And it paid off for the Baranduda-based angler, when his name was called to claim the raffle boat prize on Sunday.
Provided by Deniliquin Yamaha, the major prize was an AnglaPro 354 boat with Yamaha 15hp electric start motor, trailer and safety pack, valued at $13,850.
Mr Deegan made a special trip to Deniliquin early on Monday morning to collect his prize, before returning to Baranduda to start work.
A regular visitor to Deniliquin to go fishing with mates, including Deniliquin’s resident ecologist Dr John Conallin, the boat is likely to be seen on local waterways regularly.
Second prize in the raffle was a Yamaha YFZ50 49cc kids' automatic quad bike valued at $3950.
It was won by Mark O’Neil, who Edward Kolety Fishing Challenge coordinator Andrew Jefferies said was not a fishing entrant.
“Mark is from Melbourne, and we learned he purchased his ticket at Pretty Pine while in the area on a hunting trip,” Mr Jefferies said.
As the dust settles on the weekend’s successful event, Mr Jefferies said planning would now start on how the proceeds would be best targeted.
He said the results of the weekend showed a need to concentrate on yellowbelly.
“The number of legal size natives caught was the most for this competition,” he said.
“We had 232 registered Murray cod catches, and on speaking to all anglers, we estimate there were a total of 900 caught and released over the weekend if you count those not of legal size.
“We only had 12 registered yellowbelly, and we didn’t have anyone say they caught any undersize.
“Cod are self breeding in our region, and even though we’ve released 60,000 yellowbelly fingerlings already since 2023 as a result of this event, we’re years away from seeing any real results from that.
“So that tells us we need to concentrate on yellowbelly and catfish releases.”
The Edward Kolety Fishing Challenge is run by a volunteer committee with the primary aim of improving the health of local waterways and native fish populations.
First held in 2023, it is now held the second weekend of February each year.
For more information on the event and its aims, go to https://www.edwardfishingchallenge.com.au.
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