Kaitāia fisher Rory Collings (centre) with the 6.635kg fish that won him $30,000 as the heaviest caught in the 90 Mile Beach Snapper Bonanza. His winning fish was just 15 grams ahead of the second placegetter.
Kaitāia fisher Rory Collings (centre) with the 6.635kg fish that won him $30,000 as the heaviest caught in the 90 Mile Beach Snapper Bonanza. His winning fish was just 15 grams ahead of the second placegetter.
Local knowledge again proved crucial at the 90 Mile Beach Snapper Bonanza with Far North fishers taking out the two top prizes in the annual event, but only 15 grams – about the weight of a tablespoon of water – separated the pair.
Rory Collings, from Kaitāia, landed a 6.635kg snapper on 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 Wednesday, was pipped at the post on the final day by a mere 15 grams.
In addition, the team contest was won by the Far North Slayers, who weighed in just over 50kg of snapper.
Co-organiser John Stewart said Hokai was philosophical about the situation, despite having a nervous few days' wait.
“He’s an experienced angler and said on the Wednesday that he didn’t expect it to hold on and win. He knows that at any stage a bigger one can come in, and he was pipped by 15 grams.”
Stewart said Collings was over the moon to win the big prize and was so excited to pocket the $30,000 top prize.
The biggest fish caught during the week was a 8.645kg whopper landed by Milton Arnold, from Ngataki, in the Far North, on Thursday, but it did not count for the competition as it was on a lay day.
“Thursday is when they can fish on either side [of the peninsula] and can fish at night so there are no beach patrols to tag the fish, so there is no security as such. Those fish don’t count, but it still won [Arnold] $750,.”
Several thousand people were at the Snapper Bonanza prizegiving on Saturday.
Stewart said the competition was “probably the best yet” and he was delighted with what the event did for Kaitāia and the wider Far North.
“We’ve had lots of great feedback. We’ve had businesses, and not just our sponsors, saying they enjoyed so much extra business, and it was so pleasing to see all the 4X4s with rods on the roof going through town,” he said.
“I remember Tony Brljevich [who ran the previous Snapper Classic competition on the beach] saying it’s not just about what happens during the week of the tournament, it’s exposing people to the beauty of the Far North, and they will come back with their families year after year.
“And every year about a third of our anglers are first-timers who have not done the Snapper Bonanza before, and that’s great for getting people to come back again and again.”
Stewart said a big aspect of the competition was ensuring the safety of fishers and its security patrols, which meant a fine balance between big tides and big swells. This year the competition used the bottom part of the beach, near Waipapakauri.
“One of the hardest parts is about keeping the hardened, experienced anglers happy with big tides, but if there’s a big swell also it makes it harder for the less experienced anglers and our patrols on the beach, so getting the balance right is the key.”
While about a third of competitors are from the Far North, that local knowledge didn’t necessarily equate to success, with only two of the previous 13 winners from the Far North, including last year’s winner Zane Kaaka, from Te Kao, who landed an 8.225kg snapper.
But with the top two, and top team this year all coming from the Far North, Stewart had a theory for the local success.
“I think the fishing was hard [for the week] and this shows that the people who fished the hardest and spent the most time fishing had success. And if they were in a team, they didn’t want to let their teammates down and spent more time in the surf and would change spots often to stay ahead.”
Altogether, 1200 fishers were on Te Oneroa-a-Tōhe - Ninety Mile Beach from last Tuesday to Saturday, all angling to land the big fish that takes out the $30,000 first prize. But with more than $250,000 in prizes on offer, there was plenty of bait to get all the fishers excited.
Some of the biggest fish landed at the 90 Mile Beach Snapper Bonanza last week.
The Snapper Bonanza is in its 14th 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.
In a sign of how popular it is, all 1200 tickets were sold out within three hours of going on sale on June 30. About a third are sold to Far North folk, with the rest from elsewhere in the country and a few from overseas. Competitor numbers were increased from 1000 two years ago, given the huge interest.
Stewart said tickets for next year’s Snapper Bonanza go on sale on June 7, with Saturday chosen to allow those who work during the week to have a better chance of getting tickets, given that they sell out within a few hours.
Another important aspect of the competition was its contribution to local groups, with fish caught auctioned off at the end of the competition and proceeds going to a local good cause.
On Saturday, fish were auctioned at Kaitāia Markets, raising $10,640 for Paparore School and Stewart said it was wonderful to be able to support local community groups, charities and others outside of the main business community that benefit from the Bonanza.
Fish landed at the 90 Mile Beach Snapper Bonanza were auctioned off on Saturday, raising $10,640 for Paparore School.
“We had Far North Darts benefiting with a two-day event in our marquee [at Bonanza HQ] and Awanui Sports Complex held its own one-day fishing comp and sold over 250 hangi, so it was great to share the love around."
