THE EXPORT NZ FISHING COMPETITION

Sunny skies, light winds and a few long weekends rounded out January and February, meaning a busy period for New Zealand’s largest fishing competition. March hails the final quarter of the Export NZ Fishing Competition and the chance to win some great prizes, including the $85,000 Prize Boat!

Some phenomenal fish are topping our species leaderboards, including Hayden Speed’s 92.5cm snapper in prime position to lift the Furuno Snapper World Cup.

The race for the Bayleys x LegaSea Angler Trifecta is also heating up, with Shane Brown dethroning Jesse Crasborn with a cumulative length of 273.5cm! Jesse has led the trifecta leaderboard since mid-June and is currently only 1.5cm behind. As a repeat winner, no doubt he’ll be out on the water chasing some bigger fish.

The Export NZ Fishing Competition has sustainability at its core, giving anglers the choice to keep or release, and therefore avoiding the need for fish to be killed to win prizes. As always, the biggest fish don’t always win the prizes, which is the case for our January prize winner, Moana Crowsen.

Moana caught a 47cm snapper fishing in the Kaipara harbour over the break and it’s won her a Shimano Stradic 4000FM reel paired with a Blackout 2-piece spin rod worth over $750. Be sure to enter your catches during February and March for your chance to win the upcoming monthly Shimano prizes – Tranx 300HG and Grappler BB slowpitch combos!

Another reason to submit your catches is to get in the draw for the $85,000 Prize Boat that will be randomly drawn at the end of the season. We headed out in early February to get some promo imagery and were impressed, to say the least! The 100hp four-stroke Suzuki provides all the power you could need in a boat of this size and is exceptionally efficient. Heading around Kawau Island at 26 knots we were only burning 0.5l per nautical mile! The Lowrance HDS Pro ensured marking fish was a breeze (even at speed) and the user-friendly interface was a pleasure to use. The Voyager trailer tows the boat perfectly and makes launching and retrieving painless. Finally, the unique SeaDek fitted to this model is not only comfortable underfoot, but it also looks awesome and, combined with the Brave Design wrap, means the boat is a real headturner!

If you’re out on the water, why wouldn’t you photograph your fish on an approved measure to give yourself a shot at this $85,000 prize?

With sustainability being such an important part of the Export NZ Fishing Competition, we often talk about best-practice catching and handling of fish. However, another important factor for most boaties (and the planet) is fuel consumption. Regardless of your engine, there are things you can do to reduce your fuel burn on the way to Spot X. Installing the right trim tabs is a great example of something that can increase your boat’s performance. By adjusting the pitch and roll, trim tabs allow you to find the optimal running angle in all sea conditions, providing not only fuel efficiency but also a range of safety and comfort benefits. Dometic Marine’s new SeaStar Trim Tabs are designed to make trim tab adjustment a breeze with their intuitive dial, ensuring the optimal ride for any situation. Simply turn the dial in the desired direction, and the electric actuators respond quickly and precisely to level the ride. Great for lowering the fuel bill and keeping our marine environment in the best shape for generations to come!