Far North Kahika (Mayor) Moko Tepania at the opening of the 2023 Snapper Bonanza on Monday evening. Photo / Moko Tepania
Far North Kahika (Mayor) Moko Tepania at the opening of the 2023 Snapper Bonanza on Monday evening. Photo / Moko Tepania
A return to “mint” conditions is forecast on Ninety Mile Beach for the final two days of the Snapper Bonanza after huge swells pounded anglers yesterday and gave fish the upper hand.
Today’s rough seas meant as of 2.30pm not a single fish had been weighed at Bonanza headquarters at Waipapakauri Ramp.
By the end of the day, just 23 had trickled in - a huge drop from Tuesday’s 527 - with the winner a 5.505-kilo snapper landed by leaderboard regular Stephen Heka of Kaitāia.
That means Auckland fisher Craig Larson is still the leading contender for the $30,000 overall prize, thanks to a 7.160kg snapper landed on day one of the iconic event.
Publican and councillor Dave Collard, who organises the event along with Kaitāia printer John Stewart, said day two had been “very, very tough” on the beach with “massive” sweeps and swells.
Contestants had been warned the previous night to take care.
However, from 7pm last night to 10.30am today anglers were permitted to fish off the beach anywhere from Shipwreck Bay/Kohanga on the west coast to Tokerau Beach in the east, as part of Riders Sports Day.
That would allow contestants to seek out a sheltered spot and make up for lost fishing time.
Fish landed during Riders Sports Day were, however, not eligible for the main Bonanza prizes.
Collard said the official forecast for Friday and Saturday was “mint”.
That would give the other 1199 contestants a chance to challenge Larson’s lead.
Craig Larson with day one’s winning snapper, weighing in at 7.160kg, and organiser John Stewart, left, and MC James Tattersall.
While the Ninety Mile Beach Snapper Bonanza has long been regarded as New Zealand’s and probably the world’s biggest surfcasting competition, this year’s contest is even bigger than usual with 1200 entrants and up to 3000 people at prizegiving every evening.
Collard said it made a “huge” contribution to the Far North economy with, according to a Far North District Council study, out-of-district contestants spending on average $300 a day on accommodation, food and other needs.
“We believe the impact on the local economy is in excess of $2 million for the week, and that’s probably conservative because it doesn’t take into account spending by locals,” he said.
In previous years about 65 per cent of fishers were from outside the region.
The competition was opened on Monday evening by Far North Mayor Moko Tepania, who said he would suffer Fomo (“fear of missing out”) all week while he was stuck in his Kaikohe office.
He was looking forward to the fish auction on Saturday and seeing who managed to land the biggest snapper.
Former Mayor John Carter finds himself productively employed at last, as a volunteer in the Snapper Bonanza weigh station.
Former mayor John Carter, who lives nearby, has been putting in daily appearances at the Bonanza Headquarters as a weigh station volunteer.
Fishing in the Bonanza resumes at 7am Friday. The weigh station will close for the last time at 4.30pm on Saturday, with the final prizegiving due to start after 5pm.
The cash prize pool totals $72,000 while the top spot prize is a Mitsubishi Triton ute.
■ Wednesday’s winners were Stephen Heka, Kaitāia, 5.505kg; Andre Zowitzkey, Auckland, 4.675kg; Adam Plews, Helensville, 4.3kg; Rio Martin, Waitara, 4.015kg; and Dean Leef, Kaitaia, 3.915kg. The winning team was the Far North Slayers of Kaitaia and the average weight prize went to Sheree Beehre, also of Kaitāia.
