The Ahipara Gamefish Club has enjoyed a great start to the new summer with some memorable fish weighed in over the opening days of the 2019/20 season.
One of the highlights was 4-year-old Carter Knight landing his biggest ever snapper at 7kg, caught while fishing from Crazy Diamond with dad Shyloh Knight, mum Rhiannon Robinson and sister Kaya last week.
AGC spokeswoman Lynda Matthews said the family were fishing off Karikari on Friday when this magnificent fish took the bait and it took Carter 30 minutes to wind it in.
Carter's fish is a new Ahipara Gamefish Club record for Small Fry Juniors (anglers up to 11 years) on 15kg line and is now the national
Leighton Matthews is currently topping the Ahipara Gamefish Club's Crombie Lockwood Kingfish Classic leaderboard with this 25.5kg specimen.
Elsewhere, the AGC has officially kicked off its 2019/20 competition programme with the Crombie Lockwood Kingfish Classic now under way.
Matthews noted significant member entries were competing for the prestigious trophy and jackpot where, currently topping the leaderboard, is Leighton Matthews with a 25.5kg specimen, followed by Julian Peters 23.46kg in 2nd and Logan Morrogh 21kg 3rd.
"Numerous anglers have attempting to land bigger kingfish but conditions for the month-long November competition haven't been so favourable," Matthews said.
Meanwhile, there has also been some decent sized snapper weighed in by senior members with Peters topping the 20 Pound Trophy leaderboard for this season with a monster 10.52kg caught recently (the leading snapper so far for New Zealand) and weighing in another at 9.75kg.
Julian's son, junior member Asher Peters, also reeled in a respectable 8.90kg snapper to set a new club record on 4kg line.
Also notable were, Helen Horrocks getting on the 20 Pound Trophy list with a 9.94kg fish caught from Moet in a trip targeting snapper and kingfish; and Lisa Noble who recently landed a nice kingfish at 20.1kg on 37kg line. While not big enough for a result in the aforementioned Crombie Lockwood event, Noble's fish was a potential ladies' club record.
Anyone interested in updates was invited to download the AGC club app (cms.konnectapp.co.nz/promo/ahiparag) which features all the latest fish tally results and contact details of the committee.
FISHING
PICTURES/SUPPLIEDHelen Horrocks landed a place on the 20 Pound Trophy list with this 9.94kg snapper caught from Moet in a trip targeting snapper and kingfish.