It did not take long to gather the gear, hook up the boat, pack the car and pick up Bob. The first long weekend of the working year is always welcomed, and a chance to get away is always taken. To get that feeling of separation, and away on a break, Bob and I decided that Port Albert was the place to be this weekend. Funnily enough so did fourteen other members as well as 2 non competitors and a junior non competitor.

The drive to Port Albert was great, hardly anyone on the road once we got past Dandenong. It was not with its mishaps though. Just after Dandenong a blown tyre on the boat trailer required changing. When we finally got that sorted and a spare purchased in Cranbourne it was starting to feel like a holiday.

As we neared Corner Inlet the view through the hills was a sight to behold, nice calm seas. The contrasting green hills and calm sea was truly picturesque. We decided to have a closer look at the sea when we got to Port Welshpool and were greeted by calm seas, and an outgoing tide.

The bait pump was retrieved from the boat and we went about pumping some Bass Yabbies to use as bait on the Whiting at Port Albert. It was real hard work as someone had been through before us. After pumping two dozen odd we were on our way.

When we arrived at the Lodge most of the lads were back from a day out on the water and all had picked up some fish. After unpacking we settled in for the night in anticipation of the next days adventures.

The next day we woke to a fierce South Westerly wind, it had to be blowing every bit of 40 Knots. Horizontal rain, gusts of wind over 40 knots, all the usual attributes I expected from Port Albert were there. The old lady certainly did not let me down.

We eventually got up and had some breakfast, and after some discussion with Tony Marino decided on some sight seeing. We had a look at the area with a view to some land based fishing. We must have spent at least three hours driving around checking out various nooks and crannies that would be worthwhile fishing when inclement weather was on the cards.

At close to 3am Tony decided enough was enough, it was time to go fishing. The wind had died down enough to make fishing inside a viable proposition. The old boy must have known some thing as he got onto 5 nice flatties. The best one hit the scales at 1.20 kg. The rest of us that went out did not do as well and were rewarded with one or two fish each. ( A bad days fishing is better than a good days work).

The Sunday proved to be a much better day with light southerly winds and the fish a little more co operative. Flathead were the mainstay with 57 taken by the members. Other fish weighed in were Mullet, Whiting, Trevally, Sweep, Mackeral, Pike, and Leather Jacket. The lads fished every nook and cranny available inside and Steve Gusman and crew had a real crack on the reefs out in Bass Strait.

Unfortunately the usual numbers of quality fish that come to scale just did not show up. All manner of baits were used including, Pilchard, Squid, Trevally fillets, Garfish, Bass yabbies, Salmon Fillets, and live Mackeral to name a few. It was not through lack of trying that we did not strike any Gummy Shark, or larger type fish. Best fish for the day included a 1.32kg Flathead taken by Joe Grech and a 1.22 kg Leather Jacket caught by Danny Dib. For the day 66 fish were taken for a total bag weight of 20.14 kg at an average of 1.43 kg per angler.

On the Monday morning we were greeted by a glorious day with little or no wind. Steve, Tony, myself and our respective crews headed outside to fish Bass Strait. Bob and myself, drifted in close to shore hoping to pick up some large frogs for little reward. We finally took Tony Marinos advice and headed out a little deeper to fish off the reefs where we picked up some good fish. The others did not do as well, but still managed to get amongst them. Our best bait for the day was squid pieces.

At the weigh in a total of 43 fish for 17.28 kg were weighed in by the members. Adrian Laino took the best Flathead of the trip. It weighed 1.58 kg. Bob Beeson caught the largest fish of the competition which was a Barracouta that tipped the scales at 2.240 kg.

Winner of the trip was Bob Beeson. 2nd was John Costa and third was Joe Grech. A total of 119 fish were weighed in for 50.35kg. Average weight per angler was 3.59 kg for three days angling.

A good social trip with a great bunch of guys. We are all looking forward to the next trip.