It starts today at 6pm with stories – fishing stories, tall stories, stories of big fish that became huge fish and stories of fish that did and didn't get away.

It's the Tauranga Sport Fishing Club's centenary and this weekend its 3,000 members will be celebrating.

Tonight's opening event welcomes all members, volunteers, sponsors and supporters.

Tomorrow, Saturday May 20, between 2pm and 5pm there will be guest speakers and a lot of club history to pore over.

From 6pm there's a ticketed event where people are encouraged to dress à la 1920s and dance the night away to the band Shabang. There will be prizes for best dressed.

On Sunday from 11am the club will be hosting an open day welcoming all, young and old, with a one day only membership special for new members, and activities for the kids.

A blue marlin trophy at the Tauranga Sport Fishing Club at Sulphur Point. Photo: Brydie Thompson.

The Tauranga Sport Fishing Club was established back in 1923 on Mayor Island and was named the Deep-Sea Fishing Club, forerunner of the Tauranga Big Game Fishing Club.

The first available records were from the 1929 season when 85 marlin and 37 mako sharks were landed. Only five launches were operating at that time – the Naomi, Virginia, Dauntless, Tui and Spindrift.

The Mowlem reel designed and developed by former club president and patron John Mowlem. Photo: Brydie Thompson.

John Mowlem owned the launches Virginia and Naomi. He was president from 1937- 1939 and patron until he died in 1951. The Tauranga engineer designed and developed the Mowlem reel because he was dissatisfied with everything else available.

One is on display at the club rooms.

In those early days fishing was based in Southeast Bay on Mayor Island and John Mowlem built a small cottage where a smoke house had been erected by commercial fishermen for smoking hapuka.

Playing with some bill fishing history – Tauranga Sport Fishing Club patron Ian Thomas with club president Doug Stewart. Photo: Brydie Thompson.

Communication between the island and Tauranga depended on Ron Mirrielees whose carrier pigeons carried messages - Pigeon post.

Bay of Plenty waters were teeming with fish and the anglers were inexperienced and had inadequate gear compared to today. However the records show they still landed 240 marlin and 40 sharks between 1934 and 1937.

In 1984 the club removed the word 'Big” from its name and became known as the Tauranga Game Fishing Club. It was a nod to the growing value of yellowtail kingfish and various tuna species as game fish.

A trophy at the Tauranga Sport Fishing Club at Sulphur Point. Photo: Brydie Thompson.

The new club rooms at Sulphur Point were officially opened on December 7 1991. This helped numbers to soar with membership increasing from a few hundred to a few thousand.

With the base ashore the club was better able to arrange tournaments and did this in a big way.

The biggest tournament is the One Base Tournament which is fished over four days. The first One Base had 186 boats and 734 anglers. This tournament runs every year and there is now a wait list to join. It holds several other tournaments such as the 'Fish N Chicks” for lady anglers. It's a charity event.

A trophy at the Tauranga Sport Fishing Club at Sulphur Point. Photo: Brydie Thompson.

There's also the Kingfish and Snapper Tournament, Trailer Boat Tournament, Snapper Classic, Bluefin Bust Up, Billfish Bonanza, Monster Trout Tournament and the Take A Kid Fishing Tournament for junior angles.

The club also has an interclub fish with Mount Maunganui Ocean Sport Fishing Club.

The Tauranga Game Fishing Club then changed its name to the Tauranga Sport Fishing Club to welcome members who are land based or with smaller boats.

Tauranga Sport Fishing Club club president Doug Stewart with patron Ian Thomas outside the club rooms. Photo: Brydie Thompson.

Today Tauranga Sport Fishing Club boasts over 3,000 members.

It also subscribes to sustainable fishing, encouraging tag and release sport fishing. In the last season there were 31 billfish weighed and 68 tagged and released.

Anyone keen to know more about this weekend's events, call The Tauranga Sport Fishing Club on (07) 578 6203.