Dozens of fish were reeled in at the weekend’s annual Rakaia salmon fishing competition.
Rakaia River Fishing Promotions president Chris Agnew said the competition weekend had gone ‘‘remarkably well’’.
Entrants had enjoyed fishing, socialising and being part of a draw for just under $70,000 of prizes.
Some salmon were caught on the Rakaia River, while landlocked salmon were landed at Lake Coleridge, alongside rainbow and brown trout.
‘‘I watched one guy get nine trout in their boat on Lake Coleridge,’’ Agnew said.
There had also been entrants surfcasting off the beach at the river mouth.
Agnew said the competition had also been successful in terms of publicity, as national media picked up the story of the competition for the first time this year not having a biggest fish weigh-in component in the face of declining sea-run salmon numbers.
Now organisers were looking to next year, when they were considering holding a category for saltwater fish.
But the heritage of the competition and its main focus would always be salmon.
‘‘One day we would like to hope that we will be fishing for salmon again, that would be the ultimate,’’ Agnew said.
He hoped to get more committee members and volunteers on board. ‘‘It was a very successful weekend, without our sponsors and volunteers and the committee it just wouldn’t happen,’’ he said.
All competition proceeds go directly back into beautifying, protecting, and enhancing the Rakaia River for future generations.
– Anyone wanting to help out with next year’s competition can get in touch with Chris Agnew [email protected]
