Happy New Year to all

Trust the big man in the red suit bought you exactly what you wanted and that all had opportunity of dropping a line into the water over the holiday season.

I realise that most clubs are probably in recess over this time but felt it important that we get news out to you at this time as the year quickly gets into gear and before we know we will be thinking of Christmas yet again ……….

Derrick Flintoff Award

“Awarded to NZACA Member(s) for efforts in strengthening aims and objectives of the NZACA and/or encouraging membership and/or work and endeavours in promoting recreational fishing and/or in the administration / organisational fields”

This Award can be in recognition for work at national level or at club level.  Have you or your club any worthy nominations for this Award ?  Please send a nomination, in writing, stating why the nominee should receive this Award ASAP.  Thank you.

NZACA Trophies

These should now all have been sent back to the Association in preparation for the next prize-giving.  Sorry taking them to the Nationals themselves is not an option.  We need them for checking and including in window displays.

AGM

As previously notified this will not be held in conjunction with our Nationals this year but is being held as a separate event in March in Rotorua.

We would love to see a great majority of clubs represented. How about sending your Club President and Secretary along as your delegates.

Did you know you can apply to Gaming Trusts for financial assistance to send your Delegates to Rotorua?  However you need to get applications in to your local pub charities or whoever ASAP otherwise you will run out of time.

In this mailing are the various Postal Voting Papers for your deliberation and return.  Please exercise your vote in these matters as this is your Association and this is one of those opportunities you have of having your say in the way it operates and runs.

Although we have been going now for over 50 years, our numbers are right down both in members and clubs. Our finances are not in very good shape, and we need to take a good hard look at where we are heading in the next 50 years and how we are going to get there.

So in terms of Clause 14 of the Constitution of the NZ Angling & Casting Association (Inc) please take this as due notice of the 52nd AGM of the said Association to be held in Ngongotaha, Rotorua on Saturday 14th. March 2009.

To help make the weekend an attractive one and not all just sitting in on a meeting the local Rotorua Fishing & Casting Club have extended the invitation for AGM Delegates to join in with them in their club weekend and competition based at their great clubrooms (which are the envy of most clubs) on the Bay of Plenty coast less than an hours drive from Rotorua.  There is camping (power points etc) available in the grounds, although most would probably like to spend the night on the beach beside their rods, which is the practice of the local club members.  For those who prefer a more up-market accommodation the clubrooms are reasonably close to TePuke. Paengaroa and Whakatane and there are established Motor Camps at Pukehina, Matata and Thornton, and a DOC camp at Pikowai.

We are hopeful of having some great prizes up for grabs and a special meal for all contestants late Sunday morning allowing you time to return to your homes that day.

Lets make this a great weekend and a highlight of our NZACA year. With fruitful beneficial discussion, followed by great fishing, camaraderie and socialising.

DON’T FORGET TO RETURN RSVP FORM

  

The Records Schedule for your Manuals has now been updated and printed thanks to the sponsorship of Innovations Direct Ltd and their agency product of Bradley Smokers.  These updates will be sent out in due course to clubs.  However we respectfully ask that when you receive these that they are distributed out to your members for insertion in their Manuals.  They cost a lot to print, collate and post out and we don’t want to see that money wasted – which unfortunately has been the case in some instances in the past. It is a full schedule of records combining both the NZACA and the NZBGFC records.

So we suggest that instead of us just sending these out – wanted or unwanted  that you ascertain from your members who would like this 21 page double-sided Manual Update and then let our Manuals Distribution Officer, Brian Palmer, know and he will forward them to you.  Brian you can contact on  06 751 2556  or email on palmerbrian@infogen.net.nz.  To save on postage costs, where there is a bulk number of updates required, Brian can bring these to either the forthcoming AGM or to the Nationals – but please notify him in plenty of time so he can assemble such.

There are quite a number of vacant records, especially in the ladies and junior sections in the non-gamefish species.  As you are aware we no longer issue records in the “Open Section” which was relevant just to the old Association Records, so the division into mens & ladies categories for NZ Records has created a number of records yet to be claimed.  There are now two age divisions in the Juniors applying to both boys and girls.

Remember also all Applications received are also considered for our Annual Awards.  My advice is that any reasonable catch an application should be forwarded as you never know what it will bring forth.

Please let your members know about the above – thank you

The NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS as you all know are being held based in Coromandel Town the week after Easter (15th – 18th April).  Let us make these the best attended Nationals yet!

The Coromandel offers great fishing for both shore and boat and we are especially encouraging kayak fishers to attend. Also a chance to pit your casting skills against others from around the country.

The Nationals themselves offers great camaraderie, fun and friendship. A time to renew acquaintances and make new ones.

With being in the school holidays we hope to see more families and juniors taking part.  The Coromandel District, its Council, its businesses and citizens have extended a real warm welcome to us, so lets swamp them with numbers and really show our appreciation.

If you haven’t sent in details of your competitors yet please give this your priority.  As soon as we receive your schedules we will forward sufficient numbers of the Nationals Booklet for each competitor.

****Latest news ---- There may be a lucky entry ticket draw for a product worth over $1000 – all competitors have equal chance****

Reminder of the Rotorua Fishing & Casting Club’s Annual Bonanza which is being held on the Sunday of Auckland Anniversary Weekend (25th. January).  This is one of the bigger surfcasting competitions held in this country with prize money of $6000 for the heaviest snapper and $1000 for heaviest kahawai, plus many other prizes.  A good weekend out, supporting one of our NZACA Member Clubs plus the chance of some good prizes.

Another competition is the Plimmerton Boating Club Family Fishing Competition which is on the 7th & 8th. March.  Go to www.plimmertonboatingclub.org.nz or ring  04 233 1592 

Don’t forget the Taranaki Kayak Fishing Classic on 4th-5th April. Phone  06 753 2547  for more information.  Major prizes to be won.

I will be away from the office desk from January 23rd to February 14th.  Please do not let this be an excuse not to send in your Nationals entries, Catch Recognition applications, and any thoughts or matters for the forthcoming AGM.