Noted Japanese squid fishing expert and president of Gan Craft Australia, Mr Hiraiwa, is in Australia to compete in the Gan Craft Round of the Australian Egi Tournaments, to be held in Eden this weekend.
The brain child of Paul Carter, the Egi tournament will see an international field go up against locals and interstate competitors. The idea is to catch the three largest squid per day over the two-day tournament. An eventual winner crowned with the biggest bag on Sunday.
The competition boasts rounds in NSW and Victoria with the final to be held in Victoria in February. Gan Craft’s Mr Hiraiwa will be on hand to contest the round held under his company’s banner. As one of the most respected Egi tournament manufacturers in Japan, Gan Craft certainly has the equipment to give a strong showing. It is going to be very exciting to see how the international guests fare in Aussie waters.
All profits from the tournament will be donated to Beyond Blue to help tackle male depression. For more information go to www.australianegitournaments.com.au.
After the tournament, Mr Hiraiwa will be the guest of honour at an Egi seminar to be held at Lee Rayner’s Fishing Fever tackle shop in the Melbourne suburb of Mordialloc on Monday evening. Contact the friendly guys at Fishing Fever on 03 9590 9899 for more details if you fancy attending.
Lee will also interview Mr Hiraiwa for a short article on the latest Egi techniques in the February issue of Fisho. If you’re into your squid, make sure you check the article out as it will doubtless feature some cutting edge techniques.
Fishing World editor Jim Harnwell is hoping to host Mr Hiraiwa for some squid sessions in Jervis Bay early next year. All going to plan we should be able to produce some fantastic how-to vids for the website as a result. Stay tuned!
