Organisers eyeing future
Horsham Fishing Competition organisers are confident they have the right formula for event longevity as the 2022 competition wrapped up for the 45th time.
Committee president Bruce Mcinnes said consistent post-competition feedback, surveys and analysis from recent years informed the committee about the event’s trajectory and the committee tailored the competition accordingly.
“The event went well and to plan and we had good numbers of fish caught,” he said.
“We closely look at responses to surveys after each event and we always take that into account.
“We have tailored changes to the competition based on these responses. We think we have it worked out.
“We have seen a decline in competition registrations throughout the past decade, so we have become very versatile in adjusting to what we think people want from the event.”
Mr Mcinnes said competition feedback suggested participants prioritised being with family and friends and spending the day down by the river more than the fishing.
“This feedback has been fairly steady and this is what the majority take-away from the competition,” he said.
“So, we have adjusted our prize pool to include a whole range of things – registration prizes, fishing prizes, carp cash prizes, for juniors and seniors to reflect this. The event isn’t just about catching fish.
“I think we are finding out what people want and we are fine-tuning toward that. Most anglers have adjusted with us and we think it is fantastic.”
The Weekly Advertiser 2022 competition attracted 1031 registered entrants who caught 602 registered fish.
The haul included 375 carp, 129 yellowbelly, 60 catfish, 35 silver perch and three redfin.
In the senior longest-fish categories; Gren House caught the longest yellowbelly at 54 centimetres; Joshua
Pridham won with a 47cm catfish and Trevor Johns caught the longest fish in the silver perch-redfin category with a 36cm redfin.
In the junior longest-fish categories; Page Raeside caught the longest catfish at 48cm, Levi Beer won with a 44cm yellowbelly and Blake Garth’s 32cm redfin won the silver perchredfin category.
In a twist in the senior registration prize draw, Chris Emmerson won first prize – the new Kia Stonic, however two separate people named Chris Emmerson, initially claimed the honours.
Registration numbers identified Chris Emmerson from Ballarat the rightful winner.
The winning Chris Emmerson said when he saw there were two people with the same name he assumed it was not him who was the lucky Chris.
“I haven’t been to a fishing competition in a long time, but I think I might have to get to a few more of them now. I am pretty happy to win the car,” he said.
In other prize categories; Peter Edge won Wimmera Catchment Management Authority’s Cash for Carp category with a 71cm carp; Kayla Mcgregor and Chloe Smith won a Tiktok competition and Michael Bourke won the photo competition.
Mr Mcinnes said a large catch of native fish demonstrated the river remained healthy and praised the work of Wimmera Catchment Management Authority and Horsham council.
“The catchment authority has done a lot in keeping the river static in the weeks leading up to the competition,” he said.
“They stopped the catchment flows in late February, which the anglers prefer because it gives the river and fish time to settle before the event.
“The council was amazing in preparing for the weekend as well. They did a lot behind-the-scenes preparation including the mowing, the grading of tracks and setting up public toilets.
“These are big costs and big efforts and their efforts need to be mentioned.”
Mr Mcinnes said while the event could be susceptible to poor weather, which might reduce day-of registrations, Sunday offered ‘perfect’ conditions.
“There is a risk that with poor weather we can lose a majority of participants, participants who have generally registered the weekend of the event,” he said.
“But with the success of last year’s event, we were encouraged to stick to what we were doing.
“With the current approach, we think the competition is set for the next five to 10 years.
“The committee has adjusted in recent years and we wanted to maintain the prize pool alongside a reduced participation rate.
“We advertised heavily, we engaged with social media, offered online registrations and reduced stewards along the river.
“Based on the Apex Club philosophy of funding community and participation, we want to honour that ideal and feed profits back to the community.”