May marks the final month of the 23-24 season of the Export NZ Fishing Competition. To date, over 7,500 approved catches from nearly 2,000 dedicated anglers have made their way to our leaderboards. These anglers will be eagerly awaiting the prize draw in early June when we’ll give away nearly $100,000 in prizes! If you haven't registered, there's still time - click this link to get yourself in the game!

The prizes are epic, with an $85,000 Extreme Boats 1770 Enduro going to one lucky winner. The hull, built by New Zealand’s most awarded aluminium boat builder, has plenty of fishing space (rated for four people). Powered by a Suzuki 100hp outboard, there is plenty of grunt while being efficient, meaning the 80L fuel tank gets you well over the horizon. The Lowrance HDS PRO plotter/finder make navigating and marking fish a breeze. At the ramp or on the road, the 1770 is a breeze thanks to the Voyager single-axle trailer.

Regardless of where you are, the boat is a real head-turner with the stunning wrap from the folks at Brave Design, which is sure to be the envy of other anglers! Hutchwilco ensures you’ll stay safe on the water with a grab bag, PLB, and two lifejackets. Fishing is accounted for, too! The team at Shimano providing Stradic and Tranx rod and reel combos worth over $1,700 to ensure the Dometic 71L chilly bin won’t stay empty for long! 


It's easy to get in the draw – all you have to do is have one catch approved during the season. If you haven’t yet submitted a catch, be sure to wet a line at some stage before the 31st of May!

But that’s not all. Thanks to the great team at Shimano, we also have another $12,000 worth of gear to give away! These prizes are awarded to a mix of anglers – some for those at the top of the leaderboards, but most randomly drawn for each species. To maximise your chances of winning, have a look at the leaderboards and target those fish with the least number of entries – blue moki anyone?

Speaking of the leaderboards, there have been some great fish caught this season. David Kovacs is the star of the show with his 56cm gurnard topping our all-time hall-of-fame leaderboards. You can check out the phenomenal catches we’ve seen over the last decade here.

In our other leaderboards, Bay of Plenty angler Hayden Speed has one hand on the Furuno Snapper World Cup Trophy. His 92.5cm snapper has been leading the competition since early in the 23-24 season. This prestigious trophy has around 20 names etched onto it and Hayden is looking good to join this exclusive list. Could you beat him?

The Bayleys x LegaSea Angler Trifecta has been led since early in the season. Previous winner Jesse Crasborn staked his claim in early July and hasn’t been surpassed. The cumulative length of a snapper, kahawai, and kingfish is tallied on our leaderboard and Jesse’s 272cm is a spectacular effort. There are a couple of Wellington-based anglers nipping at his heels, but a snapper that is nearly 80cm would be required late in the season.

Do we need to give you any other reasons to go fishing? I doubt it, just make sure you remember an approved measure and review all of the rules here.

Finally, if you’re heading along to the Hutchwilco New Zealand Boat Show (16th – 19th May) be sure to stop by and say hello. The NZ Fishing News team will be on stand 635 in the new Shimano Fishing Pavilion. We’ll have a range of prizes from competition partners Shimano and LegaSea for subscribers, and you can get up close and personal with this season’s prize boat.

Tight lines!

- NZ Fishing News