April 17-18th, 2021 Angling Competition

The weather forecast for the 9th Rhyll-Phillip Island Angling Club (RPIAC) angling competition, held over the 17th and 18th of April, hinted at strong winds and rain. By a twist of fate, the reality was a light to gentle breeze from the west and a few spots of drizzle. Expectations rose with the real-time weather observations on Saturday morning. The adage “Wind from the West, fish bite the best” led anglers to fulfill the proverb, however many returned to weigh-in believing that is merely a nursery rhyme.
Anglers and supporters welcomed the calm autumn weather and were greeted by the warming smiles of Ronny Soolsma and Sam Orr, who harnessed the barbecue for the Sunday afternoon sausage sizzle to coincide with weigh-in. A total of 34 fish, including trevally, pike, pinkie snapper, flathead, King George whiting, and leather jacket were presented to the weigh-in masters. As is customary, fishing tales were told and taken with a grain of salt. A pinch of humour was added, and a few bouts of laughter followed. Certainly, the tips offered opportunities for contemplation and possibilities for future success.
The Squidgie Mixed Bag Points competition, for participants aged 9 and under, recognised Micah Goodwin for his bag of 1 fish worth 20 points (King George whiting, 395 grams). Zachary Gomm squeezed into second place with his 1 fish, also worth 20 points (King George whiting, 420 grams). The reigning Squidgie Champion, Denver Firth, presented a total of 4 fish worth 65 points and was delighted with his prize for first place.
The Junior competition, for anglers aged 10 to 16, greeted Riley Goodwin and Pheonix Firth to the winner’s circle. Riley weighed-in a feisty Pinkie Snapper of 740 grams to win the Junior Weight competition, whilst Pheonix presented a delightful King George whiting worth 700 points (250 grams) to win the Junior Points competition.
The Senior Heaviest Weight competitions were won by Albert Abram and Leah Valente, weighing-in a hungry 2,540-gram pike (aka snook) and a motivated 445-gram trevally, respectively. The Senior Points competitions were won by Chris Leonardos and Carrianne Peatey, who caught impressive King George whiting worth 1,722 points (615 grams) and 1386 points (495 grams), respectively. The Senior Shark competition was uncontested, whilst the Secret Weight prize was awarded to George Barboussas for his reluctant 540-gram trevally (secret weight 562 grams).
Four species are still eligible for the RPIAC members only, competition weekend first-to-catch prize of $1,000, where fish deemed “Extraordinary Catches” 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). Angling members are striving to set new club records and remain hopeful that they can bank an Extraordinary Catch cash incentive. The final angling competition for the 2020/2021 season will be held over the weekend of the 1st / 2nd of May 2021. For further information about the club, events, competitions and rules, please visit the website: www.rpiac.com

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