Kids, community and fishing all win in Kalbarri Whiting Comp

Nearly 400 kids flocked to Chinaman’s beach in Kalbarri to fish in the town’s annual Kids’ Whiting Competition run by the Kalbarri Offshore and Angling Club. This event is one of the most fun and successful kids’ fishing events in WA.

There was a fantastic turnout at this year’s event!

Recfishwest is a keen supporter of local fishing events such as this – they are a great day out and give kids the opportunity to learn to fish in a safe, accessible and fun environment, bringing benefits to the participants and the local community alike.

Recfishwest was once again proud to provide the Kalbarri Offshore and Angling Club with a Recfishwest Community Grant to assist with the costs of running this event.

Applications for the latest round of the Recfishwest Community Grant Program are currently open, so if you’ve got a fishing-related community project you think might be eligible – now is the time to apply!

For more details about our Community Grants, click here

The Kids’ Whiting Comp, takes place in Kalbarri, in the October school holidays, on two consecutive Thursdays, on the picturesque Chinaman’s beach, near the town centre.

Families arrive in Kalbarri, often a few days before, setting up camp or booking into a hotel, checking out the attractions on bikes, boat or on foot, as they spend quality family time together over the holidays.

“This event has been running for more than 30 years, it’s a really good community event. We’ve got families that come here on these school holidays because of this whiting comp and they’ve been coming for years,” Club President Cheryl Eley said.

A happy young angler proudly shows off his prized Kalbarri whiting catch.

“Applying for a community grant to get this event up and running is really no hurdle. It’s all volunteer-led, so the Community Grant we receive from Recfishwest eases the financial burden. We use the funds to buy equipment and prizes for the kids.

“Any funds raised from the event itself are then used to improve fishing facilities in the town. We’ve improved the boat ramp, the fish filleting stations and the floating jetty and we’re always driving to improve facilities for rec fishers. It’s good to see our licence fee money being put back into the community.”

Once caught the fish are taken to the the weigh-in station, where their weight is recorded, before they are placed in the live tank for viewing.

All species have a place on the scoreboard, with a wide variety of fish species being caught including whiting, bream, flathead, flounder and the odd blue swimmer crab – there was even an estuary cod caught this year. All fish are released at the end of the comp.

And what better way than through a catch and release event to introduce your kids to fishing?  The kids get to learn how to measure and weigh the fish, as well as learning about fishing for the future.

Given the strong community spirit tapped by the event, everyone wants to chip in, including kids that are now too old for the competition eagerly volunteering their time to help run the event each year.

Local businesses donate some of the prizes including clothing, fishing equipment and vouchers for the whole family to enjoy as well as donations for the sausage sizzle.

Clearly, the whiting comp is in the very fabric of the Kalbarri community  and we’re already looking forward to next year’s event.

This is what it’s all about! Kids enjoying wetting a line during the school holidays.

Continue Reading

May 30, 2023

Spotting sharks on your sounder to help reduce bite-offs

“The taxman”, “the men in grey suits” or just plain old “bloody sharks.” Whatever you call them, sharks biting off your prized catch as you bring it into the boat can be the bane of many fishers’ fishing trips…

Read More

May 05, 2023

West coast demersal $10m support package – a golden opportunity to support better decisions that cannot be missed

As the dust settles on the new fishing rules for west coast demersals, Recfishwest says the Government has got to get right the way $10 million of public money is spent on supporting the fishery. The Government…

Read More

May 05, 2023

Scott’s south coast gems

The south coast is a delightful part of the world, especially at this time of year. Autumn truly is the time to enjoy everything it has to offer, with the best weather of the year featuring still, warm day days and…

Read More

May 05, 2023

Jurien Bay FADs fire up, bringing great new fishing options to the Mid-West

The sportfishing action in Jurien Bay has cranked up since the deployment of four FADs off the coastline!  It is great to see fishers reap the benefits of catches from FADs across WA, with Recfishwest and local…

Read More

May 04, 2023

A tale of two jetties

All too often, we see prized fishing jetties desperately needing TLC and restoration abandoned, left to rot or demolished as the red tape around who is responsible in managing and maintaining them puts them in the…

Read More

May 04, 2023

Partners playing a huge role in helping us make fishing better in WA

Outside of our core funding contribution from recreational fishing licence fees via DPIRD, a growing range of valued partners are helping us do more for West Aussie fishers in 2023. Without additional support for…

Read More