GAMEFISHING - 2011 Nautilus Boat Insurance Interclub Tournament

Well regarded as one of the strongest gamefishing events on the Australian calendar, the 2011 Nautilus Boat Insurance Interclub Tournament was staged at Port Stephens over two weekends in late February and early March.

Organisers said anglers came from all parts of Australia to fish from virtually any boat capable of getting out to the shelf and back. Be it a trailerboat or dedicated 50ft gameboat, the lure of deep-sea gamefishing bonds anglers at this iconic event.

The number of boats entered at 174 was impressive as was the entry list of almost 900 anglers.

The best fishing was had on the opening weekend of the tournament, which saw flat and calm seas that translated to comfortable fishing conditions. Skippers reported excellent catches on the first two days. The Force set a high benchmark on Day 2, its crew tagging seven marlin, the highest daily total for the event.

If the opening weekend was spectacularly calm, the second weekend was the exact opposite, with fierce weather kicking up 3m seas on Day 3. Tournament officials wisely cancelled fishing, but with the weather abating slightly on Day 4 crews bashed their way offshore in search of big fish.

The tournament saw a total of 335 fish tagged and released. Of these, 242 were marlin, 22 yellowfin tuna, 12 striped tuna and 187 sharks. The heaviest shark taken was a tiger that weighed in at 356.6kg.

“This was the second year of Nautilus Marine’s sponsorship of the Interclub and we remain very pleased with our association,” said Lyndon Turner, Nautilus Marine CEO.

“The gamefishing people are passionate and responsible anglers and boaters. We are again pleased to be able to give something back to the people who support Nautilus Marine. Naturally, we have a heavy emphasis on safe boating and a commitment to tag-and-release fishing.

“We are also delighted that the vast majority of fish captured are tagged and released. This is a wonderful accolade for the gamefishing community and the superb conduct of this event.

“With 2012 the year of the landmark 50th Interclub event, we are already working on making the 2012 Nautilus Boat Insurance Interclub Tournament a memorable one,” he said.

Nautilus Marine Insurance Agency is a wholly Australian owned insurance agency that provides insurance programs for boat owners and the marine industry.
This insurance is issued by Nautilus Marine Insurance Agency Pty Ltd (ABN 34 100 633 038 AFSL 227186) on behalf of certain underwriters at Lloyd’s. Nautilus Marine has offices across Australia.

For more information, contact Mark Crockford, phone (03) 8599 5000; 1300 780 533 (toll free), email: markc@nautilusinsurance.com.au or visit www.nautilusinsurance.com.au

Photos: Weighing in the catch; All types of boats from trailerboats to 50ft gamefishers took part.