Catching em young

A new fishing platform will be built on the banks of the Goulburn River in Seymour to improve accessibility to the water for fishing, particularly making it safer for children to have a go at wetting a line. State Member for Northern Victoria Jaclyn Symes visited the site at Goulburn Park on August 13 with fishing icon Rex Hunt to announce a free kids fishing event to be held during Childrens Week in October as part of the Victorian Governments VicFishKids program. Ms Symes has been working on obtaining a fishing platform for Seymour for almost a year. It will be built by the Mitchell Shire using a $100 000 grant from the governments Better Fishing Facilities Fund. The platform will be a multi-level design to cater for height changes in the Goulburn River through the year. The platforms location in Goulburn Park is ideal, given it is in the middle of town, a short walk from the holiday park and close to an existing playground with toilet amenities, Ms Symes said. The Goulburn River is Seymours greatest natural asset and I am always looking for ways to help locals and visitors get the most out of it; the platform will be a fantastic asset for the town. A new fishing platform at Seymour will improve family fishing opportunities in the Goulburn River and get more people fishing, more often, which is at the heart of our Target One Million plan. That section of the Goulburn River provides good fishing opportunities for golden perch, Murray cod, trout, redfin and carp, which will be the targets on Sunday, October 28, when the free VicFishKids event is on between 10 am and 2 pm. Rex Hunt will be there on the day as VicFishKids program ambassador. There will be 200 free fishing rods available for kids on the day, as well as experts from Fishcare and local angling clubs to teach the basics of casting a rod, baiting a hook and responsible fishing practices.