Sensational weekend of adventure at Riviera Port Lincoln Tuna Classic 2022
by Riviera Australia 6 May 2022 10:41 UTC
Riviera motor yachts line up in preparation for the shotgun start, which was led by Majesnik, a Riviera 52 Enclosed Flybridge owned by event organisers Russell Bianco and Gabriella Gabbana © Riviera Australia
Two sensational days of action at the fishing grounds off Eyre Peninsula in South Australia saw more than 800 Southern Blue Fin Tuna caught and released at the 16th annual Riviera Port Lincoln Tuna Classic.
This was twice the number of fish caught and released in last year's event after 28 boats, including 11 Riviera motor yachts, set off at 8am with the competitive spirit of a traditional shotgun start on Saturday, March 25.
View the 16th annual Port Lincoln Tuna Classic shotgun-start video
On board, 145 anglers prepared to drop the lines at 9am once the boats had reached their chosen fishing grounds, including a number of 'Junior' and 'Small Fry' entrants who impressed in the 10-kilogram line catch-and-release categories. Though 11-year-old Aiden Waller didn't place in the Junior category, his father Mark says catching his first ever tuna was achievement enough on the family's Riviera 525 SUV, Laila Jane.
"All he wanted to do was catch a tuna, so it was good to see that he made it," says Mark. "At 12kg, it was the biggest fish he's caught, so he had a big smile; he was really happy. It was great to see the Small Fry and Juniors getting involved and managing to land plenty of tuna. Everyone really enjoyed themselves; there was great mateship around and spirits were high. Most of the fish were caught on the Saturday afternoon."
Riviera is a founding sponsor of the Port Lincoln Tuna Classic, a catch-and-release event that targets only Southern Bluefin tuna, and is the first of its kind in Australia to disallow three-pronged fishing hooks.
On board No Ragrets, a Riviera 53 Enclosed Flybridge, was Greg Cunningham whose yacht came in equal fourth with 61 fish caught.
"We didn't have a great start with no fish caught by 2pm on the Saturday, so we moved and thought we were at Cabbage Patch, though it turned out we weren't," says Greg, who took possession of the 53 Flybridge just eight weeks earlier.
"It didn't matter because we caught 44 fish that afternoon and we were the only boat there. That was exciting, by accident, but we'll certainly take it! It was our second year in the competition and last year we only caught five, so it was a big improvement."
"We had five very happy anglers on board; we were all fine on the Saturday morning with the gyro helping immensely with the crew not getting seasick, and then in the afternoon the weather came right. The Sunday was glorious. Port Lincoln is a beautiful place, and the people are fantastic, so helpful and friendly. And Gabriella (Gabbana) and Russell (Bianco), the event's organisers, run such a good show; they put so much effort into organising that it runs smoothly and it's great fun."
Also enjoying the camaraderie was David Swinton on Hooked, his Riviera 3850 on which he had travelled from Adelaide about 133 nautical miles away. "It was a great event, and a great learning experience for fishing for tuna," says David. "We lost four lures and lost a few fish at the back of the boat, but Russell and Gabriella put on a great show and were so welcoming.
The rest of the teams also were very helpful, assisting with lures, bits and pieces and advice for us as we figured out what sort of drag to set so we don't snap the lines. We set out to catch some fish; we all had a turn and enjoyed the experience of pulling them on board, so it was a great time with everyone."
After a stunning Sunday on the water, the teams arrived back to town to celebrate their wins, with the record $60,600 Calcutta for the heaviest fish front of mind for many.
"It's all kept hush-hush until the presentation evening on the Sunday," says event organiser Russell Bianco. "The Calcutta this year was a surprise with a tie for first place for tunas weighing in at 14.4kg - shared by anglers aboard Yipee-Ki-Yay and Catfish - and second going to Dusty with a 14.3kg fish. Overall, it was an energetic weekend. Once the shotgun goes off, it's all on and everyone's catching and releasing as much as they can. It's very exciting and the first time we've had great weather for a couple of years. Of course, it wouldn't be possible without Riviera and their support of the event as well."
A total of 819 fish were caught and released across the weekend. Overall champion angler of the 2022 Riviera Port Lincoln Tuna Classic was Dean Lewis, who caught and released 33 tuna aboard Thirsty Work. David Buckland took home the overall champion boat prize on Dusty, catching and releasing 78 tuna over the two days.