It’s been a very busy October for our Recfishwest crew and nearly 180 kids who had a crack at fishing in our Metro, Mid-West and Pilbara region’s fishing clinics and competitions!
Recfishwest is always pleased to see the next generation of fishers having a fine time wetting a line and catching a wide range of great West Aussie species off our jetties and pristine beaches, with herring, whiting, tarwhine, skippy, bream and many others providing top-quality fishing for our youngsters and their families.
Check out some of the kids’ fishing clinics and competitions which took place over the last few weeks below and if you want to find out more about our SunSmart fishing clinics across WA, check out our SunSmart Fishing Clinics Webpage!
City of Cockburn Youth Services fishing clinic – Ammo Jetty
Early October saw Recfishwest join forces with the City of Cockburn Youth Services at one of Perth’s most iconic land-based fishing spots – the Ammo Jetty.
Run in partnership with the City of Cockburn, the weather lined up beautifully and 24 kids thoroughly enjoyed hooking up to multiple tarwhine, herring, whiting and juvenile tailor.
Kudos to the City of Cockburn for ensuring young people within this program are supported, engaged and valued and we look forward to running more of these fishing clinics in future.
Kalbarri Kids’ Whiting Competition
One of WA’s biggest annual kids’ fishing competitions returned to the Mid-West coast on 5 October – the ever-popular Kalbarri Kids’ Whiting Competition!
Taking place over the September-October school holidays, Recfishwest attended the second day of the competition where 126 kids were ankle deep in crystal clear water on Chinaman’s Beach, with a steady flow of top-quality catches rolling through.
With quad bikes transporting kids along the beach and impressive prizes up for grabs for a mix of easily accessible species, the Recfishwest crew were kept busy de-hooking catches, taking snaps, teaching the kids how to handle fish with care and gently releasing them to fight another day.
Organised by the Kalbarri Offshore and Angling Club and supported by one of Recfishwest’s Community Grants – this fabulous community event has drawn thousands of kids and their families over the years to have a crack at catching the town’s celebrated yellowfin whiting.
Check out some of the snaps from the Kalbarri Kids’ Whiting Competition below!
Nickol Bay SunSmart Fishing Clinic
Prior to our Recfishwest crew attending the Accenture Mackerel 5000 competition in Dampier on October 15 for our Fishing for Science program, they coordinated a SunSmart Fishing Clinic on the sand in front of Hampton Harbour Boat & Sailing Club.
Despite the hot conditions, 28 kids and their parents joined Recfishwest in spending two hours having a flick and cooling off within the bay’s turquoise waters, with Vince Amico from Karratha Adventure Sports lending a helping hand and with support from the Nickol Bay Sportsfishing Club.
Before the fishing action kicked off, Recfishwest taught the kids about safe SunSmart practices, proper fish handling, fishing regulations, sustainability and safety guidelines around wetting a line in WA’s beautiful Pilbara region.
To keep the smiles on the kids’ faces, all participants received a Recfishwest sticker and lure to help promote chipping away at developing their fishing skills.
Big thanks to the kids below who enjoyed wetting a line with us at the Nickol Bay Fishing Clinic!
“It’s been a very busy October full of fishing clinics and competitions across WA and throughout all of these events, every kid had a smile on their face and had an awesome time along with plenty of memorable catch-and-release experiences,” said Recfishwest Senior Operations Officer Sam Russell.
“Hopefully they’ve been bitten by the fishing bug and it becomes a lifelong passion that gives them and their families years of enjoyment and all the well-being and health benefits fishing provides.”
