bluewatermag.com.au 81Tournament News
Shoalhaven Open
The 45th Shoalhaven Open tournament was held on the last
weekend of March, although an adverse weather forecast kept
entries well down. With 20-knot winds, conditions were tough
for all three days of the tournament, although that didn’t stop
a few boats heading wide.
On the first day, Dean Shutz captured a 37kg wahoo aboard
the Jervis Bay club boat Adrenaline Rush, with Brock Holden
at the helm. This was an unusual catch so far south, but many
boats reported baits sliced in half. The team on Empty Pockets
was unlucky to lose an estimated 80kg yellowfin tuna at the
boat while trying to gaff it.
Most boats drifted livebaits over the productive Sir Joseph
Young Banks grounds, but the area became a massive washing
machine with three knots of northerly current pushing against
the swell. A few marlin and sharks were tagged there on the
second day, but Adrenaline Rush headed back to the same
spot they caught their wahoo and Sherie Holden landed a
188kg blue marlin which won them Champion Boat Capture as
well as $2000 cash for a marlin over 150kg.
Local boat 2Small, skipped by Shane Wietecki, won Champion
Boat Tag & Release with three marlin and four sharks. They
also weighed a 121kg black marlin that died during the fight.
The tough conditions took their toll on man and machine.
DadsBoat broke an engine mount after falling off a wave,
and many anglers headed for the osteopath to help heal their
battered bodies.- Paul Allin
Port Hacking
10 0
This year’s Shimano Port Hacking 100
drew 70 boats and 350 anglers to
compete over two days for $66,000 in
cash and a further $60,000 in prizes
across 21 categories. With $50,000 on
offer for the heaviest blue marlin over
250kg, the majority of the fleet headed
wide to the canyons and seamounts in
search of the monster blue that eluded
The Outlaw last year.
The fleet reported numerous tagged
marlin and a few captures on day one,
with local boat Onsite taking an early lead
in the Tag & Release category with six blue
marlin. Sydney boat Tantrum weighed a
68kg yellowfin tuna, which eventually won
them heaviest other gamefish.
The second day brought rougher seas,
with a 25-knot nor’easter making it
trying for all vessels – although those
who braved the conditions were rewarded
with fish. Local boat Thirsty Work caught
a 257kg mako shark and seemed to
be leading the capture division before
Scirocco reported a late hook-up to a
large tiger shark after already boating a
good-sized whaler. The pressure was then
on for the crew to catch the shark and
be back at the weighstation before the
6pm deadline. It took some hard driving,
but they made it with three minutesto spare – and their 214kg whaler and
446.5kg tiger won them Champion Team
Capture. Onsite continued their dream
run and tagged another blue marlin to
win Champion Team T&R with their total
of seven blues.- David Joyce, President PHGFC
The Onsite crew
celebrate their
$10,000 prize for
winning Champion
Team Tag & Release
with seven blue marlin
over the two days of
the Port Hacking 100
tournament.
Photo: Murray HarrisThe team aboard Adrenaline Rush scored well in the Shoalhaven Open
tournament, weighing a 188kg blue marlin as well as this 37kg wahoo.