Commodore’s Notes

TUNAGATE
When we included tuna and king fish into our fishing competitions in late 2018 we didn’t envisage the large size and therefore scores of the tuna that were weighed in at our Australia Day Fishing Competition.
If we don’t adjust the scores, one big tuna alone would score so many points that competitors that didn’t catch one couldn’t accumulate that many points over the entire year.
Therefore we held a special committee meeting and decided that the total points scored by every tuna weighed in at the comp and from now on will be divided by 5.
This means that the placings at the comp don’t change but the scores will be brought right back into the field. For example, a 20kg tuna would get rolled by a 3kg snapper.
I’m sure this won’t keep everyone happy but as I’ve discovered over my time as Commodore, keeping everyone happy is completely impossible but I’ll keep trying.
 
Things are back to normal at the club after another successful summer.
The Hawaiian Shirt Wednesdays were a huge success so they will become a permanent event each January. We also had a group of young blokes set up a wood fired pizza van a couple of nights each week which worked really well. They sold out of pizzas most nights. Some of their profits were donated to the bush fires.
About this time each year I get complaints from some of our local regulars about the club becoming too popular and crowded. I understand their concerns but it’s only for one month each year and without it we would struggle to survive the off season months when we run at a loss.
I actually enjoy the busy January nights where we all get to meet new members who are all there to have a good time.
We have some extremely interesting visitors and members and after you get to know them it always amazes me when you find out some of their occupations.
We get surgeons, judges, CEOs, politicians, AFL footballers etc etc
The $2 pots are back on Wednesdays and Toss the Boss on Friday’s with snacks and free sausage sizzles.

GOLF CHALLENGE DAY
SUNDAY 16th FEBRUARY @ 12pm is our GOLF CHALLENGE DAY. Sponsored by OTWAY BOOTS.
We are having another crack at the snowflakes up at the Lorne Country Club. Last year they took the score cards into an office, locked the door, shredded them and then came out and told us we had been beaten.
I have appointed a team of auditors this year so that won’t happen again.
If any of our members out there can swing a golf club please put your name down at the bar or email us. We don’t want to get done two years in a row. BBQ and refreshments at the LAAC afterwards

 

TOMATO COMPETITION
FRIDAY 21st FEBRUARY. We will be holding our inaugural TOMATO COMPETITION for the best home grown tomato. There will only be an open category. Judging will start at 5pm followed by a free barbecue. The winner will be awarded a prize and his or her name on a perpetual trophy. Sponsored by Lorne Pharmacy.

CLEAN UP AUSTRALIA DAY
CLEAN UP AUSTRALIA DAY SUNDAY 1st MARCH we will again be organising the clean up day so please put this date on your calendar. Meet at the clubhouse to pickup a bag and register from 8am onwards.

FISHING COMP
Major Fishing Competition Number 2 on Sunday the 8th of March.
As usual the Weigh In will start at midday with the deadline being 12.30pm. Only one fish per angler can be weighed in so anyone can win. Presentations will follow as soon as the scores are tallied then a scrumptious roast lunch will be served which is free to all competitors. All welcome.

VULCANS AND PAELLA
After the fishing comp on Sunday 8th March we will have free live music with the Vulcans performing in the beer garden and The Paella Pan will be serving delicious paella, so pop in for a pot and some paella.

CUPCAKE CUP LAWN BOWLS
ON THE EVENING OF FRIDAY 27th MARCH. CUPCAKE CUP LAWN BOWLS CHALLENGE SPONSORED BY GRANDMA SHIELDS BAKERY.
It’s on again only this time we are taking it seriously. We are going to give the Cup Cakes at the Lorne Bowls Club a hiding. Any of our members with any bowling ability at all please put your name down at the Anglers bar or email us.

The Lorne Mens Shed are holding their model yacht and power boat regatta on Easter Sunday the 12th of April 10am at the Swing Bridge. Free Entry. There will be an Easter egg hunt just before the races start so bring the kids. The event is sponsored by us.

RECENT EVENTS
Our first major fishing competition for the year was held on Australia Day and was a huge success.
The weather was perfect and we had 37 anglers enter with 29 weighing in fish.
For the first time ever we had Southern Bluefin Tuna here by the thousands and just about everyone who had a crack at them caught lots. It was sensational. It may not happen again or it might become a normal event. Who knows. It was followed by a magnificent roast lunch.
The results were:
Senior Winner, Keith Miller – Tuna = 5503 points
Senior Runner Up, Richard Coghlan – Tuna = 5484 points
Senior Third, Wayne Griffiths – Tuna = 5450 points
 
Junior Winner, Ted Middleton – Tuna = 5842 points
Junior Runner Up, Ollie Flint – Bream = 3100 points

PUB TO PIER then ANGLERS BEER
On the arvo of Australia Day after our fishing comp the Lorne Surf Lifesaving Club ran their annual Pub to Pier then Anglers Beer swim which is the opposite to the Pier to Pub. It’s a fun swim with no prizes but like all fun events the competitive spirit kicks in for some and they have a real go.
Each year this fun event gets more popular and this year they estimated over 100 swimmers had a go. Being Australia Day we handed out copious amounts of vegemite sandwiches, lamingtons and put on a free Aussie Barbecue. We also flew the Australian Flag and decorated our beer garden with Aussie Flag Bunting. Katherine Buchanan donated a magnificent print of the event which we raffled and raised over $1,000 for the bush fires. It was a sensational day.

FAD INCIDENT
With the news of the tuna reaching Melbourne recently a huge number of boats arrived out off the Aireys Light House near one of the FADS. Unfortunately a boat owner got his propellor tangled in the rope and cut it off. The phone number for fisheries is clearly displayed on the FAD but they didn’t bother notifying them. Luckily it has a GPS monitor installed and fisheries retrieved it the next day about 30 klm away. I’ve been speaking to fisheries and they are going to redeploy it with a new anchor, rope and chain as soon as possible. The timing is unfortunate because February is traditionally when the Kingfish arrive.

FISHING REPORT
It’s been the best January fishing I’ve ever had with great weather and lots of fish then the Tuna arrived and really topped it all off. The snapper have been plentiful with most of them above 35cm and some up to 60cm. Gummy Sharks have really been on the chew with plenty around the 10kg mark. We caught one on a Whiting rod recently with 5kg line and a tiny Whiting hook.
King George Whiting have been caught in reasonably good numbers with quite a few smaller school size ones which I’ve been told is a good sign for next year. Flathead continue to be plentiful with lots of big yanks among them. The Southern Bluefin Tuna have moved on but hopefully they will return. When filleting fish I often check out their stomach contents to see what they are eating. I was surprised to find that every tuna we caught had completely empty stomachs which is a mystery because the sea is alive with slimy mackerel, yakkas, couta and small baitfish.
I’m assuming this is why they were so easy to catch while they were here, they were having a go at just about any lure you put in front of them.
The Pier is fishing well with plenty of Calamari, Trevally, Salmon, Whiting Snapper and the odd Flathead being caught. I spoke to a bloke recently who bagged out on Calamari in under an hour.

RESCUE
We had just arrived out off Moggs recently and had just started fishing when I got a call from a couple of blokes who were fishing off Wye River and their propeller had fallen off.
We abandoned the fishing and drove around and towed them safely back to Lorne.
I don’t mind doing it but my motor got too hot to touch so that’s definitely not good for it.
It reinforces our need for a rescue boat which we have asked for several times and been refused by the government. As I’ve stated in these notes many times, there is no suitable rescue boat between Torquay and Apollo Bay which is ridiculous.

COFFEE
Jason will be open Thursdays through to Mondays until the end of February serving his world renowned coffee, tea, hot chocolate, bickies etc.

MERCHANDISE
We’ve still got limited stock of our popular Tshirts, Caps, Stubby Holders, Hoodies and stickers. If you are having difficulty buying a present for someone drop in and grab one of our vouchers. They can be used for: drinks, nibbles, merchandise, bait or even membership.

BAIT
We’ve just restocked our freezers. Our bait is the best quality and value for money anywhere along the Great Ocean Road.
We have: Berley Logs, Squid, Prawns, Pippies, Baby Cuttlefish, Salted or unsalted Pilchards.

COURTESY BUS
We are back to running our bus on Friday and Saturday nights only. We still need volunteers to help us out.Please be generous with your gold coin donations. Ph 0408 031 234.

Cheers,

Keith Miller, Commodore

Thanks to our sponsors:

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