Ryan Thipthorpe from Oceanside Bait and Tackle was kind enough to invite me over to do a couple of squid talks for the folks in Perth. This was our second trip across the nulabor to talk squid but it had been 2 years so I was keen to mix it up with the Perth locals.
Perth is a great squid fishery and had been one step ahead fo the rest of the country until recently so I was keen to see what changes had come since my last visit. Perth being a few hours behind us it meant that I did not have to wake up at the crack of dawn for the 2.5 hour flight, departure was at a gentlemanly hour of 0930 on a Tuesday morning.
Being in Perth was a 2 prong job so to speak, not only was I there to do some squid talks but it also gave me some time to cruise around the stores with the sales manager of Gladiator Fishing Tackle to see what was happening in the WA market. Its funny how a couple of hours in a plane can change the whole tackle market but it is a very different one to the one I know here in Victoria. Was good to get around and see some new stuff in some new places.
After a full day of visiting stores a quick stop back at the hotel for a shower and to grab some gear and it was off to Ocean Side Marine and Tackle to run the squid talk. We arrive with only a short time to spare and it was good to catch up with a few familiar faces from friends I had met along the way on facebook and through various other forums. Ryan was kind enough to offer up a rod and a few squid jigs as a door prize so after me babbling on for a bit a draw was conducted and a winner was decided. Absolutely shagged after a big day we stopped by a pizza shop and ordered a couple of pizza's a Family size for me and a small for Neil, I think Neil was a bit shocked to hear that my order was not being shared with him.
With another day of store visits we headed back to the hotel for some much needed sleep so we could do it all again. We woke up to another perfect Perth morning full of sunshine and blue skies, oddly enough it was record wind and rain storms in Melbourne, my local pier was washed away with the weather, where I was standing though you would never have known.
Back to Oceanside for another talk. It was nice to have Shane O'Reilly along with his camera to film the night (just waiting for some permissions before we can share it)Shane has been an important part of promoting squid fishing in WA and is a cracking bloke to boot, he was the guy kind enough to do a video review of the DRESS Titan handle for me. The night went great and again Ryan had another rod to give away and another happy customer walked away with a new egi rod.
All up it was a great trip to Perth as much as I would have liked to get some fishing time in, on this trip it was just not possible, I am only young though so I am sure there will be ample opportunity to get over there again to do some more with some of the other cool folks I have met visiting the stores.
Massive thanks to Ryan Thipthorpe for the invite and for being a gracious host, its always good to meet more passionate people in this industry - thanks mate.
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