Evans Head Fishing Classic

15/05/2026

Another sponsor highlight for the team at Anaconda who have been a strong supporter of this community event. Thanks Anaconda

13/05/2026

We are all systems go for the 30th anniversary of the Evans Head Fishing Classic and our major sponsors are back onboard again. The event is going ahead July 3 to 10 at the Evans Head RSL, thanks to Gamakatsu. Our sponsor spotlight for the day. Look forward to seeing you there.
Remember you can enter online via the app, Australian Fishing Tournaments which you can find in the app store.

30/04/2026

23/04/2026

🌅 The wait is over. 2026 Entries are OPEN! Australia's flagship fishing tournament returns for its massive 30th Anniversary! Join us at Evans Head from 3–10 July 2026. Whether you are casting in the estuary at dawn or heading offshore, this is the event of the year. 👉 Early Bird Adult Entry is just $120 (Save $20) – Ends 30 April! 📲 Enter via the AFT app or visit evansheadfishingclassic.com.au.

16/04/2026

🎣 YOUR CATCH. YOUR GLORY. ENTRIES ARE OPEN! Ready to land the catch of a lifetime? The Evans Head Fishing Classic is back for our 30th Anniversary, 3–10 July 2026! With over 100% of entry fees paid back in prizes, it is time to get your crew together. 👉 Early Bird Entry $120 (Save $20) – Ends 30 April! 📲 Download the AFT app to enter.

10/04/2026

🚤 GET THE CREW TOGETHER – 2026 ENTRIES ARE OPEN! The 30th Anniversary Evans Head Fishing Classic is officially on! Clear your calendar for 3–10 July 2026 — seven days of epic fishing on the NSW coast. All ages, all species, Catch & Photograph format. 👉 Early Bird $120 Adult Entry (Save $20) – Ends 30 April! 📲 Enter via the AFT app or evansheadfishingclassic.com.au.

06/04/2026

🎣 THE WAIT IS OVER! 2026 ENTRIES ARE OFFICIALLY OPEN! 🎣

Australia's flagship fishing tournament is back, and this year we are celebrating our massive 30th Anniversary! Get ready for the biggest Evans Head Fishing Classic yet, running from Friday 3rd July to Friday 10th July 2026.

Whether you are chasing Snapper offshore, hunting Mulloway in the estuary, or just looking for a great week on the water with your mates and family, this is the event of the year. Our Catch & Photograph format means everyone has a chance at glory, and with over 100% of entry fees paid back in prizes, the rewards are huge!

💰 EARLY BIRD SPECIAL: Enter before 30th April 2026 and secure your Adult entry for just $120 (Save $20!). Your entry includes a $25 Fishing Mat Ruler and a free $55 Frogleys Offshore Voucher.

Bring the whole crew — Cadet entries are $25 and Juniors are just $10, both including a free $20 Frogleys Voucher.

📲 How to enter: All entries are now done via the AFT app. Download the app, register your team, and lock in your spot today!

👉 Head to evansheadfishingclassic.com.au for all the details and prize lists.

Tag your fishing buddies below and start planning your trip to Evans Head! 👇

The Evans Head Fishing Classic is a flagship fishing tournament in the Australian fishing calendar. WHAT A Catch and Photograph event with a large list of species and loads of random draws.This year is the 30th anniversary of the event so expect it to be a big one! WHEN 2026 Event starts Friday 3rd....

25/11/2025

🌊 Have Your Say on Airforce Beach! 🌊

Richmond Valley Council is seeking community feedback on the future management of Airforce Beach, Evans Head. This is your chance to make sure the beach remains a place for everyone to enjoy — including our local fishos!

✅ The best outcome for our fishing community? Keep the beach open for all to use.
Your voice matters — let’s make it heard!

👉 Fill in the consultation form here:
https://richmondvalley.nsw.gov.au/exhibition/airforce-beach-evans-head-future-beach-management-consultation

📢 Share this post and encourage your mates to have their say. Together, we can protect access for everyone!

12/07/2025

💔🎣 EVANS HEAD FISHING CLASSIC – OVERALL ADULT RESULTS
“Of Broken Hearts, Sore Arms, and the Ones That Didn't Get Away”
As the curtain falls on the Evans Head Fishing Classic, the adult division scoreboard reads like a love letter to the sport—one penned in sunscreen, salt, and stubborn resilience. Every name etched on that leaderboard carries a story: of heartbreak, of hope, and of arms that will ache for days to come.
In the AJ-Sambo category, Mackenzie Luck delivered a heartbreak to the entire field, dropping a 1079mm bomb on Day 7—just when they thought it was safe. Tony Bodley wasn’t far behind with a 1030mm fish on Day 2, and Glenn Banks showed his consistency with 1010mm. These weren’t fish. These were homewreckers—wrecking egos, tackle, and probably a few shoulder joints.
Ray Palmer’s 448mm blackfish held strong from Day 5, but Callum Carmont (440mm) and Brendon Palmer (427mm) were always in his rearview mirror. Not far behind, not quite ahead. Close enough to taste it—too far to claim it.
Bream-Tarwhine was a four-way emotional rollercoaster. Lyle Outerbridge (437mm) took the win, but Adam Little, Natalee Reynolds, and John Anderson all tied at 432mm. Three broken hearts. One leaderboard slot. You could feel the sting in the air like a slow-release heartbreak anthem.
Dylan Carbery was pure commitment in the dart division—his 460mm Day 3 catch stayed top all week. Michael Gibson (454mm) and Tom McCall (450mm) cast line after line, each hook baited with desperation and a touch of poetry. Dart isn’t about luck. It’s about timing—and a little heartbreak when you miss it by less than a fillet knife’s width.
Flathead was arm-wrecking. Call a physio. Natalee Reynolds’ 970mm beast on Day 2 was the kind of fight you don’t forget. Martin Soutar (941mm) and Mal Hancock (925mm) put in the reps and the pain, but came in just behind. If smiles hide sore muscles, they were all grinning through the burn.
In Judges’ Choice, it was a war of rarity and style. Tony Bodley’s Spanish mackerel (1270mm) broke hearts, scales, and possibly a rod tip. Hayden Simpson’s giant herring (730mm) was the stuff of quiet dreams. And DJ McKenna’s spangled emperor (670mm)? It was poetic—a fish with flair that matched the angler.
Scott Coventry claimed king-cobia glory with a monstrous 1490mm catch—a heart-stopping haul that no doubt turned more than a few competitors into silent sufferers. Cameron Gillespie (1380mm) and Patrick Jones (1340mm) weren’t short on effort or size—but this was a heartbreak zone, not a comfort cruise.
The mulloway division? Three names. Three legends. Darcy Banks (1320mm), Wesley Jeffery (1300mm), DJ McKenna (1295mm). All over 1200mm. All deserving. But only one gets the crown. This is where arms turn to jelly, and hearts turn to stone.
In pearl perch, it was a dead heat. John Hourn and Mitch Caldwell both landed 600mm stunners. Kobe Miller snuck in behind them with 571mm—but it’s hard to celebrate when you know you were one scale shy of equal glory.
Snapper was a battlefield. Philip Trevor’s 923mm fish was a thing of beauty. Stephen Banks (920mm) and Wesley Jeffery (905mm) weren’t chasing—they were gunning. But heartbreak doesn’t always look like failure. Sometimes it looks like second place.
Tailor brought some punch. Lachlan Wray (800mm) stayed cool under pressure, while Paige Higgins (754mm) and Jason Grundy (620mm) dug in, grinding through tides, tangles, and tension. Tailor aren’t forgiving. Neither is the leaderboard.
In the trag arena, Chad Banks (774mm) clung to victory with Troy Robson (768mm) breathing down his neck. Callin Loy rounded out the podium with 755mm. All three wore smiles. And all three probably needed a sling for their casting arm by sundown.
The whiting division was classic heartbreak territory. Alexander Klassen’s 442mm fish stood tall early and never fell. Malcolm Boddy (425mm) and Bernard Richter (412mm) cast like poets, but the lines didn’t fall their way. This was the whisper of heartbreak—the quiet kind that lingers longer than the cheers.
Overall Champion Male Alex Klassen proved unstoppable across multiple divisions, landing consistent top finishes in blackfish, dart, and whiting to secure the crown with sheer persistence and technical brilliance. Champion Female Katelyn Bodley delivered standout performances throughout the week, showing both finesse and fight to edge out the competition and claim her title in style. Meanwhile, Team K Man Fishing dominated the team leaderboard with an all-round display of skill, teamwork, and tactical execution—proving that when it comes to chasing fish and trophies, they’re the crew to beat.
💔 Final Cast...
So here we are. Bruised hands, bent rods, and beaten egos. Some got the glory. Others got the gut-punch. But everyone left with something: a story, a bruise, a half-mended heart… and a very, very sore arm.
Until next year, may your drag scream, your net be ready, and your heartbreaks turn into hook-ups.
Full results available online at https://evansheadfishingclassic.com.au/2025-results/

11/07/2025

⚓️ EVANS HEAD FISHING CLASSIC – DAY 7 ADULT DIVISION
🐋 "The Whale Was Real – And It Was Hooked at Evans Head"
Day 7 at the Evans Head Fishing Classic read like the final chapter of Moby-Dick—a day of salt, sweat, and angling obsession. The wind may not have roared, but the tension in the weigh-in tent did. And while there was no Pequod in sight, the hunt for glory mirrored Captain Ahab’s madness—except here, they actually landed the beasts.
At the helm of this tale, Mackenzie Luck stood victorious in AJ-Sambo with a monstrous 1079mm catch. Like a harpoon strike from the crow’s nest, it was clean, decisive, and undeniable. No chase—just impact.
The blackfish division saw Brendon Palmer reel in his white whale with a 425mm fish, while Bernard Richter (418mm) and Alexander Klassen (410mm) tailed close behind, relentless as the ocean itself.
In bream-tarwhine, it was Natalee Reynolds who threw the iron first, landing a 424mm catch and escaping the tumultuous wake stirred up by Nicholas Lynch (410mm) and Wayde Hull (408mm). The fight was technical—these weren’t leviathans, but sly adversaries lurking in shallow currents.
But in dart, Michael Gibson let out a cry worthy of Ishmael himself, slamming home a 454mm fish that rocked the deck. Tom McCall (420mm) and Ryan Kernaghan (409mm) battled back with fury in their eyes and salt on their brows.
The flathead field was the domain of sea beasts. Martin Soutar commanded a leviathan at 941mm, the kind of catch that would make the harpooners cheer from below deck. Robert Donnelly (923mm) and Michael Innes (585mm) wrestled hard in deep water, but the quarry had already been subdued.
And then came the Judges’ Choice entries—rare creatures from distant parts of the deep. Abbey Alchin’s 910mm bluefin tuna shimmered like a ghost of the sea. Dylan Wilson landed a 752mm bonito with the precision of Queequeg. And DJ McKenna’s spangled emperor may have only hit 670mm, but its colour and fight earned a place in the ship’s log.
The king-cobia contest was ferocious. Michael Roberts landed a thunderous 1137mm fish—an explosion of water and fury. Dylan Wilson (1048mm) and PJ White (950mm) followed in his wake, each with their own scars from the hunt.
In the depths, the mulloway division brought titans to the surface. Darcy Banks emerged from the darkness with a 1320mm monster—a true white whale moment. Lyle Outerbridge (1255mm) and Joshua Hotschilt (1163mm) returned with torn lines, weathered hands, and stories they’ll tell until the sea takes them.
Mitchell Brown dominated the pearl perch haul with 522mm—an unassuming catch, but tricky as any reef-dweller. Brendan Graham (455mm) and PJ White (442mm) steadied the tiller behind him.
On snapper, Darcy McKenna landed a textbook 843mm beauty, but Abbey Alchin returned again, driven like Ahab with a second-place 766mm fish. Joe Jackson (709mm) trailed like a first mate, close behind in pursuit.
The tailor battleground was frantic. Callum Carmont (561mm) claimed the day’s honours, chased by Ryan Kernaghan (560mm) and Jason Grundy (529mm)—all high-speed chasers in rough surf.
In the trag category, Wesley Jeffery manned the helm with a 728mm haul. Tony Bodley (690mm) and Thomas Jolley (618mm) hauled through current and doubt to lock down their place in this epic.
And finally, whiting—the quieter quarry. Malcolm Boddy stood tall with a 425mm effort, steady as a lighthouse in a storm. Alexander Klassen (410mm) and Jayden Newton (400mm) completed the tale, quietly but with no less resolve.
🐳 The Chase Continues…
Like Melville’s men, these anglers are driven by something deeper than glory. It’s the tug, the run, the surface crash—the promise of a leviathan beneath. Day 7 was no fable. The fish were real, the weather held, and the battle was fought with rods instead of harpoons.
But make no mistake: they’re still chasing their white whale.
Full results are also available here https://evansheadfishingclassic.com.au/2025-results/