Surf Casting and Angling Club of W.A. (Inc.) Emu Springs Fishing Field Day June 2003.

Flat ground tucked in behind the sand dunes, peppermint trees for a roof, the camping area for Emu Springs was first class. Fifteen members made the four hour trip south to sign on for the June long weekend field day. The weather was average for the start and unfortunately got no better for the rest of the weekend. The beach and reef combination looked very fishy on first inspection, the choices were many depending on target species, well that was the theory anyway. No real concern after the first fish less day, there was still a day and a half to go, plenty of time to fill the bag. Not so for this FDO. We fished and we fished but all I could muster for the weekend was a few under size tarwhine, which went back to grow a little more.

The Club owns an air conditioned holiday house at Kalbarri which is available for rent to the public and club members at competitive rates

I'm not saying that no fish were caught, but nineteen fish for fifteen fishers over two days is not a record in anybody's language. (Nightmare thought; if we let our fishing environment continue to decline as it has in recent times, maybe this is all we can expect of a fishing trip in the future.)

Of the fish that were caught, there were a few worthy of mention. Ian Cook landed two nice salmon and Ross Kember weighed a somewhat beaten up specimen. (Some would say that the poor fish was so far gone that it sought an early end to it all in the vicinity of Ross' line). The only other good fish to be landed was a fine 3.1 kilo tailor by George Holman caught just on sundown. The remainder of the weigh in amounted to a few tarwhine, whiting and two lonely herring.

A 6 kilo gummy shark should have put a smile on John Romano's face had he been able to weigh it in. His timing for a change of clothes however away from his rod was not the best as it was left to Spencer to bring the fish to shore. The only consolation would have been that the Gummy would have made excellent table fare. There were a couple of stories of good bust offs over the weekend, so maybe there were reasonable fish around, but getting them to bite was another story.

It's traditional on long weekend that everybody stops for a BBQ lunch on the Sunday. When the fishing is good stopping or a few hours and returning to camp takes a little determination but on this occasion, I think the interruption was welcomed. A hot meal, a cool drink, a bit of a snooze and back to the beach for the afternoon and evening session, unfortunately not for any startling results.

Although many hours were spent for not many fish, any trip away that does not entail flood or peril has got to be a good one. There is always the next trip to look forward to.

Hope to see you on the beach next time. Malcolm Harris, Field Day Officer.

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Caught on this field day were:- herring, tailor, tarwhine, gummy shark, banded sweep, whiting, salmon, seaweed (lots of !!) and high speed bracing fresh air straight off the Southern Ocean. The rabbits are on the list for next time.

Possession.

It's 9pm, the wind is howling, and the drizzle is coming in every half hour. Any sensible person would be correctly attired for such conditions. But no, our "little Johnny" was 40 metres away in the sandhills with his "shorts" down around his ankles when the call went out.

Like any good fishing pal, Spencer was looking after "little Johnny's" gear, when suddenly the rod went horizontal. Laying down his own gear, Spencer grabbed "little Johnny's" tackle, screaming for him to get his bum down to the beach. But no, "little Johnny" was changing into some warm clothing and took his time to return to the beach.

"Dis-Spence" was engaged in a gripping battle and succeeded in beaching a 6kg gummy shark, just as the "catwalk clother" emerged onto the beach and offered to lend a hand. Suddenly observing that his tackle was in someone else's hands, ownership rights were suggested.

Spencer, being a true gentleman, took one step back and handed the prize over to the true (?) owner. Packing up, they headed back to the camp to display said catch. Full recognition was awarded to Spencer for his outstanding act of humanity. Congratulations were handed out to "little John" for finally catching a decent sized fish.

But the Competition Rules say that "the member must ... cast the bait, .... hook and play the fish unaided", so a combined effort catch like this wasn't eligible to be weighed in for the field day. Bet it tasted great anyway.

"True Lies" at Emu Springs.

Women, once again a male calls on them to show grit and determination at his moment of glory, but the endeavours sometimes lack equality. 'Tis true, cos this is his story.

Spending countless hours fishing alongside each other with only limited success, our illustrious leader suddenly produced the goods. With a yell of jubilation at the sight of his capture dancing along the top of the briny, he battled doggedly to bring his prize to shore. A fair sized fish was rolling in the wash.

Although fully fitted out with warm clothing, wet weather gear and a beanie, sheer thoughts of her own safety were of no concern to our lovely Julie. Dropping her own fishing tackle, she raced to assist her man. Plunging headlong in to the surf, Julie endeavoured to get a firm grip on her man's tackle (especially the strong leader) so as to haul the magnificent catch to shore.

Now, we all know that any time a woman helps a man, we can be assured that the job will be done properly. Cross my heart, I know this is true, but only if the man's equipment is of a high standard.

With the screaming noise of "get it", get it" ringing in her ears, personal safety was forgotten and Julie was head down and bum up in the surf grappling with said catch. But alas, someone's tackle was not up to scratch and it parted, allowing said catch to return to the briny.

Staggering to shore, soaked to the skin, a look of utter disappointment on her dripping face, Julie turned to her beloved and dried herself quickly on the heat being generated by the look on "you know who's" face. No words were said. Utter silence, except for the sound of the wind and the surf. The breeze was icy.

Returning to camp, this episode was related to us all as we sat around the campfire and enjoyed a drink or three. No anger or contempt was displayed, consideration was applauded, commiseration was given, but the chairs were slightly apart. Estimates of the size of the fish were close by both parties, and if success had eventuated, the prize would have delighted one and all. The only discrepancy was that it could have been a tailor or a salmon - it was big and green.

As a group, we congratulated both of them on their endeavours and consideration was given to whether we would recognise their efforts as a combined "catch and release". Nah!

The Sequel.

Once again our gallant duo ventured on to the beach and we were there to observe the next capture, although lovely Julie had been banished to way up the beach.

With assistance from a real fisherman (George), our number one landed a good sized salmon, and the grip he had on it as he walked up the beach must have wrung its neck and stretched this fish just that bit more. The smile on his dial said it all.

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Results.

Angler		Weight	Species	Fish	Total Points
Ian Cook		6.05 kg	3	4	140.5
George Holman		4.1 kg	3	5	121
Ross Kember		2.77 kg	1	1	87.7
John Romano		0.525 kg	2	3	75.25
Vix Alexander		0.7 kg	2	4	67
Julie Kember		0.475 kg	2	2	64.75
Tony D'Alonzo		0 kg	0	0	50
Terry Fuller		0 kg	0	0	50
Bob Henderson		0 kg	0	0	50
Spencer King		0 kg	0	0	50
Peter Stoeckel		0 kg	0	0	50
Malcolm Harris		0 kg	0	0	40
Filomena D'Alonzo		0 kg	0	0	40
Morris Kolman		0 kg	0	0	40
Andrew Stoeckel		0 kg	0	0	40

Sportsperson of the Year Section Winners for June 2003.

Best Scale Fish	George Holman	Tailor	3.1 kg
Best Bag of Scale fish	Ian Cook	Mixed bag	6.05 kg

Field Day Prizes for June 2003.

Best Scale Fish	George Holman	Tailor	3.1 kg
Best Bag of Scale fish	Ian Cook	Mixed bag	6.05 kg

Field Day Top Ten for 2003/2004.

Field Day Sections for 2003/2004 up to June 2003.

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This page last updated 10 October 2003.

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