The Bemm River Fishing Program includes the following events
Easter Report – Bemm River Classic and Fun Day.
On the Saturday, the weather was sensational with little wind and great conditions, however, the fishing was a bit patchy and you had to work to catch good bream. I started late on Saturday at about 8.00 am and was fishing in shallow water about 1 m in depth. It was overcast and the fish were on straight away. The bag of 9 bream over 30 cm with the largest being 35 cm bream. As soon as the sun broke through the clouds, the fishing went very quiet with only the odd fish over 30 cm. There would have been more undersized bream released than keepers. In the afternoon, the sun was still out and again fishing in shallow water was very patchy. A similar story occurred in the Channel where Jayne and Tayla both caught a 37 cm bream early but again it went quiet about 9.00 am. They were still catching small bream regularly. Most of the larger bream were caught in and around the Channel. One young chap caught a large flathead in the Channel, but he had not registered in the competition (membership free for Juniors) and did not have a brag mat.
On Sunday, the story was similar with fishing being variable. The competition finished at 11.30 am and John Egan was the last to have his fish measured at 35.5 cm. It was pleasing to see the large number of Juniors entering fish and they entered more fish than either the adult males or the adult females.
The results were as follows:
Winner of the Beam River Classic was Danielle Byrne with a bream of 42.5 cm
John Egan won the Men’s secret length with a bream of 35.5 cm
Tayla Austin won the Ladies secret weight with a bream of 35.5 cm
Maddie Evans won the Junior secret weight with a bream of 30 cm (see photo below)
Largest Flathead entered in the competition was 70 cm by John Roberts
There were a few hard luck stories. I was told by Darren Chester’s wife that he always gets pipped in these competitions and it happened straight after she said it that his bream of 42 cm was pipped by 0.5 cm. I also heard stories of a massive flathead which was caught in the Channel by a junior and, as mentioned above, he had not registered (refer photos above). He did catch another one after registering but it was not a winner. Sam Stebbing, a junior, caught a flathead of 82.5 cm but did not send it in and I only saw the picture after the presentations. He received a fishing reel as a prize and is now leading in the longest flathead for the year (photo above). Arjen Legish was the only person in his group who did not join the Club and he landed this 43 cm bream below.
Easter Sunday afternoon was a great success with the presentations, the sausage sizzle, the stalls, the casting competition and Fishcare. The wind from the east blew up just as we were about to start proceedings and the secret weights in the box were blown away as we tried to draw them. The young ladies serving had trouble with serviettes and even the plastic chairs were blown over. Despite this, everyone had a great time and feedback was all positive. The only person to land the casting weight in the bucket managed to miss his bucket and landed it in the adjacent one (he received a 500m spool of fluorocarbon fishing line which is amazingly thin in diameter for the breaking strain). Amazingly, there were no tangles to undo although one plug had to be retrieved from a tree.
Thanks to all who helped on the day and everyone for supporting the Bemm River Angling Club. A special thanks to Fisheries Victoria who sponsored the Fun Afternoon and the following businesses who sponsored Prizes etc.
Bemm River Caravan Park Bemm River Bait and Tackle Bemm River Bungalows
Bemm River Hotel Hooked on Bemm Bemm River Holiday Accommodation.
Purvis Shield which is a competition with the Marlo Angling Club in the latter part of the year with the event held in Marlo one year then Bemm River the next. In 2025, it was held in Marlo and there was a narrow victory to the locals.
Lake Tyres Trip in November
Fishcare Day for the young children visiting Bemm River over the Christmas Holidays on Saturday 30 December 2026.
Christmas Competition : Dates to be decided
THE ANNUAL LONGEST FISH COMPETITIONS
At any time during the year, a member can submit a fish for the biggest fish of the year. The fish must be caught in Bemm River, Sydenham Inlet or from the adjoining beaches. All fish must be photographed with your GPS location turned on using a certified brag mat and that photo sent to the Weigh Master’s portal (0429 411 530). The competition is for the following species:
Bream
Flathead
Estuary Perch
Salmon
Click here to see the Club’s Competition Rules Ver 2
For details of all the events, please go to the 
Facebook Page for the Bemm River Angling Club.