After the 2020 event was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the excitement for the return of the tournament was evident with anglers arriving midweek to set up camp in anticipation.
The Nagambie Lakes Regatta Centre was transformed into a pop-up campground with hundreds of anglers setting up for the three-day tournament on the last weekend in March.
The competition was capped at 1000 boat entries, with fishers keen to try their luck from the riverbanks or kayaks.
The GoFish Nagambie Jayco Festival Hub included the North East Emergency Expo, both open across the weekend.
It was Graham Fletcher from Diamond Creek who landed the whopping $80,000 prize for the largest Murray cod snagged on the weekend, measuring 100.7 cm.
Mr Fletcher works in Seymour and for 10 years has stayed at the Nagambie Lakes Leisure Park where he owns a cabin.
He knows the river well and has caught some big fish in the waterways. He caught a 1.23 m fish not long ago and said you needed patience to hook the big one.
“I stay at the park during the week and enjoy getting out on the river fishing,” he said.
“I caught a few fish on Friday but Saturday they went off the bite. I’d been fishing for five-and-a-half hours with no luck at all.
“I went back upstream towards Tahbilk Winery, where I’d had a few nibbles on Friday. I sat there for one-and-a-half hours with not even a bite.
“It was 2.30 pm and I was sitting at the front of the boat when the rod took off. I scrambled to grab it before it went into the river.
“I thought I was in trouble. The boat was surrounded by logs and the fish took the line deep into the water shaking his head fiercely before taking off to the other side of the river.”
Mr Fletcher said it took 10 minutes to land the cod and it certainly put up a good fight.
“It came up to the surface and passing boaters were excited to witness what was occurring,” he said.
“They stopped and filmed the catch. The fish took one look at the boat and off it went again.
“I was lucky the other boat came along because they took a photograph. I was on my own and that would’ve been very difficult.
“I knew I was in the lead on Saturday evening, but anything can happen. I’m still a bit shocked, it’s a bloody good prize.
“I used a bardi grub that I bought from Nagambie Outdoors for bait. It was one bite only and I was lucky enough to hook him.”
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