Carp fishing competition will come to Murray Bridge district in 2024

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Malcom Butler is looking forward to more than just his next catch.

He looks forward to April 7, 2024, the tentative date for a major carp fishing competition coming to the Murray Bridge district.

It’s early days yet – the group organising the competition consists of just a few Mypolonga Progress Association members, backed up by the Murray Bridge council.

But their plans received a big boost on Friday, when state Tourism Minister Zoe Bettison announced a $15,000 grant to help them get going.

“I think it’ll be absolutely great for the area,” Mr Butler, a keen local fisho, said.

“It puts Mypolonga back up there again.”

It would also bring a social aspect back to fishing in an era when most fishers got their tips online, and almost all of South Australia’s angling clubs had died out.

The details are yet to be worked out, but the competition will likely bear similarities to the annual SA Carp Frenzy at Barmera, which offers prizes in different age groups for the heaviest bag of carp and biggest individual fish caught from the shore, a kayak or a boat.

Woodlane Reserve has been mooted as a potential base for the competition, which could encompass a stretch of the river between Wall Flat and Murray Bridge.

Progress association chair Steve Hein hoped the competition would be more than just a fish-a-thon.

He envisioned guests being introduced to the apricots, olive oil, cheese and other products produced in South Australia’s 2022 agricultural town of the year, perhaps through goodie bags or a morning tea.

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You can count Councillor Andrew Baltensperger as an advocate for the event, too – he convinced the rest of Murray Bridge’s councillors about the merits of the idea back in April.

“The carp fishing competition is a fantastic addition to our region’s event calendar,” he said.

“It promises to be an exciting day, offering significant benefits for our community.”

How do you catch a carp?

Throw a line anywhere into the Lower Murray and you’d be hard pressed not to hit one smack on the head.

At an estimated four tonnes per hectare, there are more carp below Lock One than in virtually any other stretch of the river.

Getting them to grab a hook is the trick.

Mr Butler said he’d spent about 30 years heading out on his tinny to catch carp, a challenge he enjoyed when he wasn’t chasing mulloway down the Coorong.

“I’ve had some good teachers, especially for carp, from Europe, Scotland, England, places like that; I’ve been using those teachings and they work really well,” he said.

Corn or worms worked well as bait, he said, and so did a bit of bread and peanut butter.

“What that does is put a scent and oil into the water,” he said.

“Carp find that pretty easy.”

Competition will help with flood recovery

The state funding was intended to help bring visitors back to regions still recovering from last summer’s River Murray floods.

“We know events are an important driver of visitation, giving people a reason to visit right now,” Ms Bettison said.

“With a range of new and exciting events planned for 2024 and beyond, we expect to see more visitors travelling to our river regions to see all that is on offer.”

The Mid Murray, Loxton Waikerie and Berri Barmera councils will also receive funding.

River Murray tourism has been trending upwards since the floods, with more money spent in the region in 2022-23 than the year before despite the disruptions to the peak summer holiday season.