Angling Competition 20-21st, March, 2021
Whilst the east wind carried Mary Poppins to the Banks’ household, it was hardly supercalifragilisticexpialidocious for anglers competing in the 8th Rhyll-Phillip Island Angling Club (RPIAC) angling competition, held on the 20th and 21st of March. Despite the weather forecast offering mostly sunny and partly cloudy conditions, moderate to strong easterly winds persisted for most of the weekend and presented difficulties for boat launch and retrieval. Sheltered land-based angling seemed like an easy option, but reports indicated that the fish were sparse. The few who ventured onto the water told a different story, unfussed by the weather and reasonably satisfied with the quality of their catches. Either way, timing and location appeared to be key to success.
Anglers and supporters were lured to the conclusion of the weekend’s competition by a sausage sizzle coinciding with weigh-in on Sunday afternoon. Ronny Soolsma and Peter Rowan were barbecue masters, carefully blowing out the cobwebs and preparing the area left idle since the coronavirus-enforced lockdown in March 2020. Under the expert tutelage of Len Bates, the barbecue breathed fire again and Ronny and Peter harnessed its power to everyone’s satisfaction.
A total of 20 fish, including trevally, pike, pinkie snapper, flathead, King George whiting, mackerel, and mullet were presented to the weigh-in masters. Again, the post-competition presentation provided the opportunity to talk strategies, achievements, and possibilities for future success.
The Squidgie Mixed Bag Points competition, for participants aged 9 and under, recognised Zachary Gomm as runner-up for his bag of 2 fish worth 40 points (total weight of 470 grams). The reigning Squidgie Champion, Denver Firth, had a bundle of energy remaining after catching 2 fish worth 40 points (total weight of 880 grams), and was awarded with first place for his efforts.
The Junior competition, for anglers aged 10 to 16, was dominated by Riley Goodwin, who had a great day on the water and excelled. Riley weighed-in a King George whiting of 475 grams and a trevally worth 539 points (385 grams) to win the Junior Weight and Junior Points competitions, respectively.
The Senior Heaviest Weight competitions were won by Pat Gleeson and Carrianne Peatey, weighing-in a 1,235-gram pike and a 440-gram pinkie snapper, respectively. The Senior Points competitions were won by Brad Martindale and Leah Valente. “KG whiting whisperer” Brad edged out competitors with an impressive King George whiting worth 1,456 points (520 grams) and Leah stunned a mullet worth 756 points (270 grams). The Senior Shark competition was uncontested, whilst the Secret Weight prize was awarded to Chris Leonardos for his 515-gram King George whiting (secret weight 522 grams).
Four species are still eligible for the RPIAC members only, competition weekend first-to-catch prize of $1,000, where fish must equal or exceed the nominated weight: King George Whiting (1,000 grams), Snapper (10.0 kilograms), Gummy Shark (20.0 kilograms) and Kingfish (25.0 kilograms). The club records for extraordinary catches are reaching new limits and cash incentives remain in the bank. Two angling competitions remain in the 2020/2021 season, with the next scheduled angling competition will be held over the weekend of the 17th / 18th of April 2021. For further information about the club, events, competitions and rules, please visit the website: www.rpiac.com
