Export NZ Fishing Competition – Quarterly Update

It’s been a cracking start to the 2022-23 season of the Export NZ Fishing Competition!

A wet and windy winter hasn’t dampened kiwi anglers’ fishing trips, based on the first few months of the Export NZ Fishing Competition. A nearly 50% increase in total catches means the species leaderboards are occupied by solid fish.

There are also a couple of exciting sponsorship announcements. Firstly, a new cumulative leaderboard is available for the best anglers out there. The Bayleys x LegaSea Angler Trifecta offers bragging rights through the ultimate inshore species test. And it gets better! Apart from those bragging rights, the generous team at Bayleys will donate $20 to LegaSea for each qualifying angler throughout the season! 

Secondly, the Export NZ Fishing Competition snapper leaderboard is now the home of the renowned Furuno Snapper World Cup! In keeping with the Furuno's conservation ethic, it is based on length, not weight, enabling anglers to return a trophy fish but still have the chance to get their name engraved on this prestigious trophy!

The Export NZ Fishing Competition is sustainable, free to enter and you can win some great prizes!

One unfortunate point to note is that trout are no longer able to be entered into the Export NZ Fishing Competition. As per the Freshwater Fisheries Regulations (1983), fishing competitions require approval from all 12 Fish and Game regions. We tried to solicit the required approval, in partnership with Fish and Game’s head office team, but unfortunately, a couple of regions denied our applications.

Regardless, for all you saltwater anglers, it’s still early in the season, so why not get involved? The Export NZ Fishing Competition is free and easy to enter, you can use any approved measure (all of which can be seen at here), and the competition is sustainable, with anglers always having the option to release those big fish!

Mark Beauchamp’s 20lb+ snapper

You can also compete against your mates, and while the leaderboards 22-23 season will provide bragging rights, prizes in the Export NZ Fishing Competition are randomly drawn from the list of all anglers who have had their catch approved. And let’s not forget the prizes!

The generous team at Shimano have once again come to the party with over $25,000 in fishing gear for the 22-23 season, and the end-of-season grand prize is currently in development (keep an eye out for an announcement very soon)!

Thanks to the new sponsors, plus both Export and Shimano, for their continued support in rewarding Kiwi anglers for doing what they love. The Export NZ Fishing Competition is currently getting a well-deserved facelift so keep an eye on the website, social media, and future issues of New Zealand Fishing News to keep updated on prize announcements, news, and all things relating to NZ’s largest fishing competition. 

Tight lines!