December 22, 2020
Sig Grasser aged 89 and his son Gerhard spent a few days fishing at Gunbower Creek. Sig has been going to this location for a few years now without ever having caught a legal Murray cod. This was his first trip to regional Victoria since the Covid lockdown and also his first without his wife Olga who died in early August after more than 65 years of marriage.
Not only did Sig catch this fish himself on a yabby, he also measured it as legal at 74cm in length and then chose to release it.
VRFish Board Director, Franz Grasser, shared the story of his father’s capture with VRFish.
Franz said, “This is remarkable as he does enjoy eating fish and is of that generation that grew up knowing what it feels like to be hungry. Also in those days fishing techniques like nets, springers, crosslines and droppers were all legal and practised by most.”
“I am proud of Dad that he chose to release the fish and I am also proud that our fishery for this iconic species has enabled him to capture a healthy and robust specimen in spite of his limited mobility and access to this fishery.”
“This story tells a great deal about the journey that we have taken since Dad first fished for Murray Cod as a young man.”
VRFish is working with the North Central CMA (NCCMA) to implement the Gunbower-Lower Loddon Native Fish Recovery plan which has seen increased natural spawning of Murray cod through smart use of environmental water and more fish habitat reinstated to support our native fish.
