Why you should enter a fishing comp when you don’t like fishing

Why would I enter a fishing comp when I hate fishing you say?

Well, I’m about to give you the 7 best reasons to pack your bags and get yourself off to your nearest, daggiest fishing comp and go mingle with the locals (and sometimes the yokels depending on the area!). There are plenty of fishing comps near Brisbane to read on to find out more…

  1. You don’t have to catch a fish to win big

    beach fishing competition near brisbane

So this is a secret I didn’t know until I started organising the ARB Moreton Island Fishing Classic, but you don’t have to catch a big fish, or a fish at all in fact to take home the major prizes at a fishing comp, often worth in excess of ten thousand dollars!  For an entry fee that might range from $10 to $100 and usually not a lot of entrants, that’s better odds than last month’s scratchy spend.

  1. You might pick up a husband (or wife…)

fishing competitions near brisbane

No seriously ladies, lots of eligible bachelors who aren’t the type to head to the pub on the weekend, congregate here with their mates…ok so they’re not all a good catch (pardon the pun) but there is something to be said for that rugged outdoor bloke who can feed the family with his bare hands.  And blokes, you’d be surprised at the amount of fish friendly ladies out there who have worked out that the prizes are not just for the men – expect some serious competition!

  1. Massive prizes up for grabs – and anyone can win

    fishing competition near brisbane

So a fishing comp generally runs in this fashion.  You catch a big fish, you win a little prize.  You catch a bigger fish, you win a bigger prize.  You catch the biggest fish, you win money – hooray.  You don’t catch any fish, but are still entered into the daily and major random prize draw and you stand the chance of winning some of the $50 – $100,000 worth of prizes given away over the duration – and the prizes are not necessarily fishing related.  I’m talking 4WD gear, boats, kayaks, cars & holidays!

  1. Get rid of the missus

    fishing competition near brisbane

Want to hang out with your mates and have a boy’s trip, but that pesky wife (god love’er) is up for any holiday and always tags along?  I can guarantee if you spin it right, a fishing trip with the boys is NOT one of the holidays she will want to attend. Perhaps just don’t let her read reason number 2 or find out that actually the ladies often do better than the blokes (yup I said it.)

  1. Travel on the cheap

    fishing competition near brisbane

So another secret no one wants you to know, is that often companies are putting out specials for the event (we do!).  Whether they be accommodation specials or ferry specials depending on the location, you can jump on board just by entering in the fishing competition.  It’s a win win situation, you get the chance to win thousands of dollars in prizes, head to an awesome beach side location, and get some great savings on your travel.  Why not?

  1. Your kids will survive the zombie apocalypse

kids fishing competition

Ok, that’s a bit dramatic perhaps but, you do want them to be able to feed themselves if they need to right?  There’s something completely organic about hunting and gathering your own food.  Fishing with the kids is a great way to get them outside, and teach them a thing or two about feeding themselves.  The best part is, if you reel in a monster, you’ve got witnesses to attest to your awesome fishing skills!

  1. You’ll get brownie points with the boys

fishing competition

Nobody likes a soft cucumber right?  Well, organise the fishing trip, grab the beers and you’ll get untold brownie points with the boys.  A great way to get away with the mates, away from those poncy cafes & halfwit soccer dads and, at the very least you’ll avoid having to follow your wife around the shops this weekend holding all her purchases and sitting on those “I’d rather be dead” seats out the front.

If you’re keen to wet a line (or open a beer, no pressure) why not check out the best 3 fishing comps near Brisbane:

ARB Moreton Island Fishing Competition

Location: Moreton Island, 35km from Brisbane

Dates: 23 – 27 August 2017

Prizes: Over $65, 000 of cash & prizes including 4WD gear, fishing gear, camping gear, BCF vouchers cash & more.

Cost to enter: $85.00 for adults, $45.00 for kids, special discounts given on ferry fares for competitors.

Why it’s a winner: One of the only island fishing comps left. Super chilled out comp located on idyllic Moreton Island. Family friendly with great kid’s & adult prizes. Small number of entrants so a greater chance of taking home a cash (or other) prize.

Check out some photos here

Rainbow Beach Fishing Competition

Location: Rainbow Beach, east of Gympie

Dates: 21st – 29th July 2017

Prizes: $100, 000 worth of prizes (less random prizes)

Cost to enter: Adults $140, Cadets $80, Junior $35

Why it’s a winner:  Great if you live on the North Coast and want a longer competition to go to.  Boat fishing is included, as is a separate cadet’s competition.

Hervey Bay Family Fishing Competition

Location: Urangan, Hervey Bay

Dates: 2017 dates to be announced

Prizes: $10 000 cash prizes, $8000 boating package & more

Cost to enter: Adults $40, Juniors $10

Why it’s a winner: small family fishing club run competition.  Great for starters and kids to get out there and have a try.

If you would like to be kept in the fishing comp loop and receive updates about the ARB Moreton Island Fishing Classic, you can sign up to the VIP list HERE

fishing competition near brisbane

Isuzu I-Venture Club

How to get your new 4WD Isuzu (and yourself!) offroad ready with Isuzu I-Venture Club.  So you’ve purchased a new 4wd.  It’s awesome. So shiny and new, you can’t wait to take the kids to soccer practice and show off to the other dads.  But the thought of taking your new shiny Isuzu DMAX onto a sand island and risking being one of those statistics? No thank you!  But then that really hardcore bloke (we’ll call him Bazza) down the road keeps asking you why your cool new hardcore 4wd is so clean…you’re running out of cover stories.

Well never fear! The Isuzu I-Venture Club can take away your manly woes and deliver you safely to a spectacular Brisbane 4WD destination, give you accredited 4WD training and instruction and all the while have you thinking you’re just on an awesome day out!

brisbane 4wd-ferry
Don’t be “that” guy.

 

That is exactly what happened last Saturday when Keema Cars organised an I-Venture Club trip for a selection of their valued clients. 34 adventure seeking 4WD enthusiasts took their shiny new Isuzu vehicles out to tackle sand driving on Moreton Island.

Dave Darmody from Australian Offroad Academy joined Moreton Island Adventures & Keema Cars to provide a stellar day with plenty of 4WD instruction combined with interesting facts on the island and amazing catering (after all no one works well on an empty stomach). The Australian Offroad Academy is a peak offroad training provider whose mission it is to provide you with the skills necessary to safely and confidently explore the outdoors, secure in the knowledge that you and your vehicle can handle the chosen terrain – and on Saturday that is exactly what Dave Darmody gave us!

brisbane 4wd training
The group enjoyed delicious morning tea while participating in some on-board training on their trip across the bay

So what exactly will you learn on a Brisbane 4WD I-Venture Club Trip on Moreton Island?

How to decrease your tyre pressure to travel successfully on sand.
Depending on your vehicle and how soft the sand is, your 4WD trainer will advise you what PSI your vehicle’s tyres should be at – and why. Luckily the Micat ferry owned by Moreton Island Adventures has 4 air hoses for you to re-inflate your tyres on the way back to Brisbane. 4WD adventure couldn’t be easier!

isuzu brisbane 4wd
Great scenery and weather accompanied us as we participated in some training

How to use all the special features on your Isuzu 4WD to cater to sand driving
You probably haven’t used half of the buttons and gadgets that your Isuzu was born with – it’s time to get to know your vehicle.

brisbane 4wd-training-2
Dave from Australian Offroad Academy getting everyone involved in some recovery training

How to drive safely off the ferry onto the sand without being “that guy” who gets bogged in front of the ferry!
No one wants to be that guy. Sometimes the fear of the unknown will actually stop us stepping out into the adventures we know we want to have. This trip will debunk the mysteries surrounding safe and effective sand driving and get you offroad ready in no time.

Brisbane 4WD
Emma from Moreton Island Adventures shows the lads how to drive

How to tackle multiple sand obstacles including soft sand, entering and exiting tracks safely without drama, avoiding obstacles & water crossings.
These can all sound a bit scary if you’ve never tackled them before

Brisbane 4wd water crossing
Water crossings are not so scary with expert instruction and guidance

What to do if you become stuck, bogged or temporarily trapped (and what is the difference?)
Sometimes you’re just stuck. Temporarily. It’s not a serious issue worth panicking about – but you panic…sound familiar? Dave will teach you the difference between these and how not to panic, remain calm and just follow the steps to get yourself back on your adventure…sounds good right?

Brisbane 4wd max trax
Demonstrating the tools of the trade with a set of Max Trax

How to get around Moreton Island!
By the end of your trip, you’ll have travelled the entire Northern end of Moreton Island. You’ll probably have a really good idea of where you want to come back and camp and what you want to see. The Moreton Island Adventures guides can answer all of your questions about this magical island, and we can almost guarantee you’ll be dying to return on your own time.

isuzu Brisbane 4wd
Hitting the idyllic Eastern Beach

This is what some of Saturday’s adventurer’s had to say about the day:

Getting to know how to do things right and safely, so much more confident and looking forward to going out on my own; A really brilliant day, fulfilled my expectations. Everyone very friendly and approachable. Geraldine

 

Great experience and totally doable for us senior travellers. Food was fantastic, tour organisers were extremely helpful. Pamela

catering 4wd brisbane
Would you like some scenery with your watermelon?

So in short, if you’re feeling a little timid about getting out onto the sand in your shiny new Isuzu it’s time to take the bull by the horns and get into some REAL Brisbane 4WD adventures and sign up to the I-Venture club. Let’s face it, you’ll have a lot more to talk about at the kid’s soccer match if your DMAX is covered in sand and you’ve just come off your last camping trip to Moreton Island!

If you’re keen to get involved, head to https://www.iventureclub.com.au/ to sign up! If you’ve purchased your Isuzu with Keema Cars Springwood, give the friendly team there a call and see when the next customer trip is coming up www.keema.com.au

group-shot-brisbane-4wd
An awesome group and an awesome day!