Hay Lions 2025 Fishing Competition hailed as biggest ever.

Travelling five hours from Ballarat for a weekend of fishing with mates paid off for a beaming James Waller. He won the main prize of a 399 Stacer boat, complete with motor and trailer. James was faced with the enviable problem of working out how to transport his prize home from Sandy Point Beach. All images: The Riverine Grazier / Krista Schade.

By Krista Schade

Hay Lions 2025 fishing competition has been hailed as the biggest ever, with 900 tickets sold and 690 fishing entrants.

The event is organised by Hay’s own AFL and netball club and as well as being one of the club's major fundraisers, it has become a successful event for fishing enthusiasts from far and wide.

The Murrumbidgee river around Hay was filled with boats and kayaks, and the banks were dotted with campsites.

As in past years Sandy Point Beach was the headquarters of the competition and the larger than expected crowds kept catering volunteers busy, feeding the masses.

Overall, 1,334 fish were caught over the weekend, with 302 European Carp pest species removed from the river.

There were 1,032 native species caught and released back into the river, as part of the competition’s ‘catch and release’ rules.

The prize for most unusual catch went to Richard Cannon, who managed to snag a 12-year-old child on a hook, who was unharmed, and keen to share in Mr Cannon’s win at the presentations held on Sunday afternoon.

Results:

Open competition: Longest Murray Cod - Chase Lind 95cm, longest Yellow Belly - Nathan Beer 52cm, most native fish caught - Colin Mabon 7 (above left).

Junior competition: Longest Murray Cod - Dillan Wilson 73cm, longest Yellow Belly - Rachel Taylor 53cm (above centre), most Carp - Lynton Godfrey.

Major prize winners: Boat winner - James Waller (Ballarat), Northern Territory holiday - Graeme Lowndes, Bermagui holiday - Deb Forster, Entrant prize - Alex Doidge (above right)