Commodore’s Notes

Well summer is just around the corner and we are still restricted to only 10 patrons inside the clubhouse because of the four square metre rule but we can have 60 outside so it’s fine when the weather is cooperating. We are continuing the Members Only rule until the restrictions are relaxed but we have no idea when that will be.
It’s easy to become a member and it’s only $45 or $60 for a family. All the details are on our website.
The worlds coldest and tastiest beer is flowing nicely with our table service working well and it’s keeping Hutch and his staff fit. The marquee is being put up and down like a yoyo depending on the weather and wind but it’s working extremely well keeping everyone dry and cosy.
Currently we are open every day except Tuesdays and Thursday’s but from the 28th of November we will be open 7 days a week.
The Humpback Whales have now gone and will be well on their way to Antarctica but there’s still lots of dolphins about and our friendly lady dolphin comes and goes at her pleasure. She was in Torquay for a few days playing with swimmers and surfers then reappeared here doing the same. Sammy our resident seal is back living under the pier and stealing the odd fish from unlucky fishermen.

AGM

We have been hard at work organising the AGM which will be held at 5pm on Saturday the 28th of November on Zoom. We will also be able to have up to 50 members present at the club house. We’re taking bookings for the AGM, please contact Hutch ASAP.
The bar will close for the meeting which will be followed by the fishing competition trophy presentations, open bar for a limited time and a free sausage sizzle. On the 2nd of this month we emailed the Notice of AGM which contained the details of how to access zoom and also a proxy form for those who can’t attend. Please send your proxy in. If we don’t get enough our AGM will be irrelevant .
Because of the lock down this year we were only able to hold one of the scheduled 4 Winter Cup Fishing Comps so we decided not to present trophies for 2020.

SECRETARY/TREASURER

David Worth our Secretary/Treasurer has taken on a new job in Melbourne which will take up most of his time so unfortunately he has had to step down from the role and also off our committee. We are hoping to find someone out there to put their hand up to take over his role.
We have our own paid book keeper so the role of treasurer is not difficult or time consuming at all. The role of secretary would mainly involve organising an agenda for each monthly meeting and helping out with the general running of the club.
This role can also be done quite easily depending on how many other responsibilities you choose to take on.
We would prefer someone living in Lorne full time but this is not set in stone. It’s a great way to meet people and become a valuable member of our great club and our wonderful community.

RESCUE BOAT

I’m very sad to tell you that we were forced to pull the pin on the purchase of the rescue boat from the Port Fairy Marine Rescue Service.
We had made the decision to purchase the boat from the Port Fairy Marine Rescue Service but were told that we couldn’t operate it until we were affiliated with Emergency Management Victoria which involved a lot of red tape and could take a long time.
There is a possibility that we could still form a new body, become affiliated and then apply for a government grant to purchase a new boat.
This would involve a lot of organising and time so if anyone out there is available to help please let me know.
I’ve spoken to some of the other marine rescue organisations who didn’t have much red tape to negotiate at all with their boat purchases but admittedly they were set up several years ago.
We were even told that as recreational fishermen we shouldn’t be carrying out any rescues at all and should be dialling 000.
This would mean that a boat broken down off Lorne would have to wait for a boat to come from Apollo Bay or Torquay which could take over 90 minutes in a moderate sea and much longer if the wind gets up.
They could be dead by then. Personally I will continue to carry out rescues and hopefully others will too.



RECENT EVENTS
Melbourne Cup Extravaganza

We had to limit the numbers for this years event but I reckon it was the best one ever.
The weather was sunny and warm so we removed the marquee and set up lots of umbrellas.
Because of the Table Service only rule we encouraged each table to bring an esky which allowed everyone to purchase wine and beer by the bottle which made it a lot easier for Hutch and his staff.
Everyone received a free champagne on arrival and we supplied chicken for lunch. Each table brought along their own salad and nibbles.
We ran several sweeps for every race and set up an outside TV so everyone could see each race.
A special thanks to Michael Causon who ran all the sweeps and helped organise the day.
The fashions on the field were a great success with Rose Riberu winning the Ladies Section and Ric Addison winning the Gentleman’s.
The best Ladies Hat also went to Rose Riberu. Best Mens Hat was taken out by Jamie Trigg. And this year we had a Best Mask section which was won by Leslie Goldsworthy.

Major Fishing Comp Sponsored by Lorne Hardware

Our final fishing competition for the year was held on Sunday the first of November in excellent conditions.
The winner was Tom Curran with a big snapper 5991 points
Runner Up was Ric Barham with a leatherjacket 2958 points
Third was Ian Middleton with a flathead 2883 points

Our Club Champion for 2020 is Ric Barham with a total of 11,510 points.
Runner Up is Andrew Clarke with 10,925.
Third is Ian Middleton with 9,483.
 
Our Calendar Year Comp Winners for 2020 are:
Snapper: Luke Norton
Bream: Rose Riberu
Flathead: Rishi Williams
King George Whiting: Tilo DeBon
Salmon: Steve Arundell
No Garfish entered this year.
 
There will be photos taken of all these winners at the AGM presentation which will be included in December’s Commodores Notes.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Sinker Making Day

We’ve now received plenty of lead so we will have our sinker making day at 3pm on Saturday the 12th of December.
Thanks to all the people who donated lead, especially Ashleigh Floyer who dropped in hundreds of old sinkers he found using a metal detector and Steve Spooner who also supplied us with heaps of old sinkers he found by snorkelling. That’s recycling at it’s best.
All members are welcome to come along and see how it’s done. We will be social distancing and operating safely.

Fish Aggregating Devices (FADs)

I’ve been in constant contact with the Victorian Fisheries and we are getting our FAD’s back again in early December. They will be deployed in the same spots as last year. The exact coordinates will be displayed in the club house. They worked extremely well last year with the Southern Bluefin Tuna aggregating around them with heaps getting caught.
The Yellowtail Kingfish were also hanging around them but weren’t biting for some reason.
We tried every method known to mankind and had several follow lures and bait back to the boat but wouldn’t bite. Hopefully the FADS will attract some dumber ones this coming season.

POINT GREY REDEVELOPMENT REPORT

Since the last Point Grey Redevelopment report several things have occurred.
GOORC has advertised for interested parties to register for a design and construct development at Point Grey.
GOORC has also committed money to progress the current Design Development drawings to construction documentation.

Following the approval (with 40 plus conditions to be met) of the current design by the Surfcoast Shire there have been some objections lodged to the proposal which need to be addressed by VCAT. There has been a first compulsory hearing at VCAT last week and at that meeting one objection has been referred on to a hearing in April 2021 and 4 other objections were given time to represent to a further hearing in December for a ruling.
Fingers crossed. We will keep every one posted.



FISHING REPORT

It’s been the usual windy spring weather but we are managing to get out at least twice a week.
The water temperature is finally starting to rise and is now 15 degrees which is about normal for November.
The flathead fishing over the last 6 months has been sensational. They are nearly jumping into the boat. It’s common to pull in two at a time and have several others following them up to the boat. Recently I had a big flathead take the bait and hook out of a small ones mouth right on the surface which was a bonus. It’s common for anglers to catch their bag limit in under an hour.
The same can’t be said for the snapper fishing which has been a bit ordinary, hopefully they arrive in reasonable numbers soon. There’s been quite a few Teraki, Nannygai, Swallowtail, Blue Morwong and big Gummy Shark being caught and still quite a few King George Whiting being caught off the pier. The gurnards are still in plague proportions which is a pain.

UNUSUAL FISH CAUGHT OFF LORNE

Jackass Morwong or Teraki.
These fish appear to be increasing in numbers and also in size. They were an unusual catch not so many years ago but are starting to become reasonably abundant. They are a bycatch when targeting snapper and in our neck of the woods are usually caught in the 40 to 60 metre mark.
The name Teraki comes from the Maori name of Terakihi which for some reason has become the common name here in Australia. The fish markets often call them Sea Bream and Silver Perch as there are no regulations for fish names. They are targeted commercially by trawlers in southern Australia, Tasmania and New Zealand and are managed by quota so the total weight of fish caught is restricted. The males live up to 16 years and the females up to 40 years.
They are a good eating fish and great fun to catch.



MERCHANDISE

Our new colour T Shirts for 2021 have just arrived. See the photo below. We are also still selling them in: Black, Navy and Charcoal. We have plenty of stock in short and long sleeve.
Check out our Caps, Stubby Holders, Masks, Stickers and Gift Vouchers. They are ideal Christmas Presents.
Email keith.miller@live.com.au for more details.

COFFEE

Jason will be open from 8am until 1pm Friday to Monday for the next few weeks serving up his world famous Coffee, Tea, Hot Chocolate and bickies.

Cheers,

Keith Miller, Commodore

Thanks to our sponsors:

KEANE CONTRACTING BRICK/BLOCK and SCAFFOLDING – Gary Keane
SURFCOAST GARDENING – Kerry Webster & Rob Dalziel