|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
More than 300 ladies took to the water around Awhitu for the annual Fish’n Chicks fishing competition.
Counties Sports Fishing Club (CSFC) member and organiser, Polly Eyre, said the event celebrated 25 years of women on the water.
“It was an amazing weekend. The total entries were 328 anglers on 110 boats, and with fantastic weather, what more could we ask for?
“It’s all fished in the Counties Club waters, but we have inside the harbour, so Manukau Harbour and Waikato River, and then we have outside, which is basically off the coast. We do that because not every woman wants to fish off the coast. It also works well if we have a bad weather report; we sometimes close the coast for safety reasons. So that means that pretty much anyone can fish in the harbour, even if it’s rough, they can go up the rapids or go down the river mouth.”
Fellow organiser Claire Hull said the competition was originally called The Naughty Girls, but by 2004 was dubbed Counties Fish’n Chicks.
The very first competition drew between 40 and 50 people, peaking at 310 people and 109 boats in 2019 for the 20th anniversary. The competition skipped two years in 2022 and 2023, making the 2026 competition the 25th anniversary.
The organisers wanted to thank the more than 100 sponsors, many of whom have been longstanding supporters of the annual ladies’ fishing competition.
“Their commitment, generosity, and long-standing support allow us to deliver an unforgettable tournament for all our ladies each and every year.”
The major sponsors are:
- Barfoot & Thompson Waiuku
- Liquorland Waiuku Dave & Maureen’s
- Hunting & Fishing New Zealand, Franklin
- Pukekohe Toyota
- New World Waiuku
- Waiuku Mitre 10
- Botanica on Bowen
- SHARE NZ The Advisory
