You enter the competition as an individual competitor. Once you’ve registered as an individual you have the option to compete in any of the categories below!
Additionally, you can pay an extra $10 per person during registration to enter in the Team Fishing Competition.
Each fish caught will be weighed in at the Official Daily Weigh-In Stations at Bray Park, Boyne Island or the Gladstone Main VMR Boat Ramp, Alf O’Rourke Drive, Gladstone. Fish weigh-in times are based on the time recorded by the calibrated weigh-in scales. All fish must be weighed in on the official scales provided by the organisers to be eligible. Fish presented at the weigh-in stations must be caught on rod and reel or hand line only and must be of legal size as per the Queensland Government Department of Agriculture and Fisheries website www.daf.qld.gov.au.
Competitors must present their current Electronic Ticket at weigh-ins (refer to the PROOF OF TICKET section). Without their Electronic Ticket, competitors are not eligible to weigh-in fish.
To qualify for the daily prizes, a competitor must be in the weigh-in station line to weigh-in their fish no later than the daily cut-off time on each day.
All competitors are encouraged to fish sustainably and only weigh-in their largest fish in a species each time they present to a weigh-in station. Competitors should only present one fish per category/species at the weigh-in station.
- For non-live and live weigh-ins a competitor needs to weigh-in their largest fish first. So, if a competitor is uncertain of their largest fish, they are able to request that the weigh-in station officials check the weight of their fish before officially submitting their largest fish.
- For live weigh-ins a competitor’s largest fish of the day will be taken if they have entered multiple weigh-in sessions per day. A live weigh-in competitor is still required to fish sustainably and only weigh-in their largest fish in a species each time they present to a weigh-in station.
All fish species are as per the Queensland Government Department of Agriculture and Fisheries website fish species guide www.daf.qld.gov.au.
The following 16 fish species are the only species eligible for weigh-in at the Boyne Tannum HookUp Fishing Competition:
Live Species
| Live Whiting |
| Live Fingermark (Golden Snapper) |
| Live Mangrove Jack |
| Live Yellowfin Bream or Live Pikey Bream |
| *Live Flathead |
| *Live Grunter |
| *Live Barramundi |
| *Live Salmon (Blue Threadfin & King Threadfin) |
The fish must remain alive for 30 minutes in the official HookUp recovery tank to qualify for official entry into the event.
Anyone not in the queue at the final weigh-in with a live category fish at 3:30pm in Bray Park, Boyne Island or at 2:30pm at the Gladstone Main VMR Boat Ramp Weigh-in Station on Sunday, 5th May 2024 will be deemed ineligible to weigh-in and therefore outside the Official Finish Time.
Non-Live Species
| Red Emperor |
| Snapper |
| Red Throat Emperor (Sweetlip) |
| Spanish Mackerel |
| Cobia (Black Kingfish) |
| Coral Trout |
| Largemouth Nannygai |
| Black Jewfish |
All non-live category fish must be GUTTED AND GILLED and can be iced down but not frozen. Any such fish may be selected at the weigh-in for promotional purposes and may become the property of Boyne Tannum HookUp Association Incorporated and unfortunately cannot be returned to the competitor.
Anyone not in the queue at the final weigh-in with a non-live category fish at 4pm in Bray Park, Boyne Island or at 3pm at the Gladstone Main VMR Boat Ramp Weigh-in Station on Sunday, 5th May 2024 will be deemed ineligible to weigh-in and therefore outside the Official Finish Time.
Flathead, Grunter, Barramundi and Salmon (Blue Threadfin & King Threadfin) are all part of the Live Catch and Release category. To ascertain that these species have been caught within the competition time, competitors need to:
- Collect a free 2024 HookUp sticker from the administration or merchandise marquees in Bray Park or from the Gladstone Main VMR Boat Ramp weigh-in station during the event to use in brag mat photos;
- Measure the fish on a reputable brag mat. The competitor may choose to purchase the current year, official Boyne Tannum HookUp brag mat (available for purchase at the merchandise marquee during the event) to measure and photograph the fish. No homemade brag mats or other brag mats other than the above two options will be accepted;
- 3 photos need to be submitted to the Live Weigh-In Station, as follows:
- A photo of the whole fish that shows its overall length on the brag mat (including the head at the start and tail at the end of the brag mat) and it must include the 2024 HookUp sticker;
- A photo of the entrant angler holding the fish; and
- A photo of the entrant angler’s e-ticket;
NOTE: If the brag mat photo is not clear, if the fish is not laid in its natural position or the brag mat is not laid flat, then the entrant’s submission will not be eligible for the competition.
- The entrant angler must present to the Live Weigh-In Station to submit the length of the fish from their 3 Catch & Release photos. At this time, the entrant angler will be provided the Boyne Tannum HookUp fishing competition mobile number for them to text their 3 photos through to for fishing competition officials to scrutinise and award daily and overall species prizes. The HookUp mobile number will also be displayed at the Live Weigh-In Stations.
NOTE: If an entrant angler submits their photos to the fishing competition mobile number without presenting to the Live Weigh-In Station to have their fish length recorded, then that fish will not be eligible for the competition.
With exception, oversize Barramundi can be caught, photographed and released.
If the winning Barramundi has been photographed on the current official Boyne Tannum HookUp brag mat, the prize money paid to the competitor will double (this excludes the Lake Awoonga tagged Barramundi category in the THREE TAGGED FISH category that has a fixed prize value of $5,000).
The winner of the Live Catch & Release categories/species will be awarded to the longest fish entered.
Three live Barramundi will be caught, tagged and released prior to the event in Lake Awoonga, each having a prize value of $5,000 if caught. The Barramundi must be presented under the LIVE FISH CATEGORY section and the tag checked by the officials to claim the $5,000 prize money for that fish. The competitor may photograph the Barramundi in accordance with the BARRAMUNDI CATCH & RELEASE section while ensuring that the tag is photographed clearly, OR photograph the Barramundi in accordance with the BARRAMUNDI CATCH & RELEASE section and remove the tag, OR bring the live tagged Barramundi into the live fish weigh-in station in accordance with the LIVE FISH CATEGORY section.
The Tagged Barramundi in Lake Awoonga are proudly sponsored by Gladstone Area Water Board.
The aim of the Pat O’Reilly Memorial Family Trifecta is to promote and reward family fishing activity. The prize is $1000.
Eligible contestants must be registered in the Boyne Tannum HookUp and are limited to one (1) entry per family.
A family consists of at least one (1) parental role (a senior HookUp entrant) and any of their children/nieces/nephews (a junior HookUp entrant) that are registered for the competition.
To be eligible, a family must catch the ‘estuary trifecta’ of one (1) whiting, one (1) bream and one (1) flathead during the HookUp weekend and weigh them in for the live fish category as outlined in the LIVE FISH WEIGH-INS section.
To enter, the family must fill in the ‘Family Trifecta’ form available from the HookUp live fish weigh-in stations. The entry form can only be completed once the three (3) fish species have been weighed in and passed the 30-minute live fish qualifying time.
The catch must be shared between junior and senior contestants in the family, with no more than two (2) species to be registered under one (1) family member’s name.
Entries close at 4:15pm Sunday on the final day of the competition at the Bray Park Live Fish Weigh-In Station or at 3:15pm Sunday at the Gladstone Main VMR Boat Ramp Weigh-In Station.
The winning entry will be drawn randomly from the eligible families in the entry box and then checked that it is valid before it is announced to the public.
It is the family’s responsibility to fill out and submit their own entry form. It is not an automatic result of weighing-in live fish. To qualify, you must list the fish and corresponding name and registration number on the entry form at the live weigh-in station and fulfill all the criteria.
NOTE: Entrants in the Pat O’Reilly Memorial Family Trifecta category are still able to weigh-in fish in accordance with the FISH CATEGORIES sections of the competition.
After entering the competition as an individual entrant (as per above conditions of entry), the entrant is entitled to enter the competition as a member of a team in accordance with the following rules:
- Team name is to be nominated at the time of online registration into the Boyne Tannum HookUp Competition prior to the start date.
- Team entry fee is an additional fee of $10 per person.
- Minimum of 2 individual entrants per fishing team and maximum of 4 individual entrants per fishing team.
- In an effort to continue to encourage family fishing, teams can only have a maximum of 2 senior male entrants.
- If your team consists of 3 individual entrants, your team must consist of at least:
– 1 female entrant; OR
– 1 junior entrant. - If your team consists of 4 individual entrants, your team must consist of at least:
– 2 female entrants (senior or junior); OR
– 2 junior entrants; OR
– 1 female entrant and 1 junior entrant. - Teams are eligible to enter both live and non-live team categories; however, a team can only win one of the categories (live or non-live).
- THE SPANISH MACKERAL AND COBIA AND BLACK JEWFISH SPECIES ARE NOT INCLUDED IN THE TEAM COMPETITION. Members of the team can still submit these species in the individual fishing competition.
- Individuals within the teams are still eligible to compete in the general live and non-live category competition.
Team competition eligibility calculation:
- A combined total length of the team’s single longest fish submitted from each fish category (irrespective of who within the team submitted the fish).
NOTE: Fish submitted for the individual competition are based on weight, while fish for the team competition are based on length. All fish submitted must meet QLD legal size.
HOW TO SUBMIT TEAM LIVE CATEGORY FISH
- Team Live Category – Fish from the live category can be submitted by anyone within the team to the Live Weigh-In Station during the official live weigh-in times where the fish will be measured and entered as part of the team competition.
NOTE: Officials operating the weigh-in stations must be advised of fish to be included in the team competition by the entrant.
Fish from the Team Live Category can also be entered in the competition via a single photograph to the Live Weigh-In Station during the live weigh-in times. The photo needs to be of the whole fish that shows its overall length on the brag mat (including head at the start and tail at the end of the brag mat) and it must include the 2024 HookUp sticker.
NOTE: If the brag mat photo is not clear, if the fish is not laid in its natural position or the brag mat is not laid flat, then that fish will not be eligible for the competition.
In addition, the competitor may choose to purchase the current year, official Boyne Tannum HookUp brag mat to measure and photograph their fish on. Brag mats can be purchased from the merchandise marquee during the event.
The official 2024 Boyne Tannum HookUp stickers are free and can be collected from the administration marquee or merchandise marquee in Bray Park or from the Gladstone Main VMR Boat Ramp weigh-in station.
HOW TO SUBMIT TEAM NON-LIVE CATEGORY FISH
- Fish from the Non-Live Category can be submitted by anyone within the team to the Non-Live Weigh-In Station during the official non-live weigh-in times where the fish will be measured and entered as part of the team competition.
NOTE: Officials operating the non-live weigh-in stations must be advised of fish to be included in the team competition by the entrant.
Fish from the Team Non-Live Category can also be entered in the competition via a single photograph to the Non-Live Weigh-In Station during the non-live weigh-in times. The photo needs to be of the whole fish that shows its overall length on the brag mat (including head at the start and tail at the end of the brag mat) and it must include the 2024 HookUp sticker.
NOTE: If the brag mat photo is not clear, if the fish is not laid in its natural position or the brag mat is not laid flat, then that fish will not be eligible for the competition.
In addition, the competitor may choose to purchase the current year, official Boyne Tannum HookUp brag mat to measure and photograph their fish on. Brag mats can be purchased from the merchandise marquee during the event.
The official 2024 Boyne Tannum HookUp stickers are free and can be collected from the administration marquee or merchandise marquee in Bray Park or from the Gladstone Main VMR Boat Ramp weigh-in station.
NOTE: Non-live fish submitted as per the above team photo method to determine length are not eligible for the individual Non-Live Weigh-In of the competition as the Non-Live Weigh-In (see FISH WEIGH-INS) section is based off weight not length.