Catching your First Marlin

Pete McGregor shares a few anecdotes about the benefits and challenges of introducing newbies to the sport of fishing, as well as how fun it can be to teach salty old dogs new tricks.

I reckon one of the best buzzes one can have in our great sport of fishing is when you introduce a newbie to a new style of fishing, and they experience some success. Remember your own firsts? I was personally enthralled recently when I caught a huge grass carp on light gear for the first time. So much so that I now have a fantastic picture of me grinning with exultation, holding my carp, installed as the screen saver on my computer. I see it every day I sit down to work. Priceless!

Most of us fish with our regular fishing buddies. Let’s face it, that’s usually the easiest option. You know if they say yes, they will be there. They will be on time, have the correct gear, share the costs, and share the clean-up. And they’re good buggers (otherwise, they wouldn’t get the call-up!). They bring food (sometimes), they don’t chatter incessantly, they keep to their side of the boat, and they are prepared to take a ribbing and give back in return. They are…well, easy!

Unlike your reliable fishing buddy, a newbie (especially a newbie to fishing) has risks attached – for all the same reasons but in reverse. In addition, they might be a person that gets seasick. Maybe they are gormless in the boat and keep tripping over the chilly bin. Maybe they smoke. Maybe there are many not-so-pleasant irritations.

But I don’t want to put you off – far from it. Here are a few brief examples of some totally successful game fishing trips where Glenn Kipling and I have achieved newbie successes. Hopefully, they will whet your appetite for taking a newbie out.

Pyper Kipling's newbie success!

You must be a bit careful with this in a small boat, though. It’s a potentially dangerous situation so I usually take an experienced mate with me until I get a read on the newbie and how they fit in. If all goes well, then I will take them on their own next trip.

Steve Allen:

Steve had recently been made redundant, so was free to go fishing any day of the week. A big plus.

We launched at little Huia and, after crossing the notorious Manukau bar, we motored out to the 95-metre mark where there had been some good action the previous day. 15 minutes after our lures were set, a marlin crashed out of our wake onto the short corner lure, right behind the dredge. Hooked up!

Steve fought a great fight and after 1 hour and 15 minutes, we had a beautiful stripey secured beside the boat. This, despite a school of dolphins trying to come between us and our prey. We got some great photos beside the boat before releasing the tagged marlin to fight another day.

Certainly, Steve is on my list for another trip, a thoroughly nice young man, and a pleasure to have on the boat. Our plan is to invite Steve’s Dad (a Mercury big wig) along with us sometime soon, providing he doesn’t mind being pushed around by a silver bullet!

Steve Allen stoked with his first marlin catch.

Ray Knowles:

My old mate Ray is a very experienced fisherman and over the years I learnt a lot about snapper fishing from him. But Ray had never caught a marlin. In fact, he hated the idea of going for one, largely because he favoured more active fishing rather than boring hours spent trolling. So, it took quite an effort on my behalf to get him out.

Our first trip was a disaster. However, on our second attempt out from Whangaroa things went better. It was a beautiful, flat day on the water and shortly after 11 am we had a strike on the long corner, with a marlin taking the Bonze ‘Kraken’ lure.

You have never seen a man’s attitude to game fishing change so quickly. Ray’s big grin was ear-to-ear as he played the fish. He could not believe the power it demonstrated, and the joy of seeing it leaping out from the boat’s starboard side had him yelling in delight.

After 30 minutes, we had the marlin in close to the boat and despite some reservations about handling such a green fish, I leadered it. Unfortunately, the fish threw the hook just as I touched its bill. We still considered it caught but didn’t get the photo opportunities we would have liked.

Ray keeps a photo I took of the marlin jumping on his phone to show everyone. Plus, he is talking to his son Jason about rigging their boat up for game fishing. What a turnaround.

Ray Knowles with an ear-to-ear grin after his successful intro to gamefishing.

Darren Heka:

This one was on Glenn’s boat Optimystic, and our trip was out of Hokianga. This was Darren’s first time out with us, and he was excited. He couldn’t stop talking all the way on the drive up, however, he was much quieter after we had crossed the Hokianga bar. Optimystic is a marlin magnet, and after only 30 minutes of trolling we had our first marlin on. Darren fought this fish for 1 hour and 20 minutes before Glenn was able to grasp the leader and start to pull it in towards the boat. Unfortunately, the fish threw the hook at that point, and we were unable to get any photos. A bit shattered, we set about trolling again. Later in the day, on a whim, Glenn steered us back over to the same spot. BANG! ZZZZZ. We were on again. Darren again fought the good fight. This time, Glenn steered the boat while I leadered the fish to the side of the boat. Darren had decided he wanted to let it go, so we tagged and released it with heaps of photos. Not bad for your first day marlin fishing!

Neven Aspinall:

Nev works for Glenn and is a really nice bloke. Glenn had taken him out twice before without success, so we needed to break his duck.

We had a particularly tough bar crossing exiting the Kaipara, but it was very nice once we got out from the coast. Shortly after setting the lures, Glenn noticed a fish behind the long corner D-shackle lure. He called it for a shark, then it moved towards the short corner Bonze ‘Argonaut’ lure and hooked itself up. Still thinking we had a shark on, Glenn and I resignedly set about getting the other lures in. While we are doing this a marlin leapt behind the boat. Whoa! OK, much more urgency now.

This was a long and very exciting fight against a wily foe that performed every trick in the ‘how to get away’ book. We even had Nev spread-eagled down the side of the boat twice in his attempts to keep in contact with the big fish as it tried to cross our bow. Several times it jumped spectacularly right next to the boat – what a show! Eventually, Glenn was able to leader the fish and it was duly tagged and released.

Every time I call in at Glenn’s workplace – Brave Design – I see this big grin in the corner. I swear Nev is still reliving that catch to this day.

Jack Lucas:

Now, you may wonder why I chose to include Jack in an article on first-time anglers, as he features in a lot of my fishing adventures. But as I said earlier, this is not all about fishing novices; it’s also about getting a mate onto something different. We certainly did that for Jack when we took Significant Other 2 all the way down to Waihau Bay to target southern bluefin tuna.

On this occasion, it was Significant Other 2 that was the magnet and we hooked up to a tuna just 30 minutes after setting our spread. The boys had seen three birds hovering over a spot on the water and, as luck would have it, our lures passed over that area at the same time. A solid tuna took our shotgun lure and charged off. Jack was the angler on the roster at that time, so he harnessed up while David Gower and I cleared away the multitude of lures, rods, and teasers that I use for tuna.

A dogged fight ensued with Jack taking about 1 hour and 15 minutes to bring his tuna to the surface for leadering. “Get the gaff in, get the gaff in quick!” he gasped to David who had never gaffed a game fish before. However, all was well and soon we had a nice big tuna on board bleeding all over the boat as only tuna can do.

Those are just a few of the many first-time angler game fish captures I have been involved with. Others include my wife Yvonne and our granddaughter, Pyper. But it doesn’t just have to be game fishing. I get just as much enjoyment getting a new fisher on to their first snapper or kingie, or their first on soft-baits or metal lures. The opportunities are endless!

Jack Lucas hooked up to the elusive SBT for the first time.

Where to find new fishos:

Obviously, there is your existing network of friends as a good starting point, but we are lucky these days with how easy it is to connect with people via social media. NZ Fishing Community and NZ Game Fishing Facebook groups are great sources. Sometimes I simply read something a person says on an online post and it is a catalyst for contacting them. Maybe it’s a hard-luck story or a “what am I doing wrong?” plea. Sometimes people approach me after I have posted a catch. Another possibility is to just post that you are going out Friday, “Anyone free to join me?” Then I just vet the applicants’ Facebook histories to see who appeals. But don’t forget other boaties. Often, they are only too keen to get out on another boat and compare techniques and skills. Many have not managed to catch a marlin on their own vessel.

I have occasionally been accused of running a secret charter boat, but nothing could be further from the truth. I just love putting someone on to the fish of their dreams for the first time, and I love driving the boat. Giving pleasure back to others is my buzz, and the experience of catching a big fish from a small trailer boat is quite different than from a big charter vessel.

I feel privileged to have had the opportunity to introduce so many people to new fishing experiences. For some, it has been the start of a new passion. For others, maybe just a chance to boast over a photo or two. But the person who gets the biggest buzz is me. Give it a go yourself! 

August 2022 - Pete McGregor
New Zealand Fishing News Magazine.
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