The Great Inland Fishing Festival 2015

Photo: That's a fish!

In an earlier post I talked about New England dam levels. While water levels are down, there is still some good fishing.

The Great Inland Fishing Festival at Lake Copeton has established a reputation among regional anglers as one of the best, with more than 800 anglers expected to vie for a prize pool of $20,000 over the weekend of November 30, December 1 and 2.

Lake Copeton is regarded as one of the nation’s best inland fisheries, with plentiful Murray Cod, as well as Yellow Belly, Catfish and Silver Perch.

In 2003 the rules were changed to make it a catch and release contest (rather than catch and kill). The proceeds were then used to put fish back in the water in an effort to further develop Inverell's claim to be the Inland Fishing Capital of Australia.

Festival organiser Darrel Kachel says while the Lake Copeton level is at 15%, the fish are still plentiful. He attributes the high level of fish to the catch and release policy of the surrounding fishing clubs in recent years.

“There’s certainly a healthy supply on hand and our sponsorship has really improved since we introduced the catch and release policy,” he said.

Mr Kachel said the festival is designed to be a family event which promotes the district and sustainable fishing.

At least three measuring stations will be set up on the dam foreshores during the competition, as well as 20 flag boats for measuring out on the water.

A highlight of the weekend is the Fishermens’ Dream Raffle – with a prize of boat, motor, trailer, and safety equipment.

The Australian Inland Fishing Champion will be awarded a major prize of $1,000.

FURTHER INFORMATION

The Great Inland Fishing Festival at Copeton Dam runs from November 30 to December 2. Lake Copeton is between 17 and 35 kilometres south west of Inverell, depending on which area of the Dam you choose to go. It is three times the size of Sydney Harbour and offers cabins, bunkhouses and campsites.

Entry fees for the Festival are $20 for adults, $8 for pensioners and children and $30 for a family. For festival enquiries, phone Darrel Kachel (02) 67224410 BH or (02) 67221054 AH

For accommodation enquiries at Lake Copeton, phone the Recreation Area on (02) 6723 6269.

Inverell is 569 kms (7 hours 35 minutes) north west of Sydney if you travel by Thunderbolt's Way. The New England Highway route is longer. If you are travelling from Brisbane it is 433 kms (5 hours 20 minutes), from Armidale 126kms (one hour 43 minutes).

Catch a rainbow....trout!

Back in November 2006 in Secrets of New England - along the Fossickers Way Day Two I mentioned Nundle's Arc-En-Ciel Trout Farm. The Farm is now offering visitors the unique opportunity of catching their own Rainbow Trout and cooking it fresh on the barbecue.

Situated 20km outside the historic village of Nundle, in the beautiful mountains of Hanging Rock, Arc-en-Ciel has been providing Rainbow Trout to restaurants and gourmet food outlets around Sydney, the Hunter and New England North West NSW for the past 25 years.

On a guided tour, which costs $7 for adults and $5 for children, visitors can learn some trout breeding secrets and see how an aquaculture farm operates. They can then spend some time fishing at the dam. All fishing gear is supplied. There are barbecues available for those who want to make a meal out of their catch on the spot.

A limit of four fish per rod is applied. While a catch is not guaranteed, your chance of catching at least one trout is pretty solid, according to Arc-en-Ciel’s owner, Russell Sydenham. The fishing costs are $8 per rod and any trout caught is then charged at a rate of $15 per kilogram (they clean and gut and pack them for you, too).

Mr Sydenham said trout fishing is very popular among families with children, grey nomads and older teenagers. A family pass, which includes the tour and fishing for two adults and two children, costs $49. The farm is also open to bus tour groups, who usually take the guided tour, then relax with refreshments. A smoked trout and scrambled egg breakfast can be arranged for groups of 12 to 50.

There’s a coffee shop on site, where you can enjoy some delicious cake along with a hot or cold drink.

If you haven’t got the energy to catch a trout yourself, the Arc-en-Ciel farm shop sells fresh and smoked trout, whole or filleted, trout caviar, as well as smoked trout pate and gravlax, a cold-cured trout. Arc-en-Ciel’s Rainbow Trout Gravlax won a bronze medal at the Sydney Royal Fine Food Show this year.

The farm is open 5 days a week from 10am to 4pm. It is closed on Saturdays and Tuesdays.

For further information, please phone 02 6769 3665 or visit www.rainbowtrout.com.au

January 08 floods lead to major Richmond River fish kill

Photo: Some of the huge number of fish that died following recent major flooding on the Richmond River.

My thanks to Tom from live from the northside for a post drawing my attention to a major fish kill on the Richmond River. I had heard mention on the radio, but Tom's post reminded me that I should say something.

This was not the first such event, nor have they been limited to the Richmond.

The NSW Department of Primary Industry records that a major fish kill occurred in early February 2001 following major flooding in the upper reaches of the Richmond River catchment. Fish kills were also recorded at this time in tributaries of the Tweed and Brunswick Rivers. Subsequent flooding in March 2001 resulted in a major fish kill in the Macleay River and minor fish kills in the Clarence River.

The Department states that the cause of the fish kills was extremely low dissolved oxygen levels in the rivers. This most likely resulted from the death of pasture grasses inundated by floods which removes oxygen from the water and the rapid drainage of this floodplain water into the river. Also, sediments from acid sulphate soil floodplains were also a likely contributor of low dissolved oxygen in the water. Key sources of this low oxygen to the system were all areas that were formerly important fish habitats, wetlands that had been extensively drained and floodgated.

As a response to the major fish kills, NSW Fisheries closed the Richmond River and near shore areas to all forms of fishing, for three weeks initially and then extended this closure a further three months. A closure to all forms of fishing was placed on the Macleay River for 3 months on 20 March 2001.

The fish kill and river closures had adverse effects on local communities, especially at Ballina and South-West Rocks. These impacts, particularly lost revenue from cancelled visits by tourists, affected bait and tackle stores in particular and other businesses such as motels, caravan parks, service stations, seafood outlets, Fishermen's Co-operatives, boat-hire and maintenance businesses. Despite the economic impact on the community, the river closures received widespread industry and community support.

The closures to fishing in the rivers were modified following consultation with the Recovery Committees, analysis of scientific data and community input that occurred after a general call for submissions. The total closures were replaced with less restrictive recreational and commercial fishing closures on the Richmond and Macleay Rivers. These included daylight fishing hours only, restricted total bag limits and limits on the available fishing area. These new restrictions lasted for a period of 3 months in both rivers.

The partial river closures were lifted on 28 September 2001, following positive results from the scientific surveys, allowing for the resumption of normal commercial and recreational fishing.

Those who are interested can find the full report on the earlier incident by following the link.

This time the floods do not appear to have affected the other rivers, but the effect on the Richmond has been very severe, with an estimated 33 tonnes removed by Council from the worst affected area near Ballina. Fishing has again been banned from the river for a period of three months.

Last year there was a story on the ABC about the work of an individual farmer who had been experimenting with new types of farming practices to try to overcome the problem. For the life of me, I cannot remember the details. I will try to find the story, for it was quite inspiring.