Three generations involved in first marlin

Three generations of the Pickering family were on board to witness and participate in the capture of the first striped marlin for the 2020-21 season on November 21.

Dargaville’s Scott Pickering was the angler, his dad Mark was at the helm of the 6.8m Ramco Raven while Scott’s nine-year-old daughter Frankie Jane was there to witness her first marlin catch and offer plenty of excited encouragement.

The crew left Hihi heading out for what was primarily a bottom fishing mission to target some reef species at the rock known at the ‘335’, outside the Garden Patch. With some nice fish on ice, including Frankie Jane’s first bluenose, the family decided to head back in, running some lures on the way.

“There was some good blue water and a temperature of 19.7 degrees C when we first put the lures in and this got colder and greener the closer we got to the Garden Patch,” Scott says.

“We continued on and at around the 200 metre mark the water improved slightly and we spotted a marlin tailing.”

Running the lures around it, the fish became agitated and then disappeared, popping up under the Bonze D-Shackle Karma skirted lure.

“It was a spectacular hook-up, the fish going aerial once it felt the hook. The fish peeled a fair bit of line off the 24kg top-shotted Talica 50 while the gear was cleared, and Scott settled into his work.”

Using light gauge hooks and with a drag set at 6kg, Scott was taking it easy and after close on an hour, they had the fish secured alongside. He says there were no dramas, the fish putting on just one more acrobatic display – much to Frankie Jane’s delight – close to the boat.

“While you have to be prepared for anything, we had been hoping for either a top-eating yellowfin tuna or even a mahimahi, the marlin was a pleasant bonus.”

Once on board the fish was iced down and taken to the Doubtless Bay Sportfishing club’s weigh station where it pulled the scales down to 118.5kg – a respectable striped marlin in anyone’s language.

Scott pays tribute to lure maker Bonze Fleet who was helping him set up his own small boat for gamefishing this season.

“Bonze convinced me to go lighter with my hooks and trace and it certainly worked on this occasion, the hook set being perfect, the point penetrating well into the marlin’s jaw.”

The other factor Scott says probably helped was running a small trailerboat sized dredge.

Scott says the early capture has sparked the family’s interest in gamefishing.

“My sisters have all caught a billfish and we hope to get my wife George (Georgina) into a fish this season then Frankie Jane eventually. They are certainly out there, so let’s hope everyone has a bumper season.”

- Grant Dixon