Biggest snapper in surfcasting at 90 Mile Beach

A Bay of Plenty fisherman has landed the biggest snapper in the history of surfcasting contests on Ninety Mile Beach.

With Darin Maxwell's catch weighing in at a hefty 12.03kg, organisers say it will take a miracle for any of the 700 other competitors to beat him to the $30,000 top prize for heaviest fish of the five-day Snapper Bonanza.

The Te Puke man has already bagged $2000 for landing Wednesday's biggest catch, and he also has the led in the team event with his group landing 21.79kg in two days of fishing.

Mr Maxwell's whopper shatters the 9.575kg record set by Hikurangi man Rama Waipouri in 2009, which netted him $50,000 and made him one of the stars of the Florian Habicht documentary Land of the Long White Cloud.

News of the record catch spread quickly along Ninety Mile Beach on Wednesday, disappointing Far North fisho Paul Desmond.

Mr Desmond had been in the lead with a 7.91kg snapper he caught within sight of his Hukatere home. He won $1000 for second heaviest fish of the day. Forty-three fish were weighed in on the second day of the Bonanza, well down on Tuesday's 102.

Wednesday's other winners were: 3rd, Mouse Gamble, Kaitaia, 2.815kg, $500 prize money; 4th, Vincent Yates, Kaitaia, 2.58kg, $300; 5th, Dennis Downey, Auckland, 2.12kg, $200; average weight (1.82kg), Junior Teaurima, Auckland, $1000; best team, Team 13 with Darin Maxwell, $1000. Mr Maxwell finds out if he is $32,000 richer when the contest winds up on Saturday.