Bush 'n Beach Fishing Magazine Location reports & tips for fishing, boating, camping, kayaking, 4WDing in Queensland and Northern NSW
The ‘cat is out of the bag’ as the old saying goes or more ‘the fish is out of its tank’ with duly named ‘Fat Albert’ barra officially released!
The name given to the $50,000 Mount Isa Water Board Tagged Barra as part of this weekend’s Clancy Corporation Lake Moondarra Fishing Classic Fat Albert was released this morning at an undisclosed location in the Lake.
Supervised by an official representative from the affiliated insurance company Albert posed for a few pictures with representatives ranging from sponsors to local government and Queensland Police before being whisked away in a specially designed oxygenated tank aboard a Mount Isa Water Board boat.
Now officially one of the most wanted fish in the nation, Fat Albert joins the thousands of other fish in the Lake to potentially be caught when fishing action commences 6pm Friday.
Quirkily named in jest after long time Fishing Classic and Mount Isa Fish Stocking Group volunteer Albert Shelley Co-Event Manager George Fortune spoke on the naming of the Barra.
“Fat Albert joins a long list of Tagged Barra names which have included Roberta in recognition of our local MP Robbie Katter (that year the Barra was a female), Georgina after myself (another female specimen that year), Betty after past local MP Betty Kiernan… this year in recognition of Albert’s long time support in roles such as Assistant Weigh Master and our Logistics Coordinator we thought Albert was a fitting name; Fat of course in recognition of the Barra’s ‘well fed’ appearance.”
Also in attendance at the release Tagged Barra sponsor and Mount Isa Water Board Chief Executive Stephen Farrelly complete with giant $50,000 novelty cheque spoke of the importance of such a significant prize for the competition.
“The Mount Isa Water Board is pleased to sponsor the $50,000 prize, assisting the competition to gain national recognition as one of the richest freshwater fishing competitions in the country” he said
“Not only does the significant figure increase media recognition and provide a real talking point, it also attracts anglers to come and enjoy the great community asset that is Lake Moondarra.”
The Clancy Corporation Lake Moondarra Fishing Classic kicks off on at 6pm Friday October 23 and wraps up at 6pm Sunday October 25 with presentations to follow. Details are available on the website www.lakemoondarrafishingclassic.com.au or on the events social media pages.
