The 2023/24 season of The Export NZ Fishing Competition finishes on Friday, 31st May. You only have a few weeks left to win yourself an $85,000 Extreme 1770 and a range of Shimano prizes worth over $10,000! If it’s bragging rights you’re after, you’ll have to work hard, with the current leaderboards full of some great catches.

Hayden Speed is still leading the pack in the race for the Furuno Snapper World Cup with his 92.5cm specimen – 1.5cm ahead of Northland angler Bruce Newby. Koro Manawaiti has been leading the trevally section all season with his 77cm model (3cm ahead of the nearest competition), while David Kovacs’ donkey 56cm gurnard tops that section and our all-time Hall of Fame leaderboard!

On the Bayleys x LegaSea Trifecta leaderboard, Jesse Crasborn remains in the top spot for the third consecutive season. More than 60 anglers have qualified for this prestigious section of the Export NZ Fishing Competition, with many more expected by the end of the season.

It’s all about participation and giving anglers the choice in the Export NZ Fishing

Competition, with our March prize winner, Joshua Davis, winning himself a great prize from Shimano. Joshua’s 75.5cm snapper caught while bait fishing in the Kaipara Harbour was kept for food and has won him a Shimano Tranx 300HG reel, spooled with 20lb Kairiki multicolour braid and a Blackout 6’6” 2-piece rod, worth over $900! We have another one of these great sets to be given away in April before the end-ofseason prize draws.

So what’s your excuse? A quick catch (regardless of the size) can put you in the running for some great prizes, including the $85,000 Prize Boat. Entry is free, so head to fishingcomp.co.nz to register and get all the info – or come and see us in the Shimano Fishing Hall at the Hutchwilco New Zealand Boat Show (16th-19th May) to check out the 2023/24 season Prize Boat for yourself! Tight lines.

For this season’s final Export NZ Fishing Competition sustainability tip, we touch on another efficiency factor for Kiwi anglers – getting up on the plane with accessories like jackplates.

Jackplates increase boat accessibility and outboard setback, providing higher speeds, better fuel economy, and the ability to run in shallow water. Mounted on a boat’s transom to vertically raise and lower the engine without changing the trim angle, they create less drag in the water for improved speed and efficiency.

Dometic’s SeaStar jackplate allows boats to run in shallower water by raising the engine up to have the prop in line with the hull bottom at low speeds. This allows boats to get up on the plane in shallow water by raising the engine all the way up and lowering it down as the boat gets on the plane, which provides better performance and fuel economy. For optimal performance with smooth, exact movements, check out the full Dometic range here:

Registration and up-tothe-minute leaderboards can be viewed at www.fishingcomp.co.nz