GLORIOUS long weekend weather saw a long queue at the Crowdy Harbour boat ramp at 4.30am where trailer parking spots were soon filled.
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By 9am more than 100 parking spots were taken both days.
As well as many members of the public the weekend saw the NSW Fishing Clubs Association Inc conduct its annual Gary Chapman Memorial Offshore Interdivisional Teams Championships at Crowdy Head.
Two six hour fishing sessions were held starting with lines down at 6am on Saturday and again on Sunday with lines up at midday and weigh-in commencing 1.30pm accompanied by a barbecue provided by the Coopernook and Lansdowne Forest History Group (CALF).
Gary Chapman was an olympic swimmer of some note in the 1950s at the games in Melbourne and also held some Australian swimming records.
He was an avid recreational fisherman and sportsman belonging to the St George and Sutherland Shire Anglers Club where he and his mate Ron Nelson unfortunately failed to return and with no bodies ever found from a night fishing trip off Maroubra back in September 1978.
This event was then named in his honour and is contested annually by twelve man teams each from participating divisions that form the state association.
Six divisions from Central Coast, Newcastle, South Coast, Western Sydney, Sydney Metropolitian and Sydney North were present this year with full teams.
Bob Smith BM the state president and event organiser said that this year it was the finest quality snapper catches ever recorded for this event as the photos show.
One competitor had eight for 28kg.
The largest snapper was almost eight kg with other notable catches of teraglin to 3.5kg, flathead, kingfish to six kg, leatherjackets, harpuka cod to 17kg, pearl perch to 4.2kg and bonito.
Some very large silver drummer to 9.7kg were snared close in to the rocky headland on the Saturday.
Teams are scored by the best ten scores from the team of twelve and calculated at 10 points per kilo and one point per fish so the winning team for 2015 was the Central Coast Anglers Association team with a total of 3238 points and the runnerup team was the Sydney North Division with 2314.40 points who were presented with the perpetual trophy, certificate and team patches.
