Richie's Big Day Out

Many snapper anglers spend a lifetime chasing that elusive 20lber and go to all sorts of ‘exotic’ locations to try and make it happen.

Five-year-old Richie MacInnes recently did it on his backdoor step, landing a 9.3kg (20.7lbs in ‘old money’) trophy fish in the Whangarei harbour, backing it up with an 83cm kingfish soon after.

Richie was fishing with his dad Shamus aboard Graeme Heapy’s 680 Blackdog Cat, in just four metres of water off McLeod’s Bay.

Graeme, who sent us in the images, says Richie played it like a champion.

“Fishing is in his family’s blood. Richie’s great grandfather was Richie Bloomfield, the voice behind Russell Radio for many years,” Graeme says.

Richie was straylining a butterflied jack mackerel bait which the trophy snapper hoovered up as soon as it hit the water.

“In such shallow water, it put up a hell of a scrap. It just shows what a great fishery we have in the harbour, which has fished exceptionally well so far this year.”

– Grant Dixon