Day 1
Mr Tagit arrives at Obald acres bright and early on Tuesday morning and transports self, one 50W, The Weasel, a lure or two, my rigging box and a few vestments to Westhaven. Spent the morning preparing the boat which for my part entailed making my fingers sore splicing new safety lanyards for the goldies. Mid afternoon sees the rest of the crew assembled - Tagit, Boulder, myself, a couple of Norms and Mark/Skippy/Oompah-Loompah. That'll do. Leave Westhaven at about 1700 for an easy steam to a bay on Great Barrier who's name I've forgotten.Prepare for the morrow with Tagit running through a few gamefishing basics for the neophytes and laying a few ground rules. Democracy is a wonderful thing on boats as well as in countries (well sort of - I'm quite keen on dictators) and it was decided that we would take (OK, kill) the first marlin and subsequent fish were to be treated properly.
Then we had the thorny problem of the strike roster. Five anglers (Dave was going to drive) and four rods. Then Boulder comes up with a genius idea - not. We would run a shotgun. Brilliant. Not only would we run a shotgun it would have a Unicorn on it. Even better. We will run a lure that doesn't catch marlin in a useless position on the boat. Top stuff. OK, Two anglers per side changing every half hour on the real rods and some poor muggins on shotgun all the time. Cunning plan time. I volunteer to take the damned shottie as it will catch nothing and I won't get landed with this marlin killing business. Off to the land of nod a contented soul.
Day 2
This is what running 46 foot gameboat is all about
And you spend a lot of time with an excellent view of the ocean with a bank of electronic gizmos twixt you and the view to help you with your mental gymnastics. You even get to use a laptop - can't go fishing without a computer.
What pelagic teleost would not want to swim around in here snacking on bits of plastic?
Still not feeling a hundie as I will find out later in the day. Off to the Barrier Knolls, Bank and the Achilles (sic) Canyon. SC BIg T African Queen re-skirted black and purple in some barn in Dairy Flat, LC 12 ProRange Enki in blue/pink/silver, SR Shell Enki in green and gold, LR Green/lumo Hydra and a bloody chromed Brass Unicorn in blue/silver over black/purple on the damned shotgun. Water warmish, a good colour but absolutely devoid of life. This to be the theme of the week. Water on the Barrier Knoll OK but a little bird (OK, Malcolm Pollard) tells me that the Bank is better. Head off over there and an easterly appears. And appears and appears. In a short time becomes very sloppy indeed even in a heavy 46 foot boat and we head back the Barrier in a nasty beam sea. Mal de mer hits Obald with a vengeance I have not known for many a year. All gone as soon as we are inside the Needles. Off to another anonymous bay where we fail to dredge any scollops and are witness to the most amazing phosphorescence I have ever seen.
Day 3
Wind all gone and off north. Spent some time in the Bream Knolls where we stopped to try and snare some hapuku. These fish do not take lures trolled on the surface. Boulder tells me it is mechanical jigging time. Now this is very odd. The rod is about three foot long, the guides are all on wonky (and you pay $900 for this piece of shocking workmanship) and the line on the reels is all different colours. Well you get this odd kit and wave it around a lot. I was told I was doing it well (well good enough not to get rubbished by Bushpig) but it caught me no fish. Boulder and Tagit got a small hapuku each and they were lined up for tea. After all this acrobatic nonsense some semblance of sanity prevailed and a Merlin in Koheru is put on LR, a 22 Krakatoa skirted black purple is put on SC and we are off to Toots via the Sugar Loaf in a much more seemly manner. Good colour water, good temp but no bait. We saw no bait for a day - well it was a day and a half now. And you spend a lot of time doing this, sitting down, watching, watching, watching and supping on the occasional ginger beer.
Day 3
Wind all gone and off north. Spent some time in the Bream Knolls where we stopped to try and snare some hapuku. These fish do not take lures trolled on the surface. Boulder tells me it is mechanical jigging time. Now this is very odd. The rod is about three foot long, the guides are all on wonky (and you pay $900 for this piece of shocking workmanship) and the line on the reels is all different colours. Well you get this odd kit and wave it around a lot. I was told I was doing it well (well good enough not to get rubbished by Bushpig) but it caught me no fish. Boulder and Tagit got a small hapuku each and they were lined up for tea. After all this acrobatic nonsense some semblance of sanity prevailed and a Merlin in Koheru is put on LR, a 22 Krakatoa skirted black purple is put on SC and we are off to Toots via the Sugar Loaf in a much more seemly manner. Good colour water, good temp but no bait. We saw no bait for a day - well it was a day and a half now. And you spend a lot of time doing this, sitting down, watching, watching, watching and supping on the occasional ginger beer.
Coming in past the pinnacles and bang, we are on.
Out of the blue completely and its on the damned shotgun. Now this was not in the plan at all. Fight my first fish from a chair (not hard as long as Tagit goes easy on an old man in the backing down department). Pleasing amount of the aerial stuff, a bit stubborn just short of the double but no dramas. Boulder does a sterling job on the trace and then it is 'do as you had said you would' time. Lots of unpleasant stuff with baseball bats, ropes and gaffs sees me sitting next to a dead marlin. Not pleased at all but tried not to look too grumpy. In to Toots to have it weighed. If the bit earlier was not to my taste I found this bit hideous. Getting a weight was OK (ish) but having the chalk board filled and having it announced on the Tannoy I hated. I refused to have a picture taken. We motored back to our berth with all sorts of mixed feelings running through what I pass off as a brain. Small Norm did an excellent job of cutting the beast up - no waste at all. If it is dead at least it will all get eaten. I think Boulder took the bill.
Out of the blue completely and its on the damned shotgun. Now this was not in the plan at all. Fight my first fish from a chair (not hard as long as Tagit goes easy on an old man in the backing down department). Pleasing amount of the aerial stuff, a bit stubborn just short of the double but no dramas. Boulder does a sterling job on the trace and then it is 'do as you had said you would' time. Lots of unpleasant stuff with baseball bats, ropes and gaffs sees me sitting next to a dead marlin. Not pleased at all but tried not to look too grumpy. In to Toots to have it weighed. If the bit earlier was not to my taste I found this bit hideous. Getting a weight was OK (ish) but having the chalk board filled and having it announced on the Tannoy I hated. I refused to have a picture taken. We motored back to our berth with all sorts of mixed feelings running through what I pass off as a brain. Small Norm did an excellent job of cutting the beast up - no waste at all. If it is dead at least it will all get eaten. I think Boulder took the bill.
Not a picture I'm proud of - but fishee is currently in a smoker in Kelston and at least she will get eaten. But putting her on crackers as an hors d'oeuvre is hardly subsistence fishing, is it?
Day 4
Out reasonably early after we drank the Toots diesel tanks dry a couple of hundred litres shy of what we wanted. Another day of good looking warmish water with no bait in it. How can such a large portion of the ocean contain no bait at all? Didn't even look like getting a strike. But still cruising past Cape Brett on a summer's Friday morning isn't all bad.
Day 4
Out reasonably early after we drank the Toots diesel tanks dry a couple of hundred litres shy of what we wanted. Another day of good looking warmish water with no bait in it. How can such a large portion of the ocean contain no bait at all? Didn't even look like getting a strike. But still cruising past Cape Brett on a summer's Friday morning isn't all bad.
Motored into another bay whose name I can't remember this time in the Cavallis. Anchored up next to Te Arik Nui who caused no trouble. Customary roast dinner (thanks to Big Norm who cooked superbly all week) and off to beddy bye byes a little later than usual - might have even been tomorrow when we got to sleep.
Day 5
Back to Toots. Generally same as before - blue, warm water containing nothing. Got round the Brett by mid afternoon and things change dramatically. Big temperature breaks and at last some signs of life in the water. This is 250 metres off Whangamumu. Managed to get a tailer to have three rather disinterested looks at the Merlin on LR, but no cigar. The two hours in this bit of water was the only time in the whole trip I thought we were about to do something. Big Norm and the Ooompah-loompah spent the day pulling the lips off skippies.
Day 6
The good oil from Mozz via Boulder was that the action was to be had behind the Hen and Chicks. Yeah right. Passed through that and had a mechanical jig off Groper Island in the Mokes. Well Boulder, Big Norm and the Ooompah-loompah did; I had a cup of tea and watched. Bit wobbly here as was the first hour of the passage across to the mainland. Quietened down considerably before we snuck behind Kawau for a scollop dredge which produced only a handful of keepers and then it was game over and back to Z Pier.
Great few days - as always good company is the key. Thoughts? I like big-boat fishing. I like the height of eye, the shower, the big-boat motion, the tea, the height of eye, the room. I like. I will not run wind ons if I get on a big boat again - no point and I wasn't aware of what a bubble trail a swivel six foot from a lure puts out. The Weasel likes being on a big boat but would like a bit more input. I like going away for five days or so at a time. This is the first time I have been proper fishing for nearly two years and I didn't realise how much I missed it. I really enjoy gamefishing.
Day 5
Back to Toots. Generally same as before - blue, warm water containing nothing. Got round the Brett by mid afternoon and things change dramatically. Big temperature breaks and at last some signs of life in the water. This is 250 metres off Whangamumu. Managed to get a tailer to have three rather disinterested looks at the Merlin on LR, but no cigar. The two hours in this bit of water was the only time in the whole trip I thought we were about to do something. Big Norm and the Ooompah-loompah spent the day pulling the lips off skippies.
Day 6
The good oil from Mozz via Boulder was that the action was to be had behind the Hen and Chicks. Yeah right. Passed through that and had a mechanical jig off Groper Island in the Mokes. Well Boulder, Big Norm and the Ooompah-loompah did; I had a cup of tea and watched. Bit wobbly here as was the first hour of the passage across to the mainland. Quietened down considerably before we snuck behind Kawau for a scollop dredge which produced only a handful of keepers and then it was game over and back to Z Pier.
Great few days - as always good company is the key. Thoughts? I like big-boat fishing. I like the height of eye, the shower, the big-boat motion, the tea, the height of eye, the room. I like. I will not run wind ons if I get on a big boat again - no point and I wasn't aware of what a bubble trail a swivel six foot from a lure puts out. The Weasel likes being on a big boat but would like a bit more input. I like going away for five days or so at a time. This is the first time I have been proper fishing for nearly two years and I didn't realise how much I missed it. I really enjoy gamefishing.
No comments:
Post a Comment