General News
13 November, 2024
Fun-filled event draws a massive crowd, despite stifling conditions
There was a big turnout and great participation at the North West Fishing Classic.
Smiling faces and a fair bit of sunburn were the common themes at this year’s North West Fishing Classic as a big crowd defied the stifling conditions to participate in the fun and games at Mount Isa’s Lake Moondarra.
You could probably throw in monster fish as a common theme, with some huge catches registered in the catch-and-release event.
More than 300 anglers took part in the Classic and they sent in more than 800 photos as they vied for some of the rich prizes on offer.
Mount Isa Fishing Stocking Group president Mick Scotney said he was “absolutely stoked” with the participation levels in the event, which was capped off with fireworks and a performance from Luke Geiger on Saturday night.
“The crowd out there was unbelievable; just the way that everyone come out and supported it,” he said.
“At one point I looked up around in the food court and there were hundreds of people in there trying to get food from all the vendors.
“Down behind the stage, there were heaps more people all laid out with mats and deck chairs, ready to watch the fireworks.
“It was just incredible.
“I’ve been a Mount Isa resident for nearly 42 years and they are the sort of events that everybody remembers Mount Isa for.
“Pretty casual, people having a good time, music playing, you know, all that kind of stuff, just a great atmosphere.”
Mr Scotney said the support of the Mount Isa business community helped make the event.
“We had an incredible amount of support,” he said.
“We had tens of thousands of dollars worth of sponsorship. Not only that, we did a count up and of all the volunteers we had, only three or four of them were not sponsors.
“So they not only gave us some great financial support, but gave us their time and effort, which was just as valuable.”
The president said the extreme heat was unfortunate and praised the community for making the effort in what were oppressive conditions.
“We normally hold the event in the last two weeks of October but this year we were told it might clash with other events so we decided to push it back,” he said.
“That was probably a mistake in hindsight and it’s fair to say that we’ll be shifting it back to October next year because it was too hot at times on Saturday.”
FISHING WINNERS
TEENAGER Cooper Armstrong was named champion junior angler for the second year in a row.
The 14-year-old was grinning from ear-to-ear when she collected her swag of prizes.
“I can’t believe it; it’s probably too good to be true,” she told North West Weekly.
“I usually go out with my pop, who taught me.”
Cooper said she mostly fished at Lake Moondarra or the East Leichhardt dam, using a combination of hand lines and fishing rods.
Tristan Wood was crowned the champion senior angler and said he did most of his fishing at Lake Moondarra, although did make a trip to Lake Julius for one day.
“It wasn’t very good fishing for me there, so I did one day there and four days here,” he said.
“That’s all I could get in, unfortunately, due to work.”
The South African product, who has lived in Mount Isa for the past seven years, said while conditions were stifling, he’d experienced it worse while fishing in Zimbabwe
“I’ve fished in 55-degree weather and that was killer. When it’s two o’clock in the morning and you’re sweating like I am now, it’s not fun,” he said.
Taking a week off work proved to be the ticket to success for keen angler Aubrey Cormack, who won $3000 for the biggest catfish of the North West Fishing Classic.
The 105cm catfish, caught at Lake Julius was so fat that it didn’t fit on the brag mat.
Check out the North West Weekly Facebook page for more photos from Saturday.
NORTH WEST FISHING CLASSIC HONOUR BOARD
JUNIORS
Archerfish
1st: Toby Cox
2nd: Faith Patrick
3rd: Alarah Law
Barramundi
1st: Fatasiga Karena
2nd: Fernando Perez
Catfish
1st: Presley Perez
2nd: Corbin Page
3rd: Ajay Cox
Grunter
1st: Archie Smith
2nd: Lorick Soudan
3rd: Ruben Condren
Longtom
1st: Fatasiga Karena
2nd: Joshua Oliver
3rd: Cooper Armstrong
Sleepy cod
1st: Tully Barry
2nd: Fatasiga Karena
3rd: Bobby Emmett
Champion Junior Angler
Cooper Armstrong
SENIORS
Archerfish
1st: Nick Thinee
2nd: Tristan Wood
3rd: Callum Barr
Barramundi
1st: Paul Gofton
2nd: Tristan Wood
3rd: Nick Thinee
Catfish
1st: Aubrey Cormack
2nd: Farron Rogers
3rd Cassandra Loizou
Grunter
1st: Jennifer Kum-Sing
2nd: Darryl Avery
3rd: Morgan Green
Longtom
1st: Dale Woodhouse
2nd: Darryl Avery
3rd: Daniel Evans
Sleepy cod
1st: Jennifer Kum-Sing
2nd: Dustin Willetts
3rd: Dale Woodhouse
Champion Senior Angler
Tristan Wood