Three young local fishos have taken out top spot in a state-wide fishing competition during the recent school holidays.
Finn Waldron, Mirane Ridgeway and Connor Brown won four categories between them in the Qld Kids Fishing Classic which saw almost 300 children take part.
The competition, run through 2 Bent Rods, was held over the June/July school holidays.
- Finn (seven years) won with two bream measuring 715mm
- Mirane (six years) won with two catfish measuring 1020mm as well as winning the barred javelin, with two fish for 745mm.
- Connor (11 years) won the Barred Javelin with two fish measuring 705mm.
Melane Ridgeway, mum to Connor and Mirane, said the fishing classic had been great for her kids.
“They spend their whole holidays outside and thrive off catching personal bests,” she said.
“Their fishing has improved and they are catching some great fish and winning great prizes.
“The kids can’t wait for next school holidays and are already counting down to the next comp.”
School holiday fishing fun
The Qld Kids Fishing Classic is run by Samantha Beckmann, co-founder of 2 Bent Rods.
“I started the QKFC originally to be a yearly event and the feedback from parents and entrants was so great that I decided to put one on every school holidays,” she said.
“The kids and parents are really embracing it.
“Kids are sending me messages telling me how proud they are of themselves for beating their PB (personal best) or even catching their first fish.
“Parents are sending messages saying the comp has enticed their teenagers out of their bedrooms.
“Families are spending more time together and bonding over fishing.”
The entrants logged a mammoth 3,284 fish in the most recent competition, which included 103 different fish species.
Children are encouraged to enter every fish, no matter the size, with the data used for research purposes.
The competition is run through an app, allowing entrant to fish just about anywhere in Queensland from land, kayak or boat.
Samantha said entrants could also help the environment by targeting pest fish, carp and tilapia.
“I always have these in our competition to help raise awareness of the detrimental effects they have on our waterways, native species and biodiversity,” she said.
“We have a Facebook group where information and photos are shared.
“I’m hoping to build a community where the kids can safely share their catches, ask questions, learn about pest fish and fishing sustainably or even find a fishing buddy to share their passion with.”
Finn’s dad, Paul, said his children had a blast during the competition.
“I entered my children Mia and Finn for the June July holiday period and what a whole lot of fun and excitement it created,” he said.
“We were out fishing every spare moment we had.
“Finn couldn’t get enough, and it was so good to spend a heap of time out on the water with him.
“With all his efforts paying off with him getting first place in his age group for the bream that he caught!”
Competition details
The Qld Kids Fishing Classic is supported by Shimano Fishing Australia and Madmics Fishing Tackle along with Anaconda, Fresh Promotions Australia, Klik Sinkers and Hookeze.
The QKFC runs through an app which has been sponsored by Track My Fish Australia.
Tickets for the next Qld Kids Fishing Classic for the September school holidays are on sale now for $30 and can be purchased here.
