What's on in March & April?

  • FFC Kaikoura Fishing Competition - March
  • Champion of Champions Surfcasting event - March
  • Lake Coleridge Brass Monkey - April 29th 2023

Read more about these trips/events below and check our online calendar for the latest dates

FFC Kaikoura Fishing Competition - March

Although the specific details can vary from year to year, here is a broad overview of this club competition.

The FFC Kaikoura Fishing Competition is held each year, usually over a weekend in March. The competition is open to club members and guests of members. Often we will try to time the competition to match a time when Albacore Tuna might be likely to be around.

Competitors travel to Kaikoura and have the option of meeting up for the safety briefing and to share in a BBQ tea on the Friday night. The competition itself runs on the Saturday, starting at around sunrise and finishing early-mid afternoon. A number of club members take their own boats out, usually launching at South Bay.

The weigh in is held at the South Bay domain and there are a number of different prize categories available for your to enter your catch into.

Saturday evening we meet for the prizegiving and a BBQ or restaurant meal.

Often on the Sunday members will go out to fish again before heading home – but that is all organised by the individual members themselves.

Mitchell Trophy Surfcasting - March

The Mitchell Trophy surfcasting competition is run by the Combined Clubs and is the last surfcasting event for the season. It is usually held at South Rakaia early in March and combines two main sections in the competition - the teams event (competed for by teams of four) and the individuals event.

Fishing normally starts at 10am and finishes at 2pm with a weigh-in, prizegiving and BBQ at the conclusion.

Prizes are awarded for the heaviest bags of fish.

The Ferrymead Fishing Club has been taking part in this event for many years - often with a team competing as well as individuals & sometimes even some of our juniors.

FFC Brass Monkey Fishing Competition - Saturday April 29 2023

Although the specific details can vary from year to year, here is a broad overview of this interclub competition hosted by the Ferrymead Fishing Club.

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The Brass Monkey Fishing Competition is held each year at Lake Coleridge – usually one Saturday in April (up until 2021 this was held in August). Ferrymead Fishing Club began hosting this competition back around 1998-1999. Originally it was held as an all-day competition but changes to camping rules have resulted in a shorter, half-day competition since 2011.

There are limited accommodation options at Lake Coleridge but if there's enough interest FFC may book accommodation from the local landowner (Glenthorne Station) and offer that to members who wish to stay a night or two. Alternatively many competitors travel up and back in the same day.

The fishing competition itself runs over a half-day (Saturday) with a weigh in and prizegiving held mid afternoon.

The overall winner takes away the Brass Monkey Trophy for the year and there are a few other trophies on offer.

We also run a team competition alongside this event - Team FFC Competition
For the 'Team FFC Competition' there are teams of no more than 3 anglers, each weighing in just one fish,and the team trophy is awarded to the heaviest team aggregate. See the rules for full details.