20 fathoms right on our waypoint in Tango 7 and we quickly filled our bait tank with slimey’s. Things were looking great and we had our first strike on a bait by about 9.30am but with no hook up. We struggled to raise a fish the rest of the day but had plenty of practice getting to hone our new skills tying and skipping dead baits and rigging livey’s under the patient tutoring (and occasional swearing) of Captain Mick. Back at the Anchorage that evening and spirits remained high for Saturday. Saturday 22nd – Murphy’s law Saturday the fleet woke to the forecast Southerly and the run out was a lot rougher than the previous day. This time we opted for Sierra 8 where we found Ningaloo hooked up and fighting at about 7.30 am. We dropped our baits for no enquiry then opted to skip to cover ground and going a frustrating 2:2:0 on the 10.05 sched, we learned a frustrating lesson on how not to crimp light leader. Then at 11:50am suddenly the shot gun went off on our smallest rod (of course) trolling a skip bait and rigged with 10kg, all hell broke loose!! Mick expertly put Groundswell into the kind of action she was built for, full tilt reverse into 25 knots of SE wind and 2 metres of swell, the boys were literally swimming!! Tagged the little black after 15 mins and we were on the scoreboard.
The day after: Oh one last thing, on the way home we tagged and released a nice stripy off Newcastle Canyons, congratulations to Bryce Marshall on his first ever marlin!
T-Shirt Competition Winner The Game Fish Tagging Program team would like to thank all the fishers who have recently sent in photos of their tagged fish. The winner of the Tagging Program t-shirt competition is 14 year old Finn Bradley who submitted this photo of striped marlin on the leader. This was Finn's first effort on the leader and he was super proud of his tag shot. This fish was tagged and released off Bermagui aboard Mr Hooker in early January, 2020.
TagTimes February 2020
The yellowtail kingfish tag cards and recaptures have been coming in thick and fast. Locations such as Sydney Harbour, Forster, South West Rocks and Coffs Harbour have continued to be hot spots all through spring and the beginning of summer. During the spring time there were also some fantastic kingies tagged in South Australia. Areas such as Port Augusta, Coffin Bay and Whyalla consistently featured on submitted tag cards. Equally impressive was the remarkable number of recaptures being submitted for the species. Since July 2019 there have been 1,030 kingfish tagged and over 198 reported recaptures. The blue marlin and inshore black marlin fishing has also been excellent, particularly for those in south eastern Queensland. Since early spring we’ve had a considerable number of blue marlin tag cards coming through from Fraser Island, the Sunshine Coast and the Gold Coast regions with many boats regularly tagging multiple fish in a single session. Some of these fish have been considerable, with a number of fish tagged between 220-250kg.
Game Fish Tagging Report The current game fishing season has cranked into overdrive all around Australia. The coast of NSW is experiencing a solid striped marlin bite. According to tag cards, the fishing has been consistent from Port Stephens all the way south to Bermagui.
A standard Coffs coast kingfish prior to release
Andy Clark With a beautiful south coast Striped Marlin
The inshore black marlin have also shown up in considerable numbers for those wanting to stay closer to port. Gold Coast, Coffs Harbour, South West Rocks and Port Stephens have been fishing consistently well. Over on the West Coast steady numbers of billfish and other species tags have been returned from hotspots such as Exmouth and Dampier. Exmouth has been particularly impressive with all marlin species available to anglers. Tag cards have shown that boats and anglers have been able to catch multiple billfish species in a single days fishing. In Victoria there are some inshore and offshore options available. A number of school sized southern bluefin tuna, have been tagged and released on the inshore grounds around Portland and Warrnambool, while mako and blue sharks are available for those venturing to the wider grounds. Speaking of tuna, hints and tips on handling and tagging SBT can be found on the Tuna Champions website:http://www.tunachampions.com.au/
14 year old Finn Bradley leadering his first marlin Be sure to get your images in for the next competition which will run until the end of April 2020. Email your photos of correctly tagged game fish species to gamefish.tagging@dpi.nsw.gov.au.
Kaspar Lenigas' beautifully coloured Queensland blue marlin
Club In Focus - Port Hacking GFC ThePort Hacking Game Fishing Club is one of the oldest and longest running game fishing clubs in NSW waters. The club operates out of the picturesque Royal Motor Yacht Club Port Hacking and boasts first class marina, boating and weigh station facilities. The club has a strong following with well over 20 members and some 30 plus boats ranging in size from 19 to 60 feet. Key Tournament The Port Hacking Game Fishing Club hosts the annual Port Hacking 100 Tournament. This year the tournament is being held between 4 and 5 May 2020. More information can be found on the NSWGFA website:https://www.nswgfa.com.au/tournament.php?Shimano-Port-Hacking-100-69 Tagging contribution summary (2009-2019) The Port Hacking Game Fishing Club has been a valuable contributor to the program. Over the past 10 years the club has tagged more than 1,400 fish. A summary of the top 10 species tagged, along with the top 10 contributing boats can be seen below:
Leo Lonot and his family were proud of their black marlin recapture
Notable Recaptures Black Marlin Cairns to Papua New Guinea From time to time we are lucky enough to receive details of recaptures that come from remote regions of the Pacific Ocean.
Recently, a game fish recapture form was submitted by a local fisher from a remote island in Papua New Guinea. The fisher, Leo Lonot, caught the fish during a trip offshore of Kaniet Island, PNG. During this trip Leo and a number of close family members managed to capture a tagged black marlin while trolling for tuna. The fish was estimated to be 85kg and was kept for food by the small local community on Kaniet Island.
Don't Forget to return your tag cards This is a great time to remind everyone to return their tag cards to their local gamefishing club or back to the tagging program. We are still awaiting the original release information for many species from past seasons. Please have a look around and send back your completed cards, even if they are several years old as they may still match up with recaptured fish that we have on the database. Also, please keep us updated with fish that you saw were tagged but were unable to retrieve the tag from. It is still useful to log this information so that we can get a better overall estimate on the number of recaptures that are taking place. Recapture forms If you do happen to catch a tagged fish, be sure to report it either over the phone on (02) 6691 9602 or online by using the online recapture form linked below: http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/fishing/recreational/resources/fish-tagging/game- fish-tagging/gamefish-recapture Each recapture provides vital information which is essential to improve the understanding and management of valuable game and sport fish species. Details of the distance that the fish travelled and its growth are sent to the anglers who first tagged the fish and the anglers who recaptured it. A recapture certificate is also issued, along with a hat or t-shirt for those really exciting recaptures!
Champion Team 7 Tag & Release Akuma - 46,000 Points on C/B Club: Newcastle & Port Stephens GFC Champion Team 8 Tag & Release Rackem Up - 46,000 Points on C/B Club: Newcastle & Port Stephens GFC Champion Team 9 Tag & Release True Grit - 46,000 Points on C/B Club: Newcastle & Port Stephens GFC Champion Team 10 Tag & Release Casey - 46,000 Points on C/B Club: Sydney GFC Champion Junior Female Angler Tag & Release Makira Wright - 16,000 Points Club: Sydney GFC Champion Junior Male Angler Tag & Release Oska Davis - 31,500 Points Club: Central Coast GFC
Boat No 141 137 157 75 66 113 3 97 158 24 57 133 45 49 51 124 83 81 29 61 70 108 1 64 43 101 4 156 6 143 105 146 73
TANTRUM EL NINO KAOS JENNA MOJO RARELY IN GLAUCUS TOOMBILLA BILLISTIC MEGABITE CHASN SKIRT WILD THING CHASING BILL FLYNN B KURLY WITCHDOCTOR THE TOLERATOR GREAT WHITE OUT WIDE THE MASTER THE OUTLAW AMBITION YAHOO-TOO OHANA DEFIANT RARE BREED DOING IT RAMPAGE CASEY - NPSGFC BLACKLISTED PRO-FISH-ENT REEL ISSUES CABOOM
Copyright DogFish Productions
16000.00 15000.00 12500.00 11500.00 11500.00 11500.00 11500.00 11500.00 11500.00 11500.00 11500.00 11500.00 10000.00 10000.00 10000.00 10000.00 10000.00 8500.00 8500.00 8500.00 8500.00 8500.00 8500.00 8500.00 8500.00 8500.00 8500.00 8500.00 8500.00 8500.00 7500.00 7500.00 7500.00
WRIGHT Glenn KERTESZ Emery LEWIS Darren BRIDGE Sam FETTERPLACE Jeff BROWN Mark PEPPER Jason TUCKER David TEMPERLEY Matthew WRAIGHT Rick BANNON Luke RUSSELL Chris FAGAN LukeK ALYVAS Vas STRASSMEIR Peter ALEXANDER Peter FOLEY Ben SEARL Garth CECCATO Tony BARSHA Chris FRETTEN Hayden BENNETT Ivan ILLFIELD Ashley CASSAR David AKRITIDIS Leon LAMOND Steve SALIBA Joseph PAGE Glenn FRIZZEL Danny BOLIN Jason BENSAN Sondal BANEK Jared MCCLOY Jason
Newcastle & Port Stephens Game Fish CIub Ltd. Congratulations to all of the winners of the 2020 Garmin Billfish Shootout.
Boats 162 - Anglers 771 Heaviest Marlin over 150kg Boat: The Cuban - Port Hacking 157kg Blue Marlin Heaviest Shark: Not Won Heaviest Marlin over 258kg: Not Won Champion Team 1 Tag & Release Boat: Zorro - 103,500 Points Club: Broken Bay GFC Champion Team 2 Tag & Release Boat: Lucky Strike - 79,000 Points Club: Newcastle GFC Champion Team 3 Tag & Release Boat: White Dog - 57,500 Points Club: Newcastle & Port Stephens GFC Champion Team 4 Tag & Release Boat: Marauder - 56,000 Points Club: Newcastle & Port Stephens GFC Champion Team 5 Tag & Release Boat: Hoodlum - 47,000 Points Club: Sydney GFC Champion Team 6 Tag & Release Boat: The Omen - 46,000 Points On C/B Club: Newcastle & Port Stephens GFC
Skipper BONNICI Michael NORRIS James SOWTER Josh FOLEY Neil DANCKERT Robbie BROWN Darin TREVASKIS Peter SMITH Jason HANCOCK Brent LIDDALL Stephen YATES Brenton HATELEY Mark FLETT Gregg THORRINGTON Scott KIRBY Michael WINEFIELD Kirk CURTIS Brad DAVIS Tristan KLEIN Daniel BORG Brad MIEGEL Daniel AYAD Sam YATES Peter FITZALAN Robert STANSFIELD Luke MCDONALD Mitch HUNTER Glenn STANSFIELD Marcus HRYNIUK Gerard RILEY Shannan MORRIS Scott SEARS Gerard GILLAN Brendan
109 41 68 71 79 100 59 119 14 76 27 127 26 48 147 128 118 62 91 111 114 5 130 89 36 99 38 98 23 15 94 102 20
Points 103500.00 79000.00 57500.00 56000.00 47000.00 46000.00 46000.00 46000.00 46000.00 46000.00 42500.00 40000.00 35500.00 35500.00 35500.00 34500.00 34500.00 31500.00 25000.00 23000.00 23000.00 22500.00 22500.00 21500.00 20000.00 20000.00 20000.00 18500.00 17000.00 17000.00 17000.00 17000.00 16000.00
Boat Name ZORRO LUCKY STRIKE WHITE DOG MARAUDER HOODLUM THE OMEN AKUMA RACKEM UP TRUE GRIT CASEY - SGFC GERONIMO CALYPSO FINJITSU FREEDOM GALE FORCE WATCHDOG NINGALOO MR PIG COOKIE GRAVE DIGGER JACK DANIELS SMARTBILL ABSOLUTE REEL TROUBLE FIFI REEL NAUTI ALUHR AWATEA ANYFIN LIVE ACTION SEAKA TSHUKUDU LITTLE AUDREY
Point Score Report Summary of Boat Tag&Release Points Tournament: 2020 Garmin Billfish Shootout
Love the SAINT
Mick, from Dublin , appeared on 'Who Wants To Be A Millionaire' and towards the end of the program had already won 500,000 euros. "You've done very well so far," said Chris Tarrant, the show's presenter, "but for a million euros you've only got one life-line left, phone a friend. Everything is riding on this question. Will you go for it?" "Sure," said Mick. "I'll have a go!" "Which of the following birds does NOT build its own nest? A) Sparrow b) Thrush, c) Magpie, d) Cuckoo?" "I haven't got a clue." said Mick, "so I'll use last lifeline and phone my friend Paddy back home in Dublin .." Mick called up his mate, and told him the circumstances and repeated the question to him. "Friggen hell, Mick!" cried Paddy. "Dat's simple it's a cuckoo." "Are you sure?" "I'm friggen sure." Mick hung up the phone and told Chris, "I'll go with "D" cuckoo as my answer." "Is that your final answer?" asked Chris. "Dat it is." There was a long, long pause and then the presenter screamed, "Cuckoo is the correct answer! Mick, you've won 1 million euros!" The next night, Mick invited Paddy to their local pub to buy him a drink. "Tell me, Paddy? How in Heaven's name did you know it was da Cuckoo that doesn't build its own nest?" Paddy rolled his eyes and replied, "Because he lives in a Friggen clock!”
SAINTLY WHISPERS
Congratulations to winners from GFAA awards Sydney game fishing club runner up tag & release club Jonothan Grego runner up heaviest Blue marlin 192.5kg Steve Liddall runner up 182.5kg Mako Robert Howitt runner up tag & release Adult angler Mia Wright runner up tag & release sharks Mia Wright John Dumphy young achiever Congratulations to all
Good, Bad, Worse Good: Hot outdoor sex. Bad: You’re arrested. Worse: By your husband. Neighborhood Watch Bill and Marla decided that the only way to pull off a Sunday afternoon quickie with ten-year-old Little Billy in the apartment was to send him out on the balcony and order him to report on all the neighborhood activities. The boy began his commentary as his parents put their plan into operation. “There’s a car being towed from the parking lot.” he said. “ An ambulance just drove by.” A few moments passed. “Looks like the Andersons have company,” he called out. “Matt is riding a new bike . . . and the Coopers are having sex.” Bill and Marla shot up in bed.” How do you know that?” the startled father asked. “Their kid is standing out on the balcony too,” his son replied.
A Little Nibble An eighty-year old man was sitting on the couch with his wife when she said to him, “Why don’t you come sit close to me like you used to.” So he did. After a moment she said, “Why don’t you put your arm around me like you used to.” He put his arm around her and held her tight. Then she said, “Why don’t you nibble on my ear like you used to.” The man got up and left the room. “Where are you going?” she called out. “To get my teeth.” he replied. The Backwards Life Cycle The most unfair thing about life is the way it ends. I mean’ Life is tough. It takes up a lot of your time. What do you get at the end of it? A death. What’s that, a bonus? I think the life cycle is all backwards. You should die first, get it out of the way. Then you live in an old age home. You get kicked out when you’re too young, you get a gold watch, you go to work. You work years until you’re young enough to enjoy your retirement. You do drugs, you party, and you get ready for high school. You go to grade school. You become a kid, you play, you have no responsibilities. You become a little baby, you go back into the womb and spend your last nine months floating..... and you finish off as an orgasm.”
In total, there were six Marlin, two Sharks and nine Other Game Fish tagged along with three sharks and one Other Game Fish captured. Botany Bay Game Fishing Club would like to thank all the boats and anglers who competed, with a special thanks going to all of our sponsors for their continued support of the club and the tournament.
The 33rd Bill Heyward Memorial Tournament was run on 18 – 19 January, with 41 boats registered to enter the tournament and the weather forecast for day 1 appearing to be unsafe for fishing as a southerly trough was expected to hit the east coast. With this in mind the committee made the call to convert the two day tournament into a one day shootout giving all competitors an even playing field. With boats and competitors arriving for the Friday night briefing, the briefing room had quickly reached capacity as everyone enjoyed some delicious food, drinks and loads of laughs as Tournament Boat Bags and raffle prizes where handed out. The night continued as competitors made their way back to there vessels enjoying more food, beverages and loads of laughs into the early morning. As competitors woke up on Saturday morning they were greeted to a fresh and frightening southerly, however the smell of freshly cooked bacon and eggs had their tummies rumbling as they quickly headed over for breakfast that was being whipped up by club president Ameen Ayoub. Most of Saturday was spent with competitors making final adjustments to tackle while others nursed sore heads from the night before. As the day draw to an end and the weather improving the night wrapped up with a very entertaining Calcutta. Sunday mornings breakfast was a hit, as all keen anglers raced to eat a couple of bacon and egg rolls and wash them down with either juice or coffee. As the fleet started to make there way out to their target fishing grounds, Grahame Williams officially declared start fishing at 7:00am. Within the first hour of fishing, several boats had reported of hook ups and fish being fought, however only the crew onboard Warlord where the ones able to tag there Striped Marlin. As the day went on several other boats managed to tag and catch a variety of fish. Chaos tagged a Mahi Mahi on 10kg, Pointer tagged a Black Marlin on 24, Punisher who took out Champion Boat Tag and Release managed to tag a Striped Marlin and two Mahi Mahi on 15kg, Reel Crazy took out Most Sharks Tag and Release with a Bronze Whaler Shark, Dads Boat took out Highest Point Scoring Boat Other Game Fish Tag and Release with five Mahi Mahi, The Cubin tagged a Stiped Marlin on 24kg and captured a 15.5kg Mahi Mahi on 15kg. Undertaker took out Champion Boat Capture with a 138.4kg Mako Shark on 6kg.