February 5th – Angling Competition

After six months of hits and misses, the hunt for the humble samson fish finally paid dividends for John Bech during the February 5 Angling Section competition.

Sambos were the target fish way back in September last year, and the $100 HSS bounty that goes with them has carried over ever since.

Several times the brutes of the sea were presented at weigh-in on a picture against a brag map or in “person”, but it came on days when the angler also won that month’s competition, so hence the carryover.

That all changed on Saturday when John and his wife Denise both landed the only sambos of the day – in a competition won by Chris Walkey with a bag of 57 points, including some plump sandies taken north of the Windmills.

Crook back and all, John’s fish weighed 4.7kg to pip Denise’s effort, with a fish taken on a floating mulie a few kilometres east of Rotto.

While the sambo prize had been hanging round for an eternity, there was no such delays for the February target fish, flathead.

Following hubbie Pat’s success in the January competition, the money kept rolling in to the Keenan-Smith’s coffers when Sue boated the winning lizard of the sea, a 0.75kg specimen taken in a sand patch off the Stragglers.

A fly in the wall of the cabin might report that Sue – after an early morning swim with crewmate Ray Wilson for blue mannas off North Coogee netted 14 crabs – was running out of steam, and suggested an early return to the ramp might be a good idea.

Well, that notion was torpedoed quickly as an amazingly rejuvenated Sue yelled “net” when a fish of some substance engaged in combat. Soon after, armed with the landing net, Pat swung the 0.75kg flattie over the side and on to the deck.

Chris won the comp from Ray and Joe Venter, with all anglers presenting mixed bags, generally of king george, skippy, sand whiting, herring and flathead.

Roy and Andree Martin, who maximised their day with a trip to Salmon Bay for a snorkel, added some lustre to the weigh-in with a nice dhufish and a plump break-sea cod, the heaviest taken so far this season.

The next competition is scheduled for March 5.