Although the 7am start on Saturday morning was cool and a little windy, fisher people young and old were not deterred from the opportunity to try their luck with the fabled monsters of Tenterfield Dam.
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Within half an hour a 13.5 kg beauty was bagged and due to its size, this beautiful Murray River Cod was returned to the dam to live another day.
A further 1.01m (21kg) “Coddie” was landed about an hour later by local angler Brendan Blaker. It too, was returned to the dam to ensure the breed’s survival.
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There were numerous reports of catches of Eel Tailed Cat Fish (which were all returned to the water being an endangered species) with the odd tortoise making an appearance.
In all, approximately 250 people turned up to take advantage of the rare opportunity to fish Tenterfield Dam and to meet with the drought assistance/mental health providers who were present on the day.
On registration, fisherfolk received a raffle ticket and a voucher for a free breakfast and lunch. All catering was provided free of charge and served up by the Tenterfield Lions Club.
The Farmer Family Fun Fishing Day was held by Tenterfield Shire Council to assist local community members to help reduce the stress of the drought by offering a reprieve from what is faced daily, while introducing community mental health and rural financial counsellors and encouraging people to talk to each other about their circumstances.
Funding for the event was obtained through the Federal Government’s Drought Communities Programme Funding for pastoral care and family fun days.
The raffle’s main prize of a Peter Newell Tracker Kaditcha replica lure made by Peter Lewis especially for this event and donated by him -- together with a lure kit -- remains unclaimed along with several other lures donated by Mr Lewis. These prizes will be reallocated to the next fishing event on Tenterfield Dam.
Michael Davey of Ozfish Unlimited, who provided a great deal of assistance in organising the event and obtaining the fishing licence exemption, was extremely pleased with how the day turned out.
“Council expresses its sincere thanks to Ozfish Unlimited -- and particularly to Michael Davey, Tenterfield Lions Club and Joel and Yo of the Salvation Army -- for their assistance in making this a fantastic event for our community,” Mayor Peter Petty said.