The hundreds of happy snaps of smiling kids, proudly holding the trout they just caught says it all – our inaugural ‘Fish in the ‘Burbs’ event held in the Austin Lakes Estate, just south of Mandurah, was an outstanding success!
Backed by the Recreational Fishing Initiatives Fund (RFIF), the project provided a family-friendly and fun fishing event the local community during the long-weekend just a stone’s throw – or, in this case, a line’s throw – from their homes.
Hundreds of rainbow trout bred and reared especially for the event were released into this picturesque lake at the heart of this pleasant suburb in South Yunderup.
A suburban fishing bonanza!
Demand for the long weekend daily fishing sessions was high and it didn’t take long for every session over the three days to be fully booked.
“It was great to hear families were so keen to fish that even when it bucketed down with rain for a few minutes on the weekend they shrugged it off and fished on,” Recfishwest CEO Dr Andrew Rowland said.
“The fishing more than lived up to expectations and it was hard to wipe the smile off the excited participants’ faces, many of whom had just caught their very first fish.
“This free event was an important landmark first – helping us test the waters for the viability and demand among the community for fishing events held in the heart suburban and urban WA communities.”
Check out some of the photos below! Credit: Zach Relph / Recfishwest
Where to from here?
The overwhelming success of Fish in the ‘Burbs event gives the green light to work on ramping up a suburban and urban freshwater stocking program.
Dr Rowland said Recfishwest was looking forward to working with Indo-Pacific Environmental and other local authorities interested to run similar events in suburban and urban lakes.
“Fishing is a huge part of the WA lifestyle and everyone should be given the chance to catch a fish in a safe environment without necessarily having to venture off the beaten track,” he said.
“And stocking trout could just be the start of it, imagine you or even your kids catching a barra or a bass in your local metro lake this summer? Now that would be worth getting a few snaps of.”
Dr Rowland said Recfishwest would like to thank the Shire of Murray, Aquatic Life Industries and Indo-Pacific Environmental for helping make the inaugural Fish In The ‘Burbs event possible.
