Ngawi Sports Fishing Club Inc.
Over the last 8 years there have been numerous sightings and hook ups of billfish, one was caught and weighed in at Castlepoint in 1996 and last year a fishing trawler netted a Broadbill estimated at well over 300kg off the Ngawi coast, but took the fish for weighing into Wellington.
Large sharks have also been sighted, hooked up and weighed in, Mako's and Blues are the most common ones, with the occasional porbeagle. A 346kg Mako was caught off the Flat Point coast last year, and who can forget our own Des King winning the Ngawi Big Three contest in 1999 with a 317kg Mako Shark.
With the possibility of Billfish and large Sharks, being caught and an over abundance of other species such as Tuna, Trumpeter, Terakihi, Snapper, Groper, Blue Cod etc., the idea of a fishing contest was born.
For the first fishing contest the community Fire Station became the Club's Headquarters and Control Room. The Hose-drying Tower became the weigh station, once the block, tackle and digital scales were installed. A large Marquee was erected for the comfit of the fishing public, porta loos and portable showers put in place, and a contest was born.
The first contest was held in the early months of 1992. The weather stayed good, and fisherpersons from all around New Zealand, came to Ngawi to win the Top Prize of a new car if they caught a Striped Marlin over 150kg or a Mako Shark over 300kg.
This first contest was such a success that, with all anglers asking for another contest
the 'Ngawi Big Three' Fishing Contest was born, and now has become an annual event.
With the support of the local Ngawi community, this event has now become one in which fisherpersons from through out New Zealand look forward to attending.
The total membership for the Ngawi Sports Fishing Club for the financial year ending June 1999 was 586 individual members.
The strength of the Ngawi Sports Fishing Club is based on sound financial management, audited each year by a reputable Chartered Accountant.
