ANGLERS of all ages flocked to Lake Keepit over the Easter long-weekend for the annual ‘Carp We Don’t Keepit’ carp muster.
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Almost 400 people cast off their fishing lines to catch and remove more than 2000 carp from Lake Keepit.
Event organiser Anne Michie said the muster was fun and educational for locals and visitors alike.
“We had so many locals and visitors from as far as Dubbo, the coast and Melbourne which was terrific,” Mrs Michie said.
“The idea of the muster is to have fun fishing and being with your family, but to also educate people of the damaging affect carp has on our local waterways.”
Mrs Michie said the impact carp has on the region’s waterways is “huge”.
“Our local fish such as cod and catfish for example, build nests when they are reproducing but carp will come through and virtually just hoover the nests right up,” she said.
“In-turn that hurts several local species’ chances of reproduction and just doesn’t give them a chance to breath.”
Despite Lake Keepit’s current water level sitting at just 13 per cent, organisers were happy with the amount of fish caught.
“I’d say this is the best muster we have held so far,” Mrs Michie said.
“It is put together by volunteers from both the Lake Keepit Family Fishing Club and Tamworth’s The Pub Fishing Club and there is just so much in it for kids and families.
"We had more than 50 giveaways to people who registered including a brand new kayak, so it really was about more than just fishing and catching the most fish, it was about spending time with family and friends and learning a bit more about our local environment.”
The caught carp will be processed and used for compost.