IT’S not only chasing a range of species and the friendships made, that Rosewood Amateur Fishing Club champion Daren Henderson enjoys most.
Daren, who turned 60 this year, also appreciates the multiple adventures on weekend club outings to saltwater and freshwater locations.
Daren said sitting around a campfire sharing stories and having a laugh provided many satisfying moments.
Things don’t always go to plan like when the winch pole on Daren’s boat trailer snapped at Leslie Dam.
For anyone familiar with boating, that is one of the worst things that can happen.
Fortunately, Daren’s wife Donna was able to bring out his welder and a maintenance guy fixed the problem to allow the Hendersons to get their boat home safely.
Despite such occasional mishaps, the former golfer has appreciated his nine years in the Rosewood club, having the added advantage of getting better use of his 4.5 metre boat.
“We’ve sort of made friends for life out of it,” Daren said.
Rosewood-based Daren was recently named the overall club champion for the third year in a row.
He amassed 550.6 points throughout the year, being freshwater titleholder and finishing runner-up in the saltwater section.
As for why he has been so successful, Daren said he likes to fish in familiar places and he knows how to read his fish sounder “really well”.
“It’s structure, simple as that,” he said.
During competitions, anglers are awarded 10 points for each kilo of fish caught and a point for every fish recorded.
The five freshwater competitions are held on South East Queensland lakes like Moogerah, Leslie, Somerset and Glenlyon.
Club competitors are also involved in five saltwater trips.
Club member Peter Gillon landed the largest fish of the year – a 3.765kg Murray Cod.
The annual mid-year weekend trip to Glenlyon is one of the most popular.
“I love catching bass, fishing Moogerah Dam,” Daren said, happy to use lures or bait depending on the fishing area.
That could involve jigging or using shrimp or worms.
“My favourite saltwater fishing is beach fishing,” he said.
“I’ll stand in the water for six hours. That’s how I relax.
“This year, the whale action was phenomenal.”
The Jumpinpin is a popular spot for saltwater outings.
Daren caught the biggest whiting (0.27kg) for the year with his wife Donna topping the leaderboard with a 0.8kg silver perch and 0.94kg bream – caught in shallow water.
Jamie Harris landed the biggest bass at 1.605kg.
Club secretary Judy Litfin recorded the best tailor (1.02kg), estuary cod (1.06kg) and grunter (1.04kg).
Club competitors regularly fish for yellowbelly with Andrew Browning landing the biggest fish weighing 2.2kg.
Daren was pleased to see juniors like Cooper Buhmann and Holly Bazzo among the winners.
Cooper’s 2.7kg yellowbelly was the biggest for the club this year.
Holly was overall junior champion.
Daren would like more young people to join the club and experience the advantages of weekend family fishing trips.
Club president Graham Topping was one of the founding members in October 1984 when a group of fishing mates formed the Walloon Amateur Fishing Club.
From starting with men and boys, the club was renamed the Rosewood Amateur Fishing Club in the late 1980s.
The club’s first trip for 2025 is scheduled for February.
