Fishing At Tuateawa Club News.

          First is the surprise that this club exists. In reality, F.A.T. doesn’t. We are just a bunch of neighbours who enjoy the area, get on well with each other and like diving, boating and fishing. Every year, well the last year anyway, we hold our fishing contest. Last year’s contest was such a great success in spite of the weather, with a total of two fish being weighed in, that we felt an overpowering need to do the same this year. That, and the fact that a person of the skirt wearing variety won it, made the guys eager for revenge.  

Easter weekend was pre-ordained as being suitable and so holidays were altered to suit and many a freezer filled with bait and other essentials. Rules of Conquest were decided and these proved pretty easy for us to follow. No entry fee, fish only on Sunday, anywhere you like from K. Bay to Little Bay but not the Mercury Islands, biggest/heaviest table fish wins. Cheating was allowed if you thought you’d get away with it and weigh in to be at 4PM on the dot, sort of. Charlie had zapped up an appropriately manly looking trophy while the rest of us sharpened our hooks, anything less than 6/0 deemed too small.

So OK, the weather wasn’t great that Sunday, but we all got out and caught some nice fish for a change which was nice. Four o’clockish came around and we adjourned to Santa’s place for the big weigh in. Not hard to see this coming is it? Not only were the men beaten again by a good schnapper caught by one of the fairer, another of the gentle lot took out the mystery weight kahawai. Just to rub our noses in it, the main prizewinner is only 15 years old.

Congratulations to Jessica Copas from Auckland for your great schnapper and the same to Nicki Simms of Pakaranga and her kahawai. It is suggested that Charlie and Lisa leave their friends and relatives behind next time.

I guess it is right to report that we males were slightly peeved with the results and attempted to get over it with a jolly fine BBQ and lashings and lashing of ginger ale. Ross and Sherry provided musical entertainment as we then danced the night away. The only worrying thing is that one of the male members was reported wearing a skirt. This has since been confirmed, so get it off Mike! That’s cheating.

Cheers, Santa.