Police and politicians have given fishing the all-clear as a permitted activity during the current coronavirus lockdown, but there are still warnings and uncertainty around how far fishers can travel to get to water.
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Fishing was one of the many activities - alongside tennis and golf - with uncertainty swirling around them last week, but authorities clarified that the activity was allowed provided social distancing laws were followed.
While the activities are banned in Victoria, a statement from NSW Police clarified people were allowed to fish.
"If you go out, social distancing rules always apply - at the boat ramp and on your boat," a spokesperson said via a statement on the NSW Police Facebook page.
"You should only be on your boat alone, or with no more than one other person; or with family who ordinarily live in the same household as you."
Police said boats could be used for exercise - to assist in kayaking, sailing or paddling - fishing, or as a vehicle for essential travel.
Member for Orange Phil Donato urged people to be vigilant while fishing to ensure social distancing measures were maintained.
He also urged people to stay as close to their home as possible to fish to avoid being stung by police trying to enforce laws against non-essential travel, and said travelling to popular fishing spots such as Wyangala Dam could leave people open to being fined.
"I'd be staying as close to my home as I could," Mr Donato said last week.
The government has made pushes over the past few weeks to keep people from travelling between regional areas, and Mr Donato said plenty of people had asked him what the rules were, and he was cautious in saying if travelling from Orange to Wyangala was too far, citing confusion around police discretion in enforcing laws.
"I've been asked a lot about this and it's not for me to say yes or no but if it's local, you can do it," he said.
"As to what the definition of local is, that's up to the discretion of the individual officer.
"I wouldn't be travelling too far to go fishing."
Many National Parks have been closed due to the coronavirus, meaning some popular fishing spots and lakes have been closed, but with a huge total of rainfall in the past fortnight rivers and creeks are flowing - some where they haven't for years.
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Max Stainkamph
Max joined the CWD in September 2017, leaving the big smoke of Melbourne to come to Orange, where he stayed until 2020.
Max joined the CWD in September 2017, leaving the big smoke of Melbourne to come to Orange, where he stayed until 2020.
