A New Direction for Swanfish in 2018

Swanfish is extremely excited to announce a new direction for our event.

The Swan River is the jewel in our city’s crown, and we’ve always promoted the community’s connection to the river through fishing. Going forward, we will be striving to highlight that connection even further and we’ve got some new and exciting announcements that we believe will ensure Swanfish has a bright future.

Image: Swanfish will be a catch and release event only.

For the first time in its history, Swanfish will be catch and release only, for all species.  There is nothing more important than the sustainability of our favourite species, and this change will ensure that the impact we have during Swanfish remains low forever.

We’re moving! Swanfish will now be held at Garvey Park, in Ascot. It’s a centralised location that has plenty of shade which we feel will make for a much better Swanfish experience for all.

We’re adopting new technology, which makes submitting your catches easier. We’re partnering with the great crew at TrackMyFish, and will be utilising their smartphone app to submit catches over the weekend.

Image: Volunteers from Fishability will be at Swanfish 2018.

We’re being more inclusive by partnering with Fishability, who offer fishing experiences for people who need help with fishing. This will ensure that anyone who wants to, can participate. Fishability will be running fishing clinics during the event to ensure that those that need help whilst fishing are given the opportunity to participate.

We’re going to teach more people to fish. We’ll be running specialised Swan River fishing clinics over the weekend to ensure that everyone can get the right knowledge to fish successfully in the Swan River.

We’re going to celebrate fishing! The traditional Sunday ‘weigh in’ will now be an event that showcases fishing clubs, tackle stores and fishing activities as well as awarding the prizes for the competition itself.

We’re very excited about what the future holds. Whilst we will be retaining the core competition elements of the event, we also want to promote it as a chance for people to come and learn about fishing in the river.

We’re grateful for the support over the years, and we look forward to seeing you at Swanfish 2018.

Banner photo credit: Perth International Boat Show.

Continue Reading

March 26, 2025

Recfishwest in national media – AUKUS defence must not come at the expense of Cockburn Sound

Recfishwest has joined growing calls for a full public environmental review of the AUKUS submarine development’s impacts on Cockburn Sound.  In an Australian Financial Review article earlier this month, Recfishwest…

Read More

March 24, 2025

Fishing leaders welcome long overdue national workshops on tackling shark bite-off

WA fishing experts and Recfishwest have welcomed the opportunity to have their say on beginning to combat the wicked problem of shark bite-off at a series of workshops throughout WA and several other states.   The…

Read More

March 24, 2025

South coast fishing flexes might at Esperance offshore classic despite rough conditions

A rollicking 21kg Samson fish was enough to claim top prize – and a staggering $24,000 worth of prizes – at last weekend’s Esperance Archipelago Offshore Angling Classic.  Despite the gnarly south coast…

Read More

February 28, 2025

Casting your vote for fishing in the State election

With just a week until the State election, Recfishwest has below pulled together  all the commitments parties have made to secure better outcomes for fishing.   Click here to read about Recfishwest’s platform for…

Read More

February 27, 2025

World-record breaking cobia and a magic marlin run – marine heatwave powers up Perth pelagics

WA is riding a marine heatwave with ocean temperatures 2–3°C above average, sparking both challenges and incredible fishing opportunities.   Experts warn of risks like fish kills and coral bleaching and Recfishwest…

Read More

February 25, 2025

Fishing for votes: parties cast lines with jetty pledges

As the State Election heats up, all major parties are recognising the value of jetties and fishing platforms to local communities, making significant commitments to build and upgrade them.  Labor has pledged around…

Read More