THE fifth annual Pirtek Fishing Challenge was held on Sunday, 24 March and attracted 7500 anglers from all over Australia. 6am to 6pm.
The Challenge is a catch and release tournament staged from 6am to 6pm in which period anglers photograph their catch of the day and upload photos for judging. This year there were 20 target species spread across the nation and seven prizes up for grabs for each target species – a total of 140 prizes.
The longest measured fish were up for a share of $145,000 in cash and prizes. Pirtek Fluid Systems injected $70,000 cash ($4,000 and $2000 for mystery length fish) and Berkley, Lowrance, Roman Camping, BCF and BLA supplied prize packs for first, second, third, fourth and junior prizes.
The On The Water prize draw saw six lucky winners take home a swag of prizes, including a 75hp Evinrude E-TEC outboard engine valued at $13,000; Ocean Kayak Prowler with fish finder, paddle and vest valued at $4400; Lowrance HDS-8m Chartplotter valued at $2299; Roman Camping prize pack valued at $2004; $2000 Berkley Fishing Pack; and $1800 gift voucher from BCF.
Winners were announced on Saturday 30 March via www.pirtekfishingchallenge.com.au.
1st Senior NSW (flathead) – Edward Nicholson
Michael Guest, director of the event commented, “There were some terrific catches this year with many of the categories separated by millimetres or count-back. Our sincere thanks go to Pirtek and associate sponsors for once again supporting this great event.”
Weather conditions were contrasting on the day. Lashing rain and storms in South Australia, Victoria and Tasmania made for tough fishing conditions; while the rest of Australia seemed to fare much better. Once again family teams had a lot of success winning senior and junior divisions in some of the target species.
2nd Senior QLD (barramundi) – Trevor Nye
Pirtek Fluid Systems Group General Manager, Stephen Dutton has been excited by the company’s involvement in an event that encompasses so much of the community. He commented, “We were delighted to see a record number of anglers out on the water this year.”
“100% of the every registration fee goes directly to PCFA to further support research and awareness programs. Pirtek and our franchisees would like to thank everyone who participated and are looking forward to hosting the Challenge in 2014.”
The Grills Family – 1st Best family photo
