GOLD COAST GAME FISH CLUB INC. LIGHT TACKLE MASTERS

13-16 January 2011

 

Two meter seas on top of a 3 to 4 meter swell set the stage for an exciting and exhilarating Gold Coast Game Fish Club Inc. Light Tackle Masters.  Adverse weather conditions reduced the field to only 16 boats and 63 rough weather anglers and crew.

 

A hook up in the first minute of day one set the scene for nonstop action, wahoo and tuna were about in numbers and the large mahi mahi had returned. Most boats reported hook ups and subsequent captures or tags.  Billfish were scarce with only 3 hooked on day one and only the team on AMIGO were successful in placing a tag.  A nice striped marlin to Kevin Ballantine.

 

Day 2 and conditions had improved slightly, again the pelagics were about in numbers, mahi mahi in the 15kg to 20 kg, wahoo from 8kg to 20 kg with many small yellow fin and striped tuna being tagged and released.  5 marlin were hooked up however the conditions were against the anglers and all fish were dropped. Alisa Schofield on Mistress had a day she will never forget. Whilst being photographed in front of her pending Australian women’s record for a short billed spearfish (15kg on 8kg line) her skipper Brett Alty dropped to one knee and proposed.  

 

Day 3 and the forecast was even worse with 5 meter swell arriving by midafternoon. The fleet headed out and once over the bar conditions were surprisingly good. The boys on Amigo tagged a nice black to consolidate their lead and several other boats reported marlin hook ups only to lose the fish near the boat.  Again Alisa stole the limelight with another Australian pending women’s record a 16kg mahi mahi on 8kg however the story of the tournament was Alexander Berry’s epic fight on Cabolero, for  3 hours and 10 minutes, in very high seas he battled a large blue marlin only to have the marlin wash under the stern AFTER the tag was placed and it was decided to weigh the fish, and the resulting damage to the fish from the props disqualified what would have been a  Junior record. At 145 kg on 8kg line in very harsh conditions it was a capture that all of us envy.

 

Several notable captures were disqualified because the leaders were over length, a boat failed to lodge their tag cards in time on day 3 which cost them overall winner for a boat under 8 meters. Excitement and drama, heartbreak and euphoria, this year’s Gold Coast Game Fish Club Inc. Light Tackle Masters was an event not to be missed.

 

Additionally, Peter Pakula from Pakula Lures donated a Lure Roll valued at approx. $1,000 consisting of 16 of Peter’s favourite lures to the Club.   In light of the Flooding in Qld he thought it best to donate this prize to be raffled or auctioned to raise money for the flood victims.  The GCGFC elected to raffle the lure roll and we are extremely pleased to inform that $1,500 was taken and this money will be forwarded to the Salvation Army Flood Appeal (Peter’s nominated charity).