4th April 2010 (Easter Sunday)
Following six long months of planning, this Easter Sunday finally saw the 12th annual Otamarakau PTA Surf Fishing Competition take place.
A small but dedicated team succeeded to arrange, what is being touted by some as being their biggest and most successful event to date. The event saw around 720 anglers from all over the country converge on the Matata Straights in a hope of landing the winning fish and with this year's competition offering over $15000 in cash and prizes, there was a lot at stake.
Fishing got underway at 9am and with the tides and the weather looking favorable, there was excitement in the air as the organisers waited for news to filter back on how things were unfolding. By around 10am, the first of a total of 85 fish was brought back to the competition head quarters to be weighed in - a Kahawai that ended up placing 2nd in its prize pool. Many more fish soon started arriving and there was further excitement as an organisers son brought back the first Snapper of the day. A short rain shower didn't put off anyone, as people continued to chase the big fish.
At 3pm fishing closed and hundreds of anglers and their supports headed back to the competition head quarters to unwind and wait for the results to be processed. Weighmaster George Johnston worked hard to weigh each and every fish and the PTA's dedicated team helped by quickly recording and sorting the results.
MC, TV celebrity Brendan Horan entertained the crowd and by just after 4pm, the results were ready for the eager crowd.
As the results were read out, there were many many happy anglers leaving the stage with huge smiles as they collected prizes ranging from top of the line Fishing rods to a family Helicopter flight for 4.
The winners in each section were as follows:
· 1st place Ladies Section – Trisha Grant (Rotorua) with a 1.78KG Kahawai – Winning a $250.00 Surf Casting Rod and Reel - Sponsored by the Matata Hotel
· 1st Place Children's Section – Leem Crake (Papamoa) with a 5.25KG Kingfish – Winning a $290 Surf Casting Rod and Reel package - Sponsored by Hunting and Fishing Tauranga and Rotorua
· 1st Place Other Species Section – Trevor Anderson (Whakatane) with a 9.5 KG Kingfish – Winning a $400 Brush Cutter – Sponsored by PGG Wrightsons
· 1st Place Trevally Section –Geoff Rodgers (Whakatane) with a 2.17KG Trevally – Winning a $500 Kayak, Paddle and Lifejacket Package – Sponsored by Farmlands TePuke
· 1st Place Kahawai Section – Bruce Southwood (Tokoroa) with a 2.95KG Kahawai – Winning a $2000 Powertiki Electric Longline Fishing System - Sponsored by Powertiki Contikis
· 1st Place Snapper Section –Colin House (Whakatane) with a 3.35KG Snapper – Winning a massive $4000 cash – Sponsored by the Otamarakau PTA and Winstone Aggregates.
Seasoned fisherman, Colin House walked away with the massive $4000 cash prize for the heaviest Snapper for the second year in a row.
Over $2000 of prizes were given away through various lucky ticket draws giving even those who hadn't caught anything a chance of going home with a prize.
Coast Care, who sponsored five $100 cash "Sand Dune Preservation" prizes, stated that this year's competition had also been our most successful in terms of environmental impact with everyone treating the beaches with respect.
Although the PTA still has a long way to go in terms of calculating the total sum of funds raised on the day, they are confident that this year's competition will have raised a similar amount to that of previous years.
All in all, the day was a huge success and the PTA would like to thank everyone who made it possible, especially the generous sponsors who provided such an awesome prize pool.
Planning has already started for the 2011 competition and we're sure that everyone who took part this weekend will be looking forward to another great event next year.
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A bit of fun with our digital Image!
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People starting to gather for prizegiving
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