If you happened to be strolling by Tenterfield Creek on Sunday, October 28 you would have witnessed lots of families along the creekbank enjoying a day of fishing while they picniced or had something off the barbecue.
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This is just the idyllic scene that OzFish Unlimited member and Gone Fishing Day organiser Michael Davey would like to see repeated even daily along the creek, with kids wetting a line after school and families socialising on the weekends.
He’s described Gone Fishing Day 2018 as ‘an absolutely fantastic day’ with a 70 people participating, 46 of them children.
“And 65 per cent of those were girls, which is really cool,” he said.
The day was billed as a ‘carp muster’ to cull the carp population doing damage in the creek. Being a flighty fish, Mr Davey knew the chances of catching many were minimal as the hordes of young fishers descended on the creek.
In the catch tally for the day there was one carp, one catfish and four turtles. Apart from the carp, the remainder were returned to their watery home.
Nevertheless Mr Davey is hoping to do some fish monitoring in the near future to see what impact the carp are having, thanks to Tenterfield Shire Council’s support.
“The kids were fantastic, the weather was kind,” Mr Davey said.
“We had whole families here and they were stoked to be outdoors, sitting on the bank. Some people don’t even realise that you can fish in Tenterfield Creek.
“It’s the best day we’ve had yet.”
It proved so popular that they ran out of food for the barbecue, but the nearby Greenview Restaurant inside the Bowling Club generously donated some steaks.
Everyone was a winner on the day (except the carp) and went home with a prize. Many of the kids are now sporting new fishing rods and gear, which Mr Davey hopes will be put to good use now that the kids have had a taste of how much fun the pastime can be.
They may even have a little more success if they approach the endeavour alone or in small groups, rather than having 40 children fishing in one hole.
OzFish Unlimited’s and the DPI Fisheries’ ultimate aim is to get more people fishing, and Mr Davey hopes Sunday’s crowd is not a one-off but rather the beginning of a renewed interest in the sport.
“I had a lot of parents approach me (on the day) and ask, ‘how do we become a part of it’,” he said.
If the surge of interest can be maintained he’s hoping to organise fishing days possibly every three months.
Still he remains hopeful that families will take every opportunity to find their own favourite fishing hole in the meantime.
