If a thing seems too good to be true it usually is. Adam Scott tagged a couple in the Bay on Monday. He PM'd me as we were discussing other things with the intelligence that the Ninepin Trench and down to Brett had marlin jostling for pecking order at lures (or something along those lines). The fish had appeared to have moved north and, what is more, the water of Whangamumu was starting to look a bit iffy. I telephonically transfer this information to the two Bs who are already on the road at this point. Boulder 'phones Grunta who tells of only four fish out of Toots on Monday. Us of the insatiable lust for information acted instantly. The chalet at Toots is cancelled and we are off to Paihia. I arrive first, find boat friendly accommodation and we repair to the Swordy for tea. All fish caught today are between the Ninepin Trench and the Brett. God, we are so smart it hurts. We are in the right place and all those poor suckers who haven't got their finger on the pulse are stuck down in Toots from whence all the fish have fled.
It has long been a desire of Boulder to have an Enki only day. I have always thought this to be a jolly spiffing wheeze and so we pooled our resources and could only come up with thirteen Enkis between us.
Bender had left his four at home and I later found another two in my lure rolls that missed the preliminary search. So we could have chosen from nineteen. A starting five (damned shottie is plaguing me this season) was picked thus. SC 22 Enki 'Bermuda', LC 16 Enki 'Casper', SR Shell Enki 'Drysdale', LR SHell Enki 'Ascension' and shottie Mini Enki 'Mackerel' (and no, Boulder and Bushpig, you can't have it - even for money)
The other ten Enkis were packed along with a few spare skirts. Nothing else in the lure department was allowed on the boat. Needed the spare lures as we were going to be so busy that it would be quicker and easier to change lures between fish instead of re-rigging lures that had just been successful.
Right not much more to do now. Checked the SSTs on the early version Weasel and that just confirmed how bloody smart we were. I've never caught three marlin in a day and tomorrow it was going to be like shooting fish in a barrel. Up to the spot at 137m (not 136 or 138) that the Weasel told us was just the place where the bait would be. Pick up a fish at the Nine Pin Trench, off to Queens Buoy with another fish on the way across and then perhaps another off Red Head on the way home. Back by, what, fourish for tea and crumpets.
Stuck to the plan, caught nothing and listened to Wetspot and Sambosi (the mugs who stayed in Toots, remember) catch the pants off us. When Lance caught his fish we were already off the Brett and it would have been silly not to go and have a look . Us and another dozen boats. Saw a tailer as soon as we got to the area, but that was our lot. The bite was over.
Good day (ten hours on the water) despite the lack of fish. I really like that sort of fishing - thinking about it, forming a plan and then sticking to it. Adapt the plan to what is happening on the water. At all times during the day know where you are, what the water temp is, how far the next mark is away in both time and distance, make another plan, look out of the window, act on what you see, look at the electronics, make more mental calculations, try something based on that - love it. I would prefer a day like yesterday and all the planning that went into it with no fish than wandering around the ocean like a headless chook and tripping over a marlin by accident. I really would.
Weather slated to go tits up by Thursday arvo with Friday being impossible. Already by Wednesday lunchtime the wind portents in the clouds were not good. Should get a morning's fishing in at least. Brown joined us from Whangarei bright and early on a day that brought him an early morning expensive roadside chat with the boys in blue and us an unexpected burst of rain. The ban on all things non Enki had been lifted and I saw a lot of Technical Jerk equipment being loaded. Out past the Brett at 0830 and it was already obvious that even half a day of towing plastic was not going to be a comfortable pastime. So after a run through the Hole in the Rock to help the Tourist dollar we did a bit of the TJ along the coast. Brown got half a kingie and a 90cm complete model; Bendie got a kawahai and a rat. Wind doing as threatened and back at Waitangi just after noon. Bender opted not to get hammered in the Swordy Club and we drove home.
And, as they say around here, that is all.
No comments:
Post a Comment