The ninth annual Flathead Classic was held over the period from 3rd October to 6th October, with some 250 anglers (both Senior and Junior) participating. On behalf of the Gold Coast Sportfishing Club, I would like to thank all anglers who took part, some of who traveled great distances.

The feedback we received confirmed that everybody had a great time, both fishing and socializing. We thank Southport Yacht Club for letting us use their fantastic facility at Runaway Bay / Hollywell and doing an excellent job with the catering, Castlemaine XXXX for the marques, Channel Ten & Paul Burt for their media coverage and the Gold Coast City Council for their support with table, chairs, toilets etc. Top marks guys!

This year saw the weather gods smile on us. We had 3 fine days apart from a fresh north easterly wind that came up around lunch time. The very dry conditions has also had an affect on fishing results. Dry periods see salty water move well up the river systems allowing fish to move greater distances in search of food. As a result fish are spread out over a much larger area making angling a greater challenge than normal. The total number of flathead caught in 2002 was 1342 which equates to approx 5.4 flathead per angler who competed. Compare this to results achieved in 2000, where some 260 anglers caught 1614 flathead or 6.5 fish per angler. These comparisons could be viewed a few ways and I have no doubt that reasons for dropping catch rates will be debated over the coming months. My opinion is that no one factor can be to blame. There are a few contributing factors which have affected fish numbers and will continue to do so until we get management of this resource right, ie. environmental degradation, commercial and recreational fishing pressure.

With a view to improving our understanding of the capture information obtained during our tournaments, the Gold Coast Sportfishing Club has developed a new scoring system which we have used now for the past 2 years. This program will enable us to break down the capture details into various categories such as number of fish caught in different size groups, say 35 -39 cm, 40 – 44 cm etc. We can also put in tide information to show influence on capture rates. Map references are also recorded to show high capture areas or said another way, valuable fish habitats. This information will only be used in a responsible manner and follows the philosophy of our tournament, “research and conservation”.

Another interesting fact seen in 2002 was the success of soft plastic lures. In the 2000 tournament, 52 flathead were caught using varying types of plastic lures. This year saw 255 flathead caught using these types of lures.

The continuing success of the Flathead Classic would not be possible without the generous support of our sponsors. 2002 saw anglers receive a great team bag containing Super 100 line from Platypus, lures from Wilson / Surecatch Lures, Kokoda Lures, Smiln Jack Lures, Eddy Lures, Willo Lures, Prawn Star Lures, River and Sea Lures & Atomic Soft Plastic Baits and a cap from Wilson or Clarke Boats. In addition to this all Junior anglers received a lure from Lively Lures and Rio Prawn. On behalf of all the anglers I thank these companies. This tournament has seen a number of lure makers launch new product. In recent times we have seen Prawn Star and Willo Lures launch new lures. This year was no exception with Peter from Willo Lures launching a deep diving model of his popular lure.

A major highlight of the Flathead Classic continues to be the major draws, one for seniors and one for juniors. A total of 20 seniors and 8 juniors are drawn at random for the chance to win a great Stessl Boat and Yamaha Motor package in each category. This year saw a Stessl 3.85m Edgetracker and 25 HP Yamaha won by Roger Emmerson in the senior draw and a 3.4m vagabond plus 4HP Yamaha won by Doug Burt Jnr in the junior draw. All the 26 remaining lucky anglers, win prizes donated by our other sponsors. These sponsors were Humminbird, Minn Kota, Pugwash Fishing Charters in Weipa, Albatross Hotel Resort in Weipa, Sports Optic, Strudwick Fishing Rods, Brad Job Custom Rods, Abu Garcia, Daiwa Australia, Alvey Fishing, Mayfly / Scientific Angler, Icy Tech Boxes, Navman, Innovator Fly Rods, Livewell Protector Nets, Hookem Fishing Accessories, Shell Oils, Berkley Fireline, Whitworths, Nerang Batteries, Bundaberg Rum, Mad Keen Charters, Peter Newell Lures, Pig Lures, Attack Lures, C- Lures, Nilsmaster Lures, Mac’s Lures, Mark Cherry / Lanoguard and Doug Burt Fishing Tackle. We thank all these sponsors.

WINNERS

Champion Team – 2 Greens and a Magnet

Champion Runner Up Team – Black Pirates 2

Champion Flyfishing Team – Doug Burt Fishing Tackle Team

Champion Senior Angler – David Green

Champion Senior Runner Up Angler – Roland Gray

Champion Angler Flyfishing – Kevin Ballantine

Champion Junior Angler – Ben Job

Champion Junior Runner Up Angler – Michael Green

Most Flathead Caught – Roland Gray (38)

Highest Total Length of Flathead – Roland Gray (16.23m)

Top 20 Anglers			Top 20 Teams
1 David Green	1310 points		1	2 Greens and a Magnet	2712 points
2 Roland Gray	800 points		2	Black Pirates 2	1545 points
3 Ben Job (Jnr)	747 points		3	Lively Lures	1392 points
4 Brian Allen	745 points		4	Team Dog	1325 points
5 Michael Horn	745 points		5	Honcho Brothers	1195 points
6 Daniel Sands	715 points		6	Pig Lures	1178 points
7 Ross McCubbin	715 points		7	Rainmakers	1115 points
8 Michael Green (Jnr)	687 points		8	Lazy Lizard Lures	1015 points
9 Graham Dodds	670 points		9	Team Hornet	890 points
10 Keith Stratford	665 points		10	Fishn’ Mates	856 points
11 Brad Job	645 points		11	Lure Logic	800 points
12 Leon Sines	615 points		12	Prawn Stars	715 points
13 Allan Herse	580 points		13	Chuckumbacks	660 points
14 Brett Howell	540 points		14	Profilers	604 points
15 William Schloss (Jnr)	536 points		15	Blue Fin 2	580 points
16 Daniel De Mezieres	525 points		16	Team Steco	575 points
17 Trevor Deane	515 points		17	Jumpinpin Charters	550 points
18 Shane Brown	495 points		18	Hardyheads	550 points
19 Joel Gartner (Jnr)	438 points		19	Evans Head River Rats	530 points
20 Bill Sands	400 points		20	The Bearded Claims	520 points

Top 15 Lures	Top 15 Lure Colours
1 Rubbertails	1	Pink
2 Micro Mullets	2	Green
3 Pig Lure	3	Gold
4 Manns 5+	4	Orange
5 Nilsmaster	5	Red
6 Willo Lure	6	Silver
7 Rapala	7	Brown
8 Tilsan	8	Trout
9 Manns 10+	9	Natural
10 Attack Lure	10	Pink / Purple
11 Rio Prawn	11	White
12 Bomber	12	Black / Gold
13 Prawn Star	13	Blue
14 Eddy Lure	14	Yellow
15 Atomic Soft Plastic Bait	15	Black