WINNER of the heaviest barra division, Lucas Menzel, had to check with the Department of Fisheries to see if he was even allowed to take his boat out on Lake Moondarra.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Mr Menzel’s car licence was disqualified but fortunately for him legislation allowed him to still have a valid boating licence for the Clancy Corporation Lake Moondarra Fishing Classic.
“A mate had to drop me out here,” Mr Menzel said.
Mr Menzel was also fined $250 on Friday night because his boat had no life jackets.
“That’s going to cover it,” he said as he held his $1500 cheque.
He was able to get the life jackets in time for him to head out on the water on Saturday.
Mr Menzel said he caught his 11.96 kilogram barramundi about 7.30am near the dam wall. It was 99.8 centimetres long. He was using three rods at the time and after the catch had to wind the other two quickly to “gun it across” to the weigh station.
The catch is more impressive than last year’s heaviest barramundi of 3.87 kilogram caught by Luke North. But it was still no match for the heaviest barramundi caught in the history of the competition, which was Stuart Smith’s 26.17 kilogram barramundi, which won the prize in 2007.
■It was reported in yesterday’s The North West Star that the most fish were caught at the event since 2007. It was the highest number of barramundi (15), not fish overall.
