While the fishing will continue to be centred on the Edward River, other activities will all be at Deniliquin RSL Club.
All off-water activities will be centrally located at the Deniliquin RSL Club, with local not-for-profit groups invited to have a stall.
The Fishing Classic is coordinated by the Deniliquin RSL Fishing Club — a sub-club of the Deniliquin RSL Club — and its president David Hart said the change of venue will be a cost and time saving measure for the small volunteer committee.
‘‘We will apply to close off Duncan St (between the club and the RSL Sports Complex) and utilise the park for the children’s events.
‘‘We will use the main car park area too, which is where we will take registrations and hold the presentations on the Saturday and Sunday.
‘‘The greens and the roads will be fenced off, and we anticipate using the tennis court area for the casting competitions which will increase safety for patrons.
‘‘The idea to have all activities hosted at the club — instead of some at the club and others at Edward River Oval — was the idea of members Jenny and Tony Tonta.
‘‘We estimate that by doing this, the space actually available for activities will be more than what we had at the oval after fencing was installed.’’
The 2020 Fishing Classic begins on February 14 and closes with presentations on February 16.
Mr Hart said the famed Prize-a-Rama on the Friday night would still be held inside the club, with the Saturday family fun night and Sunday presentations to be held outdoors.
‘‘The food will be inside, but we will have stalls and the usual Classic bar outside for patrons.
‘‘Any not-for-profit organisations that would like to have a stall are invited to submit and expression of interest.
‘‘By moving registrations to the car park, we expect to be able to offer a drive-through service. Or people can still park and wander over if they want. There will be plenty of parking in the vacant lots opposite the club.
‘‘We will still have a courtesy bus service, with three buses running all over town.’’
The boat prizes for the classic, which are of increased value, will be supplied by Deniliquin Yamaha.
Registrations for the Fishing Classic have already opened. Adult tickets have increased by $5 per adult this year, to $50. Junior entry prices remain the same.
Mr Hart said the adult increase helps cover the cost of the four boat prize packages. Their $40,000 combined value is $10,000 more than this year.
The overall prize pool for the event will be close to $90,000. Plus there is the $25,000 tagged cod. A competition will be held at a later date to name the cod.
Early bird registration forms are available from the Deniliquin RSL Club or online.
Tickets for the boat raffle are on sale at the Deniliquin RSL Club, Central Cellarbrations or online.
Packages which include fishing shirts, raffle ticket and other merchandise are available for an extra cost.
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