A keen member of the Hawke’s Bay Sports Fishing Club, his company also partly sponsored two of the categories in the competition, snapper and albacore.
When asked what would be happening to the prize-winning fish, Chittick said it was already on its way to the smoker and would be shared with family and friends.
This year’s competition was reported to have had a record number of sign-ups, with more than 500 individual entries and 130 boats vying for the top prize.
Originally scheduled to start on February 2, adverse weather conditions delayed it by one day and one hour.
Anglers from all walks of life were out in force over the long weekend.
Felix Terry, six, reeled in an impressive 13.73kg kingfish, and the first fish of the tournament went to Campbell Young from the vessel Nirvana, who captured a sizeable yellowfin tuna.
Hawke’s Bay Sports Fishing Club manager and immediate past-president Neil Price said sea conditions throughout the event were “a little bit bumpy”, but overall, the majority of the days allowed for some good fishing.
He also said there was an unexpected amount of yellowfin tuna caught, which boded well for the competition’s spearfish/tuna category.
“They [yellowfins] are a bit of a rarity in our waters.”
Once known as the Coruba Shark Hunt, the biggest ever catch recorded at the event was a massive 417kg mako, which was landed in 1999.
The inaugural event was held in 1977, and the Megafish rebrand has since become one of the most prominent fishing events in Hawke’s Bay.
