Kayak Fishing

As a newbie to fishing but an oldie to kayaking, I thought it would be great fun this summer to take up kayak fishing and see what all the fuss is about. From our house I see heaps of women out fishing on boats and launches, so I figure fishing from a kayak would be even easier. I can carry my own kayak, pop down to the beach after work, and convince myself I can have that Lindt Ball (Swiss Chocolate for those who care) at night because I’ve been out paddling that day.

So I’ve formulated a plan for summer. I’ve set a goal to learn all about fishing and fish my way through as many of the varying styles of kayak trips and adventures as I can. I’m luckier than most, with access to a huge range of kayaks and gear, so I thought, who am I to turn down the opportunity? I just need to figure out what gear, safety equipment and techniques work best for each level of fishing trip, and hopefully some excitement and success with be the result.

So, first stop, kayak choice. As mentioned, I have kayaked for years, but always in a sea kayak, so with the optimism of a novice fisher I naturally decided that I would need a really stable platform from which to catch my first marlin. However, it was quickly pointed out to me that as I’m still learning how to tie the correct knots and attach bait, a closer-to-shore snapper hunt might be better. I therefore decided the convenience of a kayak under 3.5 metres and designed for short trips was the go. We (my partner Scott and resident fisher) chose a Quality Kayaks Escapade (3.46 length, 750mm wide) and a Cobra Explorer (3.4 length, 790mm wide) – perfect ‘after work’ or ‘window of opportunity’ kayaks. Easy to lift on and off the vehicle, they take up no space in the shed, but still track straight, manoeuvre easily and are stable.

Second stop: my fishing gear. I ferreted in the shed for a while, but ultimately decided that this new sport required a shopping trip! Funnily enough, Scott didn’t complain about this outing, and happily volunteered to join and advise me. I am now the proud owner of a decent rod and reel and a kit of fishing gear that boggles the mind. It got Scott all excited, so it must be the right stuff. (John at Stirling Sports in Manukau has told us about the new Kilwell kayak fishing rods, so if I progress from my first trip I might be allowed to go shopping again.)

We took off for the Bay of Islands; we’d heard good reports of year-round fishing success up there, so with a couple of days up our sleeves, away we headed.

After talking with the locals once we got there, checking out the Bay of Islands Spot X map and the weather, we were confident we’d have a great time amongst the rocks and reef just off Tapeka Point.

For a newbie like me, just starting to explore fishing spots, I found Spot X to be a fascinating read. It had reviewed fishing spots, suggested tides, recommended wind direction and more. Wow! What more could a girl want?

The locals were happy to tell me their five-kilo snapper stories and share locations, and it occurred to me that this was the first part of being safe. I was gaining local knowledge, and the locals were aware we were in the area and what we planned to do. It was a very social safety plan. The only downside was that the weather reports were predicting rising winds each day from midday. We figured early morning fishing was going to be the best option.

On our first morning of fishing we launched off Long Beach in Oneroa Bay and headed along the rocky edge and out about 1km from the gun emplacements. It was a stunningly flat and fine day, so we drifted and used a strayline rig rather than anchors or drogues.

While both kayaks were basically set-up, they proved more than adequate for the purpose, with plenty of room for our gear and comfort.

My kayak had a front and rear tank well with tank straps, so I had my chilly bag in the back ready for my catch and my tackle box in the front tank well. In the sealed hatch behind my seat I had a paddle jacket (in case the weather turned), my first-aid kit, spare water and snacks.

This kayak comes with a rod holder to the rear of the seat, and I also had a Scotty deck-mounted rod holder in front. I have a deck-mounted flag and light I use for visibility, and a dry bag is secured to the kayak just in front of my feet, containing my cameras and other stuff I don’t want wet. I had a high-back seat for comfort, and my rod and paddle were both tethered on paddle leashes. Sorted.

The fish were biting as soon as our baits hit the water. Indeed, there were obviously hundreds of snapper, but most were undersize. We stayed out for a number of hours and, frustratingly, the bites were just getting bigger when the wind started rising to the promised 25 knots and we had to head back in.

But what a great morning – the kayaks paddled so easily, even in the following sea and against the wind on the way back, and were really comfortable to spend hours on. Although most fishers would be disappointed, I was just keen to give it another whirl the next day.

Later on we entertained the idea of a dusk-fishing trip, but the wind continued to climb, so we decided to head out at dawn the next day instead, this time launching from Tapeka Point itself.

We were ready to go at 7.30am on the beach at Tapeka Point. The day was overcast, but with no wind and glassy-still water. At that time of day and in the grey we were very conscious of visibility. Where we wanted to head to was just off the beach through the rocky outcrops and to the edge of the main passage that boats use for heading out from Paihia, Russell and Opua. We both had hi-viz hats and brightly coloured or high-viz buoyancy aids, flags and lights, so we hoped this would be good enough – and it was.

A number of big boats ran by us, and most waved, so we were obviously easy to see at that hour, and my only nervous moment was when a mammoth launch came into view and I wondered how our small kayaks would handle the wake. I was readying myself to need a bracing stroke or two, but instead the kayak just sat stable and rode the wake like a fun ride at Disney.

Again the fish were biting as soon as we dropped our lines. I chose to sit just over the ledge from the rocks to the ocean floor, and was entertained for ages watching the fish attack my squid bait in the perfectly clear water. Scott soon pointed out that watching the fish feed on my bait was not actually the point of fishing, so I headed further out with him.

Here we ran into a bit of trouble with blue maomao, but I managed to hook a decent trevally and Scott had some luck with kahawai.

We’d continued to use our strayline set-up, but had changed to squid bait, which was hanging on better and definitely getting some attention.

Finally, success! We started to get bigger bites and to wind in the snapper. For a newbie likeme, it felt as if it took ages to haul my biggest one in, but in reality it was probably just minutes. It certainly tugged for a while and I felt as if I was making no headway. However, the effort was well rewarded when it was determined that at the end of the morning’s fishing my fish was biggest! Scott’s three snapper were not far off, and it could be argued that three 40cm fish are better than one of 42cm, but unlike the All Blacks, I’m all about winning, so size does matter.

So watch out – by the end of summer I’ll be chasing that marlin!

	This article is reproduced with permission of New Zealand Fishing News 2009 - by Julie Reynolds Re-publishing elsewhere is prohibited