Angling Competition 9th & 10th November
RPIAC’s Fourth Competition of the 2024/2025 Season Reels in Impressive Catches
The Rhyll-Phillip Island Angling Club (RPIAC) hosted its fourth competition of the 2024/2025 angling season over the weekend of November 9th and 10th. The event drew enthusiastic participation from angling members, eager to showcase their skills and enjoy a weekend of competitive fishing. A total of 79 fish, 5 sharks, and 1 calamari were weighed during the competition.
The weekend’s weather included clouds, wind, a little rain, ample sunshine, and mild temperatures, making for an overall pleasant fishing experience. The competition, which began at midnight on Friday and concluded at 5 pm on Sunday, featured some outstanding catches, including snapper, King George whiting, trevally, flathead, sharks and calamari.
RPIAC encourages participation in recreational angling, and children aged 16 and under receive complimentary membership to the angling competitions to develop skills and an interest in sustainable and responsible angling. The Squidgies Mixed Bag competition, for participants aged 9 and under, saw Byron Griffin secure first place by catching five fish worth 90 points, while Harley Griffin came in second place with four fish worth 70 points. The Junior Weight and Junior Points competitions for anglers aged 10 to 16 saw Thomas Grogan triumph with a snapper weighing 2,800 grams and a trevally worth 1,190 points (850 grams), respectively.
In the Senior Female Heaviest Weight category, Kim Muscat emerged victorious with a snapper weighing 4,070 grams. James Nicolaci took the Senior Male Heaviest Weight prize with a snapper weighing 6,865 grams. James now leads the race for the $500 Heaviest Snapper prize with one competition weekend remaining. Lauren Wright won the Senior Female Points competition with a King George whiting worth 1,414 points (505 grams), and Nigel Firth captured the Senior Male Points competition with a King George whiting worth 2,898 points (1,035 grams), also earning the $1000 Extraordinary Catch Incentive for his whiting, which exceeded 1,000 grams.
The RPIAC’s Extraordinary Catch Incentives celebrate exceptional catches and with the incentive for King George whiting being claimed this weekend, only four $1,000 incentives for angling members with extraordinary catches during a competition weekend remain. The four eligible species remaining for each first-to-catch $1,000 prize, by equalling or exceeding the nominated weight, are: Snapper (10.0 kilograms), Gummy Shark (20.0 kilograms), Mulloway (25.0 kilograms), and Kingfish (25.0 kilograms).
Timothy Fahnle claimed the Shark Competition prize with a Gummy shark weighing 16,050 grams, while Alex Bowden won the Squid/Cuttlefish prize for a calamari weighing 1,290 grams. Brian Bowers won the Secret Weight prize for his snapper, which weighed 2,690 grams (the secret weight being 2,641 grams).
The RPIAC eagerly anticipates the next competition on the weekend of November 23rd and 24th. Anglers will also be competing for the prestigious Bill Wallis Trophy, adding an extra layer of excitement to the event. For further details on upcoming events and club activities, visit the RPIAC website at www.rpiac.com.
