More than 1,000 recreational fishers hooked into an inaugural fishing competition over the weekend.
Let’s Fish Lake Mac challenged participant’s to catch the longest fish across four key species; bream, flathead, whiting and tailor.
Fish were photographed on a ‘brag mat’ to show their length, and were then released back into the water.
Event Coordinator and local fishing star, Michael Guest, reported that almost 1,000 photos of the targets were caught and released during the competition.
The longest fish recorded was an 86.4cm flathead, caught and released in Lake Macquarie.
“We were blown away with the number of entries received,” Mr Guest said.
“It really reflects the health of Lake Macquarie, and the important role recreational fishing has when it comes to tourism.”
In a year stifled by COVID-19 restrictions, the event saw a great boost in local tourism.
Hundreds of boats took to the water on Lake Macquarie across the event’s three days, and more tried their luck along local beaches.
Lake Macquarie Mayor Kay Fraser said the event was an outstanding success. She believed the near-perfect weather and water conditions made for a great event.
“We had a total of 1,155 entries, which is just incredible for our first ever Let’s Fish weekend,” she said.
Cr Fraser also reported that many of these entrants came from outside the immediate local area.
“A lot of these people came from outside Lake Macquarie,” she said.
“The great weather and top fishing conditions really showcased our beautiful city and will boost our chances of welcoming these people back for a return visit.”
Winners will share in more than $20,000 in prizes. See the council’s website to learn more about the event, or click here to pre-register for Let’s Fish Lake Mac 2021.
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