SALE fishing enthusiast Kevin Beams is ‘beaming’ with excitement after the luck of the draw awarded him a new boat at the Gippsland RV & Marine Twin Rivers Bream Classic event at Johnsonville in East Gippsland last month.
While he acknowledges he didn’t do as well as he would have liked in the competition, his lucky win means he will double down on fishing contests.
“I came equal 10th, or technically 11th, in the actual competition. There were some high class fisherman competing,” he said.
“It was a good competition, good to see so many entrants. Hopefully I’ll do it again next year.
“I love fishing as much as my family allows me to,” he said with a chuckle.
The Twin Rivers Bream Classic is the signature fishing event in East Gippsland, renowned for its exceptional fishing. Held annually over the third weekend in July, the Twin Rivers Bream Classic attracts participants from across Victoria and NSW to fish the Gippsland Lakes. The community-focused, family-friendly event is in its 25th year and promotes sustainable fishing.
Fishing commenced on Saturday, July 15 at 6am and continued through to Sunday, July 16 at 11.30am.
More than 800 competitors submitted fish into the competition, compared to 440 total fish submitted in 2022.
On day one, Beams said he and his friend Mitch had a slow day, ending with a team bag length of four bream out of four at 152 centimetre – only nine centimetres away from the lead.
“We knew I lost some decent fish that day so we’re sure if we can convert them tomorrow we will be at the pointy end,” Beams said.
Day two saw fantastic weather, but not the conditions the pair were looking for and it was another huge grind.
“Glassed out conditions and clear blue skies made the fish very spooky and timid. We had a couple of opportunities with Mitch getting absolutely pantsed by a decent bream and me losing a legal halfway back to the boat. It was tough going,” Beams said.
“Though we were both pretty happy as we had given it our all and left nothing to spare.”
The major prize draw event took place from 11.30am at the Johnsonville Boat Ramp.
The luck of the draw provides an opportunity for those that may have had an unlucky weekend fishing still leave a winner, and Beams felt like a winner.
“It’s a massive shock to the system … I wasn’t expecting to win anything. I just wanted to have a good weekend with my good mates,” he said.
“Congratulations to all the other winners and to all the kids that got some gear for participating.”
Asked what he planned on doing with the boat, Beam said he would be keeping it, and felt it was a gift from his late father-in-law.
“My father-in-law passed away on Father’s Day last year from brain cancer. He did a lot for us. One part of me feels like this might be a thank you from him. Hence why I’m keeping it and modifying it instead of selling it,” he said.
“The boat is getting an upgrade for more horsepower. And I’m putting a side console in it. I’ll be doing more fishing competitions.”
