The Chase, The Eat, The Community:

There is something about topwater fishing that is difficult to explain to someone who has never experienced it. It is the cast, the retrieve, the anticipation, and then suddenly the surface erupts. That moment is what keeps so many anglers coming back, and it is exactly what the New Zealand Topwater Classic has been created to celebrate.

At its heart, the event is about bringing together a community of like-minded people who love the chase, the technical challenge and the difficulty that comes with targeting kingfish on the surface.

Topwater fishing is not easy. You can cast for hours without seeing a fish, then suddenly one appears behind your lure and everything changes.

Sometimes you land it. Sometimes you do not. And quite often, the story about the fish that got away becomes just as memorable as the fish you managed to put on the mat.

FIVE DAYS. YOUR WAY.

The New Zealand Topwater Classic begins with an online briefing at 8:00am on Tuesday 17 November. From there, competitors can start fishing and have until 12:00pm on Sunday 22 November to submit their fish.

How you approach those five days is completely up to you. You might spend one day fishing from a boat, the next casting from the rocks, then head somewhere completely different later in the week. You can fish with mates or on your own. You can travel around New Zealand or fish the water you know best. The one constant is that it is topwater only.

HOW THE SCORING WORKS

The scoring system has also been designed to recognise that not every kingfish is caught under the same circumstances. A 1m kingfish caught from a boat scores 1,000 points. Catch that same fish from the land and an additional five points is added, recognising the additional difficulty involved in targeting and landing a kingfish from the rocks. Successfully release that fish and document the release, and another five points is added.

Only your highest scoring fish counts towards your final result, so anglers can change tactics throughout the week and continue searching for that one fish that could completely change their position on the leaderboard.

Everything is managed through the SnapCatch app.

Competitors photograph their fish on an approved measuring mat and upload the capture through the platform. For a land-based capture, an additional image is required showing the fish on the mat and the surrounding rocks and environment. If you are claiming the release bonus, you also upload a video showing the fish being successfully released.

Importantly, every angler does not need their own measuring mat. A group of two can share one. A group of 10 can share one. The fish simply needs to be measured on an approved mat, whether that is the official New Zealand Topwater Classic mat
purchased through the event platform or an approved SnapCatch mat suitable for the competition.

MORE THAN $25,000 IN PRIZES

The support from the fishing industry has already been incredible. Desolve, Daiwa and Hunting & Fishing New Zealand are major partners of the Topwater Classic, supported by a growing group of brands including Traeger, Smith Optics, Malosi Lures, OTL Lures, Locab, Soundboks and Swordfish Mojo.

Already, more than $25,000 worth of prizes has been secured, and that prize pool continues to grow.

One of the features we are particularly excited about is the Traeger Best Eat competition. Capture an incredible kingfish eat on DJI, GoPro or another camera and submit the footage. You do not even have to land the fish. The moment itself is what counts. A judging panel will select the best eat of the competition, with the winner taking home a Traeger BBQ valued at approximately $3,000.

Then, after five days of fishing, everyone comes back together in Tauranga for the prize-giving.

There will be Swordfish Mojo, DJs playing some tunes, plenty of prizes and, most importantly, a group of anglers getting together to talk about the week. The fish they caught. The fish they lost. The monster that followed the lure all the way to the rocks and disappeared.

That is ultimately what the Topwater Classic is about. It is an excuse to go fishing for five days, chase kingfish on the surface and become part of a growing community that understands exactly why we keep coming back for another cast.

Entry is $99

Full event information, rules and entry details are available at

www.topwaterclassic.co.nz

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