Headed up to Jurien Bay on Friday evening with my 10-year-old Daughter to fish the Patrons Cup for the MAAC.  The Patrons Cup is an annual event between the Marmion Angling and Aquatic Club and the Ocean Reef Sea Sports Club that has been running for nearly 40 years.  There is one point per species and 3 points if you catch the heaviest of species and the number of bags counted are “equalised” so that each Club enters the same.  It is a comp that is fished with a spirit of comradery, but the Patrons Cup is clearly sought after by both clubs.

The easterly was up early so we decided to stay in close for the B&B species near the reefs.  Conditions weren’t that flash but we managed to burley up herring, garfish and skippy although the bite was slow and the fish were wary.  The highlight was seeing a couple of boats put out live herring (the herring were being chased by sambos when hooked) and connecting with big sambos in very shallow reefy water.

The wind started to drop after a few hours so we decided to head further out to sound some deeper ground (about 20m).  Conditions had got quite nice by this time so we used the sounder to locate structure that was holding fish, and the Minn Kota to “anchor” on it.  Mark from MJ’s Rigs had sent me a sample of a paternoster that is was itching to try so down it went with a whole pilchard and bonito fillet on a very likely bit of ground.  Within seconds I was hooked up and boated a nice 4kg Baldchin – some anxious moments with the deckie and the net but we got it in the end.

Down again and the lovely deckie hooks up to something with size.  Sarah has learned a lot over the last year and she did a really good job with the fish.  It was undersized but a very nice fish for a 10-year-old girl.  Her first WA Dhufish.  Because we were shallow and Sarah brought it up slowly, it released with a very solid “kick”.

The window of opportunity out deeper was small and the southerly came in strong.  In my little boat it was certainly time to “run away” and I was pleased we had started the “run home” early.  I thought we could troll the beaches for tailor in “sloppy” water but conditions were so bad, in my boat, that we had to come in 3.5 hours before weigh in.  Anyway, a really nice morning in a magic spot.

The weigh in was where it all went “pear shaped”.  We had “hidden” behind the marina break wall to clean up the boat and bag the fish.  I was stupid enough to leave the comp rules at home on Friday and had asked for them to be brought up to work before we left – 2 plastic bags, one with food and one with fishing stuff.  When I asked the deckie for the fishing stuff bag, unfortunately it didn’t come along – can’t blame the 10 year old though.  Anyway I just chucked the fish in the bag from my iced up live bait tank to the esky.

Wrong, you could only weigh in one fish of each species.  I have to accept total responsibility for being dumb and stupid.  I should have looked after the rules, I should have listened more carefully at the “rev up” and/or I should have checked with other members as we had lots of time.  The worry then was that my stupidity would cost the Club.  I had to put the Baldchin on the scales after the weigh in and of course it was more than half a kilo heavier than the next one so 3 points down the drain (luckily another MAAC Member caught the next heaviest so my mistake was minimised).  As the results were announced it was with great relief that the MAAC had enough points from its excellent fishermen to take the cup.  A lesson for all, make sure you read the rules in anything that you do, so you don’t have to suffer the consequences (yes, the sledging was quite severe).