2025 Weipa Fishing Classic senior champion Beau Graafland shows off the newest addition to his trophy cabinet with Darryl French and Geoff Robins. Photo: Cape York Weekly.
The battles between competitors were as tough as those between angler and fish when bragging rights went on the line at the 2025 Weipa Fishing Classic from 6-8 June.
Beau Graafland topped the senior anglers and was thrilled to receive his champion’s silverware after weighing in a 10.63-kilogram cobia and 3.84kg fingermark.
Seven-year-old Fyn Gorman was crowned the overall junior champion for 2025 and proudly stood on stage to receive his winner’s trophy and the event’s annual perpetual junior award, the Michael Bowden Memorial Trophy.
Fyn bagged top billing for junior anglers after landing a monster 106cm barramundi, his first beyond the magical metre benchmark.
“I’m excited,” he said.
“That was my first metre barra; I really like catching big fish.
“I’m going to put my trophy in my bedroom.”
Phil Cowie blew away the competition in the mackerel category with a 24.33kg thumper weighed in on Saturday afternoon, while Kallum Wone (112.3cm), Scott Gorman (112.10cm) and Mitchell Barton (109cm) all delivered metre-plus barramundi in a thrilling stoush.
The grunter category for the seniors and bream category for the juniors turned out to be two of the closest angling battles of the weekend, with just 10 grams separating the top three spots for junior fishers at the scales.
2025 Weipa Fishing Classic results
SENIOR RESULTS
Overall champion: Beau Graafland
Barramundi
1st: Kallum Wone (112.3cm)
2nd: Scott Gorman (112.1cm)
3rd: Mitchell Barton (109cm)
Trevally
1st: Suzy Taske (94cm)
2nd: Derek Fordham (78.30cm)
3rd: Peter Johnston (74cm)
Queenfish
1st: Joshua Weatherhead (91cm)
2nd: Laura Wandkowsky (86.5cm)
3rd: Mark Dooley (86.2cm)
King salmon
1st: Neil Sim (5.53kg)
2nd: Louis Gosper (5kg)
3rd: Casey Lyon (3.71kg)
Fingermark
1st: Darren Lee (4.3kg)
2nd: Beau Graafland (3.84kg)
3rd: Troye Fay (3.83kg)
Mackerel
1st: Phil Cowie (24.33kg)
2nd: Ronnie De Swardt (20.89kg)
3rd: Ben Jackson (17.94kg)
Grunter
1st: Zoe Day (1.93kg)
2nd: Patrick Moy (1.8kg)
3rd: PK Campling (1.79kg)
Coral trout
1st: Mathew Bright (3.43kg)
2nd: Grayson McCann (2.91kg)
3rd: Jimmy Dyer (2.71kg)
Cobia
1st: Beau Graafland (10.63kg)
2nd: Remo Mazzocato (10.6kg)
3rd: Aidan Panitz (9.45kg)
Nannygai
1st: Rhys Parr (7.14kg)
2nd: Alec Milevskiy (3.62kg)
3rd: Dale Goodbun (3.39kg)
Red emperor
1st: Brodie Kearney (4.72kg)
2nd: Alistair Thorogood (4.05kg)
3rd: Wayne Paxton (3.18kg)
Tusker
1st: Lachy Johnson (5.25kg)
2nd: Robert Monaghan (4.78kg)
3rd: Kristine Farraway (4.61kg)
JUNIOR RESULTS
Overall champion: Fyn Gorman
Barramundi
1st: Fyn Gorman (106cm)
2nd: Hunter Tonon (98cm)
3rd: Tom Callope (82.8cm)
Queenfish
1st: Arlo Polderman (79cm)
2nd: Chastyn Lyon (78cm)
3rd: Sonny Brooks (71.5cm)
King salmon
1st: Nate Langridge (5.4kg)
2nd: Hunter Tonon (4.05kg)
3rd: Tom Callope (3.36kg)
Blue salmon
1st: Fyn Gorman (4.41kg)
2nd: Tori Logan (3.93kg)
3rd: Layla Sorensen (3.77kg)
Bream
1st: Rupert Williams (0.91kg)
2nd: Ash Dibben (0.91kg)
3rd: Charlotte Buchholz (0.9kg)
Grunter
1st: Jamie Dick (1.67kg)
2nd: Tori Logan (1.66kg)
3rd: Latrel Babongie (1.56kg)
