Local angler pulls in whoppers to win prestigious fishing competition
Passionate angler Steve Ward has a special routine he reckons gives him ‘good karma’ for competitions – and it has paid off in spectacular fashion.
Beaches & Fishing
Don't miss out on the headlines from Beaches & Fishing. Followed categories will be added to My News.
KEEN angler Steve Ward fishes at least three times per week, but always throws the flathead back in order to have “good karma” for competitions.
And the strategy has paid off.
The 31-year-old electrical business owner from Arundel won champion overall male angler at the prestigious, three-day Flathead Classic on the Gold Coast last week.
“It’s not necessarily the number of fish that you catch, it’s the calibre of the fish and these go towards an accumulation of points,” he said.
“I caught around 18 flathead, which isn’t a great deal as I could catch that in a few hours, but it was the calibre which got me the win.”
Subscribe to the Bulletin for $1 a week for the first 8 weeks. (Min. cost $4)
Mr Ward caught two which measured 81cm and 85cm, and the remainder of the haul were in the 50-70cm range.
As they are breeding females, state law dictates anglers must release the fish after they are caught.
Mr Ward said normally flathead are fairly easy to catch, but it’s a different story in this hotly contested competition, with more than 700 entered anglers also trying to catch the big ones with a lure and no bait.
Best of Gold Coast's Top Swimwear Designers
Competitors fish in 4-6m boats and are allowed to fish from Nerang River in the south to Jumpinpin in the north.
It’s the ninth time Mr Ward has entered the competition and the first time he’s won the individual category with a score of 1692, well clear of his nearest competitor Matt Fraser on 1522. He also narrowly missed out on the overall champion two-man team trophy as well, coming in runners up by six points.
“I competed as a junior a few times and I’ve entered the last six years straight, but never won it before so it’s very exciting,” he said.
Mr Ward took home prizes including fishing rods and reels, sunglasses and other tool of the trade.
“Bragging rights are the real prize,” he said.