A fly fisher has struck gold at Lake Purrumbete near Camperdown, landing a $10,000 fish as part of the relaunched Golden Tag competition.
Minister for Fishing and Boating Melissa Horne said it was exciting to see the expanded competition was proving to be a drawcard for visitors to regional areas.
Melbourne's Alex Georgopolous was the lucky fisher to score the $10,000 prize, landing the tagged brown trout in the early hours of Sunday morning.
Alex says he plans to spend his winnings on more fishing trips around regional Victoria, giving people in the country a helping hand after a tough year.
The competition started in February to encourage people to visit Gippsland and the state's north east as communities recovered from bushfires. It was later paused due to travel restrictions as Victoria tackled the Coronavirus pandemic.
More than 20 new tagged fish worth $10,000 each are being released around the state and there are an extra 50 fish worth $2,000 which are being added to waterways.
Approximately 950 fish worth $2,000 each were already released earlier in the year, bringing the state-wide total of tagged fish to more than 1,000.
Purrumbete is one of a host of new locations to be added to the Golden Tag Competition as part of its relaunch, aimed at getting fishers and their families out into regional Victoria.
To find out more information about the competition, visit www.vfa.vic.gov.au/goldentag
As stated by Minister for Fishing and Boating Melissa Horne
"I was thrilled to hear of the catch worth $10,000 down at Purrumbete, one of the newly-added waters in the expanded Golden Tag competition."
"Fishing trips like this are a key reason we decided to expand the competition, to provide more opportunities for families to support regional communities."
As stated by Member for Western Victoria Gayle Tierney
"It's great to have fishers and their families safely out visiting regional Victoria, trying their luck for tagged fish right across the state."
"Whether it's a new fishing spot or an old favourite, there are plenty of opportunities to catch the fish of a lifetime in the south west."
