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Westport is emerging as a new bluewater fishing hotspot, with a month-long big game competition launching this February after an extraordinary season that saw marlin, giant tuna and mahi mahi caught in South Island waters for the first time.
The Buller Bluewater Classic will run throughout February out of Westport, giving recreational anglers the chance to fish one of New Zealand’s fastest-developing bluewater fisheries and laying the groundwork for what organisers hope will become a permanent South Island event.
Only a few years ago, the idea of targeting marlin from the South Island was considered unlikely. But unusually warm water last summer pushed further south, bringing prized game species within reach of West Coast boats.
Local fisherman and business owner Garry Anderson watched the season unfold from the Westport wharf.
“We started hearing more and more stories — marlin being hooked, lost and landed, and not just by one crew,” Garry says. “Some days the port was absolutely heaving. The biggest catch I heard of was a near-record 154kg marlin.”
As the season progressed, the scale of the shift became clearer. Garry estimates between 40 and 50 big game fish were hooked out of Westport during the 2025 season — an unprecedented number for the region.
“I’d seen marlin out there before, but I’d never actually caught one,” he says. “Most people hadn’t really given it a proper go.”
Interest accelerated when fishing YouTuber Jason Anderson, from Reel Adventures with Jase, travelled to Westport and shared footage of his offshore trips online.
“He caught a game fish on his first day,” Garry says. “After that, the word spread pretty quickly.”
Jason says Westport’s appeal lies in how accessible the fishery is.
“You’ve got direct access to serious bluewater out of Westport,” he says. “When it lines up, you’re not travelling huge distances to find fish. Last season proved it, and that’s why I’m coming back.”
As word spread, experienced crews from around the South Island began heading west.
“These weren’t casuals,” Garry says. “They were serious game fishers, seven- to nine-metre boats, coming from Central Otago, Wānaka, Nelson, Marlborough and Canterbury.”
The Buller Bluewater Classic has been created by a local working group as a community-led event designed to grow the fishery without over-exploiting it. Unlike traditional tournaments, the competition runs across a full month, allowing crews to fish when conditions suit and spreading effort over time.
“We don’t want to hammer it,” Garry says. “Running it over a month gives people flexibility and keeps the pressure down.”
Fishers can enter once or multiple times, with catches weighed and recorded through a volunteer-run local system and displayed on a live digital leaderboard. Tag-and-release fishing is encouraged.
“This isn’t about hype,” says working group member Jessie Creedmore. “It’s about backing what actually happened last summer and building something that lasts for the Buller community.”
For visiting anglers, the drawcard is deep water close to port, fewer boats and a fishery on the rise.
“The biggest thing is how close the action is,” says James Cameron, from Westport fishing retailer Coast Outdoors. “Commercial fishers have quietly talked about gamefish off Westport for years. After what happened in 2025, the fever has well and truly hooked us all.”
The Classic also has a strong social focus, with weekly Saturday tally sessions at Shortjaw Brewing giving crews a place to log catches, check the leaderboard and connect with locals.
Sponsor and Shortjaw Brewing owner Luke Robertson says the balance between competition and community is deliberate.
“We wanted to keep the grassroots feel while opening the door to something new,” Luke says. “You’ve got locals and visiting crews mixing, and hopefully a new annual event, with a night market planned for prizegiving.”
The month will conclude with a combined prizegiving and night market, bringing together fishing, food and music to close out February.
Organisers are realistic about the event’s starting point. This is the first year, built on a single season that surprised even seasoned anglers — but one they believe signals a genuine shift for the West Coast fishery.
The Buller Bluewater Classic runs throughout February out of Westport.
Registrations are open at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdBjlthFxwxhNGUXH9RVUznQ23DCr8WfgohRwwZXKyJwO_IFQ/viewform
