January 11-12th, 2020 Competition

The 6th Rhyll-Phillip Island Angling Club (RPIAC) competition for the 2019/2020 season was held over the weekend of the 11th and 12th of January. The Friday night prelude to the competition acknowledged the passing of a passionate and long-serving club member, Noel Macklin, on the 6th of January. Indeed, Noel will be missed by all and condolences are extended to Judy Macklin, family and friends.
To help and assist bushfire-affected communities, RPIAC held a fundraising event for the Gippsland Emergency Relief Fund (www.gerf.org.au), which provides immediate financial assistance to Gippslanders. With overwhelming support on the night, the club decided to match the proceeds raised, pledging a total of $1200 for the fund.
Southerly winds, light showers and sunshine were delivered on Saturday and Sunday. Opportunities for angling were best in the morning and numerous periods of fine weather were scattered across the weekend. The fish were eager for a feed and juvenile snapper were abundant and feeding like piranhas. The eligible species presented to weigh-in masters, Sam Orr, Norm Trickey and Gerry Gibb totalled 62 fish and 1 shark. Individual species comprised snapper, King George whiting, flathead, mackerel, leather jacket, gummy shark. Of course, many non-target and undersized specimens were returned to the water and carried-on with business as usual.
The weekend-long fishing competition concluded at the close of weigh-in at 5:30 pm on Sunday and the post-competition presentation was well attended. All were impressed by the barbecuing talent of David Canny and expressed thanks to each volunteer, for preparation and clean-up, on the day. The enjoyment and success of the competitions relies heavily on the commitment of members and volunteers and provide a wonderful environment for current and prospective members to connect and share their passions.
Whilst the fish are becoming plentiful, cash incentives for extraordinary catches remain unclaimed. New names continue to appear on the weigh-in forms and are providing additional motivation for members to participate in the weekend competitions. The first to catch, members only, competition weekend incentives are for five eligible species, with a first-to-catch prize of $1,000. Fish must be equal to or exceed the nominated weight: King George Whiting (1,000 grams), Snapper (10.0 kilograms), Gummy Shark (20.0 kilograms), Mulloway (25.0 kilograms) and Kingfish (25.0 kilograms).
The summer holidays welcomed participants aged nine and under to the Squidgie Mixed Bag Points competition. Certificates of participation were awarded to Madison Memery, Riley Goodwin, Micha Goodwin and Kate McCausland. Second place was awarded to Jacob Memery for 2 fish, totalling 40 points. Reigning Squidgie Club Champion, Denver Firth, continued to impress after catching 5 fish, totalling 80 points. Denver was very pleased and was awarded first place for his efforts.
The Junior competition celebrated the achievements of Phoenix Firth and Connor Goodwin. Phoenix won the Junior Weight competition with a Leather Jacket, weighing 460 grams. Connor won the Junior Points competition with a King George whiting worth 1,554 points (555 grams).
The Senior Heaviest Weight competitions were won by Duncan Firth and Katrina Morris, weighing in feisty Snapper of 2,225 grams and 625 grams, respectively. Senior Points competitions were won by Chris Leonardos and Leah Valente for presenting King George whiting to the weigh-in masters, worth 1,582 points (565 grams) and 1,246 points (445 grams), respectively. Jill Trickey coaxed a gummy shark from the water, weighing 2,715 grams, to win the Senior Shark competition. With participation being the secret to a good day’s fishing, Craig Baldock was surprised and delighted when his 515-gram King George whiting earned a prize in the Secret Weight competition (secret weight 561 grams).
The next competition will be held over the weekend of the 8th / 9th of February 2020. For further information about the club, events, competitions and rules, please visit the website: www.rpiac.com

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