Mandurah’s local waterways will play host to 45 of Australia’s best kayak anglers for the Hobie National Bream Kayak Championship next month.
The catch-and-release tournament will be held at Mandurah Quays Resort, and is set to attract a high number of eastern states competitors along with a strong field of eight West Australian anglers as they vie to catch the most black bream.
Contenders will take to the water in the latest Hobie kayak models for three days of competitive fishing from November 17 – 18, with a pre-fish day planned for Thursday, November 16 to help non-local fishers acclimatise to the waterways.
It’s fantastic for us to be able to showcase the fishing opportunities we have here in Mandurah
- WA Angler of the Year and Mandurah local Alex Greisdorf
First prize will be given to the angler who accumulates the most black bream over the three days.
Each fish caught is weighed at 3pm on the day of competition before being released back into the water.
Mandurah fisherman and newly-crowned WA Angler of the Year Alex Greisdorf will enjoy a home advantage at the championships, but said he was excited for outsiders to get a glimpse of what the city has to offer.
“It’s fantastic for us to be able to showcase the fishing opportunities we have here in Mandurah,” he said.
“We’re really fortunate to live in a place where you can fish on open water or in canals – it’s definitely unique to Western Australia.
“It’s going to be interesting to see how the people who haven’t fished here before go.”
Greisdorf is also coming off a recent win in the 2017 WA Bream Kayak Classic Series, and is hoping for a similar finish in the national championships.
“It’s a pretty exciting event so I think you always want to do quite well,” he said.
“Hopefully I can bag the most bream.”
The event will include a number of features and demonstrations to make it into a spectacle, including an information session on Hobie kayaks at Getaway Outdoors Mandurah on the Tuesday, November 14.
Getaway Outdoors general manager Matthew Williams said the event would give families the chance to get up close with competitive fishing.
“There’s going to be plenty of stalls and demos going on, fireworks, and obviously the fish weigh-ins are always really popular,” he said.
“It’s going to be a great event for the Mandurah community, which loves its fishing.”
For more information on the event visit hobiefishing.com.au