Catch of the day stocked for tomorrow

THOUSANDS of rainbow and brown trout were released into Lake Wendouree on Saturday as part of the Ballarat Fishing Festival.

The event, which also marked the start of the State’s trout season, saw come and try fishing, cooking demonstrations, boat and water safety information, as well as heaps of kids getting to release fish into the lake.

Member for Western Victoria and Minister for Fishing and Boating, Jaala Pulford, said Lake Wendouree was great spot to drop in a line.

“It’s a great fishing resource,” she said. “We have a stocking program and we’ve got this amazing history with fly fishing. For little kids who have never held a rod before, or even big kids, it’s just so accessible.

“I tend to run around the lake more than anything else and you see people doing all kinds of things here. Being on the water, being near the water, and you see quite a lot of fishing activity. But it’s something we want to promote more of.”

The Victorian Fisheries Authority is currently running a campaign to get one-million Victorians fishing by 2020.

Dallas D’Silva is a Director with the Authority and is tasked with the job of reaching those numbers.

“We’re well on the way to that,” he said. “These sort of fishing clinics are a great opportunity for people to come and learn how to fish and experience recreational fishing for the first time.”

With so many different activities available these days, Mr D’Silva said fishing offered everyone a way to reconnect with nature and the outdoors.

“It’s a great family friendly activity,” he said. “I’ve got two young boys and they love getting out there fishing and camping, enjoying nature and getting off screens and the couch and out into fresh air.”

But fishing doesn’t mean you have to kill what you catch.

“There’s no problems in taking home a fish for the dinner table but also a lot of recreational fishers these days do like to catch and release,” Mr D’Silva said.