Camp Lake Fire - Camping and Fishing at Maroon Dam Queensland - Gregory Terrace Year 8 Father & Son Weekend June 2011

Gregory Terrace Year 8 Father & Son Weekend June 2011

The winter fishing at Maroon Dam has continued to be productive. On 24-26 June we hosted a group of fathers & sons from Gregory Terrace. All the boys were in Year 8. Altogether there were 94 participants. This was a great initiative from the fathers in the year level and over the weekend it was clearly evident that social events like these certainly contribute to the school community spirit. In conversations throughout the weekend, one message that came through was that the fathers, whose son started this year, as Year 8 is one of the entry points to the school, really appreciated the opportunity to meet other fathers of the year level in a social setting. The weekend was coordinated by two of the parents, Terry Mulcahy and Phil Ryan, so a massive thank you to both of those gentlemen.

The group arrived Friday afternoon and most opted to camp and upon arrival set up their tents. Some families also utilised the cabins on site. Once everyone was set up, on Friday night there was a fishing seminar, which outlined the types of methods which can be employed in freshwater to target Australian bass and yellowbelly. A demonstration of a few simple knots was also covered. The Saturday was the assigned fishing day and it was set as a fishing competition. The group was split into a morning and afternoon session. It was a massive day on the water. With around 47 people fishing in each group it meant all eight boats and seven canoes were on the water. I also appreciated having Rosco’s Caningi on the water with the new Minn Kota. It allowed me to get around to the group quickly and in comfort. I can’t remember ever re-rigging so many lines in one day before, but seeing boys spending quality time with their dads and catching some great fish, it was no trouble at all, and in fact, quite enjoyable. L. Wilson & Co. kindly donated a couple of very nice ATC fishing rods, mini tackle kits, caps and every boy received a new slick back lure to target bass and yellowbelly. All the boys also received a free McDonald’s meal, which they were pretty happy about!

At the end of the day, special congratulations to Christopher who caught the largest yellowbelly of the day which measured 40cm and to Henry, whose dad Marty, picked up the longest bass which was 39.5cm in length. The Wilson ATC is a great rod for targeting a variety of species and I’m sure both boys will treasure their new rod and I’m sure they’ll catch many more fish on them in the future.