Broome’s Easy Tease reels in victory at GAMEX fishing competition, winning over $150,000 in prizes

Broome team Easy Tease has clinched the title at one of WA’s premier angling events, the Exmouth Game Fishing Competition, widely known as GAMEX on March 16. The competition, which draws anglers nationwide, featured more than 50 boats vying for glory and a slice of the more than $150,000 prize pool. The tournament is run over six days, with the Easy Tease team starting their day at 3.30am and spending upwards of 12 hours on the water in pursuit of the championship. Under the captaincy of Eddy Lawler of Peak Sportfishing, aboard the vessel Black Marlin, the team’s efforts were relentless. Lawler, with a commendable track record in the tournament, had previously led teams to victory, positioning Easy Tease as the top contender. Despite a slow start that had them trailing in the initial days, the team’s spirits never wavered. “We didn’t give up. We knew we had what it took to win, we just had to find the fish,” team member Ross Italiano said. Their determination paid off with the team surpassing their main competitor by 100 points on the penultimate day of the tournament. “The second-last day was unbelievable. We knew it was now or never, and the marlin were ravenous, with 12 fish tagged by our team,” team member Steve Palumbo said. “My highlight was hooking up to a 60kg marlin within two minutes of lines in for the day. Emotions were high after that tag went in and we took the lead.” By the final day the Broome team had not only taken the lead but expanded their margin to an impressive 2400 points, securing victory with five marlin and two sailfish catches. The team dominated the event, winning in five out of seven billfish categories, including the top tagging captain with 37 tagged fish and champion boat in both the marlin and sailfish tag and release categories. Looking ahead, Easy Tease have their sights set on defending their title at next year’s GAMEX.