Ngawi Sports Fishing Club Inc

The Ngawi Sports Fishing Club was formed on 1st July 1991with a financial membership of twenty.
This was quite an effort for a small fishing village, but what better place to start up a fishing club than on the most southern coast of the North Island.

Less than 3 kilometres from the coast, you can be in 100 fathoms of water so the
prospect of being able to catch large sharks, both mako and blues, and broadbill being sighted and caught on two known occasions around the area, the newly formed club decided to hold its first fishing competition.

A large variety of fish can be caught in the area with the club having trophies for blue cod, groper, tarakihi, trumpeter, kingfish, tuna, kahawai, snapper, shark and billfish. Although the club has not weighed in a billfish, a broadbill of 300kg was netted by a trawler off the Ngawi Coast and it was taken to Wellington for weighing.

Our annual Ngawi Big 3 Fishing Competition which is held on the third weekend in February, had its 20th anniversary this year with 487 anglers and 141 boats - no small feat for the small village with approximately 30 fulltime residents.
The small fishing village swells to capacity with baches chocker and all the free camping area packed with campervans and tents.

The Ngawi Sports Fishing Club, along with the Ngawi Hit Around Golf Club, use the local community hall as their Clubrooms.
It is in this hall that the tournament office is run from with an 18mx18m marquee, purchased by the club this year, being the competitors base for prize-givings and the necessary bar facilities!

The Club has a large number of sponsors and it is the continued support of these wonderful sponsors that make the Ngawi Big 3 Fishing Competition the biggest in the Lower North Island.

The Club also has ten monthly Club Days for members with prize money jackpotting for any species not caught or a cancelled club day. Many a yarn is told after a day on the water over a beer with food and prize giving at the end of the day.

The Club has purchased two 3140 John Deere tractors for its members to use when launching and retrieving their boats.
A yearly fee of $100 for unlimited use of the tractors is payable by financial members. With no ramps, launching can be a challenge as the beach is of small shingle which can change with each tide and rough seas.

The Ngawi Sports Fishing Club is proud of its history of participation in the fishery management, with delegates attending meetings around the country and submitting submissions on species pertaining to our club, trying to ensure that there will always be fish in the sea for its members and their future generations.

I believe Ngawi is one of the most photographed places in New Zealand with not a day going by without someone taking photos.
The small Ngawi Bay is lined with commercial boats, mostly for crayfish harvesting with a couple of wet fish quota holders, on large beach trailers with 6m plus drawbars. Every trailer is hooked up to a bulldozer, every breed of bulldozer imaginable can be found there! Some have had a little spruce up, new paint jobs - pink, purple, green!! - and some are in dire need of that spruce up!

To the bulldozer enthusiast, it is definitely a must see.

Contact:

Club Captain: Shona Zander 3 Daniel Place Palmerston North 4414
Phone: 0276429432 email: zanderengineering@inspire.net.nz

Secretary: Anita Rogers 18 Reading St Greytown
Phone: 063049098 or 021954885 email: antiamoa@live.com