Our biggest comp of the year....... and it is always a great turn out - even when we have a year where the weather is not very nice to us. Well this happened to be one of those years but plenty of the seasoned fishos braved the poor weather to compete for their respective teams and after all, it is just bloody water -just ask our weigh masters Colin Mulholland and Pete McMullen who stood there in the rain to weigh all the fish!
With no Rob Mace helping out the pub point score this year, it was the perfect opportunity for the Tooli Hounds to snatch back a win. Numbers were down for the pub crew and word was out that they had to round up several sub juniors just to notch up the 10 bags needed to be competitive. The Tooli Hounds were off to a great start with the McInnes's and Wilson's bagging over 150 fish! The pub was not going to go down without a fight and the two Cronin boats put in plenty of time over friday night and all day saturday to chalk up about the same. It was clear it was all going to come down to what happened on Sunday morning. After plenty of persuading, Mitch Cronin finally got convinced both pub crews to head back out wide into the rain, wind and sloppy southerly swell to chase some dolphin fish. It was a risky move but it paid off big time with the two boats bringing home 40 dolphin fish and tipping the scales in the pub direction to win the the comp! The weight was the big factor in the 2,0888pts vs 1,513pts win, remarkably the difference in numbers of total fish for each side was just 16! (228 vs 212).
The overall winner of the comp was Mitch Cronin with 54 fish for 532.5pts. The runner up was Jason Stalgis also with 54 fish but 469pts. Best bag for the Tooli Hounds was Mitch McInnes with 40 fish for 273.2pts.
With plenty of rain on the sunday, we didn't get many turn up for the fish auction but luckily the catches of dolphin fish were popular so we still managed to sell off $720 worth of fish. Mr & Mrs Wishart generously donated $500 to the cause so the day was a great success for the asthma foundation. Thanks also go out to the local businesses that donated prizes on the day - Mountain Ridge wines, Crooked River wines, A Taste of Asia, First National Real Estate, Siang Bali Shop, Gerringong Bowlo,Coco Chai and Noys Thia - just to mention a few!
A great day was had by all and club members had quite a few beers with all of Derek's mates - we are all looking forward to next year already! Thanks to all who pitched in to give a hand.
Tuesday, 8 April 2014
Presentation Night for all the 2013 Champions
I won't go into too much detail as just about everyone attended and a picture is worth a thousand words - so they tell me!
March Comp Results
We had a great turn out for the March comp with a total of 16 people weighing in their catches on the Sunday. The catch of the day went to one on the kids again with young Hayden Ward showing up all the oldies with a beaut 3.3kg Snapper. Nice fish mate!
Rod McDonald took out the deep sea mens with section with 50.75pts. Belinda McInnes raised the bar somewhat for the ladies by weighing a 50kg marlin for a sweet 501pts. I bet you can all guess who won the sub-juniors with 34pts - Hayden you will have to get your mum and dad a bigger oven if you keep catching snapper like that! Runner up was Tom Cronin with 5 Flathead he caught in grand dads boat.
Randall Pring took home the prize in the mens beach & rock - lucky he caught macey snoozing! Rhonda out fished Randall and won the ladies. Then Henry out fished both of them to win the juniors with 18 fish! Now down to the sub juniors where the youngest of the prings has the toughest of competition. Wes tried very hard with 9 fish for 39.8pts but was no match for Mitchell Cartwright with a great catch of 26 fish and 90.2pts!
In the estuary section, Nikki Stephens took out the ladies with 3 fish for 14pts and daughter Lori took a leaf out of her mums book and showed her brother how to catch fish, taking the win in the subjuniors with 2 fish for 9.5pts.
At the presentation for the comp, the prize for the fish of the month in February - Snapper was also awarded. Thanks to the Pring Family, who donated a $50 cash prize, the winner Hayden Mulholland was very happy to take home the money with a 0.460kg snapper he had weighed in at the February Comp.
Also worth mentioning was a very nice Dolphin Fish that was added to the board this month. Jack Cronin bagged a hefty 11.8kg dollie while targeting Marlin. Very nice catch indeed.
Randall Pring took home the prize in the mens beach & rock - lucky he caught macey snoozing! Rhonda out fished Randall and won the ladies. Then Henry out fished both of them to win the juniors with 18 fish! Now down to the sub juniors where the youngest of the prings has the toughest of competition. Wes tried very hard with 9 fish for 39.8pts but was no match for Mitchell Cartwright with a great catch of 26 fish and 90.2pts!
In the estuary section, Nikki Stephens took out the ladies with 3 fish for 14pts and daughter Lori took a leaf out of her mums book and showed her brother how to catch fish, taking the win in the subjuniors with 2 fish for 9.5pts.
At the presentation for the comp, the prize for the fish of the month in February - Snapper was also awarded. Thanks to the Pring Family, who donated a $50 cash prize, the winner Hayden Mulholland was very happy to take home the money with a 0.460kg snapper he had weighed in at the February Comp.
Also worth mentioning was a very nice Dolphin Fish that was added to the board this month. Jack Cronin bagged a hefty 11.8kg dollie while targeting Marlin. Very nice catch indeed.
Sunday, 2 March 2014
Offshore Conditions Analysis by Aquatica Research
With plenty of Marlin on the bite at present and Tuna season just around the corner, it just seemed like the ideal time to take a look at the new offshore conditions reports that are now available to subscribers through Aquatica Research.
Technology just gets better and better and why waste 100's of litres of fuel driving around looking for fish and/or schools of bait when Tom can help you out with some coordinates. Get right to the area where there may a change of water temp or some other variable and start fishing!
Aquatica Research is based in Sydney and was created out of an observable need for the recreational fishing sector to have access to the most comprehensive data available to take our knowledge of fish biology and ecology into the future. Aquatica Research analyses a wide range of atmospheric and marine variables, tracking the movements of these conditions whilst overlaying detailed knowledge of marine species targeted by recreational anglers in response to these conditions.
Who is Aquatica Research?
My name is Tom Boyd and I studied Marine Science, majoring in Biology. I spent the majority of my studies in the oceanographic/atmospheric sciences and hence the direction into fisheries oceanography.
Before this I spent a number of years studying in the Aquaculture sector and especially hatchery, technologies for new and developing species optimising water quality parameters for large-scale culture.
First started fishing at the age of 10, so that is now 18 years I have been wetting a line. Time flies when you are having fun.
To have a look at the website click here .....Seriously, for $20 per month with no lock in contracts, you would be mad not to have a look if you are planning on chasing Tuna this season.
Technology just gets better and better and why waste 100's of litres of fuel driving around looking for fish and/or schools of bait when Tom can help you out with some coordinates. Get right to the area where there may a change of water temp or some other variable and start fishing!
Aquatica Research is based in Sydney and was created out of an observable need for the recreational fishing sector to have access to the most comprehensive data available to take our knowledge of fish biology and ecology into the future. Aquatica Research analyses a wide range of atmospheric and marine variables, tracking the movements of these conditions whilst overlaying detailed knowledge of marine species targeted by recreational anglers in response to these conditions.
Who is Aquatica Research?
My name is Tom Boyd and I studied Marine Science, majoring in Biology. I spent the majority of my studies in the oceanographic/atmospheric sciences and hence the direction into fisheries oceanography. Before this I spent a number of years studying in the Aquaculture sector and especially hatchery, technologies for new and developing species optimising water quality parameters for large-scale culture.
First started fishing at the age of 10, so that is now 18 years I have been wetting a line. Time flies when you are having fun.
To have a look at the website click here .....Seriously, for $20 per month with no lock in contracts, you would be mad not to have a look if you are planning on chasing Tuna this season.
Saturday, 1 March 2014
Upcoming events
There's plenty ahead on the calendar over the next month. Here's a quick run down on what lies ahead;
Tuesday 4th March - GHFC Monthly Meeting
Our monthly meetings are held at 7:30pm on the first Tuesday of each month in the front bar at Cronin's Hotel. We welcome all, including any new members. It is a good opportunity to find out what is on the bite but more importantly, to have your say and contribute to ensure the club events are enjoyable for everyone.
The objects of the club are as follows:
Our presentation for all of the winners from 2013 will be held in the function room at the Fisho's on Friday the 28th March starting from around 6pm if you are having dinner. Everyone is ordering their own dinners and we have tables set up in the function room so we can all get together. The presentation will start around 7:30pm with lots of trophies and prizes to be handed out followed by some music and a bit of fun. Tickets are $5 per adult and kids are free. Money raised will be used to cover the cost of the venue and help with paying for a few lucky door prizes.
Tuesday 4th March - GHFC Monthly Meeting
Our monthly meetings are held at 7:30pm on the first Tuesday of each month in the front bar at Cronin's Hotel. We welcome all, including any new members. It is a good opportunity to find out what is on the bite but more importantly, to have your say and contribute to ensure the club events are enjoyable for everyone.
The objects of the club are as follows:
a) To further the interests of anglers in the district.
b) To arrange and control competitions among the members of the club.
c) Any other activity as approved by the majority of members.
Friday 7th, Saturday 8th & Sunday 9th March - The March Monthly Comp
The competition starts at 5pm on the Friday afternoon and run through to Sunday with a weigh in at 2pm sharp at Cronin's Hotel. There will be a sausage sizzle at the weigh in. See you there!
Saturday 15th & Sunday 16th March - South Coast Deep Sea Comp
This competition will be hosted by the Berry Fishing Club this year. The check out for the competition is at 2pm of the saturday afternoon at either Worrigee Sports Club or The Oaks Hotel Albion Park Rail and then lines down at 3pm. The next day is lines up at 10am with a weigh in at 12 noon at Berry Bowling Club. Plenty of great prizes and team events so we will be looking for members to represent the club.
Saturday 22nd & Sunday 23rd March - Alternate SCFCA Deep Sea date
If the Deep Sea comp (15/16th) is postponed die to unfavourable conditions, the alternate date is this weekend. The SCFCA will usually make a decision by 10 or 11am on the Saturday. If the bureau issues a "small craft advisory" warning on either the south coast or illawarra, the comp will most likely be called off.
Friday 28th March - Annual Presentation Night - Gerroa Fisherman's Club
Our presentation for all of the winners from 2013 will be held in the function room at the Fisho's on Friday the 28th March starting from around 6pm if you are having dinner. Everyone is ordering their own dinners and we have tables set up in the function room so we can all get together. The presentation will start around 7:30pm with lots of trophies and prizes to be handed out followed by some music and a bit of fun. Tickets are $5 per adult and kids are free. Money raised will be used to cover the cost of the venue and help with paying for a few lucky door prizes.
Next Month is the annual Derek Wishart comp - our biggest comp of the year.
Thursday, 27 February 2014
Collecting bait locally
Nippers - You may take up to 100 in total. They can be found on the sandflats in Crooked River with a bait pump. The best spot is just upstream of the car bridge.
Poddy Mullet - These small mullet are great live baits for Flathead over the summer period and you may take up to 20 provided they are under 15cms. Most people use a poddy mullet trap with some bread inside but they can also be caught by line with a tiny hook and some dough or fresh bread.
Whitebait - Keep an eye out for birds or fish pushing the bait up close to the waters edge. The whitebait pictured were collected off the sand at Gerroa last night after Tailor had pushed them up onto dry land just before dark. A bag limit of 50 applies to all bait fish - see fisheries for a full list.
Prawns - Both Werri Lagoon and Crooked River are a great source of prawns and they typically come on around October each year and tend to be hard to find after about March. The limit for prawns is 10 litres - which is a pretty good catch in this area! Great bream bait.
Beach worms - Seven Mile Beach is by far the best and about half way down at Berry Beach seems to be were they are the thickest. Beach worming is an art form but with plenty of practice (and patience) you will soon be good enough to catch a few. There are several club members who are quite proficient so just ask around and somebody will show you how to extract them! Bag limit is 20 and don't break them because they count each piece as one worm!
Cunjevoi - This is a great bait that can be collected at low tide from rock platforms but be very careful to keep an eye on the waves and make sure the kids are well back from the edge - preferably on dry rocks, on a falling tide or well away from the waters edge. There are areas that are safer than others so just use some common sense! Bag limit of 20 and great bait for Drummer. My favorite spot is North Werri.
Squid - These tasty little cephalopods can be caught by rod and reel using a squid jig. The bag limit is 20 and they are great bait for those chasing Jewfish or Kingfish. Boat Harbour is a great spot to start and they are more prolific around dusk and dawn. Great eating too.
Crabs - Crabs are great bait for Groper and many other species that can be caught from the beach and rocks. The bag limit is 10 and they are usually caught by hand - watch those claws! Once again, always use caution when on ocean rock platforms, they are rarely a good place for young children to be unless they are well supervised by somebody who know the area and conditions well.
Fresh bait will nearly always catch you more fish than buying frozen bait from the service station, especially if you keep it live (ie: prawns, nippers and poddy's).
Get out there and have some fun - if you catch a few fish, it's a bonus! For a full list of bag and size limits click here
Monday, 17 February 2014
Gerringong Sub-Juniors Win Again!
The South Coast Fishing Clubs Association held the annual Beach Comp on the 15th & 16th of February and this year it was hosted at the Lakeview Hotel. Our club had 7 competitors on the day with 4 of these being the sub-junior team made up of siblings Tom & Hannah Cronin and Lori & Eddie Stalgis. They had big boots to fill considering Gerringong had won champion Junior team the two years prior. The fishing turned out the be pretty tough with plenty of drizzly rain and some very cold water moving in. After about 5 or 6 hours of fishing at Gerroa on the Saturday, nobody had a fish to weigh - the only ones to bite were a couple of small stingrays! The kids were not giving up that easy and Tom Cronin was out of bed at the crack of dawn on Sunday morning and didn't waste any time starting to get a few fish in the esky. With news of a few fish coming in the rest of the kids assembled on the beach in no time and started catching the Mullet left, right and centre. Off to the weigh in they went and Tom Cronin's early start certainly paid off with him Winning the Champion Sub-junior prize with 169.68pts. Lori and Eddie both tied for runner up with 140.9pts each. Hannah Cronin took out the prize for the biggest Mullet with a 0.450kg whopper! The scores were tallied up and the winning Junior team announced "Gerringong Juniors" so congratulations kids - all those hours paid off! Great result - now 3 years running. They are all already looking forward to next year!
Tuesday, 4 February 2014
Annual General Meeting
The Gerringong Hotel Fishing Club Annual General Meeting was held on the 4th February 2014. The newly elected office bearers are listed below;
President - John Sultana
Vice President - Terry Cronin
Secretary - Randall Pring
Treasurer - Darren Wall
Recorder - Nicole Stephens
Publicity Officer - Jason Stalgis
Weigh Master - Colin Mulholland
Assistant Weigh Master - Peter McMullen
Delegates - Terry Cronin, Bruce Ray, Jason Stalgis
Public Officer - Roy Brooks
Thank you to all those who attended the meeting. Our next competition is on this weekend with the weigh in at 2pm at Cronin's Hotel.
President - John Sultana
Vice President - Terry Cronin
Secretary - Randall Pring
Treasurer - Darren Wall
Recorder - Nicole Stephens
Publicity Officer - Jason Stalgis
Weigh Master - Colin Mulholland
Assistant Weigh Master - Peter McMullen
Delegates - Terry Cronin, Bruce Ray, Jason Stalgis
Public Officer - Roy Brooks
Thank you to all those who attended the meeting. Our next competition is on this weekend with the weigh in at 2pm at Cronin's Hotel.
Tuesday, 28 January 2014
Pub vs Club Comp - This Saturday!
The annual Pub vs Club competition will be held this Saturday the 1st February at the Gerringong Bowling Club so dust off the fishing gear and get out there! The weather looks like it is going to be a top day for Saturday with very little wind until later in the afternoon. The weigh in will be at the back of the bowling club at 2pm and a late lunch will follow. It is always a good feed and a great chance to catch up with the bowlo members for a few fishing yarns! See you there....
Tuesday, 7 January 2014
The Invitational Shoalhaven Heads Classic
This coming weekend the Shoalhaven Heads Bowling and Recreation Club will host the annual Invitational comp and the good news is - we have been invited back again. The comp starts at 6am on Friday the 10th January and the weigh in is on Sunday at 11:30am at the rear of the club. Entry for kids is free and it is $10 an adult to cover the costs of the BBQ lunch.
Comp rules allow fishing between Kiama and Jervis Bay and the bag/size limits are the same as fisheries except for Salmon - only one fish can be weighed and it must be over 55cms. Junior prizes include good quality rod, reel and tackle box combos and the adult prizes are $100 cash each. The are also plenty more encouragement prizes, mystery fish prize, lucky door prize and many other random prizes for those who haven't won one! There will also be prawn, meat and wine raffles on the day too.
It's always a great comp - hope to see you all there!
Comp rules allow fishing between Kiama and Jervis Bay and the bag/size limits are the same as fisheries except for Salmon - only one fish can be weighed and it must be over 55cms. Junior prizes include good quality rod, reel and tackle box combos and the adult prizes are $100 cash each. The are also plenty more encouragement prizes, mystery fish prize, lucky door prize and many other random prizes for those who haven't won one! There will also be prawn, meat and wine raffles on the day too.
It's always a great comp - hope to see you all there!
Monday, 6 January 2014
January Comp - Captain Christie weigh in
The January comp was held last weekend but unfortunately we only had a handful of people catch fish. The kids did better than the adults with a total of 30 fish weighed in. Eddie Stalgis had a good bag of mullet and won the sub juniors beach and rock section. It was then a close one with Tom Cronin and Lori Stalgis both weighing in 5 fish each. The runner up went to Lori with a slightly heavier catch. Nice work Kids!
Now for Men and a total of nine flathead all up, with Paul Cronin just beating his father Terry with a monster 1.525kg sand flathead.
The weigh in was at the Gerringong surf club in line with the presentation for all the champions who did the big ocean swim from boat harbour around to werri, into a good nor-easter too! As usual, we donated all of the fish to the surf club and with some good auctioneering from Cambo we were able to sell off several bags of fresh fish and donate $257 to the surf club. It was probably the quietest one we have ever had for this comp so hopefully we will make up for it next year with a big catch! Thanks to all that helped on the day.
Next meeting is on the 7th January at cronins pub. Hope see you there 7:30pm. Cheers!
Now for Men and a total of nine flathead all up, with Paul Cronin just beating his father Terry with a monster 1.525kg sand flathead.
The weigh in was at the Gerringong surf club in line with the presentation for all the champions who did the big ocean swim from boat harbour around to werri, into a good nor-easter too! As usual, we donated all of the fish to the surf club and with some good auctioneering from Cambo we were able to sell off several bags of fresh fish and donate $257 to the surf club. It was probably the quietest one we have ever had for this comp so hopefully we will make up for it next year with a big catch! Thanks to all that helped on the day.
Next meeting is on the 7th January at cronins pub. Hope see you there 7:30pm. Cheers!
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