More fishing gear and maybe a car on surprise shopping list

A 12-year-old angler is showing the fishing community how it is done nabbing the first $10,000 tagged trout of the season. But there’s four more still out there …

• Tassie home sales tip $1B in strong quarter
• Tasmania-NZ flights could take off in ‘matter of days’

Catching a Tasmanian trout is a great feeling anytime.

Catching a specially tagged trout with a $10,000 prize tag attached is really cool according to young angler Fiona Batterham who pulled in the lucky fish on Sunday.

“I got it on the boat and went oh, oh, oh when I saw the blue line,’ Fiona said.

“I was just in the right place at the right time. It was amazing.”

The 12-year-old, from Selbourne in Tasmania’s north, has bagged the first of five tagged fish up for grabs under an initiative to get fishermen to drop a line in some of the State’s most beautiful lakes.

The Grade 6 Hagley Primary School student plans to spend her win on more fishing gear and perhaps a car to sit ready for when she can learn to drive in a few years time.

Fiona’s special trout was one of five released in five different lakes as part of the Tasmanian Government’s Tagged Trout Promotion.

The four remaining trout are in yingina/Great Lake, Arthurs Lake, Lake Burbury and Lake Pedder.

Fiona Batterham with the winning tagged trout

She was out in a boat with her father Stephen and brother James, at Lake Rowallan on Sunday, which was also national Gone Fishing Day, when she reeled in the fish and saw the blue markings.

“It was so good. I am part of the Westbury Fishing Club. We are going to Great Lake and Lake Arthur early next year and hopefully the other tagged trout will still be there.”

For now the prize-winning trout is in the family fridge and young Fiona hopes the chance of landing a $10,000 will get other anglers out into the wilds.

Primary Industries Minister Guy Barnett said the tagged trout were released to encourage anglers to visit regional areas and support the economy as Tasmania continues to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Each tag is worth $10,000 to the angler that returns the fish, tagged intact to the Inland Fisheries Service,” Mr Barnett said.

“Well done and thanks also to the Westbury Fishing Club, who organised a competition at Lake Rowallan last weekend and gave Fiona the opportunity to reel in the trout.”