The wild card from Birak in the Bay
Birak is an indigenous word in Western Australia that means the ‘first summer’ or ‘season of the young’. Birak is when the rains ease up, and the warmer weather takes hold. The afternoons are cooled by the sea breezes that abound from the southwest.
Birak by the Bay was recently held in Geographe Bay by the local OzFish Chapter. Over six weeks, anglers could submit photos of their catch with a time-sensitive code to be in the draw to win some fantastic prizes.
Long gone are the days when one would carry a day-old fish to the local tavern for a weigh-in. This is a more sustainable way to submit your fish comp catch, giving recreational fishers the choice to catch and release promoting sustainable fishing practices.
One of the best parts of an OzFishers job is watching the competition entries roll in, countless photos of people smiling and holding their prized catch from the local waters.
One picture caught our attention; it was an impressive dhufish almost the same size as the young angler who landed it.
Dhufish are an inshore demersal reef fish and a WA fishing icon. The fact that they fight well, taste great and grow to over 25kg in size makes them arguably the most sought-after fish by boat anglers in the southwest.
At OzFish we were impressed! But unfortunately, it was missing the code word to be a qualified entrant. But we couldn’t help ourselves. This entry should be celebrated.
Seeing the level of enthusiasm from this young angler’s face meant he could not leave him disappointed.
After getting in touch, we learnt that our young fisher was on holiday from Perth, and this was his small window to participate in the competition. So, we popped a wide brim OzFish hat and lures in the post as a consolation prize to show his appreciation for his efforts.
After the competition, we were followed up by a second photo. This one sparked just as much joy. It was our young fisher again! Back in the boat off the shores of Perth sporting his new OzFish hat and this time a juvenile dhufish. You can tell a juvenile dhufish due to the stripes across the body that fade over time.
These are the types of interactions that make OzFish special. We love seeing recreational anglers out on the water, wearing the OzFish hat proudly and sharing these pictures back with you.
Keep those awesome photos coming in.