They're all hooked on a feeling

By WAYNE THOMPSON

More than 2400 anglers yesterday made an early start to an event known as the "country's biggest boys' weekend".

But it isn't all blokes in boats - several hundred women have entered the three-day fishing competition based at Kawau Island, aiming to hook a share of the $100,000 in prizes on offer.

All 300 camp sites on the island are booked for the Lion Red Furuno Fishing Tournament, New Zealand's biggest.

Contestants are catered for by members of the Furuno Fishing Club.

President Vern Ruffles has ordered a barge load of food, including 1000 rump steaks, 2400 hotdogs, 90kg of bacon, 1500 sausages and 60kg of onions.

Working from 4am to midnight, club cooks also expect to serve 1400kg of chips, 800 meat pies, 300 loaves of bread and 100 litres of tomato sauce.

The anglers' nights are spent dancing to rock 'n' roll at Pah Farm, the competition HQ. But things get serious during the day.

Competitors are free to try their favourite fishing spots over much of the Hauraki Gulf. The contest takes in a line from Cape Rodney, around the Mokohinau Islands, Great Barrier Island and the top of the Coromandel Peninsula.

Co-organiser Marisse Hodson says boats weighing in from Great Barrier usually bring some surprises but in her experience the waters closer to base have yielded big fish too.

Last year, Peter McMillan won the Snapper World Cup with a 14.58kg fish and the year before Wayne Bridger won with a 15.53kg beauty.

This year's competition got off to a great start in perfect weather yesterday, with reported catches including a 10.5kg snapper and a 18kg kingfish. Similar weather is expected today.

Each angler is limited to landing 20 fish of various species a day, and no more than nine snapper.

The catch is bought by Moana Pacific Fisheries. Last year, $27,746 was raised for Friends of Auckland's Maritime to distribute to charities.

nzherald.co.nz/marine