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 conditions that met the 250 participating entrants and 70 boats, some great fishing was still to be had, showcasing what this spectacular part of the state has to offer.
A solid local crowd gathered to watch the famous shotgun start out of the harbour. Check out the action in the video below!
The barrage of boats set out on Sunday at 6:30am and returned to the clubrooms at 4pm, where 156 fish were weighed in and recorded, including a 2.85kg nannygai, 12.75kg gummy shark, 5.12kg queen snapper and many other abundant southern species.
This one-day competition draws fishers from across the State to Esperance every year, and Recfishwest’s Research & Development Lead, Sam Bock – who grew up in the town – said this competition has long been widely regarded as one of WA’s best.
“Once again, we saw many great species caught and this massive turn-out despite the conditions underpins the importance of fishing to the South Coast community.
“Given the community concerns over the past few years regarding the Government’s South Coast Marine Park plans, it was great to see them getting out and thoroughly enjoying a lot of cherished fishing spots they fought hard to protect from lockouts,” said Sam.
Not only did the 21.05kg Samsonfish caught by Campbell Warner load up the scales – it also loaded up the lucky lad’s bank balance, with the fisher taking home an eye-watering $24,000 worth of prizes for the heaviest fish landed during the comp, which included a $2,000 Garmin sounder package!
All anglers who weighed fish in were also in the running for a random draw prize for 14 different species, with rod and reel combos or sunglasses up for grabs by weighing in captures of pink snapper, sweep, King George whiting, harlequin, breaksea cod and many others.
Fishing tournaments like the Classic play a major role in the recreational fishing community calendar for thousands of West Aussies, providing great social and economic benefits to regional towns.
For many fishers, local competitions like this are annual must-attend events and they show how fishing clubs and comps are the fabric of coastal communities.
Thanks to the Esperance Deep Sea Angling Club and their president Corrina Worth for hosting another great competition – check out the results from the comp below!
