Whangaroa hosts for NZ national fishing contest

BIG'UN: Manurewa Cosmopolitan Club's Keith Page with his winning 6.94kg snapper.PHOTO/SUPPLIED

Whangaroa Sport Fishing Club has hosted the Clubs NZ national fishing contest for the second time.

Not many fishing clubs are affiliated, but it gives all kinds of clubs such as Cosmopolitan, golf, bowling, rugby, RSA and Memorial clubs the chance to send their fishing teams into a contest for trophies, prizes and lucky draws.

This year we had six clubs competing: Whangaroa Sport Fishing Club; Kamo Club; Papakura Club; Manurewa Cosmopolitan Club; Kaikohe & District Memorial RSA; Mangawhai Club. There were 49 anglers in all.

The weather was good and there were marlin around, with a striped marlin landed by Jared Sutherland for the Papakura Club, fishing from Major Tom II. Jared's fish was 114.2kg which he caught with a live skipjack bait, taking just under an hour to boat it, earning him the Clubs NZ trophy for the angler landing the heaviest marlin.

Jenny Sole landed a mako shark, fishing from Pipihura for the Whangaroa SFC. Jenny's fish weighed 33.8kg and she used piper bait on 8kg line, off Flat Island.

Baily McIntyre, fishing for home team Whangaroa, landed a lovely kingfish of 17.18kg on 10kg line using a live koheru at Wekarua, fishing from Senator. There were plenty of snapper landed with the biggest fish landed on monofilament line weighing in at 6.94kg for Keith Page from Manurewa Cosmopolitan Club from the boat Beyond Limits, using pilchard bait.

The biggest snap on braid line was caught by Mark Newman fishing from Outsider, for the Kamo Club. Mark's fish weighed in at 6.36kg. Also from the Kamo Club, Dianne Sullivan landed the heaviest trevally at 4.02kg and Kathryn Needham the biggest kahawai of 2.36kg.

The Clubs NZ trophy for the top national club went to the Kamo Club, which also won the trophy for the top club from the Northern area. We had a major lucky angler draw for a Coleman Road-Trip Grill LX from Warren Hay Marine which was won by lucky angler number 9 - Dianne Sullivan from the boat Largin & Chargin from Whangarei.

Clubs NZ and the Whangaroa Sport Fishing Club would like to thank our major sponsors - Kilwell Sports, Clubs NZ, Whangaroa SFC, Seamounts Ltd, Lion Nathan, Advance Trident Ltd and Warren Hay Marine. We look forward to hosting this event next year.