Kayak Fishing at Lake Conjola

During the past month my family and I travelled about five hours south of Newcastle to Lake Conjola to take part in a kayak fishing competition.

The event was run by Kayak Fishing NSW, which consists of a great bunch of people with the same values as 2 Mates Fishin, so I was more than happy to help out the competition with prizes and tips. The week beforehand I organised some great gear from our sponsor Lox Rods to use as prizes and also to sell.

At the event I had fishing gear and rods for sale at once in a lifetime prices as well as a bunch of prizes to hand out. I went there with 13 rods of varying prices and styles, numerous reels, a few nets and much more.

I thought I wouldn’t sell out but four hours after arriving at Lake Conjola everything was gone. This just goes to show the quality of Lox gear and the high regard in which the brand is held. I should have taken more gear.

After unpacking and selling the gear we were meant to get a pre-fish in before the comp started but I was too busy sharing knowledge with young kids and adults and meeting people such as Ken Gerke, who I had heard about for years but never had the chance to meet. We sat back, laughed, had a beer and talked fishing.

The caravan park at Lake Conjola was amazing and located right on the water with wildlife including kangaroos, ducks, rosellas and more all around us.

Whether you want to fish here or not, this place is absolutely stunning. The beautiful sunset over the lake was a real highlight. We woke the next morning and everyone launched their kayaks in readiness. With over 100 people on the water, it was great to see so many fishos involved.

The competition rules stated it was catch, take a photo and release. Unfortunately, most of the fish boated that day were small, which might have had something to do with the dredging taking place.

A couple of quality flathead around the 80cm mark were the best fish caught. This competition gave me a great chance to test out the new Haswing Osapian transom-mount 30lb electric motor on the Viking Profish GT kayak. It was perfect timing to have the new electric since most of the competitors were in Hobies or Native Watercraft and pedalling away.

The Haswing motors are amazing. They are fast, quiet, draw little power and have a battery meter to give you an idea of your remaining charge. I used the motor all day and didn’t drain more than 20 percent of the battery, and I was flying past all the Hobies.

My fishing partner Jozef Wozniak and I hooked a heap of small fish but unfortunately nothing of great size. Because we didn’t get out for a pre-fish the water was an unknown to us on comp day. But in the end I wasn’t there to win the comp, I was there to help out.

I met some great people and funny characters such as George Abrahim and his family tribe. He is stuck on using bait, not lures, but everyone he knows is trying to convert him. His kids are super passionate about fishing as well, which was good to see. As was meeting and speaking to numerous couples sharing a love of fishing and kayaking.

When it came time for the awards to be presented, the street was packed full of people.