TAURANGA TEAM LEADS FISHING

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29770, 13 March 1962, Page 17

TAURANGA TEAM LEADS FISHING

(New Zealand Press Association)

AUCKLAND, March 12.

The vice-president of the Tauranga Big-game Fishing Club, G. Traill, caught a 3901 b black marlin off Mayor Island to give his team a clear lead in the first day of the 1962 international biggame fishing contest, which opened at six fishing bases today.

His catch earned his team 490 points, including the 100 points bonus for the biggest fish of the day. Second in the contest was C. Thomasen, of Papakura, a member of the Mercury Bay Game Fishing Club, who caught a 277ib striped marlin off tihe Aldermen.

More than 400 deep-sea anglers, including six Australians, 11 Americans and three South Africans, are taking part in the contest, but apart from those of the leaders, catches today were generally light. Of the 32 fish caught during the day, 16 were tuna, o£ which 11 were taken out of Tutukaka. The rest comprised eight yellowtail (Iking-

fish), five makos, two striped marlin and one black marlin. Overseas Contestants Overseas contestants did not fare well. The winners of the 1960 contest, E. W. Palmer and E. S. Davidson, of South Australia, who were fishing off Mercury Bay, caught only three small yellowtail amounting to 281 b to be thirteenth for the day. Their team-mates from the Game Fishing Club of South Australia, I. A. R. Polson and M. C. Wood, at Whangaroa, and R. Dyer and Mrs Dyer of the Sydney Game Fishing Club, fishing at the Bay of Islands, all failed to score. The leading overseas competitor was F. L. Anderson, of the San Francisco Billfish and Tuna Society, fishing with A. E. Kern, who caught a tuna of 1021 b to put his team in fifth place. D. Rutherford, of Oakland, California, fishing with his wife, took mako and yellowtail amounting to 611 b to lie seventh. A Hawaiian team captained by D. Stanley was in tenth place with two tuna amounting to 331 b, and the Panair International team from Hawaii scored 15 points with a mako. At Mayor Island, F. W. Port, of the Tauranga club, landed a 2201 b striped marlin to put his team in third place. Another Tauranga team, captained by J. L. Meuli, gained fourth place with two makos amounting to 1201 b. But two overseas teams fishing off Mayor Island—three South Africans and two Americans—all failed to make a catch.