Fin-tastic turnout for Port Walcott fishing comp

A record number of fishers were rewarded with near-perfect conditions at the fourth annual Pilbara Fishing Extravaganza in Wickham this month.

More than 250 people from across the region spent Saturday, October 12 targeting deep water and beach and creek species off the Pilbara coast for the one-day capture contest.

The big winners for the tournament were the Porkhunts (champion boat bluewater) and Chasing Tail (champion boat beach and creek).

The competition was this year run by the Port Walcott Yacht Club, taking over from founding group the Port Walcott volunteer marine rescue.

Port Walcott Yacht Club commodore Riaz Malek said there had been some impressive catches made during the competition, with a stand-out being the 18.94kg heaviest Spanish mackerel caught by junior Jack Glover.

“It’s the biggest one-day (fishing) competition in the North West and we come up with the species that we want the anglers to target,” he said.

“They’re generally the same species that people are chasing every day when they get out on the water — emperors, blue bones, the mackies, and then you’ve got the whiting, flathead and more for the beach and creek — and the heaviest fish in each category wins a prize.”

“It’s the bread-and-butter fish that people chase up here all the time, and we like it to be fish that people will eat when they get home.”

Malek said the competition was aimed at getting community members of all abilities, especially families, involved in recreational fishing.

“We saw lots of faces that we know don’t usually go chasing fish in competitions, which we were really happy about because that’s not the target demographic that we’re looking at,” he said.

“We want it to be a competition families can get involved in, not just for the serious fishermen that are going out and catching huge fish.”

Malek said this was the fourth year running the competition had been blessed with good conditions.

Pilbara Fishing Extravaganza 2019 winners:

Bluewater winners

Champion boat: The Porkhunts

Champion male: Bryce Hollins

Champion female: Lilly Edwards

Champion junior: Jack Glover

Beach and creek winners

Champion boat: Chasing Tail

Champion male: Brock Crowhurst

Champion female: Rose Worthington

Champion junior: Marieclaire Worthington