50th Anniversary of Waihau Bay Sport Fishing Club

Like many of our fishing clubs, the Waihau Bay Sport Fishing Club had a simple origin, starting with Jack Edlin donating material for a boat ramp and helping to build it in 1966. This helped encourage a handful of permanent and periodic residents of Waihau Bay to set up the club.

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Harry Dutton, then manager of the boarding house (The Lodge), and his wife Mary, helped to get the fishing side going. Pat Burstall, well-known in wildlife circles, was another person instrumental in getting the Waihau Bay Sports Fishing Club established.

The club’s inaugural meeting took place on January 21, 1966, setting a yearly subscription of one pound (two dollars) for adults and one pound ten shillings ($1.50) for a family. Jack Edlin gave 20 pounds to purchase trophies, and the first tournament was held on December 27, 1967.

Since those formative days, the club has passed many milestones over its first 50 years, despite its relatively remote location – testament to a great community spirit and ‘can do’ attitude.

The following highlights were researched by Christine Elmiger and other club members, and edited by Grant Dixon…

• In 1967 the club became registered as an Incorporated Society, applying to the (then) NZ Big Game Fishing Council for membership in 1969. A set of scales was purchased from the Gisborne-Tatapouri Club and the club’s fishing grounds were demarcated as being from Lottin Point to Waikawa Point, including White Island. The princely sum of $50 was approved to spend on erecting a weighing gantry.

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• At the 1968 AGM, charges of 10 cents per launching for members (later rescinded) and $20 per year, or $1 a day for commercial users, were set for the use of the ramp. The possibility of operating a marine radio from the guest house was discussed, along with an extension to the boat ramp. It was also decided to put down two permanent registered moorings in the bay for club member use.

• January 18, 1969, was a red-letter day for the club. Harry Dutton recorded the club’s first striped marlin of 248 pounds (112.7kg), caught on a trolled kahawai bait off Cape Runaway. The tackle used was: a Kilwell 80lb (37kg) game rod; an Ocean City 9/0 reel spooled with Garcia 80-pound (37kg) Dacron line; 15 feet (4.6m) of 275-pound (125kg) Duratest trace; and a Mustad Sea Demon hook.

• By 1971, the old garage site had been bulldozed to make the current trailer-parking area. About this time, the club approached the navy to see if they could blast out the rocks in the harbour channel to improve navigation. The navy advised against it, due to the nature of the rock.

• In 1973, the club became affiliated to the NZ Big Game Fishing Council, with the club also expressing its disapproval to the then-Ministry for Agriculture and Fisheries concerning the box net in Waihau Bay. At the time, Orete Point to Cape Runaway was a ‘protected area’, but MAF allowed this experimental net in the bay as conditions were unsuitable elsewhere. In May that year, the Opotiki District Council agreed to the club’s proposal to take over the foreshore area for the ramp and parking, and then maintain it.

• In 1974, the club subscription increased from $2 to $3. While the club had no jurisdiction over the harbour, the Marine Division of the Transport Department named it ‘Waihau Bay Haven’ and Pat Burstall was appointed Harbourmaster.

• In the same year, discussions began on building clubrooms, mainly for storage. It was thought they might be located on an existing concrete pad adjacent to the boat ramp.

• 1975 saw the club’s first world record produced – a 366.3- pound (166.5kg) hammerhead shark caught by Fred Bailey. The controversial box net was removed and major construction work was done on the ramp by voluntary labour, greatly improving launching facilities.

• In 1979, the club hosted the 1979 NZBGC AGM for about 40 people, based at the lodge. Further unsuccessful attempts were made to get permission from the Ministry of Transport to blast rocks in the Haven and channel.

• Over the following years, membership grew to over 100, and continuing development of the Haven area saw channel markers put in place, along with a demand in 1979 to widen the ramp and, subject to finance and red tape, the inclusion of a breakwater. Membership cards and stickers for boats were introduced and printed by Neil Richie, a club member who is still printing them in 2017!

• A working bee was held to put an eight-metre-wide ramp alongside the existing ramp, but at a lower level. • In 1980 the Presidents Report stated that the bottom fishing was declining, but indicated the members were getting better at catching game fish!

• The January 1982 newsletter informed members that a ‘User Association’ had been formed in conjunction with the Gisborne-Tatapouri Club to erect and operate a VHF repeater on Frank Kemp’s property. The channel was 63 and their share of the cost was $2800, with all boat owners to contribute.

• In 1984, the bridge at Wairuru was demolished and replaced, with some of the rock removed and put into a breakwater. Tetrapod moulds ($1000 each) were considered in an attempt to reduce the swell on the ramp at high tide. Channel marker poles were installed on the rocks to help guide boats safely out of the Haven.

• A meeting with MAF in 1984 discussed the proposal that all trawling and Danish seine-netting would be banned inside a two-mile line running from Mercury Bay to Waihau Bay by March the following year. Some restrictions were also going to be applied to recreational anglers.

• Gamefishing was becoming more popular in 1984–1985, with yellowfin the predominant catch species. Fish tallies were as follows – 1984–1985: yellowfin, 80; albacore, 30; bigeye, 31; striped marlin, one; 1985-1986: yellowfin, 267; albacore, 47; bigeye, one; striped marlin, four; mako, 10; hammerhead, one; kingfish, four; mahimahi, 11; bluefin, one; 1986–1987: yellowfin, 124; albacore, 97; bigeye, three; striped marlin, one.

• By 1985, membership had reached 250, with notable catches achieved by several lady anglers, namely Joanne Hansel’s 40kg yellowfin on 15kg line and Pam Bailey’s 91kg striped marlin. Twenty-five teams were now fishing the Nationals.

• With the help and assistance of the fishing club, 1985 saw the development of the Waihau Bay Volunteer Coastguard. By now the club was well established. Channel marker buoys at the Haven channel entrance (which had a long and frustrating history of being washed away in storms) were approved by the Marine Department. Tournaments were held throughout the season, with businesses and private individuals sponsoring the prizes.

• In the 1986 Tuna Tournament, 72 yellowfin were caught, along with one marlin by 10-year-old Jeffery Wells. • Through 1987–1988 season the Tuna Tournament was generating great interest, with 47 boats and 130 anglers participating and 62 tuna caught. Lots of work was done to level the parking area beside the ramp. Subs rose to $25, with a portion of this supporting the local Coastguard unit. 1989 saw the building of a new gantry and the haven dredged to 2.5m, with $27,000 spent on this exercises. A vast expense for a club of this size, it put the completion of the breakwater out of financial reach.

• The Walker land was developed for parking in 1988–1989 to ease congestion around the ramp and shops. • The ‘tin shed’ opposite the ramp was put up in 1991 as a base for storing equipment and weighing fish. This was blown away by Cyclone Pam in 2015.

• By the early Nineties, the club was running four competitions, plus the Nationals. In 1993 it rented the Green House, more commonly known as the Town Hall, for the months of January and February. A whole sheep would be cooked on an outdoor spit to feed everyone. The catering was by committee ladies and other volunteers, and of course the men took care of cooking the meat.

• The lodge was used for meetings, as was the fire station. An old, green NZ Army marquee was erected in James Walker’s paddock, and sometimes beside the lodge. The committee started negotiations with Opotiki District Council to use recreational-reserve land as a site for clubrooms. A building fund was set up.

• In 1997, a proposal was put to the members that the club should build above the existing bar area of Waihau Bay Lodge. After a satisfactory agreement could not be reached, the project was abandoned. The seawall project was still on hold due to cost.

• By 2000 the ramp had had a major facelift, and the high part, which was the original ramp, was removed. The whole ramp became one level and three lanes at a cost of $12,500. A flashing light was installed on the starboard marker and a new VHF repeater installed on Potikirua.

• The committee were now investigating leasing land from Opotiki District Council next to the fire station.

• The committee and some local members began ‘Take a Kid Fishing’ days for the children from Raukokore and Whangaparaoa Schools. These were a huge success, followed by the children cooking the fish and inviting their skippers to partake in lovely meals. Flashing beacons were added to both starboard and port marker buoys for safer navigation after dark. The club played a part in the NZ Marine Research satellite-tagging programme, with tags placed in striped marlin from boats fishing out of Waihau Bay.

• In 2002, the club registered for GST. Tom Collier offered land for the club to lease in the bay, but Sonia de Koning sub-divided her land and the club subsequently purchased a section for $145,000, leaving around $57,000 in the kitty.

• By 2003 the club had title, resource consent was applied for, and suitable plans for the site were drawn up. By July, 2005, the floor was down, the framing in place and the roof on, all thanks to voluntary labour!

• The new club rooms were used for the 2006 Tuna Tournament, although the building was not entirely complete. By the AGM it was ready, and Harry Dutton, one of the original committee members, had the honour of cutting the ribbon. The club had a freehold building and $50K in the bank.

• By 2003 the fish captures had changed, with a bigger emphasis placed on marlin as the tuna stocks dwindled — 72 striped marlin, 34 blue marlin, 47 tuna and 16 shortbilled spearfish.

• Member Russell Meade won the NZSFC’s prestigious Old Man and the Sea Cup for his 442.8kg blue marlin caught from Allen Wardlaw’s boat Oscar. The mount of this fish is in the clubrooms. Another member, Peter Jackson, won this award in 2006 for his 280kg NZ Record bluefin tuna caught on 37kg stand-up gear. Alain Jorion was similarly honoured for his solo 235kg blue marlin taken out of Waihau Bay.

• Yellowfin tuna were scarce by 2009, but Waihau Bay was regularly winning the Nationals’ Billfish Interclub section. The prize-givings were a great success, with the club’s own trophies being presented and the ‘Bugger All’ Trophy causing great hilarity. (The latter involves those anglers who fail to earn the club any points over eight days of trying, having to explain why it should not be them who receives the trophy!) Roger Irving (Tolaga Bay) competed in the Nationals for 25 years, and brought along a pig for the final night’s meal for 20 of them. The Coastguard ladies took 2650 calls over the week of the Nationals that year.

• Waihau Bay was accepted as a qualifier in the IGFA Offshore World Championships, with the invitation fished for during the Nationals and the winning team travelling to Costa Rica to compete. Also, the concrete-block shed behind the club was put up in 2010 to house the ride-on mower and provide secure storage for alcohol.

• In 2013, a post-and-rail fence was erected. In true club style, it was done with a couple of working bees.

• In an attempt to solve the problem of the hole at the bottom of the boat ramp, concrete slabs were poured in 2014 and a resource-consent application prepared. As the consent process was not completed, the slabs have not been installed.

• In 2016, Allied Petroleum took over the fuel supply at Waihau Bay, providing fuel 24/7, which is good for boaties. The VHF channel changed to 65 after years of being 63.

• July, 2017, saw the now well-documented ‘Great Tuna Rush’, during which up to 130 trailer-boats and their crews flooded into the region each day, putting immense pressure on the local infrastructure.

• Club membership is now around 530, including family members, who come from all over the North Island, but predominantly from the greater Bay of Plenty region.

   This article is reproduced with permission of   
New Zealand Fishing News

November 2017 - Grant Dixon
Re-publishing elsewhere is prohibited

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