NCFB 2016 Results
The North Coast Fishing Bonanza was held over the October long weekend on the river at Fawcett Park, Ballina setting a new record for competitors despite the windy start to the competition on the briefing night. The wind eased up and allowed for the first time no shutdown of offshore fishing allowing competitors the best chance of chasing that big fish.
Inshore, there were some nice fish caught with the Juniors even beating the cadets in some categories showing that age is no barrier in fishing. A notable catch was the elbow slapper whiting of 45.8cm, a seasons and multiple year winner of the whiting section couldn’t believe that something this big was caught till he saw the photos himself! The beauty of the North Coast Fishing Bonanza being a catch and photo competition is that a fish like that can swim away instead of having to be weighed in.
This year saw the ever popular and knowledgably David “The Barefoot Fisherman” Hodge entertaining the crowd with his accurate casting hitting cans being thrown in the air by kids as well as nightly question and answer times and education talks. This was not all that was on site with large tank and live catches being put in including a 95cm bull shark to keep the kids and adults alike memorised in what was happening and drawing large crowds in the popular park to see all the catches in the tank.
After seven years the 2016 North Coast Fishing Bonanza is one of the premiere catch and release competitions on the north coast and if not the country with competitors coming from all areas and being rewarded with some of the best and most versatile fishing NSW has. To make the event have less impact with the catch and photo format competitors are required to fill in catch sheets and photograph their catches live on a brag mat with administrators then verifying each image and corresponding catch sheet ensuring appropriate fish care and handling is adhered to at all times in conjunction with the Department of Primary Industries. The DPI also setup on site to educate people at the event along with other on site displays from sponsors including Gamakatsu, Samurai Rods and ever popular and busy BBQ and drinks tents, another great inclusion was the Clothing Tent which sponsor Atomic provided every Cadet with a SPF 50+ Fishing shirt.
The 2016 event produced some amazing fish, in the offshore category some worthy fishing included a 143cm Cobia caught by Robert Lynn or the 91.5cm Snapper from Glenn Banks with the Jew again being contested in the estuary’s as well as offshore, this cracker got caught this year offshore for a change and was a 120.6cm from Alan Standfield.
Inshore, the bream category was won by Bill Steel with a horse of a bream at 46.4cm long and the whiting talked about earlier caught by Lucas Martin is just amazing. This year again the flathead was hotly contested and the winning fish from other competitions wouldn’t have even made the podium here with a 97.8cm lizard caught by Frank Jones taking out the tightly contested category.
The cadets and Juniors didn't miss out either with a massive Jewfish landed by Issac Mccliskie and the snapper just under the Adults at 87.5cm from Jack Thompson. The juniors gave the Cadets a run in the Flathead and Bass categories with Shimano Booker’s 41.3cm Bass and Tahlia Robson’s 97cm Flathead both larger than the Cadets weighed in and even close to the Adults, a great effort from the Junior category and keep an eye out for Tahlia Robson as she took out some prizes last year and a few more this year, she surly be one to watch in the future.
There are also great stories like the Shiner family who young Nicholas and sister Kalista Jayne joining the competition on the Saturday and were only intending on staying for 2 days missing the main draws, but when they skilfully found a spot on the bank producing large whiting they had to delay the travel back to QLD to see if they could take out the whiting category, no way were the kids leaving when both were in the running!
At the end of the day, the fishing is hotly contested but the NCFB organisers amass a huge array of prizes from sponsors and everyone is involved in the draws even if they didn’t catch a thing. This year, the Evinrude Etec / Gamakatsu boat was won by Denise Lovett from Ballina and drove away with complete fitted out boat package including Lowrance sounder valued at $24,000. Cameron Ashwood from Ballina won the adult kayak with a host of others taking away Engle fridge/freezers and Lowrance and Simrad sounder/plotter units. The cadet kayak was won by Sophie Baldwin and specific Cadet prizes were also drawn with products ranging from Lowrance sounders to TV and Bikes.
The spirit in which competitors and families compete in this event is part of the reason the organisers continue promote and run this mix of a family and series fishing event, it is not a easy thing to balance but everyone agrees this event has it sorted with the format proving popular for all types of ages and fisher people. It's great to see regulars every year coming back to test their skills and families making it a social gathering it is one of the only sports that allows the while family to get involved!
We must also thanks Gamakastu and Evinrude for their support in bring this event to life. Other major sponsors Samurai Fishing Rods and Lowrance as well as industry partners Atomic, Hobie Fishing, Wilsons, ATC, Engel, Shimano, The IceBox Bloke and Southern Cross Accountants, without these companies the event could not get started. Join with us and show your support to these fantastic companies next time in store.
Australian Fishing Tournaments would like to thank the Officials, volunteers and sponsors staff who attend the event, the event is much better because of your guys.
Remember “Support the Sponsors that Support Your Passion” Goodbye and thanks to the competitors and see everyone next year.
Main Random Draw Results
Throughout the event there were over $60,000 worth of random draw prizes, we kept the best for last and these lucky people below are the winners of the Main Random Draws for NCFB 2016!
| Adult Draws | RRP | Winner | Location |
| Boat | $ 24,000.00 | Denise Lovett | Ballina, NSW |
| Kayak Adult | $ 3,090.00 | Cameron Ashwood | Ballina, NSW |
| Lowrance HDS 12 | $ 4,199.00 | Warwick Reakes | Newrybar, NSW |
| Simrad Nss9 | $ 2,999.00 | Luke Tinson | Woolgooga, NSW |
| Engel 80 + Bag | $ 2,204.00 | Craig Warwick | Ocean Shores, NSW |
| Engel 45 + Bag | $ 1,580.00 | Raymond Arthur Palmer | Stanthorpe, QLD |
| Cadet Draws | RRP | Winner | Location |
| Kayak Cadet | $ 1,390.00 | Sophie Baldwin | Ballina, NSW |
| Lowrance Hook 7 | $ 879.00 | Jack Thompson | Texas, Qld |
| Bike | $ 429.00 | Johny Gibson | Wardell, NSW |
| TV | $ 349.00 | Zac Sullivan | Goonellabah, NSW |
| Bike | $ 329.00 | Harry Binney | Ballina, NSW |
Overall Results
Wow what a event, some massive fish caught, each year the quality getting better and better, once again the fishing was better then other comps on the same time with more and more people realising how good this region is for fishing!
| ADULT | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | |||
| AJ/Sambo | TROY ROBSON | 980 | LUKE ANSELL | 970 | NATHAN CORBY | 850 |
| Bass | DYLAN WALSH | 480 | CHRISTIAN BOOKER | 471 | ANDREW MCLENNAN | 445 |
| Blackfish | RAYMOND ARTHUR PALMER | 415 | BERNARD RICHTER | 394 | NEIL LOLLBACK | 392 |
| Bream | BILL STEEL | 464 | VINCENT CHEE | 420 | PAUL BYRON | 410 |
| Flathead | FRANK JONES | 978 | MITCH LANG | 971 | ROBERT LYNN | 965 |
| Jew | ALAN STANDFIELD | 1206 | STEPHEN BANKS | 1205 | GLENN PLATER | 1175 |
| King/Cobia | ROBERT LYNN | 1430 | CRAIG WARWICK | 1210 | ROBERT REAKES | 1000 |
| Mangrove Jack | AIDAN KANE | 388 | BEN FROST | 380 | BILL STEEL | 301 |
| Meritorius | STEVIE CAPARARO -- BULL SHARK - 955 | . | BARRY MCCORMICK -- GEM FISH - 673 | . | TEGAN HANCOCK -- ESTUARY COD - 550 | . |
| Pearl Perch | GLENN PLATER | 550 | BRIAN ARTHUR | 535 | MICHAEL LOCOCO | 530 |
| Snapper | GLENN BANKS | 915 | ROBERT LYNN | 862 | ROBERT BORDIN | 843 |
| Tailor | LEE MILLER | 605 | BILL STEEL | 540 | HENRY PHILLIPS | 528 |
| Whiting | LUCAS MARTIN | 458 | JASON HARRISON | 432 | ROBBIE GRAHAM | 426 |
| CADET | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | |||
| Bass | JORDAN WALSH | 399 | BON LAWLER | 382 | HARRY BINNEY | 380 |
| Bream | LOCHLAN SOUTAR | 396 | MACKENZIE SOUTAR | 370 | LOCHLAN JOHNSON | 370 |
| Flathead | MACKENZIE SOUTAR | 857 | LOCHLAN SOUTAR | 828 | CAMERON CONSTABLE | 800 |
| Jew | ISSAC MCCLISKIE | 1150 | ANGUS CARL MCLENNAN | 1030 | CAMERON CONSTABLE | 690 |
| Meritorius | RYAN KERNAGHAN -- RED CLAW - 380 | . | CAMERON CONSTABLE -- STARGAZER - 300 | . | BRANDON KENNEDY -- EAGLE RAY - 790 | . |
| Snapper | JACK THOMPSON | 875 | ANGUS CARL MCLENNAN | 830 | MATTHEW HUTCHINS | 790 |
| Tailor | ZEKE MORHAUS | 390 | ||||
| Whiting | JASPER GRAHAM | 414 | ALEX GRAHAM | 412 | BRANDON KENNEDY | 391 |
| JUNIOR | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | |||
| Bass | SHIMANI BOOKER | 413 | BRAYDEN | 352 | LIAM GRAHAM | 340 |
| Bream | HAMISH SOUTAR | 381 | CAITLYN HINSHELWOOD | 369 | LUCAS MERRICAK | 360 |
| Flathead | TAHLIA ROBSON | 970 | HAMISH SOUTAR | 865 | NASH SHEPPARD | 745 |
| Meritorius | TAHLIA ROBSON -- SAMBO - 865 | . | HAMISH SOUTAR -- JEW - 653 | . | FELICITY NEWELL -- TRAG - 401 | . |
| Snapper | MATTHEW REAKES | 714 | MASON MCMAHON | 640 | MILLIE BODLEY | 430 |
| Whiting | NICHOLAS SHINER | 365 | DANIEL JONES | 325 | SHANNON ROSE | 325 |
Daily - Monday Results
With a strong wind forcast not many ventured out wide, but the wind didn't turn up at the extnet forcast so it actually turned out to be a nice day. A cracker Cobia at 143cm was caught as well as some nice estuary fish to round out the event especially in the cadet categories.
| ADULT | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | |||
| Bass | CHRISTIAN BOOKER | 471 | DYLAN WALSH | 360 | BILL STEEL | 351 |
| Blackfish | STEVIE CAPARARO | 353 | BERNARD RICHTER | 330 | ||
| Bream | LEE MILLER | 410 | PAUL BYRON | 360 | PETER WATTS | 335 |
| Flathead | MARTIN SOUTAR | 836 | PETER LAW | 830 | BEN FROST | 673 |
| Jew | SHANNON JOHNSON | 1092 | SHANNON JOHNSON | 109 | ||
| King/Cobia | ROBERT LYNN | 1430 | ||||
| Mangrove Jack | AIDAN KANE | 388 | BEN FROST | 380 | BILL STEEL | 301 |
| Meritorius | DYLAN WALSH -- CARP - 530 | . | SHANNON JOHNSON -- WRASSE COD - 330 | . | CRAIG WARWICK -- STRIPY WRASSE - 305 | . |
| Pearl Perch | CRAIG WARWICK | 507 | ||||
| Snapper | SHANNON JOHNSON | 710 | ||||
| Tailor | HOSS MCGRATH | 481 | PETER WATTS | 450 | BRETT RONNE | 391 |
| Whiting | LUCAS MARTIN | 458 | ROBBIE GRAHAM | 426 | DILLON GRAHAM | 420 |
| CADET | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | |||
| Bass | ZAYDEN ALLEN | 362 | RYAN KERNAGHAN | 355 | ||
| Bream | LOCHLAN SOUTAR | 396 | RYAN KERNAGHAN | 274 | ALANA STAFF | 270 |
| Flathead | MACKENZIE SOUTAR | 857 | CAMERON CONSTABLE | 800 | RYAN KERNAGHAN | 484 |
| Meritorius | JACK THOMPSON -- DOG FISH - 790 | . | DOMINIC BORTILIN -- TURTLE - 220 | . | KALISTA JAYNE SHINER -- TOAD FISH - 132 | . |
| Snapper | JACK THOMPSON | 875 | MATTHEW HUTCHINS | 790 | ||
| Tailor | ZEKE MORHAUS | 390 | ||||
| Whiting | JASPER GRAHAM | 414 | KALISTA JAYNE SHINER | 363 | ALEX GRAHAM | 361 |
| JUNIOR | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | |||
| Bass | SHIMANI BOOKER | 413 | LIAM GRAHAM | 340 | BRAYDEN KERNAGHAN | 339 |
| Bream | CAITLYN HINSHELWOOD | 369 | LUCAS MERRICAK | 360 | MARK WRIGHT | 310 |
| Flathead | TAHLIA ROBSON | 970 | NASH SHEPPARD | 745 | HAMISH SOUTAR | 671 |
| Meritorius | MARK WRIGHT -- LONG TOM - 650 | . | TAHLIA ROBSON -- PEARL PERCH - 411 | . | ||
| Snapper | MATTHEW REAKES | 714 | TAHLIA ROBSON | 318 | ||
| Whiting | NICHOLAS SHINER | 358 | SHANNON ROSE | 325 | STARZI PORTER | 280 |
Daily - Sunday Results
Wow what a day!, spectacular weather and great fishing product heaps of fish, kids loved the clinics and put it to good use with some fantastic fishing from the kids categories.
| ADULT | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | |||
| AJ/Sambo | TROY ROBSON | 980 | JAMES STEWART | 850 | LES SPINKS | 840 |
| Bass | ANDREW PATERSON | 423 | ||||
| Blackfish | RAYMOND ARTHUR PALMER | 415 | BERNARD RICHTER | 394 | HENRY PHILLIPS | 383 |
| Bream | JOHN CUNEEN | 365 | BILL STEEL | 300 | DILLON GRAHAM | 270 |
| Flathead | KIM RUDY RICHTER | 939 | KIM NATHAN RICHTER | 800 | JOHN CUNEEN | 600 |
| Jew | ALAN STANDFIELD | 1206 | TONY HUTCHINS | 1130 | BENNY CAMPBELL | 993 |
| King/Cobia | ROBERT REAKES | 1000 | JOSH JOBLIN | 960 | BRETT FENSOM | 865 |
| Pearl Perch | MICHAEL LOCOCO | 530 | JAMES ODONNELL | 489 | CLARE JOBLIN | 410 |
| Snapper | PAUL BYRON | 840 | RON ODONNELL | 662 | JAMES ODONNELL | 610 |
| Tailor | LEE MILLER | 605 | HENRY PHILLIPS | 528 | ||
| Whiting | JASON HARRISON | 432 | DILLON GRAHAM | 383 | ROBBIE GRAHAM | 382 |
| CADET | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | |||
| Bass | JORDAN WALSH | 367 | ||||
| Bream | CAMERON CONSTABLE | 344 | ||||
| Flathead | LOCHLAN SOUTAR | 828 | RYAN KERNAGHAN | 470 | ||
| Snapper | JAYDEN DOUGLAS ALLPORT | 440 | HARRY JOBLIN | 425 | SARAH CARRIAGE | 401 |
| Whiting | JASPER GRAHAM | 402 | KALISTA JAYNE SHINER | 351 | JASPER GRAHAM | 330 |
| JUNIOR | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | |||
| Bass | BRAYDEN | 309 | ||||
| Bream | BRAYDEN WILLEMS | 333 | TYLER STARKEY | 315 | CAITLYN HINSHELWOOD | 270 |
| Flathead | HAMISH SOUTAR | 865 | STARZI PORTER | 588 | RHODY PORTER | 404 |
| Snapper | MASON MCMAHON | 640 | MATTHEW REAKES | 499 | FELICITY NEWELL | 391 |
| Whiting | NICHOLAS SHINER | 326 | SHANNON ROSE | 305 | NICHOLAS SHINER | 282 |
Daily - Saturday Results
With some better conditions it certainly was a much better day on the water with more competitors electing to fish offshore with mixed results, some said it was one of the toughest days they have had and others found a few fish, but the results showed that those who found a few had quality!
| ADULT | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | |||
| AJ/Sambo | NATHAN CORBY | 850 | JAMES STEWART | 820 | CHRISS DODD | 795 |
| Bass | DYLAN WALSH | 480 | ANDREW MCLENNAN | 445 | SAM FORD | 433 |
| Blackfish | NEIL LOLLBACK | 392 | RAYMOND ARTHUR PALMER | 390 | ROB MILLER | 371 |
| Bream | BILL STEEL | 438 | SCOTT CARRIAGE | 343 | NEIL CARRIAGE | 332 |
| Flathead | FRANK JONES | 978 | MITCH LANG | 971 | JOHN CUNEEN | 840 |
| Jew | BRIAN ARTHUR | 1118 | MITCHELL RIZZARDINI | 1028 | BOB MILLER | 1008 |
| King/Cobia | CRAIG WARWICK | 1210 | BRIAN ARTHUR | 925 | CHRISS DODD | 915 |
| Meritorius | REECE THOMPSON -- TRAG | 770 | BARRY MCCORMICK -- GEM FISH | 673 | TEGAN HANCOCK -- ESTUARY COD | 550 |
| Pearl Perch | GLENN PLATER | 550 | BRIAN ARTHUR | 535 | NEIL CARRIAGE | 475 |
| Snapper | ROBERT LYNN | 862 | ALEX CAMPBELL | 823 | CRAIG WARWICK | 821 |
| Tailor | BILL STEEL | 540 | ||||
| Whiting | JASON HARRISON | 407 | CLINTON QUINLIVAN | 402 | ROBBIE GRAHAM | 401 |
| CADET | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | |||
| Bass | JORDAN WALSH | 399 | BON LAWLER | 382 | HARRY BINNEY | 380 |
| Bream | BRANDON KENNEDY | 370 | CALEB CAPILLI | 360 | MACKENZIE SOUTAR | 345 |
| Flathead | MACKENZIE SOUTAR | 755 | SAM OSBORNE | 665 | JAYDEN DOUGLAS ALLPORT | 551 |
| Jew | ISSAC MCCLISKIE | 1150 | ANGUS CARL MCLENNAN | 103 | ||
| Meritorius | RYAN KERNAGHAN -- RED CLAW | 380 | CALEB CAPILLI -- ESTUARY PERCH | 370 | ||
| Snapper | ANGUS CARL MCLENNAN | 830 | JAYDEN DOUGLAS ALLPORT | 461 | BRIANNA NAY | 320 |
| Whiting | ALEX GRAHAM | 412 | BRANDON KENNEDY | 291 | HARRISON TAGGET | 278 |
| JUNIOR | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | |||
| Bass | BRAYDEN | 352 | RHODY PORTER | 310 | NICHOLAS KAYE | 310 |
| Bream | BRAYDEN WILLEMS | 326 | ARCHIE REYNOLDS | 310 | MIKAELA ROBSON | 310 |
| Flathead | ZAC JONES | 583 | HAMISH SOUTAR | 531 | MATTHEW REAKES | 528 |
| Meritorius | FELICITY NEWELL -- TRAG | 401 | BAILEY NEWELL -- MAORI COD | 339 | MILLIE BODLEY -- MOSES PERCH | 275 |
| Snapper | MILLIE BODLEY | 430 | TAHLIA ROBSON | 415 | FELICITY NEWELL | 329 |
| Whiting | NICHOLAS SHINER | 365 | MARK WRIGHT | 310 | DANIEL JONES | 285 |
Daily - Friday Results
A windy day on the water made for some tough conditions with many electing to hide in creeks and anywhere they can be protected. Even with these conditions they were some great fish measured including a 1205 Jew and a 965 Flathead.
| ADULT | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | |||
| AJ/Sambo | LUKE ANSELL | 970 | ||||
| Bass | MARTY WALSH | 402 | FRASER BLACK | 401 | TAYLA EGAN | 400 |
| Blackfish | ADAM PROWSE | 388 | KYLIE JOHNSON | 385 | RAYMOND ARTHUR PALMER | 385 |
| Bream | BILL STEEL | 464 | VINCENT CHEE | 420 | PAUL BYRON | 410 |
| Flathead | ROBERT LYNN | 965 | KIM NATHAN RICHTER | 924 | ADAM PROWSE | 895 |
| Jew | STEPHEN BANKS | 1205 | GLENN PLATER | 1175 | BILL STEEL | 1090 |
| King/Cobia | BARRY MCCORMICK | 67 | ||||
| Meritorius | DARCY BANKS -- TRAG | 770 | LES SPINKS -- PARROTT FISH | 448 | NEIL CARRIAGE -- TARWHINE | 280 |
| Pearl Perch | GARY SPINKS | 319 | ||||
| Snapper | GLENN BANKS | 915 | RON RAYNER | 630 | TONY HUTCHINS | 462 |
| Tailor | RICHARD STEEL | 521 | ||||
| Whiting | LUCAS MARTIN | 430 | DILLON GRAHAM | 399 | ROBBIE GRAHAM | 398 |
| CADET | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | |||
| Bream | MACKENZIE SOUTAR | 370 | LOCHLAN JOHNSON | 370 | CAMERON CONSTABLE | 330 |
| Flathead | LIAM GREEN | 642 | HARRY JOBLIN | 580 | JACK THOMAS | 555 |
| Jew | ISSAC MCCLISKIE | 870 | CAMERON CONSTABLE | 690 | ||
| Meritorius | BRANDON KENNEDY -- EAGLE RAY | 790 | MATTHEW HUTCHINS -- MOARI COD | 370 | BLAKE KERNAGHAN -- BLACK FISH | 304 |
| Snapper | ISSAC MCCLISKIE | 500 | MATTHEW HUTCHINS | 400 | ANGUS CARL MCLENNAN | 361 |
| Whiting | BRANDON KENNEDY | 391 | DOMINIC BORTILIN | 390 | JASPER GRAHAM | 389 |
| JUNIOR | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | |||
| Bass | SHIMANI BOOKER | 390 | ||||
| Bream | HAMISH SOUTAR | 381 | BRAYDEN | 315 | STARZI PORTER | 285 |
| Flathead | XAVIER KELLY | 511 | MATTHEW REAKES | 509 | RHODY PORTER | 405 |
| Meritorius | HAMISH SOUTAR -- JEW | 653 | RHODY PORTER -- TURTLE | 200 | LUCAS MERRICAK -- MISA CRAB | 200 |
| Snapper | MATTHEW REAKES | 455 | ||||
| Whiting | DANIEL JONES | 325 | DANIEL JONES | 325 | TEKAYA TINSON | 312 |