Josh claims smallfry light tackle marks

The capture of a 152kg marlin for young Tutukaka angler Josh Dodd a couple of seasons back was the catalyst for the nine-year-old’s most recent effort – a 3.02kg snapper on one-kilo tackle, which is a national record.

Josh’s dad Matt put his son, then seven, onto the big striped marlin which would have seen him claim the small fry world record, had it not been for a couple of breaches of the IGFA rules.

“I was not sure if the standard rules applied to smallfry (up to 11 years old) records. I had set the hook for Josh and during the fight the rod had been rested on the gunwale, so a claim was never made,” Matt says.

While Josh was justifiably proud of his effort, his interest in making the record books had been piqued.

Recently Matt and Josh joined James Farley and his son Carson on a trip to the Far North’s Parengarenga Harbour and they had records on their minds. James recently claimed the men’s one-kilo snapper record with a 7.70kg fish caught off Muriwai in trying conditions – see story in the December issue – so the Dodds were in good company.

Using the same ledger rig terminal tackle as James had, Josh hooked and played the snapper for around 35 minutes before it was boated and eventually weighed back at the Whangarei Deep Sea Angler’s club by NZ Sport Fishing Council’s records officer Pete Saul.

“Pete was fantastic to deal with and so encouraging of junior anglers – we appreciated the help he gave us in processing the claims.”

The fight had not been without its dramas. After about 10 minutes a small but feisty mako shark showed up and its presence was always in the back of Matt’s mind.

“To his credit Josh was less worried about the shark than I was, and he showed a great deal of patience in fighting the fish.”

Matt says he handed the ‘coaching’ over to James who did a great job in talking Josh through the experience.

In the same trip, fishing out of Matt’s custom-built Alloy Works 5.5m sportfisher Omega, Josh caught a world and national record fish, an 18.95kg tope shark on threekilo line. He had a ‘close encounter’ with another possible record mark when he had an estimated six-kilo snapper beaten and at the boat on three kilo line before a bronze whaler took it for its dinner.

Fishing the lighter line classes has become a passion for the Ngunguru Primary student, where principal and mad-keen fisher Mr Sayer has been offering his encouragement.

“He is a bit of a light line fanatic, so he and Josh had a good discussion on tactics before we left.”

And before long there may well be another Dodd appearing in the record books. Josh’s younger brother Liam has the fishing bug and has set his sights on bettering his older sibling’s efforts – nothing like a bit of friendly brotherly rivalry to spark the competition!

For the record

• IGFA does not hold line-class records for junior (11 to 16) and smallfry (up to 11) anglers, just all-tackle marks for each species.

• Josh Dodd has two pending records. His first claim for the smallfry onekilo snapper world record was caught on an Avet overhead leverdrag reel matched to a Shimano Vortex rod. The line was Momoi and the hook, a Youvella 5/0 Mutsu. His second is for a tope shark, the current world record for which is held by Bailey McIntyre with a 16.7kg fish caught out of Whangaroa in October 2006. Josh’s claims, if ratified, will take both these marks.

• There is no smallfry 1kg snapper world record category. The current national male smallfy record stands at 1.25kgs, caught by Luke Mullin in January, 2013.

• The striped marlin world and national male smallfry record is held by Declan Loveridge who landed a 150.50kg fish out of Mercury Bay in February 2015. The female smallfry national and world mark was set in 2002 at 147kg by Alexis Poulter fishing off North Cape.