The Cape’s classic weekend . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . by Dave Donald

Big spanish mackerel were scarce but Brett Taylor managed to find this ripper at 18.6kg dressed.

Weighmaster Gavin Roberts weighed this chunky blue salmon caught by a junior fisher.

The Cape’s classic weekend

NOT even a 25 knot southeast trade wind could blow away the fishing fever that infuses the community when the Weipa Fishing Classic weekend comes around!

Just as the hugely successful Weipa Bullride that ran two weeks earlier, the event attracted a massive crowd intent on having a great time and possibly catching a few fish or three!

This year the Classic venue changed to the town’s new showground and from all reports the vibes were very positive.

Even with an attendance of close to 3000 on each of the three nights, there was plenty of room for exhibitors, food outlets, camp chairs and blankets to be accommodated in front of the new stage.

The Classic’s hardworking committee must be congratulated on what was an extremely smooth and professionally run event.

With two boats, a couple of quads, and a host of other fabulous prizes, the value of the goods handed out over the Classic approached $200,000.

Rough conditions on day one saw most of the boating activity limited to the rivers, though a couple of larger craft braved the conditions to target a few reef species.

The Parr family managed to find a productive spot early in the day before the wind started pumping, landing some lovely nannygai, fingermark and coral trout in the process.

The mackerel, though, were very scarce indeed.

Many families headed up the estuaries and found plenty of pikey bream, grunter and a few blue salmon on the chew.

Both the barramundi and king salmon proved to be finicky biters – a common complaint during strong wind

Cape York by DAVE DONALD