G’day fishos.
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What’s your take on fishing comps?
The other positive could be that you'll win a prize or two. Who knows, someone’s gotta win and if you’ve got a line in you’ve got a chance.
- Russell Mason
Some people love ‘em and some people hate ‘em.
So, what are the positives and what are the negatives.
From what I hear in the shop all the time, a lot of the against camp avoid comps simply because they don’t want to fish with the big numbers of fishos they attract.
They also don’t like the fact you have to work to the competition’s timetable and I can understand that.
It is pretty simple in that case, you just don’t enter. One of the other big complaints from comp haters is that heaps of fish are killed.
In some cases that can be right but in lots of cases, depending on where the comp is being run, these are “put and take” fisheries, where the fish were originally released so that people could one day catch them.
On top of that a lot of comps are “catch and release” anyway.
You catch your fish, weigh, measure and photograph or get it back to an official to do that, then release it.
Sure, the odd fish might die, but the percentage is extremely low if they’ve been handled properly.
On the positive side, comps can be a really social affair.
It can be a day on the water with your own group of mates or just getting along and meeting other fishos from different areas and picking up a few tips here and there, if they’re willing to share!
The other positive could be that you’ll win a prize or two.
Who knows, someone’s gotta win and if you’ve got a line in you’ve got a chance. It’s only 41 sleeps till cod season opening.
At A Glance
Dartmouth: has been great and fishing well again over the past week.
Among all the other positive reports, Doug Rose tells me he nailed 13 nice fish last Saturday morning.
Doug was there early and picked them all up in the main basin, off the top, trolling a couple of different colours in King Cobras and Tassies.
He only dropped two others and busted another off, putting his great strike rate down to using “back to back” single lure hooks, rigged to a split ring and a bead.
Don’t forget the Dartmouth Ladies Classic is on November 4 and 5 this year and that’s not far away. It will be here before you know it.
Streams: Well, they’re still running pretty hard in most cases.
The really small creeks are becoming more fishable but it’d be pretty hard going in most of the medium to large streams at the minute.
We’ll just have to wait that little bit longer.
Eildon: they tell me is fishing ok, while not being great.
Some good yellas and the odd decent cod have been picked up, mainly trolling or casting hardbodies around the rocky points.