Carnarvon’s recent Carnar-Fin Fishing Competition has gone down as one of the biggest turnouts for the cherished Gascoyne event since its inception in 1992.
More than 220 anglers in 70 boats hit the waters of Carnarvon to catch a wide range of species such as red emperor, coral trout, trevally, mackerel, tuna and many more.
Recfishwest was there to lend a hand at the kids fishing clinic on the fascine, hosted by the Carnarvon Lions Footy Club, which saw 130 kids excitedly wetting a line with fish captures and beaming smiles galore.
Thanks to local photographer Andrew Robertson from Gascoyne Media for sharing this great footage from this lively week-long event.
Western Angler editor Scott Coghlan returned to MC the event, with daily leaderboard shake-ups during the evening weigh-ins keeping the large crowd on their toes in suspense.
Local legend Liam Freeman, who took out this year’s Overall Champion Angler, also broke the flathead record in the process, catching a stonker 1.334kg specimen that pipped the previous mark set 18 years ago.
Under Carnar-Fin rules, the main prize goes to the fish which is closest to the competition record and Liam’s flattie was the only one to beat the previous competition species best.
Recfishwest believes this is a great way to go for community fishing competitions, with anyone catching even a whiting having a chance to take out the top honours for the competition.
Other eyebrow-raising catches from this year’s competition included a 25.4kg cobia, a 5.36kg spangled emperor and 3.79kg tailor.
“There were good numbers at the competition and a good mix of fishers, including a lot of local families,” said Scott.
“It’s truly a family-friendly competition – with a couple of families claiming multiple prizes across the 18 categories. In the case of the Rudge family, Bailey took out the biggest mangrove jack, while his brother claimed best spangled emperor, with dad Bruce catching the best tuna at 20.35kg.
“The competition is very much a highlight on the social calendar for the town and brings a nice little boost for the local economy with all the money spent on accommodation, bait and fuel. There was a great atmosphere, and it was a pleasure to be a part of it.”
Congratulations to the Carnar-Fin committee who worked tirelessly behind the scenes to deliver another memorable event. Check out more stunning snaps from Andrew Robertson below and click here to visit the Carnar-Fin Facebook page!
