Fishing and Outdoor Swap Meet

Join us for the Fishing & Outdoor Swap Meet, where you can donate, trade, or pick up fishing and outdoor equipment. Bring your old or unused gear, receive tokens based on its value, and exchange them for other items throughout the day. It’s a fun, eco-friendly way to refresh your fishing setup and share with the community!

When: 9 March 2025 at our Hooked on Lakes event

Where: Lakes Entrance Foreshore Reserve

Item drop off is from 10:00am - 3:00pm

Trading is from 10:00am-3:00pm

All remaining items after 3:00pm will be donated

If you've got any questions, please email us at belinda.yim@vfa.vic.gov.au.

How it works & terms and conditions

  1. Each participant may bring as many items as they like. This includes a mixture of fishing gear and outdoor accessories used for your fishing adventures.
  2. Fishing gear and outdoor accessories used for your fishing adventures must be functional and clean. We may accept repairable equipment on a case-by-case basis.
  3. Upon arrival, participants will be directed to the registration table in the FOGS marquee to drop off their items.
  4. The participant forfeits all ownership and possession of the fishing and outdoor equipment. The participant is entitled to trade with the tokens that they received from their items.
  5. All items must be reasonably clean, free from mud and dirt, and in a reasonable condition when presented to the registration table.
  6. VFA staff reserve the right to reject equipment if they are of a poor quality or broken and unreasonably unclean. Decisions made by VFA staff are final.
  7. Tokens are not redeemable for cash.
  8. If tokens are lost, they cannot be replaced.
  9. The Fishing and Outdoor swap meet will open at 10:00am for fishing gear/equipment drop-off and close at 2pm. No fishing gear/equipment will be accepted outside of these times.
  10. The swap meet will operate from 11:00am – 2:30pm.  From 11:00am, participants will be able to use their tokens to obtain fishing gear/equipment. Any items remaining after 3:00pm will be donated to any attendees that have registered and lined up for the free for all component of the swap meet.
  11. We cannot return items to participants once surrendered, even if the participant does not find another item to swap. If a participant chooses to buy back the items they donated with their tokens, they are welcome to do so if items are still available at 2.30pm.
  12. The VFA are not liable for any damage caused to an item.
  13. Each item will be assessed and exchanged for a coloured token based on its condition and quality.
  14. Below are the items that WILL be accepted:
    1. Any fishing rod/s
    2. Any lure/s
    3. Any fishing reel/s
    4. Fishing line
    5. Camp chair
    6. Esky
    7. De-hooker
    8. Gaff
    9. Landing nets
    10. Life jackets
    11. Bait traps
    12. Tackle box/es
    13. Rod covers
    14. Tools (pliers)
    15. Torches/head torches
    16. Rod holders
    17. Fishing magazines and books

Any fishing item not listed will still be accepted as long as it not one of the following. Items we will NOT accept:

  1. Any illegal fishing equipment
  2. Poor quality damaged items
  3. Unrepairable expensive items
  4. Items not reasonably clean
  5. Individual hooks and sinkers
  6. Outdoor gear not included in the list above/we may assess on the day and will use our discretion.

Green tokens are for lower-value items

Blue tokens for mid-range items

Yellow tokens for higher-value items

Red tokens for premium items.

Participants can use their tokens to swap for items in the same value category or combine tokens to trade up for higher-value items. The following are examples.

Sections and Colour Coding:

1. Low-Cost Items - Green

  • Fishing line      1
  • Lure/s              1-2
  • De-hooker       1
  • Gaff                 2
  • Rod covers     1
  • Tools (pliers)   1
  • Torches           1-2
  • Rod holders     2
  • Fishing magazines/books 1

2. Mid-Cost Items - Blue

  • Tackle box/es  1-2
  • Bait traps         1
  • Landing nets   2
  • Camp chair     2

3. Higher-Cost Items - Yellow

  • Fishing rod/s   1-2
  • Fishing reel/s   1-2
  • Esky                1

4. Premium Items ($200-300) - Red

  • High-end fishing rods & reels
  • Full fly fishing kits
  • Quality waders & boots
  • Specialised fishing kayaks
  • High-quality coolers (Yeti or Engel)

Item Quality & Token Values:

Each item in a section is categorised as low quality or high quality. For example, an item in the green section could receive either 1 token for low quality or 2 tokens for high quality.

Trading Up:

  • You can trade up your tokens! For example:
    • 2 green tokens can be exchanged for 1 blue token.
    • 2 blue tokens can be exchanged for 1 yellow token.
    • 3 yellow tokens can be exchanged for 1 red token (for premium items).