Report 032 The King of Jetskifishing Tournament... 14th of March 2010

The day to officially find who is the King of Jetskifishing, had a arrived. The weather forecast for Sunday morning, the day of the event, was SW 25 to 30 knots! I received many calls and texts from 5.30am on the Sunday, questioning if the event was still going ahead? Unless the conditions were dangerous, I decided there was no stopping the scheduled start, especially with the forecast improving throughout the day. The more hardy jetskifishos arrived at the water by 7.00 am with over fourty anglers arriving before 8.30 am for the event. Unfortunately, an additional ten of the registered skis, opted for a no show, sending their apologies… would have been great to have fifty.
On the Sunday morning, all anglers were required to meet at Bucklands Beach at the Yamaha tent, where each entrant received complimentary packs, including a Top Catch coolie bag. The contents included a tub of Gulp Alive soft baits, Coastguard safe boating pack, Demon Energy drink, fish measure guide, Meguiars sample product and any pre ordered Jetskifishing merchandise.

The packs were much appreciated with many competitors enjoying a quick boost to their day with a Demon energy drink.

The event created a chance for other Jetskifishos, to see the various setups and meet other people from their area.

Once all registration forms were confirmed and riders received their weigh in tickets, we all gathered for the riders/safety briefing.

The briefing covered the rules of the event, highlighting safety and bylaws. We also discussed the marine forecast, educating people who were new to fishing the area for the first time. At this point members of the public were paying close attention to the whole event, one in particular speaking up and congratulating us for setting a good example for jet-ski riders… Next it was game on, with some quick strategies being discussed between the anglers.

With so many entrants, it was a photo opportunity to have all the skis together, hence the shot gun start. The concept of the shot gun start was in no way a race, it was an opportunity to see everyone leave together, with each angler having the same limited fishing window.

With the many people involved, included children two up with a parent, a few ladies entered and also the well known, television personality, Kelvin Cruickshank and son.

Last to leave was me, with my son Jayden patiently waiting for his dad who was trying to organize the event, as Jayden was competing in the kids class.

The start was amazing, with Tania from Top Catch HMB providing the starting boat to get us under way.

Eddie, one of our long time online jetskifishing forum members, provided the other support craft.

One more photo and they were ready.

Then it was 9.00am, the hooter went and they were off!

Some were keen than others, with Kelvin wanting to start fishing first!

 Eventually the excitement of the start had settled, with most skis heading via Motuihe to their favourite spots. My son and I only had a couple of fishing hours, so we went between Motuihe and Waiheke amongst the bird activity. It was pretty slow going in the average conditions, after many colour changes, he finally caught his first snapper of the day on the Gulp, 4” Minnow, Emerald Shiner (supplied in the registration pack).

I thought I would test some other methods and landed this one for my dinner on the Daiwa, Bayrubber.

Jayden carried on catching a few more Snapper under the Kahawai, but the size was not our usual standard… We also spotted a few of the other contestants fishing the same grounds.

After Jayden caught one more fish it was time for us two to head back and get prepared for the prize giving.

The ride back was not quite as bad as I had prepared everyone for, as the wind had definitely eased. Both of us knew it would have to be a pretty bad days fishing for the others in his class, if one of his fish were to win… Even knowing he had his eyes set on first prize of the Tachyon Helmet Camera, he still thoroughly enjoyed the whole trip and still had his fingers crossed that he always had a chance.
The prize giving was held outside Top Catch, Half Moon Bay, where we set up the Yamaha tent and arranged for a bbq and drinks for all those involved in the competition. The weigh in started at 3.30 pm and most who participated in the event turned up to see the fish and prize giving. There was plenty of the public there to see the event, with everyone enjoying the sight of so many of the jetskifishos catching fish in such a short time frame. Unfortunately there was no big fish caught at the comp, as most of the intended fishing spots were flagged with the short time frame in bad conditions. Plenty of photos of the weigh in are now added at the gallery on www.jetskifishing.co.nz

The prize giving started with thanks to all that took part in the event, also mentioning the following sponsors that made the event a huge success.
Top Catch HMB
Yamaha NZ
Gulp/Berkley
Daiwa
Raymarine
Meguiars
Coastguard
Tachyon
Demon Energy
Aqualung

A few blooper prizes were announced, including this one to Steven Heald, of a good example of why you should always purchase the best, an “Ultimate Rod Holder” fishing kit. In his case he opted for a different brand, requiring some further research and development…

The full categories are listed below.
Tachyon Heaviest KIDS Snapper
1st Gemma Scown, Prize & Trophy - Tachyon Micro Helmet Camera and Aqualung Glasses. Weight - 2.24 kg
2nd JC, Prize – Daiwa T-Shirt, Daiwa Bayrubber, Yamaha cap. Weight - 2.10 kg
3rd Anthony Inns, Prize – Daiwa T-Shirt. Weight - 1.64 kg
4th Jayden Hill, Prize – Yamaha cap. Weight - 1.40 kg
Raymarine/Daiwa Heaviest other species
1st Russell Murray, Prize & Trophy – Raymarine VHF and Raymarine T-Shirt. Weight – 2.80 kg Kahawai
2nd Mark Greenfield, Prize – Daiwa rod, reel combo and Daiwa T-Shirt. Weight – 2.54 kg Kahawai
3rd David Johnson, Prize – Mustard braid line and Bayrubber. Weight – 2.34 kg Kahawai
Top Catch Average Snapper
1st James Johnston, Prize & Trophy - $300 Top Catch Voucher and Meguiars PWC care kit. Weight – 1.36 kg
King of Jetskifishing, Berkley Heaviest Weight Snapper
1st Sharlene Mitchell, Prize & Trophy - $500 Cash, Meguiars PWC care kit, Jetskifishing T-Shirt, Champagne.
Weight – 3.02kg
2nd Neil Inns, Prize – Berkley rod and reel combo. Weight – 2.64 kg
3rd Kelvin Cruickshank, Prize – Gulp Alive and Yamaha cap. Weight – 2.56 kg

After the prize giving, we enjoyed a bbq with some refreshments while many discussed their experiences of the days fishing. Yes, Sharlene Mitchell took out King of Jetskifishing, only new to the sport after just purchasing her “Ultimate Rod Holder” fishing kit, two weeks prior to the event. Sharlene was also new to soft baiting and caught her winning fish using a Gulp – Nuclear Chicken. With her prize money she is also going to buy a new rod and reel combo from Tania this week.
A special thanks to some of the many other people that helped, Kristy with all the admin preparation, Celine helping on the day, Tania for hosting the event, Nigel on the bbq, Casie, Malcom Dawson, John Elliot, Greg Fenwick, Brendan Grant, Cameron Burch, Mark Greenfield, Cathie & Kevin, Eddie, Mike and Melissa and Andrew Leigh, Karu at SNL.
www.jetskifishing.co.nz will be organizing other special events throughout the year, including the 3 Round Winter Jetskifishing comp, social events and fun days.