Fishing - Shanae Dance potentially breaks world record

The Southern Gamefish Club held its East Coast Classic competition off Southport over the weekend of the 21st - 22nd of March.

Seventeen boats and 66 anglers were entered across the two days of the classic, with 84 Southern Bluefin Tuna tagged and released, and 39 weighed in across the weekend.

The standout catch or catches came from gun junior 15-year-old female angler Shanae Dance, who broke her own GFAA/Australian & State record on Saturday.

Shanae's fish, a 50.3kg Southern Bluefin Tuna caught on a 37kg line, broke her previous junior female record in that line class of 42.10 kg, which she set in late 2024.

Not satisfied with that, Shanae backed that up on Sunday as well, breaking her record again, upgrading it to a 55.3kg SBT. 

This is where it gets insane, though.

Shanae also landed a 39.0kg SBT using 15kg line on Saturday, which is also a pending world record for that line class and age category.

Other major award winners for the competition were:

• Highest Point Score Team Black Magic – 2779.5 points - 7 SBT - Danny Gatenby, John Edwards, Craig Shipton & Paul Digney. The team also won the Calcutta prize.
• Highest Point Score – Tag & Release -Team Sweet N Sour - Archie & Vinnie Cashion, James Flack, Jarod Lewis, Daniel Hinds, Jed Sutherland,  100.000 points- 20 fish tagged out in 1 hr on Day 2, and it's the team's third win in a row for this category.
• Heaviest Tuna Overall -Shanae Dance  (Nautibuoys) – 49.77kg cleaned on 37kg line
• Highest Point Score Tuna – Male Angler-Paul Digney (Black Magic) – 526.87 pts (28.1kg on 8kg line)
• Highest Point Score Tuna – Female Angler -Ellie McMahon (Wasted Money) – 406.5 pts (27.1kg on 10kg line)
• Highest Point Score Tuna – Junior Angler-Shanae Dance (Nautibuoys) – 351 pts (35.1kg cleaned on 15kg line) Pending World Record.
• Highest Point Score Tuna – Small Fry-Spencer Cashion (Double Barrel 2.0) – 229 pts (22.9kg on 15kg line)

Daily Category Winners – Saturday:

• Heaviest Tuna (Male): Geoff Herbert (Game Over) – 32.7kg
• Heaviest Tuna (Female): Michaela Herbert (Game Over) – 28.4kg
• Heaviest Tuna (Junior): Shanae Dance (Nautibuoys) – 45.27kg

Sunday:

• Heaviest Tuna (Male): Connor Kelly-Lennox (Riff Raff) – 28.8kg
• Heaviest Tuna (Female): Ellie McMahon (Wasted Money) – 26.5kg
• Heaviest Tuna (Small Fry): Bryce Kube (Double Barrel 2.0) – 21.3kg

The Southern Gamefish Club’s next competition is the Far South Classic, running from the 23rd to the 24th of May 2026.

Work has started on the construction of a new jetty at Lake Crescent's boat ramp.

Funded by Marine and Safety Tasmania (MAST), the Inland Fisheries Service (IFS), Central Highlands Council and Anglers Alliance Tasmania (AAT), the new jetty is expected to take 2 weeks to complete.

The new jetty will make launching and retrieving boats much easier and safer, particularly during busy times of the season.

The lake's current water level is low due to a lack of rain and because it is just coming off the recent irrigation season.

The IFS has also mentioned that there is silt buildup on the bottom of the canal that leads out to the lake, and with low water levels, this means taking a boat out is not practical or advisable.

While it's expected that the lake will refill over winter, which will make boat access easier and use of the new jetty possible for the 2026-27 trout season, the silt buildup, along with management options, is currently being discussed with relevant stakeholders.

Tip Of The Week- Tuna lack a swim bladder, which means they must swim continuously to stay afloat and breathe.

This constant movement ensures that oxygen-rich water flows over their gills, keeping them alive and active.

Send in your fishing reports, pics and tips to valleyfishes@gmail.com

Tight Lines until next week.