After two decades of drought, avid fishers tried their luck on Edenhope’s Lack Wallace – a welcome sight for locals.

Edenhope Fishing Competition president Jeffrey Sambell said it was an enjoyable day for the whole town. 

“It was a success. Everyone was happy. There were heaps of boats on the lake and it was a really good weekend,” he said. 

Sambell said it was pleasing to see people enjoying Lake Wallace, while the competition also attracted people to Edenhope.

“We didn't do it for ourselves – we did it for our town. We want to put it back on the map. We just want to get Edenhope known again,” he said. 

Competitors fished for rainbow trout, brown trout and redfin, battling it out for the top prize of $2000.

Ballarat’s Darren Ayres caught the winning fish – a rainbow trout weighing about 1.4 kilograms.

Horsham’s Darren Milner placed second, with a 1.2-kilogram rainbow trout, while Heywood’s Phillip Boschma rounded out the top three with his 1.1-kilogram rainbow trout.

Sambell said with the lake having been dry for years, many people had forgotten Lake Wallace could provide such a fruitful fishing experience.

He said he hoped the competition would encourage people to continue fishing in the lake and visiting Edenhope and surrounding towns.

“There were people who didn’t realise we had water in our lake and have said they will keep coming back to Edenhope,” he said. 

Winning was not the only focus of the weekend, with families and locals camping by the lake.

Sambell said he was grateful for the support from the competition’s sponsors and the wider community. 

“The list [of people to thank] is ridiculously long...I’d be here for hours. We had support from plenty of towns, and it was just huge. A big shout-out to everyone who helped out and volunteered,” he said. 

The team behind the competition will take a break before planning next year’s event. Sambell encouraged people to provide feedback.

“We'll have a bit of a break and then start talking. We really value the feedback from people...We’ll change a few things next year to make it easier,” he said. 

Sambell called on people who competed and who have photos or advice to share to email info@edenhopefishingcomp.com