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Subscriber only WHETHER you were camping with family or friends, sleeping in your ute or checking out the "Big Red'' QT bus, the Kirkleagh Klassic was a fun weekend. The fishing competition was one of Australia's most popular and successful freshwater events for more than a decade. It was organised and conducted by active volunteers on the Somerset and Wivenhoe Fish Stocking Association, formerly called the Brisbane Valley Fish Management Committee. Sadly, circumstances caught up with organisers who had done a fantastic job putting on secret weight and catch and release competitions for many years. Having the secret weight format reduced the risk of cheating as anglers presented their fish not knowing what the specific measure was for each weigh-in.
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Subscriber only WHEN millions of fish were lost from the Somerset and Wivenhoe lakes during the 2011 floods, a group of dedicated fish stockers were heartbroken. Having regularly stocked both major catchments with a range of freshwater species since 1988, the volunteers could only watch as the valuable fish were washed over the Wivenhoe Dam wall. But rather than let the cruel setback diminish their enthusiasm, they continued their impressive work. Ten years later, long-serving Somerset and Wivenhoe Fish Stocking Association (SWFSA) president Garry Fitzgerald remains as committed as ever to replenishing the vital dams. He leads an active committee still heavily focused on restocking, monitoring recreational fishing pressure and other community projects to revitalise two of Australia's leading freshwater habitats.