Anglers lured to southern Queensland for chance to catch giant freshwater fish

“Monster” fish estimated to be up to 45kg are luring Queenslanders to a farm stay in the state’s south.

Robert Styan shows off his "monster fish", estimated to be 40kg, caught off the Glenlyon Dam Holiday Cottage.

Fish estimated to be up to 45kg are luring Queenslanders to a farm stay in the state’s south.

Judy Barnet’s passion project, Glenlyon Dam Holiday Cottage and Farmstay on Walker Rd, Glenlyon, has taken off swimmingly since its beginnings during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Ms Barnet, who started the Southern Downs-based venture after losing her job, said about 70 per cent of her guests come for the first-rate fishing near the border town of Texas.

One “lake monster” caught by a guest in her corner of the Glenlyon Dam this month was estimated to weigh about 45kg, with Ms Barnet saying it was “out-of-the ordinary.”

“I would say it’s not common to catch one that big but it’s not totally unusual either,” she said.

‘That’s the biggest one I’ve ever seen though and it was a real struggle for them to hold him.”

Glenlyon Dam Holiday Cottage and Farmstay as seen from the air. Picture: The Drone Report

The Murray Cod was safely released after angler Robert Styan snapped a photograph.

On a Facebook post, Mr Styan said he caught the fish on June 1 and estimated its weight to be about 45kg.

“...Two of us struggled to lift it, (it) measured 1.1m to base of tail, add on what you think for the rest,” he wrote.

Ms Barnet said people were blown away when she showed them photographs of the fish caught in front of her holiday cottages.

She said people wanted to discover more of regional Queensland since the Covid-19 pandemic and an active wet season meant the area was green and the waterways were teeming with fish.

Robert Styan shows off his "monster fish", estimated to about 45kg, caught off the Glenlyon Dam Holiday Cottage.

“We are a hidden gem,” she said.

“Glenlyon Dam is big but most people use it from the caravan park.
“You might go up there and see 30 or 40 boats fishing but about an hour by boat to our place is a quiet little corner.”

Ms Barnet said guests did not always need experience, or a boat, to reel in a big catch but some fishing knowledge was helpful.

A fishing gear and a permit were required.

- With Jodie Munro O’Brien