THE Bermagui Big Game Angling Club (BBGAC) on the Australia Day long weekend hosted another successful Bluewater Classic.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
A total of 53 boats and 201 anglers competed in this year’s Classic.
Competition on Saturday was called off due to rough weather but Sunday and Monday turned out well, with 17 marlin tagged and released.
BBGAC president Paul Blacka said the club was very pleased with the continued and growing emphasis on tag and release.
“Of well over 100 fish recorded, only one fish was captured and that was a 180kg mako shark,” Blacka said.
“We are pleased with more and more anglers wanting to tag and release.”
Monday was the pick of the days with 12 marlin tagged on that one day.
Mr Blacka thanked the major sponsor local business Bermagui Bait & Tackle, as well as the other sponsors of Shimano, Yanmar, Yamaha and Simrad.
"It was great to have a local business that being Scott and Lisa Bradley from Bermagui Bait & Tackle as our major sponsor," he said.
Male champion angler was Shimano representative David Cox, who caught his first two marlin ever in the competition and donated his prize to his tag pole operator John Parbery.
Carly Bexterman, champion lady angler, was another novice angler, who also caught her first three marlin in the comp.
The young anglers known as “small fry” had a ball on striped tuna and champion small fry angler Mathew just wanted more mahi mahi – “They were great," he said.
Bluewater Classic 2014
Overall tag & release results:
Most marlin tagged by a boat (over 7.1m)
Slammer - 4
Most marlin tagged by a boat (under 7.1m)
Shockwave - 1
Second most marlin tagged by a boat (over 7.1m)
Jock - 2
Highest point scoring boat tuna tag & release:
Opportunatee - 850points
Highest point scoring boat shark or other game fish tag &
release:
Ragnar - 2000 points
Highest point scoring team:
Team A Slammer, Jackal 2nd, Jedi 3rd
Highest point scoring tag & release male angler(senior):
David Cox – 20,000 points
Highest point scoring tag & release female angler(senior):
Carly Bexterman – 20,000 points
Highest point scoring tag & release junior angler:
Jackson Brown - 155 points
Highest point scoring tag & release small fry angler:
Mathew Sandy - 347 points
Overall results:
Highest point scoring tag & release senior male angler each day:
Day 2 - Joel Spilsbury – Panlicker – 11,500 points
Day 3 - David cox – Mr Hooker – 20,000 points
Highest point scoring tag & release junior angler each day:
Day 2 - Jackson Brown – Tatonka – 155 points
Highest point scoring tag & release senior lady angler each day:
Day 2 - Carly Bexterman - Slammer – 10,031 points
Day 3 - Carly Bexterman – Slammer – 20,000 points
Highest point scoring tag & release small fry angler each day:
Day 2 - Mathew Sandy – The Joker – 215 points
Day 3 - Mathew Sandy – The Joker - 132 points