Angling Competition 9-10th April, 2022
The Rhyll-Phillip Island Angling Club (RPIAC) concluded the 2021/2022 season with its tenth angling competition on the 9th and 10th of May. Angling members, who were keen to add fish to the season’s tally, embraced the best of the weekend’s weather on Saturday and a few tried again on Sunday in lumpier conditions. Light winds, mainly from the north, and bouts of sunshine combined to bring mild autumn weather for the weekend.
With the final weigh-in day of the competition on Sunday, there was a supportive crowd at the club room to celebrate and acknowledge the achievements of the RPIAC anglers. This weekend’s post-competition presentation was also a special occasion for the Squidgies (anglers aged 9 and under) and Juniors (anglers aged 10 to 16) as their season’s participation awards and club champions were announced. It was a great opportunity for members to catch up, enjoy a meal, and thank volunteers and the weekend’s catering sponsors, Kristo’s Charcoal Rotisserie and Bakers Delight Cowes.
Despite cooler water temperatures, a total of 32 fish and 1 shark were in contention for prizes from club sponsor Phillip Island Marine. The weigh-in masters were busy on Saturday and welcomed a few first-timers who embraced the opportunity to weigh-in on the weekend. The variety of eligible species included snapper, King George whiting, leather jacket, flathead, trevally, and gummy shark.
Hunter Williams, participating in his first competition, and Denver Firth, an angler of many seasons, were inseparable in the weekend’s Squidgie Mixed Bag Points competition. Hunter and Denver each presented 2 fish worth 40 points for weigh-in, and shared glory to tie in first place.
Pheonix Firth had a great day out on Saturday and caught the Junior’s biggest fish, a flathead weighing 605 grams, to win the Junior Weight competition. Isabella Bland was motivated and enthusiastic, weighing-in a valuable King George whiting worth 938 points (335 grams), to win the Junior Points competition.
The Senior Heaviest Weight competitions were won by Len Bates and Helen Ismail, each weighing in fish hovering around the one-kilo mark. Len’s biggest fish was a leather jacket weighing 965 grams, whilst Helen weighed-in for the first time with a trevally weighing 1030 grams. The Senior Points competitions were won by Sam Orr and Carrianne Peatey, who chased and caught some impressive King George whiting worth 1526 points (545 grams) and 1484 points (530 grams), respectively. The Senior Shark competition was won by Shain Ismail, also weighing-in for the first time, with a gummy shark of 3305 grams. The Secret Weight prize was reeled-in by Tenille Preddice, who was closest to the weekend’s secret weight with a 625-gram flathead (secret weight 623 grams).
The 2021/2022 RPIAC Squidgie competition was dominated by the remarkable consistency and enthusiasm of Denver Firth, who always performed and often out-fished older competitors. Over the 10-competition season, Denver weighed-in 41 fish for a total of 720 points and was awarded the trophy and title of Squidgie Club Champion. Zachary Gomm, who fished well early-on, finished the season in second place and was announced the Squidgies’ runner-up.
Anglers showed great energy and enthusiasm in the 2021/2022 RPIAC Junior Competition, which was close, and the top 2 were separated by just 1 fish. Pheonix Firth impressed throughout the season and finished with a total of 7773 points in the competition, earning the trophy for Runner-up Junior Club Champion. With a total of 8211 points, Isabella Bland squeezed through to the top and was awarded the title and trophy for 2021/2022 Junior Club Champion.
None of the RPIAC Extraordinary Catch Incentives were claimed this season and the members-only, competition weekend, $1000 first-to-catch prizes for senior competitors stay banked. The incentives up for grabs were for eligible species that equal or exceed the nominated weight and included: King George Whiting (1000 grams), Snapper (10.0 kilograms), Gummy Shark (20.0 kilograms), Mulloway (25.0 kilograms) and Kingfish (25.0 kilograms).
The RPIAC Senior Club Champions will be announced at the RPIAC Senior Presentation Night function on the 14th of May 2022. RPIAC encourages the sharing of interests and enthusiasm for angling to create lasting bonds and memories. They promote responsible and sustainable practices and welcome participants in the next competition season, scheduled to commence in Spring 2022.
RPIAC’s clubroom is located adjacent to the Rhyll boat ramp and is open to members and visitors on Fridays (from 5 pm) and competition weekends coinciding with weigh in. For further information about the club, events, competitions, and rules, please visit the website: www.rpiac.com
