Karratha kids reel in big catches and smiles at Recfishwest fishing clinic

Heaps of smiles, bent rods and a feed of fish – it was the perfect recipe for happy local kids who took part in Recfishwest’s Karratha fishing clinics at 40 mile beach, Gnoorea Point.

The Santos-sponsored clinics gave the opportunity to 18 boys from the Clontarf Academy and 26 girls from the Stars Program at Karratha High School to fish using Recfishwest gear while guided by Recfishwest Senior Operations Officer, Sam Russell, and Recfishwest Operations Officer, Levi De Boni.

And the fishing session was a cracker with some monster whiting, flathead and squid caught, not to mention some plump oysters plucked from the rocks making for a super seafood feed for all the kids who took part!

“They caught heaps of good fish and everyone had a great time,” said Sam “They were a great bunch of kids who absolutely loved fishing.”

Levi added, “Their local environment knowledge was pretty impressive too and I reckon we learned as much from them as they did from us!

“There was healthy bit of competition, and the girls in particular were gun fishos out-fishing the boys – although the lads would probably dispute that!”

Before the fishing got started, Sam and Levi both shared their expertise with the kids on fish handling, catch care and career paths in Recfishwest and the fisheries sector making it an educational event as well as a fun one. Talks on careers at Santos and the City of Karratha were also given to the school students.

The clinic was one of five run by the pair in the region over two weeks including clinics in Dampier and Onslow as part of the Dampier Classic and Onslow Mack 10k fishing comps and supported by Ashburton Anglers and the King Bay Game Fishing Club.

“It’s been a fantastic couple of weeks,” said Sam. “We’ve been made to feel so welcome by the local communities up here and seeing the smile on the kids’ faces is just a joy highlighting the benefits fishing brings to these young people.”