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Lake Forbes has played host to an international fishing showdown, with Team Australia narrowly defeating New Zealand in a closely contested Trans-Tasman coarse angling competition.
Over three days, anglers from both countries lined the lake’s edge, drawing their positions at random before casting their lines in pursuit of the heaviest total catch of carp.
Howard Johns, secretary of the Australian Federation of Coarse Angling Associations, said Australia emerged victorious by a narrow margin.
"It's the first time we've won since 2016 - we're very happy," he said.
The Trans-Tasman event, first launched in 1987 and approaching its 40th anniversary, is traditionally tightly contested, with Australia and New Zealand alternating hosting duties each year.
Competitors remained in Forbes over the ANZAC Day weekend to contest the national championships, with two six-hour sessions of fishing held across Saturday and Sunday.
The 2026 Australian Team Nationals was won by a combined Australia-New Zealand team of Allan Webb, Martyn Rymer, Glenn Nicholls from Melbourne and Gary Dallimore from Christchurch, New Zealand.
They fished very well over two days of competition beating off very stiff competition from several teams.
The individual winner for 2026 Australian Nationals was Chris Bevis from Melbourne, second was Stewart Eason from Adelaide. Chris and Stewart were equal on points after two days of competition however Chris won on countback of weight - catching more than 52kg of fish.
In third was Paul Harris from Auckland New Zealand.
Mr Johns said coarse angling, which has its origins in the United Kingdom and Europe, is a highly refined style of fishing.
"We use fine lines, small hooks, and very long poles - up to about 14m long," he said.
Walkers around Lake Forbes during the event would have noticed the shoreline divided into marked sections, with each angler assigned a position by random draw. Participants then fished their allocated section for six hours, keeping their catch in nets until the end of the session when it was weighed.
While the discipline includes several streams, anglers in this part of Australia are primarily targeting carp.
Forbes was selected as a venue after Sydney-based coarse anglers identified the lake as an ideal location, thanks to its accessibility and proximity to accommodation and dining options.
"One of them said why don't we go to Forbes ... They organised a couple of competitions here, contacted the council, and they were quite successful," Mr Johns said.
"So they suggested coming to Forbes for one of the major events."
Although the fishing was proving more of a challenge than you might think, the anglers were enjoying their stay.
"Forbes as a town is beautiful: it's one of the prettiest towns and the cleanest towns," Howard said.
He added that anglers appreciated the warm reception from locals - their specialised equipment drawing a lot of interest.
The group also made efforts to encourage younger participants into the sport, hosting a free children’s workshop on the Friday afternoon in partnership with Forbes Shire Council.