Bayleys Real Estate hosted its revamped Fishing Classic on October 27-28 after a 14-year hiatus.

Founder John Bayley grew apathetic towards the tournament, with several large billfish having to die in pursuit of bragging rights. Fast forward to 2022, and the Bayleys team, led by executive director Lloyd Budd, partnered with LegaSea to deliver a sustainable, measure-based fishing tournament.

“For us, this was all about alignment to our Bayleys family values. We are entering our 50th year next year, and the ocean has always been a massive part of our family history.

We love what LegaSea is doing to lead intergenerational efforts to make sure this is protected for our children and future generations.” Lloyd says. The skipper’s briefing on Thursday afternoon proved a high-energy start to the tournament with the prizes detailed, rules explained, and team goodie bags grabbed before kick-off at 5pm. 24 hours later, 60 skippers and crew were back at Bayleys’ HQ for the auctions and prizegiving.

The period between wasn’t all fishing. Throughout the day, Bayleys hosted a public expo outside their office to introduce LegaSea, Kai Ika and Sea Cleaners. Workers in surrounding offices were able to visit stalls and learn about the health of our oceans and how you can play a part in making a change.

Additionally, the Kai Ika team offered free fish filleting to all competitors at Westhaven Marina, ensuring full utilisation with fish heads, frames and offal redistributed to families and community groups in South Auckland by Papatūānuku Kōkiri Marae whanau.

With the coveted Bayleys Fishing Classic trophy and $5,000 cash prize for the longest snapper caught, excitement was high. JP Schmidt took out top honours with his 71.5cm model, just beating out several other +70cm fish. The top team prize was taken out by Lindsay McEwen, Matt Moneghittie and Byron Subota (Team Wilma), with their top three snapper providing a cumulative length of over 200cm.

Team Wilma did afford themselves some assistance, purchasing legend Matt Watson for $15,000 in a silent auction to provide guiding services for the tournament. After a quick calculation, Lloyd Budd presented the LegaSea team with a check for $60,000. A fun evening of entertainment to celebrate the new Bayleys Fishing Classic ensued, with plans to make the 2023 tournament bigger and better!

On receiving the generous donation, LegaSea Lead Sam Woolford said the non-profit organisation was reliant on the commitment and financial support offered by its partners. “Partners like Bayleys Real Estate are our lifeblood. We couldn’t raise awareness of the issues facing our coastal fisheries without their incredible generosity,” Sam commented.