Great beginnings at Mayor Island for TSFC

It’s been almost 100 years since the Tauranga Sport Fishing Club first opened its doors, back on Mayor Island/Tuhua in 1923.

Back in those days, the club was an informal society of members. Fishing was based at Southeast Bay, with the first available records of any game fishing coming in 1929. That season saw 86 marlin and 37 mako shark landed.

Only five launches operated at the time.

“The galley and club rooms which were built in South East Bay/Opo Bay, saw a mind blowing amount of marlin and shark catches, numbers that are unheard of today,” the club says.

The club was officially known as the Tauranga Big Game Fishing Club after becoming incorporated in 1937.

What started as an informal group of members, it officially became the Tauranga Big Game Fishing Club in 1937.

The most successful season for the club was from 1948-1949, which saw 749 marlin and 39 sharks being landed. Only six boats were fishing during that season.

According to the club, many fish were dumped at sea once weighed or photographed.

“Unfortunately the overfishing issues that we are aware of today were not so apparent back then,” it says.

“These records really put into perspective how abundant the oceans were and how much it's changed over the last century.”

In December 1952, the club had a meeting with the Trustees of Mayor Island with a view of obtaining a lease of land at Opo Bay for a big game fishing club base. In February 1953 the proposal was agreed to, and a lease was signed on 17 January 1955. From here the Mayor Island Club house was built, kitchen facilities were rebuilt with an oil stove installed, electricity provided and a water supply from up the hill.

The office, which was on Coronation Pier at Tauranga, operated as a mainland base, which was in radio communication with the island.

The club was eventually relocated to its current base at Sulphur Point, Tauranga in 1991, and today boasts more than 3000 members.

The waters around the Tauranga coastline are known for its marlin, tuna and kingfish with mahi mahi, shortbilled spearfish and broadbill captured from time to time.