February 16th saw the second Dawnbreakers Kayak Fishing Competition go ahead. Before getting into that, let me first say a massive congratulations to Gareth Nicholson and partner Hannah on the arrival of their son. Sebastion arrived a few weeks earlier than expected so Gareth had to withdraw from organising and competing in the kayak comp leaving me at the helm rather than our club president.
While the water was warm and the fishing itself tough going, the conditions were almost ideal for competitors to get out on the water, a nice reprieve from the windy and unpredictable season otherwise. With the competition being focused on promoting kayak fishing safety in a way that is enjoyable and connects solo fishers with one another, it was great to see more visibility flags flying in the bay as recommended and most of those registered letting me know if they weren’t heading out or, if they headed out but weren’t coming to prize-giving. With over 20 registered, from as far afield as Marlborough to Christchurch.
It was helpful to only need to track down one entrant so I could close off with Coastguard Nelson knowing everyone was safely on shore. Even experienced and well-equipped kayakers can be caught by surprise and find themselves in trouble so we prepare and work in with Coastguard just in case.
Fortunately they weren’t needed and we all got to enjoy measure in and prize-giving at the Anchor Bar and Grill instead. Longest Snapper, measuring in at 67.5cm and won by virtue of being the first of that length to be measured, went to Andy Elliot who scored himself a swish catch bag from Feelfree Kayaks. Corey Parsons and Jesse Gould won consolation prizes as their largest snapper also measured in at 67.5cm. Jesse provided us with a good chuckle when he presented us with a snapper that had come from the water perfectly gutted by a shark.
Longest Kahawai at 42cm went to James Plunkett and Jorden Lasenby took out longest gurnard with one of 46cm. Both won themselves a 4-in-1 kayak Kayak/SUP Carrier sponsored by Repco Nelson and Kaveman Tackle products.
The Average Snapper prize, an ICOM VHF radio donated by Maritime New Zealand was taken home by Stephen Foote.
The Trifecta was won by Andy Paul with a snapper, kahawai and gurnard with a combined length of 148.5cm. This category was sponsored by Kaveman Tackle and fortunately for Stephen, as well as a great lure and kabura boxset, there was also a great rod. I say fortunately because earlier that day, Andy had lost his rod and reel to a pilfering predator – another shark.
A huge thanks to our sponsors, Repco Nelson, Feelfree Kayaks NZ, Maritime New Zealand and Kaveman Tackles and also thank you to our participants for joining us. We hope to see you back.
