A fishing tournament hosted by World Sports Fishing Federation New Zealand (WSFF-NZ) was held from 1-2 April 2016. A total of 11 participants from 20 to 60 years old took part in an exciting and challenging day of fishing. The tournament was started and closed with celebratory dinners, with the latter making use of some of the fishes caught during the tournament. The entire event was open to all family members, with many contributing selflessly for the sake of the tournament. The successful outcome prompted avid members to be more ambitious for the 2017 Fishing Tournament.
The tournament was officially opened with a dinner on Friday 1st April. Mr Robert Shelley was the MC for that evening and for the closing dinner the day after. WSFF-NZ Chairman Mr Leon Pogoni explained about the Vision and Mission statement of the organisation along with Rev. Sun Myung Moon’s vision as the founder of WSFF, while WSFF-NZ President Mr Gerald Hampton expanded further on WSFF and its involvement in past tournaments. Finally, Mr Johannes Anae spoke on behalf of Ocean Challenge program for the youths, about the internal guidance and character education gained through fishing. The tournament participants, guests, and family members enjoyed a variety of sumptuous culinary delights of international origins.
The fishing component of the tournament started off early in the morning of Saturday 2nd April, from 6:30 AM until 4:00 PM. Despite worrying forecasts for a stormy weather, the rain clouds cleared away completely for the duration of the trip, and only returned once the fishing had concluded. A fishing charter boat was hired to accommodate the participants comfortably throughout the trip. Due to the number of participants and limited number of cooler boxes brought on board, the participants were divided into four teams.
A total of four different fishing spots were visited, each with their own unique populations of fish. The first spot, near Rangitoto Island, was home to a large number of snappers. Although many were still juvenile and undersized, a few large ones were still caught there. The second spot was home to many good-sized snappers, many reaching at least 35 cm in length. The third spot we visited had a limited number of snappers, but it was home to many kahawai fishes. Although kahawai fishes were not the focus of the tournament, they proved to be an entertaining catch for some participants and were kept to be used later for dinner. The fourth spot was a bit quieter, and was a shorter stay than the other spots; however, the largest snapper measuring almost 50 cm long was caught there. In total, 64 fishes were legally caught and kept: 42 snappers reaching at least 30 cm to meet the fishing rules, and 22 kahawai fishes.
On that same evening, a closing dinner was held to celebrate the successful fishing tournament. All 64 fishes were gutted and cleaned, and a number of them were prepared for dinner in various ways; including grilled, boiled in soup, and sliced as sashimi. A variety of other foods were also present just like the evening before.
Mr Shelley, Mr Pogoni and Mr Hampton spoke again during the dinner of the successful trip, and presented awards for 1st, 2nd and 3rd largest (by weight) individually caught snapper, as well as a team award for showing good character and teamwork. The 1st prize went to Mr Richard Mold, 2nd to Mr Avinesh Nadan, and 3rd to Mr Kamlesh Narayan, while the team award went to Mr Peter Holdem and Mr Halvard Iverson. After the award ceremony, participants were encouraged to give a testimony of their experiences. Then, the night and the entire tournament was concluded with some entertainment. Before the final closing, Mr Hampton gave some exciting news for the ambitious scale of next year’s tournament, which is set to be held in Kaipara Harbour, renowned as one of the best and most challenging fishing spots in New Zealand.
Overall, the tournament was a great success. An abundance of fishes were caught and distributed amongst participants and family members. We look forward to participate again in next year’s fishing tournament.
– Photos courtesy of Barry Noel; Written by Amon Watanabe and Leon Pogoni