Day 1 winners in the 2015 Snapper Bonanza, from left, Peter Earle, Rotorua (5th, 6.78kg); Stu Murray, Gold Coast (4th, 7.14kg); Mike Rameka, Waipapakauri Ramp (3rd, 7.65kg); Mike Dowden, Whakatane (1st, 8.245kg); and Rob Bos, Paraparaumu (2nd, 7.99kg). Photo / Peter de Graaf
Day 1 winners in the 2015 Snapper Bonanza, from left, Peter Earle, Rotorua (5th, 6.78kg); Stu Murray, Gold Coast (4th, 7.14kg); Mike Rameka, Waipapakauri Ramp (3rd, 7.65kg); Mike Dowden, Whakatane (1st, 8.245kg); and Rob Bos, Paraparaumu (2nd, 7.99kg). Photo / Peter de Graaf
The second fish pulled from the water on day one of the 2015 Snapper Bonanza earned a happy angler $2000 for heaviest catch of the day.
Mike Dowden, from Whakatane, landed a 8.245kg snapper as New Zealand's - and possibly the world's - biggest surfcasting tournament began at Ninety Mile Beach on Tuesday. Nearly 700 anglers caught 321 fish in an opening day rivalling last year's superb conditions.
Out-of-towners hooked most of the big fish. Mike Rameka of Waipapakauri Ramp was the only local on the podium with his 7.65kg catch landing him third.
Day 1 winner in the Snapper Bonanza, Mike Dowden of Whakatane, is $2000 richer thanks to this 8.245kg snapper.
Competitors are angling for a first prize of $30,000, awarded for the heaviest fish weighed in by 4.30pm on Saturday, and lucky draws that include a Mitsubishi Triton ute worth $50,000. Co-organiser Dave Collard said the number of entrants, 685, was down slightly on last year's 715. He had hoped for at least 800.
Many were "virgins" - first-time competitors - and one had travelled from the UK. Rough seas had "really stirred the water up" and brought big snapper close to shore. "So the fishing has been excellent, just like last year," he said.
Tournament veteran Ken Tyler of Pukepoto with his Te Awamutu-based sons and a mate, from left, Justin Tyler, Andrew Tyler, Axel Morrissey, Craig Tyler, Nigel Tyler and Kevin Tyler.
The annual event is more than a fishing contest. For many it is a chance to bond with friends and family, unwind with like-minded people, and "talk bull", says Ken Tyler, a veteran of at least 30 tournaments.
Now living in Pukepoto, Mr Tyler moved to the Far North from Te Awamutu "more or less" for the fishing contest. Every year friends and family join him from the Waikato.
"I love fishing, and I love Ninety Mile. It's a family get-together when we have a good time and talk a lot of bull. If you come here trying to win, you're wasting your time. You come here for the enjoyment," he said.
Last year's Bonanza was won by Kaitaia mill worker Neil Sides, who landed a 9.995kg snapper just three hours into the contest.
The ute was won by forestry worker Simon Job of Ngataki.
The 2015 competition has a new naming rights sponsor, Placemakers. Summit Forests and its subcontractors are major supporters, providing sponsorship and the competition venue at Waipapakauri Ramp.
The contest was was founded as the Snapper Classic in the 1980s but foundered after the 2009 event when its new owners ran into financial difficulty. It was revived as the Snapper Bonanza by Kaitaia businessmen Dave Collard, a publican and councillor, and John Stewart, a printer.
Day 1 results
1 Mike Dowden, Whakatane (8.245kg); 2 Rob Bos, Paraparaumu (7.99kg); 3 Mike Rameka, Waipapakauri Ramp (7.65kg); 4 Stu Murray, Gold Coast (7.14kg); Peter Earle, Rotorua (6.78kg). Closest to average weight: Jeremy Alai, an Aucklander who the overall prize in 2013 (2.79kg).
