ANGLERS rejoice. An extra 3000 brown trout have entered the wilds of Lake Wendouree.
Members of the Ballarat Fish Acclimatisation Society yesterday released the trout, which will help sustain the lake's thriving fish population.
Society president Frank Gray said the yearling fish were transported from the trout hatchery in 44-gallon drums and strategically released by boat a handful at a time.
"If you spread them out they don't school up and the cormorants (birds) can't get them so easily.
"We put 6000 in each year as a gift to the city council and we keep the stocks up because we actually net Lake Wendouree to get our brood stock."
The trout were netted from a breeding pond at the fish hatchery south of the Ballarat Botanical Gardens before being released.
The delicate operation took four hours and involved up to nine members.