Kalvin Gates and Harvey Mitchell might be younger than most entrants in Western Australia's most prestigious game fishing tournament, but they are proving they are no small fry.
Nearly two hundred people flocked to Exmouth last week to compete in the 54th GAMEX event.
Harvey, 9, was just one fish short from being named the 2022 GAMEX Champion Male Angler for Tag and Release Billfish.
"It's a pretty big achievement for a nine-year-old," proud father Leigh Mitchell said.
"But we were fortunate enough to catch a few fish."
Harvey won Champion Angler in the overall 'small fry' category for under 11s, as well as in the small fry tag and release billfish section.
He said the tournament was "funner" this year because more kids competed.
In his first GAMEX, fellow nine-year-old Kalvin Gates was the only competitor to break a record.
Kalvin set a state small fry record after catching his "dream fish" — a 4.76 kilogram queenfish on a one-kilogram line, which many fishers say has strength similar to cotton string.
Once approved, Kalvin said it will be his fifth or sixth record.
GAMEX is said to have produced more state, national and world records than any other tournament in Australia.
Reeling in the big guns
Fisheries Minister Don Punch was the special guest for the GAMEX presentation night at the Exmouth Game Fishing Clubhouse, where he stated the competition brings around a million dollars into the local economy every year.
48 teams and 183 anglers competed in this year's tournament, some travelling from as far away as South Africa and New Zealand for a taste of Exmouth's world-class fishing.
20 anglers caught their first ever billfish this GAMEX. Overall, 517 billfish were raised, 366 were hooked and 203 were tagged and released.
Exmouth Game Fishing Club Manager Ben Knaggs said the numbers sound high, but were actually down by Exmouth standards.
"The biggest year we ever had was over a thousand billfish tagged and released," Mr Knaggs said.
"So, 200 for us doesn't really sound like a lot of fish but anywhere else in the world you'd be absolutely stoked with those numbers."
Mr Knaggs said there was no specific reason it was tougher to fish this year.
"It's just variable, we have good years and bad years no matter where you are," he said.
WA fishers in high tide
Fisheries Minister Don Punch said recreational fishing was at an all-time high in Western Australia.
"There's been a big resurgence of recreational fishing during the COVID period, so we've got far more recreational fishers now than we've ever had," he said.
A large number of interstate and international fishers will return to the competition in 2023 after missing out on the past two years due to Western Australia's hard border.
With more competitors — and a prize pool estimated to jump from $100,000 to around a quarter of a million dollars — next year's GAMEX is set to be a massive event.
Mr Knaggs urged keen fishers to "get organised and get entered because spots will run out".
