The most unusual catch at the weekend's sea fishing competition was a diver, Manawatu Wanganui Sea Fishing Club treasurer Dave Clutterbuck says.
The diver was on the hunt for crayfish at the North and South Traps, off Patea, when his wetsuit was hooked by someone fishing from a boat above. The unwieldy catch broke the fisher's rod.
But there were many much more welcome catches yesterday morning, the final day of fishing in the club's 24th annual three-day tournament. At the weigh-in counter in Wanganui's Wharf St, there were groper and gurnard and kingfish, some good-sized snapper, barracuda, kahawai, blue cod, terakihi and crayfish.
It was an extra exciting morning for the 244 fishers in 79 boats registered in the tournament. For the past two years the weather has been too bad for boats to get across the Whanganui River bar and fish on any one of the three days.
This year they got in just one morning - from 6am to 1pm yesterday.