ANYONE who can catch a fish has the chance to win some fantastic prizes over the next six months with the opening of the Snowy Trout Challenge in late October.
The local water ways of the Snowy Monaro will see 430 tagged rainbow trout released into the lakes and weirs. Each fish has been numbered and prizes allotted to fish. Organisers will try to secure a prize for each fish.
A selection of fish will have significant cash prizes associated with their catch and the total prize pool is expected to exceed $20,000.
Should you catch a fish, you will need to follow the procedure to claim the prize by contacting the organisers through the email address, photographing your fish, record some details of where and when you caught it, and remove the tag.
If you prefer to catch and release, that is allowed, but you will still need to record details and keep the tag.
All the fish are large rainbow trout ranging from 1kg and 5kg, with some up to 70cm in length. It’s certainly worthy of throwing a line in to see if you can make a catch. The fish will be released by Gaden Trout Hatchery DPI Fisheries staff.
The tagged fish will be clearly visible with a pink tag, as per the image here.
The event has been devised to create added interest in the fishing industry in the region, plus assist in attracting visitors to the area to fish.
The annual Snowy Mountains Trout Festival has been cancelled for 2020 due to the COVID-19 situation, so for those who might otherwise visit for that event, you have six months to try your luck.
172 fish released Lake Jindabyne
172 released into and Lake Eucumbene
86 remaining fish distributed across
Lake Williams at Nimmitabel
Cooma Weir (Mittagang Road, a rock weir on the Murrumbidgee River -Bidgee Picnic Area)
Coolumbooka Weir at Bombal
Lake Crackenback Resort.
For more information visit
Snowy Trout Challenge Facebook Page.
(Full terms and conditions here)
If you would like to sponsor a fish, contact Gordon Jenkinson 0427 100 915 (Jindabyne), Peter Cottrell 0407 212 599 (Cooma) or Tim Corkill 0401 987 628 (Adaminaby).