An increase in junior fishers features in the angler entries in the Tauranga Game Fishing Club's tuna tournament being held over the weekend.

Some marlin catch is expected during this weekend's tournament.

Over the three days from Friday, 164 anglers fishing from 52 boats are taking part in one of the club's key game fishing tournaments.

'We had 47 boats last year, but we have the same number of anglers,” says club manager Grant Holley.

'We have got an increase in juniors, we have nine juniors fishing it this year.”

There were six juniors fishing last year.

The contestants hoping for a good contest are buoyed by last week's catch of a possible New Zealand women's record 86kg big eye tuna by Trish Atkinson.

She was fishing from the launch Aspire on 60kg gear, says Grant.

'That was really encouraging and has fired everybody up for this weekend,” says Grant.

'There's not a lot of tuna about, but there have been marlin strikes.”

Yellow fin tuna have been scarce in recent years; to the point where the Whakatane Game Fishing Club has dispensed with its tuna fishing contest and incorporated it into another tournament, says Grant.

'Back a few years we were catching hundreds, and while we don't want to catch hundreds I would like to see one or two,” says Grant.

Tuna have been landed from the Aldermans, Mayor Island and down to Waihau Bay, says Grant.

Mahi Mahi, Blue and Striped Marlin, Albacore tuna and the record Big Eye Tuna were all recently caught near the Alderman Islands.

At the eastern end of the bay, the waters around White Island have been teaming with albacore and kingfish and a striped marlin was caught near Whale Island on Wednesday.

Target species for the contest are tuna, minimum weight 15kg; marlin over 90kg.
Albacore tuna, and skipjack tuna are eligible if no yellow fin are caught.

Prizes are for the five heaviest tuna, the heaviest marlin, the team with the most tagged and released marlin, the heaviest fish caught by a junior angler, the heaviest mahi mahi and shortbill spearfish, if any are caught.