GLORIOUS “glassed out” waters greeted competitors for the 5th annual Canobolas Marine Lake Burrenodong Classic Catch and Release fishing competition over Easter, with made to order weather conditions making for ideal fishing, camping and family fun time.
Well over 1,000 entrants from right across NSW and as far away as Queensland, South Australia and Victoria made the journey to Lake Burrendong to not only put their hand up for a share in over $50,000 in prizes, but to also help Dubbo’s Inland Waterways Rejuvenation Association generate tens of thousands of dollars towards bettering inland rivers, dams and waterways.
The major prize of a Holden Cruze from Golden West Holden came back to Dubbo with John Marchant picking up a new ride, whilst Nathan Kacarovski from Darby’s Falls is the proud new owner of a trailer boat and motor package from Canobolas Marine.
In the adult section, it was fantastic to see a full catch card of silver perch, catfish and yellowbelly, with first and second also being awarded in the Murray cod section. No silver perch or Murray cod were recorded in the junior section, however, yellowbelly to almost 60cm in length certainly made up for it!
Redfin have certainly made a resurgence since the last Lake Burrendong Classic, with the biggest bag of the pest species jumping from just four in 2013 to 104 in 2014. Plenty of carp were also removed from the water, with the biggest bag of 26 “mud marlin” going to Matt Kacarovski with a catch of 26.
For the first time ever, a huge fireworks display was also put on by the IWRA, through sponsorship from The Macquarie Credit Union and Lake Burrendong Holiday Park. The amazing display was nothing short of amazing, with crowds lining the hilltops near Lion Island lookout, Eagle Beagle and along the foreshores. Thunderous applause, cheering and laughter echoed into the night sky at the conclusion of the display.
The IWRA committee celebrate after the success of their 5th annual Lake Burrendong Classic Fundraiser.
The IWRA would like to thank the 68 contributing sponsors from across the Central West who came together to again make the event a roaring success in 2014.
The biggest Junior Yellowbelly award for the 2014 Lake Burrendong Classic was presented to K.Roach by Brock Duncan from Canobolas Marine and Lake Burrendong Classic president Matt Hansen.
Results
Adults
Silver Perch: 1) B.Morris 486mm; 2) N.Jones 404mm; 3) K.Kelly 381mm
Catfish: 1) T.Weaver 650mm; 2) T.Millstead 551mm; 3) R.Harrison 550mm
Yellowbelly: 1) K. Mills-Johnson 610mm; 2) R.Dicovski 593mm; 3) J.Pullbrook 592mm
Murray Cod: 1) P.Wishwart 702mm; 2) P.Kelly 695mm; 3) No Capture.
Juniors
Silver Perch: No Capture
Yellowbelly: 1) K.Roach 594mm; 2) D.Stanley 570mm; 3) A.Duncan 535mm
Catfish: 1) M.Preston 560mm; 2) K.Reynolds 540mm; 3) C.Boland 531mm
Pest Species
Biggest Carp: Senior – Trent Nailor 800mm; Junior – Jake Begg 720mm
Biggest Redfin: Senior – Luke Haranham 350mm; Junior: Ryan Sargent 355m
Biggest Bag of Carp: Matt Kacarovski 26 fish
Biggest Bag of Redfin: Ryan Sargent 104 fish
T Weaver proved to be the best Catfish angler on the dam over Easter, with a massive whiskered fish of 65cm.
The Biggest Yellowbelly of the competition was caught in the adult section by K.Mills Johnson and measured an impressive 61cm.
