This competition was held in memory of two members who worked tirelessly to make the lodge the great facility it is- Tony Marino & Rob Ward. May they rest in peace.

It had been a long time since we had fished Port Albert in November. I canŐt exactly work out why we had not over the last few years. This understated fishing port had in the past always produced great fish in the month of November. Four members a junior member and a non competitor decided it was time to try the Port out again and see if it would give out any of its bounty.

The day before the competition was an absolute pearler with very little breeze. Joe Grech, Joe Psaila, and Danny Dib drove to Port Albert early Friday, ditched their gear at the lodge and headed onto the water. After observing the sedate state of the water outside they negotiated the entrance bar and headed straight out into Bass Strait to see if they could tempt a Gummy Shark onto their lines. To say they succeeded would be an understatement as Danny hooked into one and after a massive fight landed a Gummy Shark that weighed 28 plus kilos. DannyŐs grin said it all.

On the Saturday morning all competitors were extremely keen to get into it. Everybody was awake by 4.30 am. Some breakfast was wolfed down, lunches readied, drinks sorted and out off we went. Boats were launched and straight to the entrance we headed. The sea was very picturesque and relatively calm, the bar very sedate and easy to navigate. On the previous night we had decided to work the Manns reef area (weather permitting) and that is what we did.

It did not take long for Joe Grech to get in on the action, tangling with and landing a Gummy very early in the day. Skate, Stingrays, Eagle rays, Gurnard, Port Jackson shark, and every other type of rubbish fish, made for an interesting session as the bites went all day. In amongst all the not so palatable species Joe Grech landed another Gummy Shark. John Costa also landed a Gummy after trying a few areas. Joe Psaila tried hard to land fish but had his work cut out when he managed to get a Seven Gill Shark estimated to be 100 kg to the boat. It was a long hard fight by both man and beast with the shark retaining his freedom. A combination of experience and inadequate equipment helped this denizen of the ocean survive.

Julian Costa enjoying his day out hooked into a great fish that nearly spooled him. After a 20 minute fight that had us guessing as to the species a large Seven Gill Shark surfaced beside the boat. The first gaff attempt saw the shark head for the depths and it took another ten minutes for Julian to get the fish under control. The second gaffing attempt was much better and after a struggle to get the fish in the boat and sedated, Julian was rewarded with a great Fish. At the weigh in Julians capture weighed in at 24.10 kg. The fish was taken on cured eel. Great effort!!!

Julian Costa Seven gill shark 24.10kgs

Peter Mc Grath fished out the front of Port Albert and had a successful day with two Gummy Sharks to 6.88 kg. He drifted using Trevallly strips for bait.

On the Sunday the wind came up and we decided to have a late start after such a successful previous day. After lunch we launched, and all fished together in the Snake Channel for Snapper. Danny, Joe Grech, and Julian managed to land some Snapper with Danny landing the best one at 3.44 kg.

On Monday an early start was the order of the day as we woke to find a windless day. After much discussion the previous night it was decided to fish the Welshpool, Rabbit Island area as we had heard of larger sharks being caught there. John Costa landed a gummy of 6.9 kg in the area. Joe Grech lost a big Seven gill Shark that was estimated at 50 kg plus. Joe Psaila went on his merry little way, bagging a good bag of Flathead on the drift.

Honors for the day were taken by Peter Mc Grath who bagged four Snapper and 6 Flathead for a total bag weight of 10.80 kg. All fish were taken in the Snake Channel. Joe Psailas bag of Flathead weighed in at 9.180 kg.

Special thanks go to Peter Mc Grath for towing John CostaŐs boat back to the ramp. Problems with the fuel pump made it a sour day for John. He is now known as the walking accident waiting to happen as his car would not start. A faulty solenoid was the problem. (John might have to spend some time on maintenance rather than fishing.

The long weekend catch comprised of the following, 1 Seven gill Shark, 9 Snapper, 6 Gummy Sharks, 54 Flathead, 1 Barracouta. Not a bad effort for 6 anglers . Total bag weight was 96.94 kg. It must be remembered that the target species were Sharks and Snapper, and the Flathead were a welcome by-catch. The lodge is in great shape and thanks go to the members for the regular maintenance work. After such a successful trip we are sure that a few more members will join us on our next trip in February.