The happy Napier crew after Sunday's record blue marlin catch, from left Pat-Sea skipper Al Sorensen, brother and successful angler Matt Sorensen, James Hedley and Sam Neil. Photo / Supplied
The happy Napier crew after Sunday's record blue marlin catch, from left Pat-Sea skipper Al Sorensen, brother and successful angler Matt Sorensen, James Hedley and Sam Neil. Photo / Supplied
Record numbers of marlin being caught in Hawke Bay have organisers of this week's $50,000-plus Megafish drooling at the prospect despite the impact of the Covid-19 protection framework restrictions on much of its annual celebration.
Even the weekend haul of four weighed and one tagged, including a record for therare blue marlin, was more than in any other season in Hawke's Bay Sports Fishing Club history.
Club president Neil Price said long-time members could not recall a busier month for the club weigh-master, whose weighs in January alone included eight striped marlin, two blue marlin and one shortbilled spearfish, all coaxed into the Bay between Mahia Peninsula and Cape Kidnappers by warmer currents.
Two other striped marlin were caught but were tagged and released at sea.
The big catch at the weekend was a 226.2kg blue marlin claimed on a 24kg line by club member Matt Sorensen, 45kg up on the previous club record for the species of 181.2kg, claimed by angler Brett Lawson three years ago. A non-member earlier this month landed a 242.2kg blue marlin.
It's five years since the last time a marlin was weighed in the Megafish tournament over the minimum weight requirement of 90kg, and in some years there have been no marlin, of any weight.
The major prize (on a weight-to-species scale) last year was claimed by an angler landing a 20kg kingfish. In 2020 the big prize went to a 15.09kg albacore, while in 2019 the spoils were with a 16.6kg albacore.
A Blue Striped Marlin caught by Jacob Basset gets prepared to be weighed at Hawke's Bay Game fishing Club in January this year. Photo NZME
Sorensen was aboard Pat-Sea with his brother Al (the skipper), and friends James Hedley and first-timer Sam Neil when the blue marlin took the bait on Sunday morning, barely two hours after the crew put to sea.
The only "downside" for Matt Sorensen was that it wasn't a week later, when the catch could have been worth $20,000.
"But I don't care," he said. "This is a lifetime experience. It's not about the money. I'd rather have the fish, any day."
The fish was on Monday on ice, and expected to be cut up for mounting and smoking. He and his brother had each landed one marlin, at Raglan and Vanuatu respectively, in a fishing career dating by the years of the Megafish, or the Coruba, as it was known from the late 1970s to 2013.
"I started fishing the Coruba when I was eight….used to take the week of school," said Sorensen, now 34. "I haven't missed one since."
It was fitting that the harness he wore during the 55-minute fight on Sunday belonged to dad Dave, who died in 2005, and the boat belongs to stepfather Stu McChesney.
Megafish starts on Friday, and ends on Sunday, entries are limited to 450 and sold out two months ago in what was the first of the conditions put in place because of the pandemic.
With all of New Zealand now in red, the traditional debriefing on Thursday, usually in the clubhouse off Nelson Quay, Ahuriri, will be done via live-streaming, as will the prizegiving ceremonies.
Attendance at the major prizegiving ceremony on Sunday will be invitation only.
The weigh-ins, traditionally public and watched by crowds of up to 100, with tiered seating for better viewing, will be limited to the angler and the weigh officials.
Price said it's not what everyone would want, but the club has worked hard to make sure the competition could still go ahead.
