Organiser Jess Burke said 216 people from across the Wakatipu, Otago, Southland and Canterbury spent the day on the water, hoping to bag the biggest fish of the day, or at least the heaviest brown trout, rainbow trout or salmon.
Ultimately it was Bryce Wise who was named overall winner after catching a 2.06kg brown trout — Ms Burke said her two young daughters also picked up prizes in the children’s category.
It was not all smooth sailing for all entrants, including one of the competition’s volunteers who managed to swamp his boat in the marina on Saturday morning. For his efforts, he was awarded the "best genuine hard luck story".
The annual competition, organised by the Glenorchy Community Association, doubles as a community fundraiser — proceeds from this year’s event would support the maintenance and operation of the Glenorchy pool, which was critical to ensure the pool could remain open while much-needed renovation work was under way.
The Glenorchy Collective Trust plans to build an early childhood education centre, with capacity for up to 40 children with a dedicated space for a creche and playgroup, and give the town’s 40-year-old pool a major upgrade, including extending it to 25m and adding a splash pool and small gym.
The overall project was estimated to cost $10 million — local fundraising had already brought in about $100,000.
