Catch a Carp Festival 2026

Next date: Sunday, 12 April 2026 | 10:00 AM to 03:00 PM

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The free Catch a Carp Festival is back again, co-hosted by the Victorian Fisheries Authority and local radio station MIXX FM/3CS, providing a great opportunity to have some fun outdoors and learn more about how to catch and cook this pest fish species.


Victorian Fisheries Authority (VFA) CEO Travis Dowling said the festival is being held at Lake Colac on Sunday 12 April and will include educational activities and kids fishing clinics, a carp fishing competition and cooking demonstrations. The festival will be held on the Lake Colac foreshore featuring food and coffee onsite, market stalls, cooking demonstrations, kids activities, fishing and outdoor swap meet and a live broadcast by MIXX FM/3CS.

“We want festival goers to enjoy the lake and foreshore while learning about carp and the harm they do to our waterways,” Mr Dowling said.

Carp are a noxious aquatic pest in Victoria and we support anglers catching them to help reduce their numbers.
There’ll be commercial carp fishing throughout the day demonstrating first-hand how large numbers of carp can be caught and removed without harming native species.

It’s a great chance to support the local community, with a range of market stalls and the Lions Club Colac offering train rides for families around the event.

Carp will be featured in fish biology sessions by VFA Scientist Dr Corey Green as well as carp cooking sessions so anglers can make use of their next carp catch.

The family ‘Catch a Carp’ competition has great prizes and giveaways.

FREE Kids Fishing Clinic

Come along to the Colac Catch a Carp Festival! Lots of fun-filled activities including kids fishing clinics on the shore of Lake Colac.

Learn to fish, cast and much more!

*Clinics designed for children aged 5 - 12 years

Clinic Date: Sunday 12th April from 10:00am - 3:00pm

Event Time: 5 sessions throughout the day, each session runs for 45 minutes.

Note: All equipment provided including fishing rod. Each child that participates will receive a free rod after the clinic to take home and continue their fishing adventure!

There will be 15 kids per session.

REGISTER NOW

 

Catch a Carp Competition

A 'Catch a Carp' competition will run as a part of the Lake Colac 'Catch a Carp' Festival on Sunday 13 April 2025.

Prior registration is not required for the competition. Fishers of all ages can enter into the competition on the day by presenting their largest (by length) carp to two depositories staffed by the VFA at Lake Colac.

Competition details

When: Sunday 13 April, 9am - 2pm.
Carp must be brought to the depositories (see below) by 2:20pm to be eligible.

Where: Lake Colac and Barongarook Creek between the lake and Chapel Street.

Conditions: Landbased, rod and reel only. For the full set of terms and conditions click here.

Categories and prizes

Prizes will be awarded in both categories to fishers able to present the largest (by length) and second largest carp to VFA staff at the set depositories at Lake Colac.

All entrants will also go in the draw for the raffle (see below).

Junior Competition (16 years and younger) -  prizes thanks to Colac's Mixx FM 106.3:

  • 1st prize: $100 Love Local Buy Colac Gift Card
  • 2nd prize: $50 Love Local Buy Colac Gift Card

Adult Competition (17 years and older) - prizes thanks to Colac's Mixx FM 106.3:

  • 1st prize: $500 Love Local Buy Colac Gift Card
  • 2nd prize: $250 Love Local Buy Colac Gift Card

Novelty prizes - thanks to Colac Herald:

  • Best dressed angler: $150 Love Local Buy Colac Gift Card
  • Smallest carp: $30 Love Local Buy Colac Gift Card

Secret Time Competition

  • Three secret time slots between 10am and 1pm have been selected. A select number of participants who bring in their catch to the carp depositories closest to one of these times will win 1 of 6 mystery prizes supplied by Colac Herald. The exact times will be revealed after the competition ends.
  • Don’t wait until the last minute—bring your fish in for a chance to win! Standard competition rules apply.

Raffle details:

All fishers entering their carp catch will automatically enter the raffle, drawn at 2:30pm on the day of the competition.
Prizes include rods, reels and tackle at a combined valued of $500.

Other prizes include:

  • Family pass to Otway Fly Treetop Adventures
  • Colac Tenpin Bowl vouchers
  • Colac Cinemas vouchers

Carp removal

Ice slurries will be available at both depositories. Commercial carp fisher Keith Bell (of K&C Global Fisheries) will collect the carp for processing at the conclusion of the competition.

Fishers are encouraged to bring all carp caught during the competition to the depositories.

 


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When

  • Sunday, 12 April 2026 | 10:00 AM - 03:00 PM

Location

Lake Colac Foreshore, Colac, 3250

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