A record 140 entrants competed in this year’s Lake Tekapo Fishing Competition. Organised by the Lake Tekapo Events Group and now into its fourth year, the competition is proving to be a popular event on the annual fishing calendar. This year’s entrants came from as far north as Hamilton. We even had overseas visitors from France & Australia.
Lake Tekapo did not disappoint with the weather. It was a beautiful day, with clear skies and calm lake. Over 70 fish were caught and weighed in.
NZ Fish & Game officiated the weigh in with Mark Webb from Temuka awarding the prizes for the best conditioned fish within each section – Adult, Junior (12 – 17 years) & Child (Under 12 years).
This year all entrants were also able to get professional advice on how best to fillet their fish, with locals Steve Johnston & Greg Crowe providing a filleting display during weigh-in. The primary school also supplied sausages and drinks for the hungry fishermen!
The Adult Trophy for the heaviest fish was won by Ray Naughton with his brown trout weighing in at 2.4 kilos. The junior section was won by Matthew Curle with a 1.7 kilo brown trout. Also awarded were category prizes for Best Conditioned Fish – Adult, Junior & Child. This gave all competitors an opportunity to win a prize for the quality of their fish and not the weight.
The day ended with a prizegiving ceremony and a barbeque for all entrants and their families. Combined with a great day at the High Country Fete, Lake Tekapo provided a superb family weekend!
Because of the increase in entrant numbers attending this year, NZ Fish & Game have agreed to release over 20,000 salmon into Lake Tekapo. This will be done later this year depending on stocks available. This is a huge achievement for Lake Tekapo and will help to stock the lake for many years to come, so people can enjoy the fishing experience.
Thanks go to all our sponsors who provided prizes for the competition. These included Body Glove & McPhail Sports in Chch, Hamills Chch, The Laptop Company, Chch, Tekapo Services (who provided all the food), Air Safaris, Kiwi Treasures/Alexto, CRT Real Estate, Run 79, Earth & Sky, Lake tekapo Scenic Resort, Donaghys, Biz Management in Temuka, Temuka Fishing & Outdoor Ltd, Hampidjan NZ LTd, Timaru and Christie’s Glasshouses in Dunedin.
