Tag: Waroona Troutfest

2024 Troutfest highlights WA’s big love for trout and freshwater fishing

The eighth annual edition of Troutfest produced the biggest turnout yet, with beautiful weather and a lively crowd of around 400 people providing a fitting celebration of our South-West freshwater fishery!   

More than 300 larger rainbow and brown trout from mid-sized yearlings up to larger ex-broodstock sizes were hand-released into their new home, resulting in hundreds of beaming smiles for the scores of mums, dads and kids who all rolled up their sleeves and got in on the action.  

Check out the highlights from Waroona Troutfest 2024 in the video below!

With DPIRD agreeing to our request to declare the weekend freshwater ‘licence-free’ for fishers, eager families tried their hand at flicking lures or fly-fishing, with volunteers from the Western Australian Trout and Freshwater Fishing Association (WATFFA) kindly and enthusiastically spending hours teaching eager attendees the peaceful art of fly-fishing.  

The fishing is better when there’s more fish biting, and with around 66,000 more trout set for release into our South-West fresh waterways over the coming months, the future of freshwater fishing for West Aussies looks bright.  

Click here to see a full list of trout stocking numbers and locations for 2024!

Recfishwest’s Operations Lead Matt Gillett – who has been at all of the previous Troutfest events – said this year’s crowd was easily the biggest out of the eight editions.  

“Watching excited kids wade into the water to have a go at handling these fish with care before releasing them into their new home is always a great sight,” said Matt.   

“Troutfest epitomises the value of fish stocking and our South-West freshwater fishery – it’s a fun, safe and accessible fishery underpinned by the great work DPIRD does rearing such healthy fish at their Pemberton hatchery.  

“It is always a pleasure watching this event continue to grow each year thanks to the tremendous help from the community and all our Troutfest supporters and a special shout-out to the Shire of Waroona for backing in this great community event.” 

Now a highly-anticipated attraction on the South-West community calendar, this year’s Troutfest was once again made possible by the Shire of Waroona, Alcoa, our stocking partners Daiwa and DPIRD’s freshwater hatchery in Pemberton.  

Budding fishers were also able to tap into the knowledge of experienced freshwater fishers, with free fly-casting tuitions and fly-tying demonstrations on offer, along with an array of stalls packed with freshwater fishing merchandise and delicious food on offer. 

This is what it is all about! A big thanks to all the community members and our supporters for making the eighth edition of Waroona Troutfest the biggest yet!

The licence-free weekend was a good incentive for many to try their hand at chasing trout or redfin perch with picturesque backdrops, contributing to the growing $37 million in economic spending each year in regional economies from freshwater fishers. 

Waroona Troutfest is part of a carefully managed South-West trout-stocking program supporting a fishery enjoyed by around 10,000 freshwater fishing licence holders who venture to picturesque streams, rivers and dams throughout the South-West.   

Recfishwest, through its Freshwater Fisheries Reference Group, offers advice to DPIRD on where to stock each year’s cohort of hatchery-bred trout to the best benefit of freshwater anglers.  

Missed out on the 2024 Waroona Troutfest? Don’t worry – we’ll be back in Pemberton on Sunday, 13 October for the third edition of Pemberton Troutfest! Check out the highlights from last year’s Pemberton Troutfest in the video below and bring your family along!  

Family-friendly Troutfest fish release boosted by licence-free freshwater fishing weekend!

Get ready to roll up your sleeves, Troutfest is returning this Saturday, 7 September at Drakesbrook Weir in Waroona!

As the peak fishing sector body, we are also pleased the Government took on board our recommendation to make it a freshwater fishing licence-free weekend, as well as the 13-14th of October which coincides with the Pemberton Trout Festival and National Gone Fishing Day.

Troutfest gives mums, dads and kids the unique chance to release radiant rainbow and beautiful brown trout into this picturesque South-West waterway to celebrate WA’s freshwater fishery, as well as having a crack at freshwater fishing. This weekend you won’t need an annual freshwater fishing licence to do so either!

The fishing is always better when the fish are biting in greater abundance and this is a great example of how fish stocking helps keep the fun in fishing.

Along with the community having the chance to help these trout swim off into their new home, free rod hire, fly-casting tuitions, fly-tying demonstrations and trout fishing tips are also on offer, along with food and drink stalls.

Check out what you can expect to see at Troutfest this weekend in the video below!

Recfishwest is once again partnering with the Shire of Waroona, Alcoa and the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) to host the eighth annual Troutfest community fish stocking event, which has helped thousands of rainbow and brown trout dive and thrive into Drakesbrook Weir since 2017.

This event was first initiated and supported by local fishing clubs including the Australian Trout Foundation (ATF), Southern Forests Freshwater Angling Club (SFFAC) and Western Australian Trout and Freshwater Angling Association (WATFAA).

“Troutfest has become a welcome fixture on WA’s fishing calendar since its inception in 2017 and Recfishwest always looks forward to celebrating this fantastic fishery and allowing families to stock these stunning fish into their new homes,” said Recfishwest CEO Dr Andrew Rowland.

“The continuing popularity of our Troutfest events showcases how fun and popular freshwater fishing is and how WA’s freshwater stocking program underpins this highly valued fishery. We’re proud to support DPIRD’s trout stocking program through the great work and advice of our Freshwater Fishing Reference Group.”

Each year, trout are stocked at various popular freshwater fishing rivers and dams, including Drakesbrook Weir, Harvey Dam, Waroona Dam, Collie River and Brunswick River. The released trout are hatched and reared at DPIRD’s Pemberton-based trout hatchery through the trout stocking program.

Recfishwest, through its Freshwater Fisheries Reference Group, offers advice to DPIRD on where to stock each year’s cohort of hatchery-bred trout to the optimum benefit of freshwater anglers.

Recfishwest thanks DPIRD, The Shire of Waroona, Alcoa, Daiwa, Healthway, Fishability and Act, Belong, Commit for their support in making this much-loved family-friendly event a reality.

Wanting to come along to Troutfest? Make sure you’re there before 10:30am so you don’t miss out on hand-releasing the fish! 

Click here to view where it’s happening!

2023 Waroona Troutfest a roaring success, with scores of excited families celebrating our freshwater fishery

A lively crowd and lovely weather made for a fabulous seventh edition of Troutfest and a fitting celebration of the enjoyment our South-West freshwater fishery brings to thousands of West Aussies.  

More than 350 rainbow and brown trout from smaller fry up to larger ex-broodstock sizes were hand-released into their new home resulting in hundreds of smiling faces of mums, dads and kids who all got in on the action.  

With DPIRD agreeing to our request to declare the weekend freshwater ‘licence-free’ for fishers, dozens of eager families tried their hand at flicking lures or fly-fishing – and a big shout out to the Western Australian Trout and Freshwater Fishing Association (WATFFA) who collectively spent hours teaching event participants the noble art of fly-fishing. 

Also on display was DPIRD’s impressive new-and-improved trout stocking vehicles. Using new, advanced tank monitoring technology, these vehicles can better control water temperature and oxygen levels to ensure the fish are in healthier condition at the point of their release.    

Click here to see a full list of trout stocking numbers and locations for 2023.  

Hundreds of families rolled up their sleeves and enjoyed hand-releasing more than 350 of these beauties into Drakesbrook Weir!

It was great to see so many families getting hands on in supporting the South-West trout stocking program by rolling up their sleeves during the popular event, made possible by the Shire of Waroona, Alcoa, our stocking partners Daiwa and DPIRD’s freshwater hatchery in Pemberton.  

Budding fishers were also able to tap into the knowledge of experienced freshwater fishers, with free fly-casting tuitions and fly-tying demonstrations on offer, along with an array of stalls packed with freshwater fishing merchandise.  

“Troutfest epitomises the value of fish stocking and our South-West freshwater fishery – it’s a fun, safe and accessible fishery underpinned by the great work DPIRD does rearing such healthy fish at their Pemberton hatchery,” said Recfishwest CEO Dr Andrew Rowland.  

“Another encouraging sight was seeing people of all ages and backgrounds having a crack at freshwater fishing during Troutfest. The licence-free weekend was a good incentive for many to try their hand at chasing trout or redfin perch, enjoying a great family experience and further contributing to the growing $37 million in economic spending each year in regional economies from freshwater fishers.”  

Waroona Troutfest is part of a carefully managed South-West trout-stocking program supporting a fishery enjoyed by 10,000 freshwater fishing licence holders who venture to picturesque streams, rivers and dams throughout the South-West.  

Recfishwest, through its Freshwater Fisheries Reference Group, offers advice to DPIRD on where to stock each year’s cohort of hatchery-bred trout to the best benefit of freshwater anglers.  

Farewell fishy!

“A big Recfishwest thanks to everyone who helped out and all of our supporters and volunteers who made this such a fantastic day, along with DPIRD for supplying this healthy batch of trout” said Andrew. “We look forward to doing it again in two weeks down in Pemberton for round two of our family-friendly trout stocking events,” added Andrew.  

Make sure you’re down at Big Brook Dam Foreshore & Picnic Area by 10am on Sunday, 5 November to help us release more trout and celebrate the return of Pemberton Troutfest for its second consecutive year, following the great turnout last year by more than 300 community members.  

RECFISHWEST – KEEPING THE FUN IN FISHING! JOIN OUR CAST OF THOUSANDS AND HELP US RUN MORE GREAT COMMUNITY EVENTS LIKE TROUTFEST!  

A big thanks to everyone who came down and helped out releasing hundreds of fish into their new homes!

Two great family-friendly trout stocking events return to celebrate WA’s fantastic freshwater fisheries

Recfishwest is excited to announce our two community trout stocking events have confirmed dates for 2023 – with Troutfest occurring this Saturday, 21 October at Drakesbrook Weir, Waroona and Pemberton Trout Festival at Big Brook Dam on Sunday, 5 November!

From 10am-1pm on Saturday, mums, dads and kids will have the chance to release radiant rainbow and beautiful brown trout into Drakesbrook Weir to celebrate WA’s freshwater fishery and the $37 million economic contribution spent each year from freshwater fishers in our South-West and Peel regions.

Along with the community having the chance to hand-release hundreds of trout at both the Waroona Troutfest and the Pemberton Trout Festival, free rod hire, free fly-casting tuitions, fly-tying demonstrations, a casting competition for kids and trout fishing tips are also on offer. Food and drink will be on sale at both trout stocking events.

Check out the highlights from Troutfest 2022 below at Drakesbrook Weir!

And to encourage more people to sample the delights of wetting a line for trout and redfin in the majestic South-West, 21 and 22 October has been made a freshwater fishing licence-free weekend (coinciding with Troutfest at Waroona) – so mums, dads and kids can wet a line in inland lakes, dams and rivers without needing to buy an annual licence.

Recfishwest is once again partnering with the Shire of Waroona and DPIRD to host the seventh annual Troutfest community fish stocking event, which has seen thousands of rainbow and brown trout stocked into Drakesbrook Weir over the years.

Meanwhile, the Pemberton Trout Festival, run in partnership with DPIRD and the Regional Development and Pemberton Visitor Centre, will return to Big Brook Dam foreshore and picnic area following the success of last year’s inaugural event, with families able to hand-release hundreds more big trout into their new homes on 5 November.

This event was first initiated by local fishing clubs including the Australian Trout Foundation (ATF), Southern Forests Freshwater Angling Club (SFFAC) and Western Australian Trout and Freshwater Angling Association (WATFAA).

Check out the highlights from the 2022 Pemberton Trout Festival below at Big Brook Dam!

Showcasing the Peel and Pemberton regions’ great trout and freshwater fishery, both stocking events are free and no registration is required, allowing families to roll up their sleeves to hand-release large rainbow and brown trout into their new homes.

“Troutfest is a great celebration of this fantastic fishery and has become a welcome fixture on WA’s fishing calendar since its inception in 2017. It showcases how fun and popular freshwater fishing is and how WA’s freshwater stocking program underpins this highly valued fishery,” said Recfishwest CEO Dr Andrew Rowland.

“Recfishwest is proud to support DPIRD’s trout stocking program through the great work and advice of our Freshwater Fishing Reference Group. The fishing is always better when the fish are biting with a greater abundance of fish and this is a great example of how fish stocking helps keep the fun in fishing.

“We’re also delighted to see our second community trout stocking event return in November to Pemberton, the birthplace and ‘spiritual home’ of the South-West freshwater fishery. DPIRD does a great job with their Pemberton-based trout hatchery and we believe there is massive potential for expanding the trout stocking program and fishery. “

Hundreds of people helped release hundreds of big brown and rainbow trout into Pemberton’s Big Brook Dam last year, and this popular event will return to the area on 5 November!

Each year, trout are stocked at various popular freshwater fishing rivers and dams, including Drakesbrook Weir, Harvey Dam, Waroona Dam, Collie River and Brunswick River. The released trout are hatched and reared at DPIRD’s Pemberton-based trout hatchery through the trout stocking program. To see where trout are planned to be stocked throughout our South-West waterways this season, click here.

Recfishwest, through its Freshwater Fisheries Reference Group, offers advice to DPIRD on where to stock each year’s cohort of trout.

Recfishwest thanks DPIRD, The Shire of Waroona, Pemberton Visitors Centre, The Shire of Manjimup, Alcoa, Daiwa, Healthway, Fishability and Act, Belong, Commit for their support in making these family-friendly events a reality.

Make sure you come down to Drakesbrook Weir on Saturday, 21 October and Big Brook Dam in Pemberton on 5 November to help us release hundreds of these beauties!