The Betta Billfish Bonanza was the biggest to date, with 22 boats and 73 anglers. Perhaps the extension to three days helped bring extra boats from out of town? Day one was rather windy with strong

southerlies, but by the afternoon the wind had eased and most boats ventured out. Mike Smith was the first to tag a marlin aboard the well-known tournament vessel 'Awesum'. Day two and day three had fantastic weather for the boats fishing the gulf, while the west side was wild and breezy.

Junior angler Tayla Clatworthy braved the conditions on the west side on day two and deserves an award just for that! Another female junior angler, Bridget Wright, did well onboard 'El Shadai' working as a team to tag sailfish. The pods of sailfish in the gulf showed up as expected, and excitement was high for teams fishing on Sunday afternoon as boats raced to reach schools of birds working where sailfish were feeding. Some of the sailfish were fast and furious, herding the bait schools out with the tide, while others were playful and curious.

Champion team went to 'In Deep' with the all-female team, the 'Betta Babes', skippered by Jeni Gates. This is possibly the first time in Australia that an all-female team and crew have won a billfish event. The girls tagged nine sailfish and did a sterling effort, even though some girls were sick on the rough days, other girls tagged and caught their first fish and Jeni had never driven the boat during an event.

Champion boat runner up went to the charter vessel Freespool II, with two marlin and two sailfish. Champion Angler Sailfish went to Cathy Catoni onboard 'In Deep' while Champion Angler Marlin went to Mike Smith.

Each evening was well attended at the rec centre by competitors and their friends. The hard work of the committee and assistance from volunteers is greatly appreciated by the EGFC. The nightly raffles and support from Sawley's metalwork, Shimano, Ozflex and, of course, Betta Electrical also helped make the event a great success.

The new Bundegi boat ramp in action.

Meanwhile the weather following the tournament gave those people fishing a well-deserved break, with wind speeds reaching 42 knots at Kailis! The strong winds are due to ease and no doubt the hot summer temperatures will hit hard. However, that is a good excuse to slip into some sun-protection clothing and head out to wade the shallows in search of queenfish that usually come in close at this time of year. This can be very rewarding and exciting on the rising tide.