Rory Collings (centre), from the Far North, with bonanza organisers Dave Collard and John Stewart, won the $30,000 prize for heaviest snapper last year.
Rory Collings (centre), from the Far North, with bonanza organisers Dave Collard and John Stewart, won the $30,000 prize for heaviest snapper last year.
The sold-out sign went up months ago and now the Far North is gearing up for one of its biggest events of the year - The 90 Mile Snapper Bonanza and the thousands of people it attracts to fish and follow the action.
The Snapper Bonanza is arguably the biggestsnapper surf casting competition in the world, running for five days on Ninety Mile Beach with a huge prize pool and a $30,000 prize for the heaviest snapper landed during the comp.
The Snapper Bonanza brings fishers and supporters from throughout the country to Te-Oneroa-a-Tohe Ninety Mile Beach and puts several million dollars into the local economy as contestants battle it out over five days on the wild, west coast beach.
The event is in its 15th year after replacing the Snapper Classic, which ended in 2009 after 27 years, and since then it has gone from strength to strength as the country’s largest surfcasting competition.
Running from Tuesday to Saturday, it offers well over $200,000 in prizes, including $30,000 for the heaviest snapper caught and a new Mitsubishi Triton from the $150,000 in spot prizes and the major draw.
Although about a third of 1200 competitors - and thousands more supporters - are from the Far North, that local knowledge didn’t necessarily equate to success, with only three of the previous 13 winners from the Far North, including last year’s winner, Rory Collings, from Kaitāia, who landed a 6.635kg fish.
The 90 Mile Snapper Bonanza HQ at Waipapakauri will be a hive of activity again this week as the competition returns.
Far North fishers took out the two top prizes in last year’s event, but only 15g - about the weight of a tablespoon of water - separated the pair. Collings landed the 6.635kg snapper on the Saturday, to also take out the $2500 prize for the heaviest snapper caught that day.
But that also meant fellow Kaitāia fisher Skarn Hokai, with a 6.62kg fish caught on the Wednesday, was pipped at the post on the final day by a mere 15g.
In addition, the team contest was won by the Far North Slayers, who weighed in just over 50kg of snapper.
Organisers say figures from the competition over the years showed the average size of the fish caught had increased and it’s hoped for some big fish getting landed this week.
During the Snapper Classic years from 1982 to 1996, the average winning fish weight was 6.260kg, and 7.515kg during the classic from 1997 to 2009. But during the Snapper Bonanza years from 2011, the average winning fish weight has been 8.721kg.
The competition also brings huge economic input to the area, with many businesses benefiting from the influx of fishers and their families and supporters, with some local businesses reportedly taking an extra $10,000 a day above what they normally earned.
Research also showed there were 5600-6000 extra bed-night stays during the event, with an increase for all businesses in the Far North, from restaurants, cafés, licensed bars, pharmacies, garages and tyre shops, fish gear suppliers, takeaways, motels and accommodation providers to petrol stations and the supermarket.
The Snapper Bonanza headquarters is at Waipapakauri, on West Coast Rd at the southern end of the beach - where the weigh-in and prizegiving will take place - with fishing taking place across 3 zones, each covering 24km, which do change daily, depending on the beach and surf conditions.
The Snapper Bonanza also benefits local charities with fish caught during the competition auctioned off at 8.30am on Saturday, at the Kaitāia Markets, with money raised going to the Kaitāia Fire Brigade. Last year’s auction raised $10,640 for Paparore School. Check out the 90 Mile Snapper Bonanza on social media for daily updates of the heaviest fish caught.
