Fishing competition, gastronomy and cultural programs in the IX. Pinka Valley Fish Day

2023.07.10. Share

On July 8, the IX. Pinka Valley Fish Day. Organized by the Vas County Association of Sport Fishing Associations, it is now a tradition that at the beginning of July, everything around the Alpesi Fogadó and Fishing Tourist Center is about fishing and fish food.

Fishing competition, gastronomy and cultural programs in the IX. Pinka Valley Fish Day

In the morning, the participants of the fishing competition gathered at the site, where it was decided by lot who would try to hook as many fish as possible at which fishing spot. The competition took place in three locations, at the Vaskeresztes Pinka lagoon, the Önkormányzati lake and the Alpes Horgász lake, in the hobby adult, competitive and youth categories.

During the morning, the teams coming to the cooking competition also took their places. Every year, the organizers provide the opportunity for visitors to the event to taste different fish dishes in return for purchasing a supporter's ticket, and this was the case this year as well: they offered a variety of local fish soups, fried fish, fish sauce, smoked catfish and other fish specialties to those interested, and of course, the cooking teams prepared the producers were also happy to give tastings of food. This year, the employees of the Balatoni Halgazdokászi Nonprofit Zrt. also took part in the event, and they awaited the visitors to Pinka-völgy's Fish Day with excellent fish soup. Iván Bodó, better known as "Matula", came with them, who presented his books and made interesting water and fish toys, which were fun not only for the children.

The cooking teams put special fish dishes on the jury's table this year as well. The judges were able to taste, among other things, fish steak with green pepper sauce, smoked fish, lecho fantasy with gray catfish dumplings, toothpick fillet fried in a crispy crust with porcini peppers, and, of course, the indispensable fish soup, based on a variety of recipes.

After the judging of the dishes, we saw a show by the Vaskeresztesi traditionalists on stage, and then the Szombathely Rope Jumpers entertained the audience with their acrobatic show.

At three o'clock in the afternoon, the event space of the Alpesi Fogadó was filled to the brim, greetings were given before the results of the competitions were announced.

Ferenc Brádl greeted everyone on behalf of the Vaskeresztes municipality , and then expressed his joy that today is the ninth time that the fishing association organizes the Pinka Valley Fish Day in the municipality. He added: this is the most prestigious event in the settlement, and then he wished everyone good fun and a good appetite for the rest of the day.

Miklós Seregi, president of the Vas County Association of Sport Fishing Associations, pointed out in his welcoming words: "IX. We are organizing the Pinka Valley Fish Day for the first time, with the intention of not only emphasizing sport fishing, but also promoting the culture of fish food consumption. Cooking fish soup is perhaps like football: everyone knows how to do it, but it doesn't always turn out the way we want it to." - he added, and then concluded: today has highlighted that nine years have not passed in vain: very delicious fish soups and fish dishes they tasted during the judging, and what is a special pleasure is that the palette brought by the competing teams has now turned out to be really colorful. "Just to mention one example, which is a curiosity, we could also taste fish steaks with green pepper sauce. This also shows that fish can be used to make a variety of dishes." - he added, and then expressed his joy that the number of fishermen in the county is constantly increasing. "Now there are twelve thousand of us here in Vas County, this is also due to the fact that our waters are abundant with fish, and thanks to the tenders, the surroundings of our waters are also beautified and renewed." After his welcoming words, he wished everyone a good time and encouraged everyone to try as many fish dishes as possible, since these dishes are not only delicious, but also healthy.

Norbert Puskás, the executive president of the Vas County Association of Sport Fishing Associations, spoke about the thirtieth anniversary of the association and pointed out that an organization has not only a present and a future, but also a past. "The fact that the Vas County Association of Sport Fishing Associations can organize such a large event and host so many people is the result of the work of many of my colleagues and predecessors. The association has officially existed in an independent legal form for thirty years, but it has been operating since 1979, and even before that, many associations existed as members of MOHOSZ from 1946. Our oldest retired executive president, Ottó Fürstinger, who honored the event with his presence, was the president of the association for several decades. We thank him, and at the same time we thank all our predecessors for their work, - including those who can no longer be with us - and we hope that we can work together with our colleagues in the iron waters for the next thirty years." said Norbert Puskás, and together with Miklós Seregi, they handed over a commemorative plaque to retired executive chairman Ottó Fürstinger.

Dr. Csaba Hende, Member of Parliament, Deputy Speaker of the Parliament, as the main patron of the event, greeted the gathered, the more than seven hundred thousand members of Hungarian fishing associations, and he also greeted with special affection the more than twelve thousand fishermen of Vas County, who strengthen nature conservation, nurture friendship, and they strengthen the team spirit. "This team spirit is manifested today, this togetherness, as many of us have gathered here. I wish that this cooperation, this togetherness, this love remain between us in the future. Good luck to all the anglers and everyone present.” Csaba Hende concluded his welcoming words.

Ferenc Marton, the vice president of the Vas county assembly, said before his welcoming words: "Two things came to mind as I traveled here from the guard. One of the things I can say is that Vas County is a wonderful place. We are in a wonderful place, even if someone wants to go fishing, or just want to have a good time, or just want to go for a walk. The area is beautiful, let's be proud of Vas county. The other thing we can say is: the fishing association, with its twelve thousand members, is the largest association in Vas county," he said, and then pointed out: It is important to have an organization that unites their work: the result of this cooperation is the work for which the the county government was also able to provide support in the regional operational program. "I hope they will continue to be active and take advantage of many tenders so that you can enjoy yourself in excellent conditions on the waterfront." - he added, then on behalf of the Vas County General Assembly, he handed over a certificate to the thirty-year-old Sports Fishing Associations of Vas County.

Dr. István Németh, the president of the Hungarian Aquaculture and Fisheries Interprofessional Organization , congratulated the makers of the fish dishes and expressed his joy that very creative and imaginative fish dishes and delicious fish juices were prepared. "On behalf of the jury, I can say that all fish food makers deserve praise. In the fish food preparation category, creative, novel dishes were prepared, from smoked fish to grilled fish to fish dishes seasoned with stuffed peppers. I think that the Hungarian Aquaculture Association and the fishing movement are working together to increase fish consumption in Hungary, and we need a lot of similar events, both at the county and national level. If we get young people to like fish dishes, more and more of the excellent Hungarian fish will be consumed, then, just like in countries where a lot of fish is eaten, here in our country too, we can live longer in good health, free from heart diseases. Today's event is also an excellent opportunity for this." - he added, then congratulated all the teams and wished for more excellent food and fun for the rest of the day.

In the competition, the "TógazdÁszok" took first place in the "Fish juice maker" category, the "Püspökpusztai Pike Stew Cooks" came second, and the "Celldömölki Locomotive HE" came third. his team.

In the "Fish food preparation" category, the jury found the dish of "Konyher Tivadar and his team" to be the tastiest, the second place was the dish of "Anyassomorítók", and the third place was the dish of "Elektromosok SHE". The special prize of Győr Likőr went to "Rábapaty és vidéke HE", and the special prize of MAHAL - who were also invited to the national fish dish making competition - was Oladi Trout's dish.

At the fishing competition, the weighing took place at all three locations, on the basis of which the following results were obtained:

Competition category:

Kádi Szabolcs (Electricians SHE.)
Márk Máté Koltai (Kéthatár-tó Kerkafalva HPP)
Bálint Varga (Electricians SHE)

Adult hobby category:

Jánny Benjamin (Electricians SHE.)
Ferenc Pajtli (Spartacus HE.)
László Horváth (Körmendi Munkás HE.)

Youth category:

Sándor Dániel Soós (Pannonia HE.)
Dávid Bálint (Körmendi Munkás HE.)
Zsolt Bálint (Körmendi Munkás HE.)

Special prize: Luca Czenki (Spartacus HE.)

To the greatest delight of the children, the bouncy castle was already in place in the afternoon, and the most beautiful face painting and glitter tattoos were prepared. The organizers created an entire children's kingdom in the area next to the event space, where the children could try out fish toys, construction and creative games, and Nokedli the clown tirelessly entertained and folded the balloons. Brandnúl also visited the IX. For Fish Day in Pinka Valley: young and old danced together and sang with the bunny. The Vas County Association of Sport Fishing Associations, which is 30 years old this year, also prepared a surprise cake, so we could also celebrate the association's birthday in the event space of the Alpesi Fogadó és Borház.

After Brandnyúl, a short concert by the band Zgano was held on stage, followed by the raffle, where a total of half a million forints worth of gifts were won: the main prize of the raffle was a Decathlon gift voucher worth HUF 50,000. After the draw, the band Zgano once again took the stage to end this excellent Fish Day in Pinka Valley, which is also connected with a birthday, with their pleasant music.