bluewatermag.com.au 85Tournament News
Runinmid-Aprilandtakinginthefirstdaysoftheschool
holidays, the Perth Game Fishing Club’s Shimano WA
Openworkeda treatforfamiliesextendingtheirstayin
JurienBay.
The Saturday sailpast and shotgun start was held in ideal
conditions and soon had the fleet belting enthusiastically
towardsthenorthpassageandoffshorein calmconditions.
The water was clear and warm, but alas, the bilfish were
uncooperative and the dolphinfish had abandoned the FADs.
The first day’s highlight was the weighing of a State record
14.85kgyellowtailkingfishon6kgbyWarrenJolley.
The seconddayprovedmore productive.Sunride foundone
bluemarlinthatdidn’thook-up,thena secondthatpulledthe
hooks boatside. However, their third,a blue of about 120kg,
was tagged for Matt Podmore on 60kg tackle. Other boats
caught samsonfish, mulloway,amberjack and bigdolphinfish,
alongwiththrongsof skipjack.
TheMondaybroughtincreasingswellsandveryuncomfortable
conditions. Asonlythebesttwoof thethreedayscountedfor
the pointscore, most crews were ready to get off the water.
Western Australia Open
The Bottom Line team with their awards for winning the Perth Game Fishing Club’s
Shimano WA Open in April. (Photo: Jason Harris)
Champion Boat for billfish was awarded to Sunride, with Bottom
Line winning the combined section. Champion Male angler was
Warren Jolley, fishing aboard Bottom Line. Champion Junior/
Small Fry angler was awarded to Kim DeVries from Dream
Catcher.- Peter Coote, President, Perth GFC
The Samoa International Game
Fishing Association’s annual
International Tournament was a
resounding success.
Fourteen teams fished hard and
enjoyed the club’s legendary Polynesian
hospitality. The seas were smooth, but
the water was unusually warm, which
slowed the fishing action. However, the
teams that found the right spots were
rewarded with big fish.
Many big marlin and tuna were fought
and lost, leading to quite a few stories of
‘the one that got away’. Most memorable
was Aussie angler Gavin Crane’s fight
with a monster black marlin on 15kg
tackle. He hooked it while trolling inshore
for Spanish mackerel in just 60m of
water. The battle lasted two-and-a-half
hours, with Gavin giving it all he had
while testing the rod and reel to the limit.
With the fish finally alongside the boat
and the deckie reaching out to grab the
leader, the light rod exploded, sending
shards of fibreglass flying into the air as
the big fish swam off.
Of the several blue marlin hooked over
the five days of the tournament, the
largest landed weighed in at 176kg. Some
solid yellowfin tuna were also brought to
Next year’s SIGFA International will be
held from May 23 to 30, 2020. To book
your entry, email Michael Rasmussen
on [email protected], or me on greg@
troppofishing.com- Capt Greg Hopping
the scales, with the heaviest weighing
60kg. However, it was the inshore species
that helped teams rack up plenty of points.
Some teams released multiple sailfish, and
plenty of big Spanish mackerel provided
lots of fun as well as points.
The Samoan team Stevensons of
Manase won the tournament, with the
Double Trouble team from American
Samoa coming in Runner-up. Champion
Male was Aussie angler Sam Balian, and
Pafuti Tupua from American Samoa won
Champion Female Angler.Samoa
International
Tournament
Samoa’s Prime Minister, Tuilaepa Lupesoliai Sailele
Malielegaoi, presents the Samoa International Game
Fishing Association’s trophy for Champion Team to the
Stevensons of Manase.