09/06/2026
Back Bar Stories | Volume 24 | How Many VB’s is your catch? 🎣🍻
This week we’re heading back to the mid 90s with a collection of fishing snaps taken around Bethanga and the surrounding region 👏
You’ll spot a few photos taken inside the Bethanga Hotel itself, plus one fish famously measured not by centimetres… but by the length of “three-and-a-bit VB stubbies” 😅🍺
Another shot shows anglers by the water’s edge with tents set up in the background. Written on the back of the photo was a note saying it captured one of the winners from the Ovens River competition, Rutherglen/Bethanga. While we couldn’t uncover much more about the specific event itself, fishing culture across North East Victoria was thriving throughout the 1990s, with local angling clubs active along many of the region’s river systems.
Between 1986 and 1991, the area was stocked with more than 104,000 Murray cod fingerlings, helping create strong fishing populations through the early 90s. A 1992 survey also captured numerous Murray cod measuring between 15–19c. Upstream the river system was known for its self-sustaining trout populations and fly fishing opportunities.
A different time… but clearly the fishing stories were just as big back then as they are today 🎣🤍
