President breaks club record
The Kairakau Marine Club (KMC) hosted their annual twoday fishing contest on December 29 and 30.
With ideal sea conditions, it was the first time in many years that the competition could be run without any postponements. More than 35 boats competed for a prize pool with an estimated value of over $7000, ranging from rod and reels, chilly bins and camping gear to air compressors and chainsaws, all donated by local businesses. The major sponsors were Centralines, Gallagher, Hunting and Fishing Guns and Tackle Napier and Turton.
The prizegiving barbecue attracted more than 300 people.
The biggest fish caught over the two days was by the Kairakau Marine Club president Matt Ward who broke the club record with his 17.0kg kingfish, caught by Pauanui Point, after a 20 minute fight.
“Our fisheries appear to be in good shape this year,” said Matt.
“All of the anglers had great fishing with mixed bags of terakihi, gurnard and blue cod and other species. All of the ‘closest to the average’ prizes had fish weighing in at averages ahead of last year and in good quantities. In particular amongst the gurnard variety, which is good to see and might be due to the lack of trawler and commercial fishing activity off the islands,” he said.
The event was organised by the KMC committee, with the team of tractor drivers providing a seamless launch and retrieve operation over the two days. Neil Brunton, John Thodey and Blair Thodey back ashore with their haul, during the Kairakau Marine Club’s annual two-day fishing contest.
“The competition is always a success due to Kerry Tostevin playing an important role as the radio operator, with her serious focus on safety,” said Matt.
Very few groper were weighed in on the first day, but Bruce D’Arth won the Centralines McCoskery Cup with his biggest fish weighing in at 12.9kg on the second day, beating Ian Southward’s 9.4kg fish. Ian still holds the club record from 2013.
“We had fun with the Hunting
and Fishing Varieties category where there was a tie for three boats catching 12 different species and a four-way tie for second with 11 species. We got the skippers to draw playing cards and then pick a prize,” Matt said.
The Skipper’s Trophy is a mystery species nominated on the day and this year Bryce Nilsson of Otane won a $300 voucher from helloworld for his 1.8kg terakihi. Sammy Sinclair had a successful fishing weekend
winning Pacific Souvenirs Shelley Perry Memorial Cup for her 7.3kg kingfish. Dave Whitakker was congratulated on being the Carter’s Most Senior Angler over 70 years old. Raymond Webster won the Stevenson Taylor Surfcasting category for the sixth year in a row with his 2.1kg Kahawai, just a bit smaller than Alan Carpenter’s boat-caught kahawai that won the Melita Honey prize of rod and reel weighing 2.85kg. FEATURING - Efficient Moving & Storage HB TQ Champs, Stockcars, Street
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