The kettle was boiling, the fish were caught – XII. Pinka-völgyi Fish Day in Vaskeresztes

The 12th Pinka Valley Fishing Day was held in Vaskeresztes on July 11, 2026. The event, which has now become a tradition, included a fishing competition and a cooking competition, and cultural programs were held at the event site to entertain the guests.

Before the early morning briefing , Norbert Puskás , the executive president of the Vas County Association of Sport Fishing Associations, greeted the participating anglers. He emphasized that, as usual, this is a friendly fishing competition, not part of the competition series. He emphasized that there is a significant change compared to previous years: in addition to the youth category, the competitors will also try to catch the most fish on the lake next to the Alpine Inn, while the competitors in the hobby category will draw numbers at the same location, the fishing spots at the Pinka backwater.

Milán Tóth , the organizer of the fishing competitions, said that seventeen people entered the hobby category, eight competitors, while eleven in the youth category will cast the bait after the horn blows. He pointed out that the organizers did everything to ensure that no one stood at the weighing with an empty mouth: two hundred kilograms of carp were planted in both the Alpine Lake and the Pinka Backwater before the competition.

Shortly after the start of the fishing competition, the teams entered for the cooking competition arrived at the venue to try to impress the jury with the most delicious dishes. This year, twenty-four teams prepared nearly thirty dishes: among them were families, groups of friends, and the parent community of the 2nd grade of Dr. Csepregi Horváth János Elementary School, who also stood by the cauldron to prepare catfish paprikash.

When we visited the teams with the invited guests of the event, shortly before the judging, we could already see that this year we would not only encounter the usual flavors. There were teams that wanted to impress the jury with eggplant stuffed with carp, others made celery cream soup with salmon grízgaluska, but there were also African catfish wellington style with porcini mushrooms and beetroot sweet potato röszti on the “menu”. While lingering in front of the tent in Dörösk, the sight captivated everyone: they lured interested parties with a complete art concept, who, upon reaching the tent, could taste small snacks waiting for guests, and try to hook the “fish” placed in the plastic pool. After the latter’s successes, there was no shortage of rewards: after every successful “fish catch”, the angler’s reward was a pancake. (Spoiler: they did receive the special award for the most hospitable team.)

After the judging of the fish dishes and the weighing of the catches of the fishing competition, three groups of Vaskerestes traditionalists performed on stage, followed by official welcoming speeches.

Mrs. Németh Valéria Hatosné greeted the participants. “It is an honor and a pleasure for us that the XII. Pinka-völgyi Fish Day, which has been successfully organized for years with diverse programs and exciting competitions, took place here in Vaskeresztes, in this picturesque environment,” she said, and then in her greeting, among other things, pointed out that the smell of freshly prepared, delicious fish dishes can be felt as soon as you enter the gate. She wished everyone a nice afternoon and the best possible results for the competitors.

Miklós Seregi , president of the Vas County Association of Sport Fishing Associations, reminded us: “This is the twelfth time we are here at Fish Day, which we started so that not only anglers but also people who love fish could meet on this day, and so that we can show the country and the world that when we talk about fish food, it is not only about fish soup, but also about other foods.” He pointed out that the number of anglers in the county is twelve thousand, and this number is increasing year by year, this is also due to the fact that there are more and more fish in our lakes and that many developments have been implemented in recent times.

In his welcoming speech, Róbert Rápli, the regional member of parliament, asked the people of Vaskeresti to be proud of this wonderful event. “I really like fish dishes, I like to cook, and I was lucky enough to evaluate dishes. I was able to taste fantastic dishes today, and the preparedness of my fellow judges impressed me. I congratulate the teams who made this day more beautiful and valuable.” – he said, then added: those who have already judged at this event several times have indicated that the presentation will be better every year, and then expressed his hope that the event itself will become increasingly significant in a national context.

László Majthényi , the permanent patron of the event, the president of the Vas County Assembly, participated in all twelve Fish Days. He expressed that he always looks forward to the event with great interest and to see who prepares what creative dishes for the Pinka Valley Fish Day cooking competition. “Every year there are very good ideas, there are surprises. This year too we were able to taste extremely well-composed and flawless dishes. If it continues like this, it will be impossible to make a decision. I can perhaps tell you that we voted twice in both food categories on which dish should be the first. The differences are very small, and the dishes are of very good quality. I congratulate everyone who came here with their family, friends, and acquaintances.” – he concluded his welcoming words.

Norbert Puskás , the executive president of the Vas County Association of Sport Fishing Associations, greeted everyone and thanked his colleagues for being able to organize the XII. Pinka-völgyi Fishing Day together. He pointed out that it took a lot of help from his colleagues and volunteers to make this event a reality. He expressed his hopes that we will meet again next year at the XIII. Fishing Day in the same place.

Announcement of the results of the fishing competition:

Adult hobby category

1. Zoltán Tóth (A1) – Ölbői Fishing Lake SHE – 10,640 g
2. Máté Fordán (B1) – Kerkaszentkirályi HE – 8,420 g
3. László Horváth (A2) – Körmendi Worker HE – 4,910 g

Competitor category

1. Attila Vámos (A1) – Spartacus HE – 22 140 g
2. Misák Norbert (B1) – Répcelaki HE – 19,070 g
3. András Bárdics (B2) – Spartacus HE – 16 110 g

Youth category

1. Bálint Szabó (A1) – Vas County Savaria SHE– 22,060 g
2. Buthi Benjamin (B1) – Répcelaki HE – 15,800 g
3. Szekér Nándor Attila (A2) – Vassurányi SHE – 8,700 g

Special Award – Best Female Angler:
Emma Somogyi – Körmendi Worker HE – 1 130 g

Before the results of the fish dish cooking competition were announced, each team representative received a commemorative plaque and a bottle of wine on stage, and then Dr. István Németh , President and CEO of Tógazda Halászati Zrt. evaluated the cooking competition. “Year after year, better fish dishes are being prepared, and the jury was in a very difficult situation. We didn’t know what to award more: innovation, or tradition, or a combination of the two? After all, such excellent fish dishes were prepared, such imaginative dishes made with mushrooms, fish, and pasta, that we were really unsure about what had priority: the usual, traditional dishes, or the new creations that put fish dishes in a new light.” – he said, then reminded that, as mentioned earlier, the decision in both categories was difficult: three of the six-member jury voted for one dish, while three voted for the other. He expressed his joy that, even if only to a small extent, fish consumption in Hungary is increasing year by year, and that this event is also contributing to this. He congratulated all participants and encouraged everyone to consume more and more Hungarian fish, not just at Christmas, but throughout the year.

Results:

Fisherman's soup making competition

1. Püspökpuszta Pike Stew Cookers
2. Tógazda Fishing Co. Ltd.
3. Zalaszentmihály Fishing Association

Fish dish making competition

1. Pork tenderloins
2. Püspökpuszta Pike Stew Cookers
3. Balaton Fish Farming Nonprofit Co.

Special awards: Pannónia HE, Vasvári HE

Special award for the most hospitable team: Bogrács-Patak Warriors (Döröske)

After the results were announced , Brandnyúl lured the children to the stage and conjured up a wild – and undoubtedly the loudest – party of the day in the event space. There was dancing, screaming, and we cheered for the Hungarians at the World Cup together. Many of the youngest children came to the concert with beautiful face painting, as the grassy area next to the event space was transformed into a real children's kingdom: bouncy castles, face painting, and games awaited the children and families.

The real country vibe took over the stage: Varnyú Country , the representative of the timeless western atmosphere from Szombathely, struck the strings. The audience also sang along to the ever-popular rhythms, and to the delight of the many children present, songs were also sung for them. The party ended up being so wild that even the skin on the drum couldn't handle it.

After the concert, we were excited about the raffle draw, and then we returned home after a summer evening musical closing. As so many times before, we have now concluded: the Pinka Valley Fish Day is not just about food, fishing, fish, or cultural programs. These are all important, but there is something else that is never mentioned on the posters: the encounters that take place here. Those hugs that only happen once a year, those conversations that we left unfinished last year here, next to the Alpine Inn. The smiles of those we always see here, the realization of how much the children have grown in a year, the sentences that start with "do you remember last year on Fish Day..." . There are many people for whom this event means this, and they already know: they will be there next year too.

On behalf of the organizers, a huge thank you goes to the nearly 2000 visitors who honored the event with their presence. We are grateful to the Hungarian National Fishing Association and our partners for supporting the event, to the anglers, the cooking teams, the performers, the volunteers, our colleagues and the caterers for putting on another high-quality Fish Day together.

See you next year at the 13th Fishing Day! Until then, we wish you many beautiful fishing experiences, delicious fish dishes and lots of laughter in your everyday life! We would like to thank everyone who contributed to the successful preparation and organization of the 11th Pinka Valley Fishing Day, as well as for the many positive feedback!

Photo: Georgina Nagy

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130 XII. Pinka Valley Fishing Day - 2026.07. 11. - Photo: Georgina Nagy