Western Australia 18th & 19th September
Mon Sep 20, 2010 6:51 am
The weekend activities saw a substantial change of location with me travelling over to Western Australia to meet up with our members over there and to assist Chas Riegert in promoting the sport of leader casting as well as helping those wanting to improve there overall fishing skills through learning to cast better.
The flight over to the west saw me getting in at 10.30 pm and being picked up by Chas and his good lady, this was very much appreciated as waiting at airports isn’t the most exciting thing to do.
After getting to Chas’s and having the obligatory cuppa we hit the sack with anticipation of looking at the city of Perth and the beaches that are on offer to fishermen. To say that I was envious of the options available right on the city’s door steps would be a monumental understatement and it made up my mind that this wont be the last time that I visit W.A.
(My host for the weekend and our current Vice president Chas ‘- doing a top job promoting the ASF in the West)
The beach formations along the coast are very impressive with close in reef structures that make available a huge range of fish during the various times of year with Mulloway, Salmon , Tailor, Whiting and herring being readily accessible and the prospects of also picking up good sized sharks during the night also make this a suburban anglers dream come true.
(Close in reef structure - natural fish attracting locations)
(The massive expanse of beach front looking towards the city)
It was unfortunate that I didn’t get the opportunity to try out the beaches as we had agreed to meet up with a few of the people on the Saturday afternoon for a practice session and to have a look at the field that Chas has secured for the clubs use on its casting days. The field is a well maintained polo club ground with trees ringing the whole complex and making for a relaxed place to hold the various comps and clinics.
Field proximity to the Perth airport was very evident with the number of jets flying overhead throughout the day which made it a little difficult to hold a conversation but then you can’t get everything.
On the Saturday I had the pleasure of meeting up with Keith Heaney, a young caster from the west with the nickname of “Stretch” and as you will see it’s very appropriate.
Keith is only a newcomer to the sport of leader casting but shows massive potential especially with his size and speed show in his casting. It was interesting to see Keith using the Alvey sidecast and what interested me most was his preference to use the smaller 4” & 5” models as opposed to the larger models seen on the beaches in Queensland.
(Keith and his Sidecast outfits with Chas Saturday)
(How to make a bloke feel short, and Keith wasn’t even wearing shoes)
Conditions on both days were excellent in that it wasn’t raining and we didn’t have to wear gum boots or waders.
The turn up for Sunday was only modest but it was great to see both the wives and young kids getting into it. Special mention must be given to young Owen who at 6 years old is the youngest member and who hit an excellent 50+ meters with his spinning outfit. A new PB for the lad and very impressive achievement.
(Our next generation of top line fishermen and casters in the making.)
(Owen Showing his style - Fantastic effort for the young gun.)
Another top performer was young Wendy who with a little bit of help was sending a variety of leads a very impressive distance and now that she has the confidence we should be seeing bigger and better things in the very near future.
(Wendy belting one down field – Line is The Ultima Distance with Powerflex leader)
Wendy had originally only decided to come down to enjoy a day in the park sitting in the sun and sharing in the companionship that goes with these events. With a bit of encouragement and being matched up with an outfit that suited her she was soon realising that it’s very satisfying getting involved.
The rod is a UK style Bass rod with a rating up to 5 oz but better suited to the 50 to 100 gram range to get the most from it as well as being better suited to lure use as well.
Her husband Mark will have to watch out soon or he might find more of his tackle being taken over when they are headed down to the coast. Both Mark and Wendy are into using lures from the beach and the light class rods are ideal for this application.
(Mark belting one out with the famous Sea Martin reel)
We also had another very accomplished lady caster sending the leads down field with Marcia Pekaar using a more traditional AAA style to get the lead down court.
(Marcia sending the lead down court – Note the low mount setting for the Threadline which is favoured by a lot of W.A anglers)
Marcia has a background in AAA dry casting and has been doing excellently, the transition to the leader casting and pendulum is still to come but with her capabilities it won’t be long before we see bigger and better distances being recorded.
It was also very much appreciated that Marcia took the time to make a brilliant Tuna slice which she has also kindly forwarded the recipe over to me as well as a number of the others there.
It was also great to meet up with Scott and Peter and more importantly it was fantastic to see Scott come away with three new PB’s for the afternoon.
I will make sure that the next time I am over I will make the time to get out and tackle some of the rock fishing that is on offer, the prospect of a big fish from the stones is reason enough top head back over soon.
(Scott and Peter up field tagging there cast)
The whole day was a very relaxed and enjoyable affair with nobody getting worried about anything other than enjoying themselves.
(The wise men of the Tribe)
Result details courtesy of Chas - Top effort and a well run event where everyone enjoyed the day to the full.
(Full Results for the Sunday’s activity)
As a wrap up I would like to pass on a big Thank you to Chas and Annella for putting up with the crazy Mexican and for organising a top day out with a great group of people .
(Chas and the Better half at the excellent Italian Restaurant we ate at – This alone is worth going to W.A for)
Video footage to follow once I have processed it.
The flight over to the west saw me getting in at 10.30 pm and being picked up by Chas and his good lady, this was very much appreciated as waiting at airports isn’t the most exciting thing to do.
After getting to Chas’s and having the obligatory cuppa we hit the sack with anticipation of looking at the city of Perth and the beaches that are on offer to fishermen. To say that I was envious of the options available right on the city’s door steps would be a monumental understatement and it made up my mind that this wont be the last time that I visit W.A.
(My host for the weekend and our current Vice president Chas ‘- doing a top job promoting the ASF in the West)
The beach formations along the coast are very impressive with close in reef structures that make available a huge range of fish during the various times of year with Mulloway, Salmon , Tailor, Whiting and herring being readily accessible and the prospects of also picking up good sized sharks during the night also make this a suburban anglers dream come true.
(Close in reef structure - natural fish attracting locations)
(The massive expanse of beach front looking towards the city)
It was unfortunate that I didn’t get the opportunity to try out the beaches as we had agreed to meet up with a few of the people on the Saturday afternoon for a practice session and to have a look at the field that Chas has secured for the clubs use on its casting days. The field is a well maintained polo club ground with trees ringing the whole complex and making for a relaxed place to hold the various comps and clinics.
Field proximity to the Perth airport was very evident with the number of jets flying overhead throughout the day which made it a little difficult to hold a conversation but then you can’t get everything.
On the Saturday I had the pleasure of meeting up with Keith Heaney, a young caster from the west with the nickname of “Stretch” and as you will see it’s very appropriate.
Keith is only a newcomer to the sport of leader casting but shows massive potential especially with his size and speed show in his casting. It was interesting to see Keith using the Alvey sidecast and what interested me most was his preference to use the smaller 4” & 5” models as opposed to the larger models seen on the beaches in Queensland.
(Keith and his Sidecast outfits with Chas Saturday)
(How to make a bloke feel short, and Keith wasn’t even wearing shoes)
Conditions on both days were excellent in that it wasn’t raining and we didn’t have to wear gum boots or waders.
The turn up for Sunday was only modest but it was great to see both the wives and young kids getting into it. Special mention must be given to young Owen who at 6 years old is the youngest member and who hit an excellent 50+ meters with his spinning outfit. A new PB for the lad and very impressive achievement.
(Our next generation of top line fishermen and casters in the making.)
(Owen Showing his style - Fantastic effort for the young gun.)
Another top performer was young Wendy who with a little bit of help was sending a variety of leads a very impressive distance and now that she has the confidence we should be seeing bigger and better things in the very near future.
(Wendy belting one down field – Line is The Ultima Distance with Powerflex leader)
Wendy had originally only decided to come down to enjoy a day in the park sitting in the sun and sharing in the companionship that goes with these events. With a bit of encouragement and being matched up with an outfit that suited her she was soon realising that it’s very satisfying getting involved.
The rod is a UK style Bass rod with a rating up to 5 oz but better suited to the 50 to 100 gram range to get the most from it as well as being better suited to lure use as well.
Her husband Mark will have to watch out soon or he might find more of his tackle being taken over when they are headed down to the coast. Both Mark and Wendy are into using lures from the beach and the light class rods are ideal for this application.
(Mark belting one out with the famous Sea Martin reel)
We also had another very accomplished lady caster sending the leads down field with Marcia Pekaar using a more traditional AAA style to get the lead down court.
(Marcia sending the lead down court – Note the low mount setting for the Threadline which is favoured by a lot of W.A anglers)
Marcia has a background in AAA dry casting and has been doing excellently, the transition to the leader casting and pendulum is still to come but with her capabilities it won’t be long before we see bigger and better distances being recorded.
It was also very much appreciated that Marcia took the time to make a brilliant Tuna slice which she has also kindly forwarded the recipe over to me as well as a number of the others there.
It was also great to meet up with Scott and Peter and more importantly it was fantastic to see Scott come away with three new PB’s for the afternoon.
I will make sure that the next time I am over I will make the time to get out and tackle some of the rock fishing that is on offer, the prospect of a big fish from the stones is reason enough top head back over soon.
(Scott and Peter up field tagging there cast)
The whole day was a very relaxed and enjoyable affair with nobody getting worried about anything other than enjoying themselves.
(The wise men of the Tribe)
Result details courtesy of Chas - Top effort and a well run event where everyone enjoyed the day to the full.
(Full Results for the Sunday’s activity)
As a wrap up I would like to pass on a big Thank you to Chas and Annella for putting up with the crazy Mexican and for organising a top day out with a great group of people .
(Chas and the Better half at the excellent Italian Restaurant we ate at – This alone is worth going to W.A for)
Video footage to follow once I have processed it.