06/11/11, 11:30 17:30, Workups at 47m
"See you at my Casa at 10:30." Snap txted me.
Arriving at 10:15 we quickly loaded the Smuggler up with our gear and had a Turkish Coffee while waiting for Greg to arrive.
Wind from the WSW quarter gusting up to 24 knots at Bean Rock we heard on Nowcasting while we sipped our caffeine hits. "Hmm, should be alright. Where shall we go?" I asked Snap.
"We may not have to go all the way out to where we were last weekend out towards the Toes and Limebarges. As we could easily get our binful close in. Anyway, let's launch from Te Atatu and we'll see what happens when we get out there." Snap replied.
Launched from Te Atatu and we got underway at 11:30.
This was literally the calm before the washing machine seas we saw once we cleared the Noises as the Smuggler easily held it's course at 25 knots with the wind chop on it's port beam. Heading straight out to the 47m.
We decided not to bother with Sergeant's as the pull of going deep was stronger then a frustrating crabbing wind against incoming tide drift with SPs in the shallows. It's only a carbon footprint and we will use it to find the wildlife in sync out there was the consensus decision.
By the 35m mark the sea was getting up to about 1.5m but the V8 purred and the Smuggler headed straight as an arrow towards Channel Island. Approaching the 40m mark more birdlife was evident with Sooty Shearwaters, Terns and the odd Budgie were all hunting and swooping in the breeze that was now gusting up to 30 knots. Whitecaps everywhere across the horizon but still the Smuggler was relentless with Capn Snap on the helm as the hull easily shouldered aside this beam swell with wind chop on top.
Then like magic we all saw it simultaneously the concentrated fluttering of white wings ahead as the Budgies Kamikaze-smash dived into the choppy seas below them. It was a massive Workup of monumental porportions which seemed to stretch from Little Barrier out to the tip of the Moehau Ranges. To me it was like the "Mother of all Workups". The budgies were thick in numerous flocks stretching across this grey expanse.
Approaching the first flock of this maelstrom of birds we could see pods of Dolphins rounding up the baitfish while others came and had a quick surf off the stern wake of the Smuggler before re-joining the feeding frenzy.
The TV Screen was blanked out in areas but also showed when we got past the bait schools those smudges on the bottom of feeding Snapper.
It was rough out there as the occasional wave sloped over the stern of the Smuggler. But we had our own exclusive private workup without another boat in sight other then a Geared Handymax steaming through the Colville Channel.
Using a Asari Katana jig in those seas was not the right choice as my first cast and drop only momentarily reached the bottom before it was swooped away and off the bottom as the strong winds pushed the Smuggler along even with the drogue deployed. It was ineffectual as the hardtop acted like a sail.
Changing to a 150gm Purple Lucanus dressed with Green skirts, "The Wings" finally felt contact with the bottom and was instantly stapled by a strong fighting fish. "This is good Bro if you can reach the bottom!" I commented to Snap after landing the first of our Snapper that ranged in size from 45 - 62cms. Snap had initially deployed his favourite 2oz Tungsten weighted Lizard on his Twin Power TCurve outfit only to have to cut it off at the sternleg as the 20lb braid billowing around had inadvertently tangled around the exhaust vent on his first deployment!
Fighting with his own personal demons this afternoon Snap quickly re-rigged a 200gm jig onto his Trini 12A setup all the time muttering profanities as we were amped!! Surrounded by wildlife that now also included a couple of Bryde Whales we could see spouting 200m to our port.
Greg, our third was also struggling to get any contact with the bottom using a 4oz Cyclops with a Red Paddletailed Zman. His braided line trailed well astern and clear of the bottom as he hooked into the first of those big sea going KYs.
I had bought my Jigging outfit anticipating this scenario so quickly attaching a 300gm Green/Blue Broken Arrow. I managed to drop this rather incongruous setup into the seething sea and after touching down, winding up some of the slack on my 5th colour. I Mechanical Jig cranked the outfit twice and was rewarded with the pull of a very good fish.
Thanks to Skidogg who had about a fortnight ago suggested in these reports that big jigs do work!
I slayed them from then on effectively skull dragging any Piscatorial Species that came into contact with that swinging rubber skirted assist hook. No finesse of 4lb braid or the smooth drags of the Certate. It was just meat fishing at it's best as every drop produced a hookup either immediately or within 2 - 5 MJ cranks of the OJ4KP, spooled with YGK PE8 braid mounted on the Kojak Jigstar 350 that was like taking a magnum handgun into a knifefight this afternoon.
This short little rod is brutal any; Snapper, Couta, KYs and Kings were all quickly subdued while we were blown along at 5 - 7 knots and out towards the middle of the Gulf. At one stage during this busy period Snap was beside me and commented: "This is insane! Are we happy or not?!" I think I had a glazed expression in my eyes as I was in the zone and amped on the hunting and gathering spirit. Squid, pity you didn't make it Bro. I needed your grin and one liners to release some tension and bring a touch of humour to this scene.
Finding his mojo and perservering with SPs big Pink Grubs on 4oz Cyclop rigs Snap was like a conveyer belt dealing quickly, ruthlessly and efficiently to his fish as he reached his Long John. Suffice to say we quickly filled that big Icebox of his and had to remove our Coronas to make room for this binful of Snaps, KYs and a solitary King that was badly injured by the assist hook on the Broken Arrow Jig. It made for very yummy Sashimi this evening.
No photos of this melee as not only were we to busy that we could not eat or drink as after 2 repositions it just became one long reach in that huge scrum of wildlife that it was a matter of doing the business pronto and then take the anticipated beating for the homeward leg. The wind was now gusting around 35 knots and the seas were picking up to around 2.5m out there.
"Right, lines up. We're out of here!" Snap declared as we surveyed the carnage of a slippery carpeted deck covered in blood and scales. It was 15:30 when we got underway I was quite happy with this decision as the bobbing and syncopated movements of the Smuggler was definitely making me feel a bit green. But it was worth the frantic hour of nonstop action with the Kojak spanking mercilessly all fish that the Broken Arrow attracted to it's deadly assist hook.
Took us an hour at 10 knots to reach the Noises. At the 1hr 20mins mark the Smuggler nearly popped out it's windscreen as it was barreled by 3 consecutive short and nasty waves which jarred it like a tinny. Immediately, we had to effect running repairs everytime as the screen was to pop out 4 more times before we reached the Te Atatu ramps.
Took the above staged photo when we got back under the NW motorway bridge as we realised that we had no dead fish photos! "Workup off Te Atatu Ramp! Yeah, Right!!" However, this was the 62cms Snapper I took with the Jigging outfit that worked so well for me today in those boisterous conditions.
The autopsy of the Kingfish above showed that it's stomach content was full of fresh Pilchards. Good enough to use fresh off Taka Cliffs.
In summary, today was about getting a feed quickly as we realised why we were the only boat out there in the middle at 15:00 as the seas got further whipped up by the WSW wind. The afternoon workups even in 35 knots are still hard out as the baitfish were smashed by the associated foodchain. Must reach the bottom is the mantra, although towards the end of Snap's session he got a couple in 20m on the drop as the hungry Snapper intercepted his Pink Grubtail. That Smuggler hull delivered us back safely and was handled with skill by Capn Snap.
It was fast, furious and a relatively satisfactory result albeit it has left me feeling like I wanted more of that I do not know what at this moment. Not more fish that's for sure! Probably more fishing time with lighter and more sporting gear to expunge the kill, kill brutality of a jigging set used with ruthless efficiency today.
Snap, we got to do it again Bro! I'm not well......I need counseling and another session with the Workup Dr!!
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