Righto will keep this one shortish.

Head up to Omaha and by the time I had picked up the crew and we'd eaten the sacrificial butter chicken pies from BP then finished the drive it was 10:30 am.

Did a bit of sight seeing as the tide was in full flow by then and the frist recce of the usual spot didn't look good.  One of the most in sane rips comming out the river chopped it up worse then we had paddled baits out in before.

Decided to stick to the plan went back to the usual place after checking out the other side.  Was now 11:00ish, unpacked car hauled it all down.  Sat around scoping out the water (the most insane rip we had ever seen there).

Got the frist trace made up as was showing the newbies how to do it.  Trace was the usual 4 - 5m 400lb suffic touch trace, 14/0 circle hook with a 40 odd cm double crimped up with some electric tape for added protection on the double.

Tooh picks were prodiced and the hook was held in place while the bait was taped up and prepared.  Bait was a whole bonito as the first fish always (usually) takes the longest so we want the peckers to send some time chewing on a whole bait as a half would  only last minutes.

Bait and trace prepared my good mate and long time sharking buddy yakked the bait out.  And cudos to him it was hell out there we kept losing sight of him.  He dropped the bait over board on the shore side of the rip which we had deduced would be the prime spot.  In the end not as far out as we usually put it.

So got back in we set the rod holder up dug the sand anchor in and walked back up to the kit to apply sun screen and shoot the breeze while the long wait kicked in.

About 20 minutes later one of the two new people we had along asked me.  "How will you know when one bites the bait"  It was half way through answering that question when I noticed the line had moved from the right (direction the current was going and towards the mina beach) to the left.

I then said it was probably sea weed on the line and the eddy was pushing it back.  If I had a fish on I would see the rod tip bouncing.  When murphies law I swear I saw it bounce.

Up like a flash sprinting to the rod ready to go and nothing.  Flase alarm I put it down to the waves pulling the line stood around for 5 min memorized which way the line was facing and walked back up.  Rolled up a durry and was just kicking back when my mate Ben goes "Bro can you hear that?"

Sure as hell the ratchet was going nuts.

Off like a flash giving shouting instructions to get the gimbal rope and bolt cutters.

Got to the rod and the sand anchor and rod leash combo had done the job.  Got the rob up and because it was a big bait decided to let it chew for a bit (later I realised it had probably been chewing for a few minutes already)

It slowly start heading of towards the bathing beach and so I bumped the drag half way to strike.  Ben caught up and got the bucket and gimbal on for me.

We got the clips on to the reel and then I hit home to strike figure I had eased the hook into it long enough.  Thinking all hell will break loose now I upped it strike and walked backwards.  And it slowly chugged along.  What the hell I thought?  I'll let it know I'm here.  Ran back wards now and WHAMO!

Fish on, and holy **** did it run.  And run, and run, and run.

This shot was taken as it took off


Leaned back and held on for dear life.  After about 2 minutes of this run I very quickley realised I had not preset the drag that day and did not know what strike was set too.  As such this thing was very quickly making mince meat of my spool.  Reaching new lows in line capacity I tapped it just a little past sunset and flattend the rod.

That seemed to slow it but not much.  Then it stopped.  And the slog began.  It had gone straight for the current and was just cruising, head towards the main beach.  After about 20 min of give and take I decided to go to sunset, having figured I was probably pretty much there anyway with the spool as empty as it was.

Hit sunset and it stopped him.  Began walking up and down the beach slowly gaining line back.

After another while I finally had about 400m on the spool thinking sweet only 200 and a bit to go this will be sweet...  No it wasn't

I managed to get him to the surface about 100m out when he went back to current and went the other way towards the groyn.  I followed him up a slow pace trying to turn him back but no that wasn't going to happen.  About 200m from the groyn with a good angle I told the other I was going to fight him of the front.  Jogged up the beach till I had some slack.  Eased of the drag to free spool, quickly bumped it up a smidgen and hauled ass up and over the rocks to the front.

This had been going on about 45 min now.  Just after he hit the current the gimbale clips and snapped so had been armstronging it for a while and they were getting knackerd.



Had switched to using the crook of the elbow on the beach.

Up on the rocks that was not an option he was down deep and I was now out levered and really wishing I had my backbone broom stick as I would have skulled dragged it out if I did.

I tried lifting to gain slack but he had stopped in teh current again and was not moving.  So strat rock hopping backwards and slowly gaining line the reeling it back.  This seem to take ages but finally he changed direction again and headed for the river.  Using this I found a rock that would double and game chair and pulled as hard as I could and started to whinch him out.





The presure worked I had him turned for good and he was heading parralel to the groyn.  I troted after take a good rest and keeping pace just stopping every now and then to get some line back.

When he was about 40m off the beach I double timed over the rocks and onto the beach and dragged it into the shallows before he could get into another run.

Went in to leader him in as I didn't want to stress the rod with that.  Got it in shallow enough handed the rod over the a lady friend and went in to rop the tail.  Ben came over we dragged it into shallower water so we could work on it.



All newbies that come get given a choice, get the hook out of hold the mouth open.  My mate Scott chose the hook.





This was a prefect corner mouth hookup with a circle.  He ended getting to do both and he was to worried about it having munch at him so we swapped places and I talked him through how to best remove them for future reference.  Also showed him how to hold the head up in relative saftey.

Hook out it was time for the money shots.



My good mate Ben on the left and a new lady in the middle.

And first timer Scott, who ballsed up big time and was calmer and less shaking like paint mixer then Ben on his first time.



And that was that.  We put another bait out this time experimenting with a baby bonito soaked it for 40 min reeled in a fram that had been pecked clean.  Called it a day and came home.

Fight ended up in the 1 1/2 - 2 hour area.

My first for the season of hopefully many more!!!!

So ****ing stoked!

well done John.

Why use such a long rod? I would have though a short (ish) rod would have been the go?

YEEEEEEEEEEEEEAH! wickid bro!

planned well and rewarded.

Great stuff, awesome report keep up the good work...

Very cool, good on ya Zambizi

Awesome report John, thinking I may have to get into this over th coming year in the manukau harbour .  Will be PMing you soon for info

Yeah am really looking forward to this summer.  If the weather does the La Nina thing as expected it will be all one like donkey kong.

Excellent read and even better photos.

Holy s**t,