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Winning team, Kraken. Photo supplied: Ashley Moore
Contributed with thanks to Ashley Moore.
The Airlie Beach Tackle World Whitsunday Game Fish Club Light Tackle Tournament delivered four days of action on and off the water, from the thrill of the chase to celebrations at the clubhouse.
A fleet of 35 boats carrying 131 anglers tagged and released 247 fish over three days of competition in fair 10–15 knot north-westerly conditions.
The fun began on Friday night with a meet and greet, briefing and a lively Calcutta, before the boats roared off for Saturday’s 7am sail past. What a spectacular sight as the fleet headed out for the 8am start.
It took just 20 minutes for the first black marlin to be tagged, and the action kept coming. Day one saw 21 marlin, 12 sailfish, 62 tuna, one wahoo and eight mackerel tagged and released.
The pace slowed a little over the next two days, but the final tally was still impressive, with 38 black marlin, 24 sailfish, 161 tuna, 19 mackerel, two wahoo and three barracuda swimming away wearing their new research tags.
The weekend also delivered two Queensland record-breaking catches, with Benson Smith’s sailfish setting a new small fry record on 10kg line and Reid Bitcon’s black marlin setting a new junior record on 10kg line.
Kraken claimed Champion Team Overall, with Kim Connell taking Champion Female Angler and Jake Andrews winning Champion Male Angler, both aboard the winning boat.
Jasnin Smith was named Champion Junior Female, Reid Bitcon took Champion Junior Male, and a very happy Tyden Mau earned Champion Smallfry.
There were plenty of other prizes, including a beautiful gold marlin pendant awarded to Kraken skipper Justin Andrews.
Presentation night was huge, with a tasty meal, an amazing array of prizes, cash and raffles, and a clubhouse full of anglers and friends swapping stories and celebrating each other’s achievements.
It was a fitting finish to a fantastic tournament, with one angler travelling from Spain for the second year running and another flying in from Perth.
Thanks to a dedicated committee and generous sponsors, the tournament was again a great success, leaving anglers already looking forward to doing it all again in 2027.
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