WET and soggy conditions for the first day of competition did nothing to dampen the spirits of the 1,100 competitors at this year’s Lake Burrendong Classic fishing competition. The popular annual event raised tens of thousands of dollars to improve the region’s waterways.
Anglers travelled from as far away as Longreach, Maryborough and Southern Victoria to compete for their share in over $50,000 in donated prizes that were rounded up by the volunteer IWRA committee.
In its sixth year, sponsorship of the not for profit event was up by almost twenty per cent, with contributions of both cash and donated goods piling in from eighty-one contributing businesses across the Central West.
Misty, damp conditions greeted contestants on the first day of competition, with some choosing to brave the very English-like weather, whilst others chose to sit it out and enjoy time with family and friends under tarps, in tents or underneath the event marquee.
Weather conditions soon improved, and some big fish came on the bite, with Kirstin Holman and Jovan Nelson taking out the Senior and Junior Yellowbelly sections, with trophy fish of 591mm and 547mm that they managed to successfully catch, photograph and release.
Jovan Nelson took out the Greg Strong Memorial Shield and won the Junior yellowbelly category with a 547mm fish.
In the catfish section, Richard Gear took out the senior section with a whiskered fish of 588mm whilst Hamish Burton was the junior champion catfish angler with a feline fish of 560mm.
Almost a full card of silvers in both the seniors and juniors turned up, with Warren Wilson taking out the big kids’ category with a fish of 457mm, whilst in the juniors Terrance Clemance angled a 465mm bream to take out the section.
No legal size Murray cod were registered over the two days of fishing.
In the pest species, the biggest carp was taken out by Chris Davis, with a Burrendong Barramundi of an impressive 790mm, whilst Steven Gear caught the biggest Redfin for the event that graced the brag mat at 317mm. Mark George did his bit in cleaning up the waterways for the weekend, and took out both the biggest bag of carp, and the biggest bag of redfin, by catching 47 mud marlin and 9 Redfin respectively.
The organising committee would like to thank all competitors, helpers, sponsors and all staff at Lake Burrendong holiday park, who came together for a fantastic family weekend of fun and fishing!
Impressive crowd at the presentation.
