The brim were biting when Mount Isa Landcare Group held a Camooweal Kids Fishing event on Friday May 19.
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The fishing site was Rocklands Station established in the 1870s and the waterhole was named Lake Mary by William Landsborough in 1861.
However Mount Isa Landcare president Mark Van Ryt said the chain of permanent waterholes on the Georgina River at Camooweal had been a extremely important trading hub for aboriginal Australians for thousands of years.
He said Minnie Kenna brought the senior group of kids to Rocklands Station Water hole in the Myuma bus.
“After a walk along the bank cleaning up any rubbish the children were handed a fishing kit to keep and take home,” Mr Van Ryt said.
“But before we started fishing John Lane gave his talk and demonstration on tying a terminal rig and safe line casting.
“All the children were very attentive listening and watching John give his valuable presentation.”
The first fish caught was a Red Claw crayfish which while native to Australia are not "endemic" to the Georgina River which flows eventually to Lake Eyre.
Red Claw have been "translocated' from its native Gulf of Carpentaria catchment to streams all over Northern Australia, Mr Van Ryt said.
“We encourage the kids and the community in general to remove as many red claw from the Georgina River as possible,” he said.
“The Myuma Bus returned to school and bought out the remaining junior students to join us at Lake Mary for a walk and picnic.
Mr Van Ryt said it was wonderful for the students to share a experience out in nature.
“I told the juniors that we will return not next year but the year after to give them a tackle box and take them fishing,” he said.
“It was a great day of fishing for the kids with about six different species of fish caught.”
He said locals had their own names for some species.
“We had Barcoo grunter, banded grunter, butter brim and eel tailed catfish,” he said.
“Grandmother Nanna Betsy showed the children to to do it by pulling in several fish herself.”
Many small spangled perch were also caught, but the catch of the day was Donella's large silver perch.