Occasional showers were not enough to keep anglers from far and wide away from the third annual Wollombi Carp Fishing Competition.
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A total of 305 fish were caught during the competition on the weekend of March 18 and 19.
Competition spokesperson Angus Jon said carp, an introduced species, have invaded the furthest reaches in the Wollombi Valley system, encroaching on native species and competing for a limited food source.
“The Wollombi Brook, known also for its very shy platypus, offers many deep holes along its path capable of harbouring many thousands of carp,” he said.
“Under the right conditions, carp can be highly prolific.
“They mature early – as early as one year for males and two years for females.
“One mature female can produce up to 1.5 million sticky eggs ensuring fast population expansion.”
Mr Jon said carp fishing competitions – according to recent research figures – do not greatly impact carp populations.
“The key benefit of these events is education about the introduced carp species, exposing its aggressive invasion into our waterways and of course, creating a family-friendly competition that all ages and all levels of angler expertise can participate on the day.”
Mr Jon said the cloudy weather may have been an advantage, however a little fresh run off into the brook that week may have made the catch just that more challenging.
The sun came out for the Sunday weigh-in, when local resident Daryl Bowman received the shield for the most fish caught over the weekend with a total of 39 catches.
Mr Bowman, who has entered the competition each year, started at first light on the Saturday morning and managed to reel in 29 fish on the first day, followed by another 10 on the Sunday.
Cooper Hollingshed of Pelton caught the heaviest fish in the under-10s division, at 1.88 kilograms.
