THE New Norfolk Licensed Anglers Association held its annual dinner and trophy presentation for the 2021-22 season at the New Norfolk RSL club.
Around 60 members and guests attended and enjoyed a fantastic spit roast meal and dessert. Guests included Derwent Valley Mayor Michelle Dracoulis who mentioned receiving an $80,000 grant to help towards upgrading trout fishing opportunities in the valley. IFS Officer Jonah Yick also praised the club for its work with the IFS in regards to the Derwent River. Jonah revealed that another 400 tagged trout were released last Friday into the river in the name or research. These trout have white tags opposed to green tags placed in trout released before the 2021- 22 season.
Across four competitions in the Derwent last season NNLAA members weighed in 217 trout weighing 153.267kg with an average weight of .706kg. Only two of those trout weighed in had green tags. The first two competition totals both had an average weight of .700kg and the third was .716kg and fourth was .708kg. All up the NNLAA weighed in 320 trout last season weighing 235.087kg with an average weight of .734kg.
The 2021-22 season awards were as follows:
• Heaviest brown trout overall and heaviest trout caught on an artificial lure, Bert Wigston Memorial Trophy – Adam Williams, 2.357kg.
• Heaviest Trout sub junior, STLAA junior heaviest trout – Jayden Slater, 2.381kg.
• Junior heaviest trout – Charles Colhoun, 1.812kg.
• Heaviest rainbow trout overall – Adam Rice 1.523kg.
• Most consistent angler, male – Adam Rice; female – Marina Mansell; junior – Kia Keleher.
• The Michelle Williams Memorial Trophy for the heaviest trout caught in the Derwent River was awarded to male Shane Langford, 2.138kg, and female Marina Mansell, 1.431kg.
Club President Laurie Harrison was awarded life membership of the NNLAA and his wife Mandy was awarded the Mavis and Ken Russell best “club person” plaque for her services to the club.
The NNLAA will hold its AGM on July 12 with all past, present and future members welcome. In connection with the IFS and major sponsor Williams Outdoors the NNLAA on Friday night also announced that for the 2022-23 season any financial member who catches an orange-tagged $2000 trout in a rostered competition will also win a $500 gift voucher to spend at Williams Outdoors.
Memberships must be paid before competition starting times and the incentive doesn’t include purchases of ammunition or fire arms from the store. Memberships stay the same price with basic membership $15 for adults or $30 including all competition fees. Juniors $5 or $10 including all competition entry fees and a family membership costs just $60. Memberships are available from Williams Outdoors in High Street New Norfolk.
AS mentioned, I was fortunate enough to win the heaviest rainbow trout overall and there is a pretty good story relating to its catch and release. To cut to the chase the winning fish was a familiar one because I’d caught and released it twice already during the 2021-22 season. The first time was using a soft plastic on November 30, 2021, and the second time on a surface lure on February 2, 2022. I caught it a third time using a soft plastic on of April 30, 2022 during the final trout fishing competition of the season. During that fishing trip with Adam Williams, he also caught a brown trout that I’d caught and released back on the 29th of October 2021 which weighed 1.498 kg cleaned.
Tight Lines until next week.