Catfish in the catch at Dimboola

Eel-tailed catfish were the talk of the town after one of the biggest angler turnouts on record for an ACE Radio Dimboola Fishing Classic.

The native species was prominent during last weekend’s catch-and-release event, which attracted anglers from across western Victoria and interstate.

Competition spokesman Stoph Pilmore confirmed catfish were a prominent fish, alongside yellowbelly and carp during the Wimmera River contest at Dimboola

“Fishing was tough for some but overall we had 154 fish registered and measured, with all native fish successfully returned to the water in healthy condition,” he said.

“The whole event went really well. Our 350 entries were well up on previous years, which tell us there is a growing appetite for the event.

“We’re hoping for another 25 percent increase in entries next year and are confident we can achieve this.”

The event was a boat and bank competition involving about an eightkilometre stretch of the river with most of the best fish coming from bank fishing.

Mick Nitchke of Horsham caught the winning fish, a yellowbelly measuring in at 485 millimetres at 1.45pm.

The fish won him a Cross Country full-day fishing charter for eight people off Queenscliff.

Jake Mcinerney’s 470mm yellowbelly, landed at 2.45pm, placed him second and won him a fly-fishing trip for two to Tasmania.

Hayley Taylor caught a 470mm catfish to win the junior section and a kayak.

Organisers, following strict review protocols, discovered a results error and awarded John Crameri a prize for the longest carp, measuring 470mm. All carp caught during the event, about 60 in total, were removed from the river.

The annual fishing classic raises money for Dimboola’s Allambi agedcare centre and this year’s event set a new record, generating about $6000. Mr Pilmore, also Allambi board president, said the money would go directly towards meeting the centre’s operational costs.

“With Allambi we’re confident that we’re punching well above our weight in the face of a variety of circumstances that can make operations tough for a small community-based organisation,” he said.

“It’s events such as the ACE Radio Dimboola Fishing Classic, now generating an average of $3000 to $4000, that helps give the business a bright future.”

Mr Pilmore said good feedback from entrants was also encouraging.

“What’s great about our event, in its fifth year, is that everyone involved respects each other’s space,” he said.

“A general comment is that people enjoy having the freedom to move and not being restricted to one place.

“We opened up more of the river this year to accommodate this and the influx of entries.

“And all native fished measured were released back into the river in a healthy state. Anglers did an excellent job with fish welfare.”

The overall catch included yellowbelly, catfish, carp, redfin and a silver perch. Senior anglers caught 60 native fish and juniors 29 and overall anglers removed 65 carp from the river.