Fishing Reports

 

This annual Bay Of Islands event run by local policemen for the pleasure of other men in blue and some very worthy charities has become one of the better in-shore tournaments on the NZ fishing calendar. It’s a great fishing contest for a couple of reasons: firstly, the Bay Swordfish Club is an excellent venue. Secondly, local police run a well-organised show with great prizes. Targeting snapper, kingfish, kahawai and crayfish, the contest provides an opportunity for all to produce a winner. Held over three days, the daily prizes alone are worth the effort. Finally, timed for the second week of November, it coincides with big offshore snapper schooling in the Bay. Mega reds are inevitably landed in this contest. An average snapper weight around 3.5kg tells the story. All the way from Tokoroa, a bunch of free-divers cleaned up the kingfish section. It was their third tournament. Spokesman for the group, Dave Beattie, reckons the diving at Cape Brett was the best he’s experienced in NZ. Wise old kingies, some as big as dolphins, cruised the outer circle of several schools of over fifty fish. Apparently these packs of big resident kingfish have learned not to take anything attached to a line. Smart, eh! As the dive progressed, the fish increasingly kept their distance. Peter Rankin with a yellowtail of 23.015kg took the honours, Dave followed with a fish of 21.74kg, while Pete shot another of 17.55kg to take third prize as well. In the snapper department, Cliff Metcalfe from Whangarei took the cake with a mega red of 14.175kg. He was fishing under the Cape Brett lighthouse using heaps of berley, a 6kg line with a 12kg trace. Lucky the fish struck a big kiwi pilly in mid water otherwise he’d probably have lost it in the kelp. The fish struck just after low water. With a cheap handline inside the Ninepin, recently retired Kaikohe policeman, Maurice Loveridge used a scrap of salted mullet to trick his 10.790kg big red. Just before low tide was the time. And without the use of a handy rag, Morry would have had grooved hands to look after for the rest of the contest. Hailing from Kawakawa, Rob Painting took out third prize with another mega red of 10.412kg. Anglers numbering 180 fishing from 54 boats took part. Close to $10.000 in profits will be shared equally between the Whangarei Coastguard and Northland SPELD. Not only did Kaikohe fishos catch a few, they also almost sank a few. In pitch black with pouring rain and several meters of swell, six anonymous Kaikohe fishos tried to take a shortcut over the rocks at Tapeka point on Tuesday night. Following a GPS track caused the crunch. As you might well imagine, they were pleased when, under extreme conditions, the local coastguard came to their assistance. “Well done Coastguard!” Tight lines!

 

From Steven Radich

Report type: Saltwater

Report date: 27 November 01