Well here we all are then, Christmas is done, New Years is just days away and, as I write this, it's blowing a gale and raining outside. Can't complain though I have managed to get 3 days on the boat trolling this week for bugger all result but great to be out there doing it all the same. Was surprised to find that snapper are still in the harbour and with perfect conditions we caught more than a good feed a week ago up in the shallows, most unusual for this time of year...

The SIMRAD Summer Champs is in full swing with a couple of the usual suspects out to an early lead, see a more detailed update later in this edition. Follow our Facebook page for weekly Leader Board top three updates if you haven't already. Surprisingly we've only seen two fish weighed so far, A very good Albacore and Skipjack tuna, but plenty more to come on that front as people get Christmas and New Years out of the way and get into Holiday fishing proper, don't forget to get your comp entry done before you go fishing!

Massive thanks to Simon Marshall from Coast Guard Northern and the team from Raglan Coastguard and Ben & Mel Brown from Built to Fish TV for a huge December Club Night attended by over 80 guests. It was once again a hugely informative night about how do deal with our west coast bars in particular, along with the good oil from arguably the west Coasts most Prolific Game Fishing Couple.

Our new Sun Hoodies arrived just before Christmas and we got them out to those that ordered them, and believe me they are the business, the breathable material is excellent with amazing print quality. But don't panic if you missed out just go to our website to order yours from our next run.

We're not planning a club night for January but we have some good stuff planed for February so keep the evening of February 11th free and keep your eyes peeled during January for details.

So here's hoping you've had a great Christmas, and wishing you all the best for calm seas and tightlines in the new year.

Cheers from Bob and the Committee

SIMRAD Summer Champs

1 Dec 2025-28 Feb 2026

$20,000 Prize Pool

The SIMRAD Summer Champs competition is heating up, with some impressive catches already on the leaderboard! In the Adult Male category, Ben Cullen leads the Kingfish section with a massive 115 cm catch, while Geoff Preston tops the Snapper standings with a 78.5 cm beauty. The Adult Female division sees Kim McVinnie making waves in both Snapper and Kahawai. Over in the Junior ranks, Kiera and Natalia Waitere are neck-and-neck with matching 55 cm Snapper, and Keira Waitere holds the top Kahawai at 53 cm.

Still just Dutchy’s Albacore and Kim’s Skipjack Tuna are the only two weighed fish and speaking for myself that’s not for lack of effort for a few of us so far. Now that the Christmas festivities are done and dusted, and New Years is almost here, now’s the time to dust off the gear and get your name on the boards—entries are open until January 31st.

Get your rods ready and join the fun!

Why join the Summer Champs?

Open to All: Members of the Waikato Sport Fishing Club or any NZSFC-affiliated club are welcome. There are entry prize categories, Men Women & Juniors —everyone can get involved!
Epic Prizes: With categories for heaviest and longest fish, overall points, and special lucky draws, there are heaps of ways to win. Prizes are up for grabs in Men’s, Women’s, and Junior divisions for snapper, kingfish, kahawai, trevally, gurnard, and more.
Fish Anywhere, Anytime: The entire NZ coastline is your playground, with fishing open from midnight December 1st 2025 through to Midnight Saturday February 28th 2026.
Fun & Fair: All the action wraps up with a lively prizegiving on Wednesday, March 11, 7:30 pm at the Club Rooms—be there to claim your prize and celebrate with your fellow anglers!

Click on the link below to enter

SIMRAD Summer Champs Registration Form

Competition Rules

Spotlight on Sponsor

Burnsco

We're delighted to have our mates at Burnsco back on board as sponsors this year. Our good Mate Scott Linto is back managing the Hamilton shop and doing a great job with the team he's got in there now. If you've been following the Nomadic Kayak Fisherman Matt Wells on YouTube, you'll be familiar with Edge Tackle he uses that's exclusive to Burnsco, along with their extensive range of caravan and Camper van parts and accessories. So thanks to Scott and Team at Burnscos we really appreciate your support.

Would You Be Interested in a WSFC Physical Membership Card?

This year, WSFC introduced digital membership cards, making it easier than ever for members to access their benefits instantly and securely. The feedback so far has been positive, with many enjoying the convenience of having their membership details available on their devices at all times.

However, we recognise that some members may still prefer the tangibility of a physical card. Whether it’s for tradition, ease of use, or simply having a keepsake, there are various reasons why a physical card could be valuable. We’re therefore exploring the possibility of offering WSFC physical membership cards alongside the digital option.

We’d love to hear your thoughts! Would you be interested in receiving a physical membership card? Are there specific situations where you feel a physical card would be beneficial? Please let us know your preferences and feedback, as your input will help us shape future membership options to best meet your needs.

For your feedback please feel free to contact any member of the committee or email Kerrie at secretary@waikatosportfishing.co.nz

WSFC Fishing Rules Updated

The committee have made a couple of amendments to the WSFC Fishing Rules. Catch records (Catch and Tag Cards) must be submitted to the WSFC Records Officer within 3 months of the catch being made and no later than July 31st the year following the year of the catch. This makes it consistent with the IGFA and NZSFC record application process, i.e. need to be made within 12 weeks.

Also Silver miniatures of the species caught shall be issued to successful NZ Record Applications.

A copy of the clubs fishing rules are available on our website or click here.

NZSFC December Report

This month showed what unity looks like. While clubs were celebrating early marlin, thousands of New Zealanders were standing up for their fishery. Boats crossed the Harbour Bridge in a peaceful protest, and the very next day our team met with the Minister in Paihia. The message was clear. Recreational fishing is part of our culture, our economy, and our coastal communities. It is worth protecting.
Inside this report you will find stories and updates that capture the strength of our clubs and volunteers. Highlights include:

1. Action that made a difference
The One Ocean protest brought thousands together. The Minister then met with our team and listened to our concerns about marlin protections and the plan to commercialise nineteen fragile reef species. This was backed by more than twenty two thousand public submissions through LegaSea.

2. Club growth and early season activity
Seven new clubs have joined NZSFC this year. Game fish have arrived early around the North Island, and weighmaster training continues at pace across the regions.

3. Youth development and leadership
The new Youth Leaders Committee is up and running, with young people stepping in to drive fresh ideas. The Youth Nationals T shirt design competition is open now with support from Just Another Fisherman.

4. Safety progress through Hooked on Safety
Fifty seven bar crossing sessions and more than two thousand anglers trained. New Maritime NZ funding will carry the programme through to June 2026. Lifejacket law reform is now before Parliament, and this is a chance for fishers to speak with a united voice.

5. Fisheries management and submissions
Work continues on major proposals, including marlin protections, reef species, onboard camera cost recovery, and the Kaikoura marine review. Our science and policy teams have attended seven working groups to ensure your voice is heard.

We share these stories because they show what our clubs, committees, and volunteers achieve together. They show the value of speaking as one. They keep NZSFC strong, trusted, and effective for every fisher across Aotearoa.
Please share this report widely.

Welcome to the last NZSFC monthly report for 2025 click here

Mike Plant
New Zealand Sport Fishing Council Inc
The Marina, Auckland 2144
Phone: 022 655 6507

Safety First

Emergency Beacons

Your emergency beacon, whether an EPIRB or PLB, is a key piece of safety equipment to have with you when you’re exploring the great outdoors – whether on the water, or on land.

An emergency beacon, also known as an Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) or Personal Locator Beacon (PLB), is a great tool to be able to communicate where other devices can’t. When set off in an emergency, it’s used to alert the Rescue Coordination Centre (RCCNZ) in Wellington by sending coded signals via satellite and ground stations.

If you’re going out of mobile phone or VHF range, a beacon might be your best lifeline if you get into trouble. It’s a ‘one touch’ way of sending out your location in an emergency.

PLB

PLBs are small, light and designed to fit in your pocket, on your lifejacket or perfectly in your grab bag. Great for hiking, hunting, mountain biking or for confined boat cabins – if you have a smaller boat, this is the beacon for you. For bar crossings we would recommend that you use a waterproof PLB that is carried on you as opposed to an EPRIB, as you may end up in the water with little or no time to grab the beacon.

Minimum 24-hour battery life
Manually activated
Flexibility to take it with you and use in a range of conditions, as it’s not mounted
Registered to a person
Some have GPS capability

Waterproof versions are the way to go, especially for boaties or if you’re using them near rivers. Having one that floats is also ideal, but not all come with these features so it’s worth checking.

EPIRB

An EPIRB, while being slightly larger in nature, is designed specifically for the marine environment so is perfect for all types of private and recreational vessels. It's also a required safety device for commercial vessels.

Fully waterproof and designed for a marine environment
Designed to float upright and can be easily mounted to the vessel
Minimum 48-hour battery life (twice as long as a PLB)
Registered to a vessel, not a person
You can choose between a manual- and an automatic-activation version
Some versions will self-deploy should the vessel sink
You can get versions with additional optional extras such as a strobe light which we’d highly recommend

While most modern EPIRBs have built-in GPS capability (allowing the RCCNZ to accurately locate you to +/- 50 metres), some don’t – we highly recommend getting yourself sorted with a GPS version as it greatly reduces that time it takes to find the location of your beacon.

TIP: Make sure your EPIRB is under 10 years old. This not only ensures the battery is still in good condition, but also that it transmits on the 406MHz rather than the older (and now only occasionally monitored) 121.5 MHz band.

What's the best place to keep my beacon?

When boating, EPIRBSs are best kept in the mounted bracket that they come with somewhere that’s visible and easy to access when you get into trouble.

If your beacon is designed to self-deploy, it needs to be mounted in such a position that it can float free from your boat should you run into trouble.

If you’re on land, then your PLB is best physically carried on your body or within arm’s reach – some hikers have found out the hard way when their packs (containing the PLB) have been swept away by raging rivers.

If you’re taking your PLB on the boat, most are small enough to fit on your lifejacket or in a pocket. You could also pop it in a grab bag along with flares, a torch and other key safety equipment - just make sure it's close by so you can grab it if you need to.

Looking after your beacon

Stow your beacon in an easy to access location where it’s not likely to be damaged or switched on by mistake. In boats, a great place is in your grab bag or mounted to an easily accessed surface.

We recommend that you carry out an EPIRB self-check once a month. Read your user manual to ensure you know how to do this self-test without emitting a distress signal on your beacon. The manufacturer's recommended maintenance and battery replacement cycles are roughly every eight years. If you were to accidentally activate your beacon by mistake, leave it on, contact the RCCNZ immediately on 0508 4 RCCNZ or 0508 472 269. They will advise you to turn the beacon off once they have identified it on their systems. Note- you can conduct a self-check as detailed in your manufacturer’s guidelines on your beacon without needing to notify RCCNZ.

Check that the battery is always within the expiry date as all 406MHz beacons have a limited battery life to meet the requirements for the minimum operating time once activated.

How do I register my beacon?

If you don't register your beacon, we don't know who set it off and what vessel to look for. Register your beacons at beacons.org.nz

Renewing your WSFC membership keeps you part of a network of passionate fishing individuals. Enjoy exclusive discounts, newsletters, fishing competitions and stay updated on events and news.

Membership Benefits

We hold monthly club nights which include guest speakers, demonstrations, fun games and the opportunity for a good old chat with fellow club members
Receive a monthly newsletter
25% discount off WSFC Hall Hire (terms and conditions apply)
Membership card will provide you with visitor access to affiliated clubs
Club Tournaments and Family Fishing Weekends away
Free entry to our Winter Challenge
Enter affiliated clubs fishing tournaments
Affiliation to the New Zealand Sport Fishing Council and International Game Fishing association.
10% off at Hamilton, Cambridge and Matamata (opening soon) Hunting & Fishing when you present your WSFC Membership. The discount applies to all items in store but excludes items already on special, electronics, firearms, ammunition, game and electric fishing combos.

Memberships are valid 1 July 2025 to 30th of June 2026.

MEMBERSHIP FEE'S

Adult: $40

Family: $90
(2 adults and up to 4 children 16 years and under as at 1 July 2025)

Junior: $10
(16 Yrs and under as at 1st July 2025)

Student & Transitional: $20
(any one 16 to 21 years old).

Our membership cards are now issued digitally . Upon completing your registration, you will receive immediate access to your digital membership card. This card can be accessed through the Sporty App, which should be downloaded to your mobile device.

The Sporty App allows multiple cards to be added therefore Junior membership cards can be added to their caregivers app. Once you have installed your PhotoCard it will also work when the phone doesn’t have a data plan or isn't connected to the internet.

To register for the WSFC 25/26 season complete our membership form below

WSFC 25/26 Membership Form

WSFC Newsletter December 2025

WSFC Members receive 10% off Hamilton, Cambridge and now Matamata Hunting & Fishing

SIMRAD Summer Champs

1 Dec 2025-28 Feb 2026

$20,000 Prize Pool

SIMRAD Summer Champs

Leader Board

Spotlight on Sponsor

Burnsco

Would You Be Interested in a WSFC Physical Membership Card?

WSFC Fishing Rules Updated

NZSFC December Report

Safety First

Emergency Beacons

WSFC Event Calendar

Limited Edition WSFC T-Shirts

WSFC 25/26 Membership Registration

Membership Benefits

MEMBERSHIP FEE'S