Carp Muster ends

Carlton Mid’s Carp Muster finished up on Australia Day with the elusive Duke of Burrendong still at large. The competition that started on November 3 saw Carlton Mid ask fishermen from across Central West New South Wales and beyond to catch carp in an effort to help drive the reintroduction of native fish back into one of Australia’s most revered waterways, Burrendong Dam.

No one could seem to snag the Duke with the bounty sitting at $18,400 at the competition’s close so a $10,000 prize was given to the person who registered the most carp as part of the competition. That lucky winner was Rodney Ephlick, from Orange who registered 329 carp throughout the duration of the competition.

"I’m a keen fisherman and a Carlton Mid drinker so naturally I was pretty excited when this competition started. Winning $10,000 for doing something that I love which is also good for the local community is pretty special," said Ephlick.

It wasn’t just keen fishermen that could help native yellowbellies, silver perch and cod re-establish their numbers in the dam. A block or carton purchase of Carlton Mid at participating bottleshops funded one native fish back into the dam.

The Carlton Mid purchased through participating outlets equates to 14,000 native fish that have been secured for release into Burrendong at the Muster’s end on Australia Day.

Derek Cutting, from Carlton Mid, said: "Burrendong Dam in the state’s Central West is a mecca for fishing enthusiasts and holidaymakers. We really wanted to help this waterway restore its native fish population and have managed to do this successfully."

At the competition's end, well over 5,000 carp were removed from the dam. With the Duke still out there, the remainder of the bounty ($8,400) that was up for grabs will be given to the Department of Primary Industries and put towards research into eradicating carp from the Burrendong Dam.