Friday 09.10.2026
Fishing Report
The weather during the second week of the school holidays was a lot better than forecast, but south easterlies dominated on most afternoons making it somewhat unpleasant out at sea. There appeared to be mixed results on the fishing front which correlated to the weather. I heard a number of reports from people who caught their limit (or close to it) of snapper on the few days when the wind wasn’t blowing sou’east. Once again, both sides of Stanely Island produced fish, as did Double Island and close to Red Merc. People fishing these same areas after being lured out there by calm conditions in the morning which turned uncomfortable when the south easterly turned up in the afternoon, didn’t fare well at all.
There are quite a few fish that got caught around the mouth of the river by fishers casting from the shore. It’s not uncommon to catch reasonable size snapper, especially as the water warms up. At other times (like now), trevally and kahawai make up the bulk of the haul. If you’re not having much success, check, that the size of your hooks and bait matches what you are trying to catch. There are sometimes fishers (mostly kids) with large hooks, huge baits and not enjoying any success with others nearby managing to land a feed of fish on smaller tackle.
Snapper & Zone 3 Interclub Tournament
Labour Weekend – Saturday 24th October
Entries are now open! Cash in – Cash out Comp!
Join us for a fun, friendly competition between our rival Zone 3 clubs: Whangamata, Tairua/Pauanui, Matarangi and Whangapoua.
Entry is $25 per person, with an optional $25 sweepstake – winner takes all!
We’ve proudly held the Killwell Trophy for many years, but last year it slipped away to Matarangi! Let’s get behind our club, get out there and bring that trophy home!
Entries available at the bar, in the Office, or on our website.
Weighmaster Opportunity:
We’re looking for members who would be interested in joining our Weighmasters team and are available to attend a Weighmaster Course on 31st October, 1-5pm run by the NZSFC Weighmaster Educator.
If this is something you’d be interested in, or you’d like more information, please contact Caro in the Office on 07 866 4121.
It’s a great opportunity to get involved in the club!
WIN $3,000 IN PELAGIC GIFT CARDS
We’re excited to be part of Pelagic’s club promotion, giving our members 20% off eligible online purchases while also giving our club the chance to win $3,000 in Pelagic gift cards!
Simply use our exclusive code MERCBAYGFC26 when shopping online at Pelagic. Every purchase made using our club code earns an entry for the club into the draw — so the more our members shop, the more entries we receive!
20% off eligible purchases
Every purchase = an entry for our club
$3,000 Pelagic gift card prize for our club
Promotion closes 30 October 2026
Support the club, save 20%, and help us get in the draw!
Tournaments: Diarise OR keep these dates in mind!
Longshore Marine No Bait Tournament 14th – 28th November
Ladies Blue starts 1st Dec
Pacific Coast Marine Top Ten Tuna 1st Dec – 16th January
Kids Wharf Comp Monday 28th December
Details for the Garmin Trailer Boat and the Offshore Classic will be announced in the coming weeks
Friday ‘Happy Hour’ 3.00pm to 5.30pm $7 Wines & $7 Beer Pints
• Complimentary snacks from 4.30- 5.00pm
Wednesday 14th October Roast Night: Roast Pork with Vege’s and Salad
Our kitchen menu has had a little refresh for summer, with a few favourites back on the menu, including Sausage, Eggs & Fries and Chicken Parmigiana and Caesar Salad plus some new additions such as Whitebait Fritters and Lamb Kofta Salad. Full menu on can be found on our website. Pop down and try some!
Weekend Sport – Live at the Club!
We have had an additional skybox installed so now we are able to watch dual channels at the same time!
NPC Rugby – Quarter Finals
Friday 9th October Northland v Tasman 7.10pm
Saturday 10th October Otago v Hawkes Bay 4.05pm
All Blacks v Australia 7.10pm
Sunday 11th October Canterbury v Waikato 1.35pm
Supercars – Bathurst on the big TV (by the office) Friday, Saturday and Sunday
Club Night
Just a reminder membership must be paid to eligible for the club draws and to get the members pricing!
Club Draw: For this term only the members draw will go for 11 weeks (not 13) and must be won on the 17th December at $1600 if not won prior to that.
Club Draw – $600 # 3670 Kim Maley N/C next week: $700
4 Jug Draws $225 Pinky, Kay, Gailene, Drew
Guest Chook Chucker: Colleen (new committee member)
#161 Izzy he should have had that!
#163 Chrissy she was confident
#183 Robbie almost got the pool table
#129 Choppa that was for Charlie!
#154 Charlie that was mean!
#135 beautiful catch and pass
#177 Conrad Perfect!
Tight Lines
Alan & Caro
