A rich history

In 1994, a small group of enthusiastic trailer boat anglers met at Nelson Bay on beautiful Port Stephens for an enjoyable weekend of fishing and camaraderie. The Club Marine Trailer Boat Fishing Tournament has since grown to be amongst the most popular family fishing tournaments in Australia while staying true to its original ideal of making anglers of all ages and skill levels welcome.

The rules have been kept deliberately simple and anglers do not need to be a member of a club. This is the first ever fishing tournament for around 50% of competitors each year, and people travel from all over Australia for the weekend. The tournament is every bit as much a social event as a competition and many families have developed long-lasting friendships over the years. The scenic location and well stocked inshore and offshore fisheries are icing on the cake. People fishing from small tinnies or kayaks have as much chance of winning as those with large trailer boats.

The Club Marine Trailer Boat Fishing Tournament may be very easy to enter and enjoy; it is, however, an extremely hard tournament to win. The Senior and Junior Anglers who take home the Champion Angler mantles each year are truly “gun” anglers who have worked very hard to be on the podium for a number of species. There are 14 eligible species including Flounder (a favourite with the juniors) right through to tag & release marlin so inshore and offshore anglers are well catered for.

We look forward to welcoming you to our next Trailer Boat Fishing Tournament to be held at Nelson Bay in 2023 – 31 march, 1 & 2 April. You can enter on-line and book accommodation with our accommodation partners by following the links on our sponsors page or via “Contacts at the Bay“. Don’t forget to ask for Trailer Boat Fishing Tournament special package deals.

View the photos from 2022 and previous years, or click here to purchase Senior or Junior tickets.