Raglan’s Harbour View Hotel was celebrating a successful dip into uncharted waters this week with its very own Waitangi Weekend fishing tournament, an event that attracted more than 100 anglers keen to snare a whopper or two and a share of the $25,000 prize pool.
“It was a big few days,” publican Fiona Gates told the Chronicle of the hotel’s inaugural competition. Careful planning began months ago, she said, to bring the fishing community together without detracting from other events in town.
At least two in three of the entrants were locals, she reckoned, with quite a few from Hamilton and the Coromandel making the trip over the divvy – and one fisho even crossing the Tasman to accompany his mates.
Some keen or first-time anglers without a boat didn’t miss out on the fun either, she added, with two local charter boats included in the competition and carrying teams of entrants on board.
This ensured the tournament was easily accessible to all and – by also keeping to a minimal number of categories with no distinction made between male, female, junior or senior – that the novice could compete alongside the pro and still win prizes whether hooking snapper, gurnard, tuna or marlin for instance.
Te Kowhai teenager Levi Banks was just one novice to do well, scoring third prize for a 2.965kg kahawai caught on the first of his three days out fishing.
Local woman Jacqueline Jones also scored big, winning a $1000 rod for her 2.98kg kahawai.
Besides angler prizes there were also boat prizes for the most tagged and released marlin, 31 all up being returned to the sea.
Local anglers on Chasin Tail came in third in this category, winning rods and reels up to the value of $1600. They, like some others, stayed out at sea for the whole three days, leaving early the Thursday morning and returning the Saturday afternoon.
Another angler on Raglan’s Sea Charger landed a second place for a marlin which was not only the first caught during the competition but the first from that boat in 20 years.
All up, 25 place-getter prizes plus additional spot prizes were given away – to the value of $27,000, which was more than the advertised $25,000 because of an extra section added to the billfish category.
First, second and third prize-winners received rod and reel sets while spot prizes included $100 food and beverage vouchers, hooded towels and hats, tackle boxes and a deluxe $600 chilly-bin.
Incentive to join the competition was high from the start, says Fiona, with almost half the 32 boats registering before December 31 last year to take advantage of going in the draw for a $500 fuel voucher.
Every registration also received a generous goodie bag from either local sponsor Ray White or Harty’s Fishing and Hardware, which partnered with the Harbour View to make the competition a success.
