Big reds, giant trev - Far North softbait heaven

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Post Options Post Options   Likes (15) Likes(15)   Quote The Tamure Kid Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: Big reds, giant trev - Far North softbait heaven
    Posted: 05 Jun 2020 at 10:07pm
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I've just returned from a fantastic mission to the Far North - based on the Karikari Peninsula - with my little FC465 Te Korora in tow. 

From the first night's fitful sleep with typical anxiety over the forecast and general anticipation of the coming day's fishing; to the last weary morning washing the boat and motor thoroughly with unrestricted water and a powerful hose before returning to Auckland, it was worth the wait after being cancelled in April due to you know what.

The last day saw me land and release my PB softbait snapper within minutes of each other - 73cm followed by 74cm and built like absolute tanks (at least 16lb and 17lb based on the 'average' conversion charts). My decision to push through a stiff SWer across to the desolate coastline towards Parengarenga had paid off in spades. One crushed a Z Man 7" Fusilier (and the end of my finger when I tried to extract it!), and the other on a Z Man 8" paddle tail Magswimz in Calico Candy. Two fish in the mid-50s rounded off a spectacular day's fishing in a spectacular place. 

My trusty little FC runabout took me far and wide: up the Rangaunu Harbour and out on the open ocean - including a run to the group of craggy islands near the tip of Cape Karikari, where big NE swells rose up and crashed against the rocks. I pulled two nice snaps out of the wash on 7" Z Man Motor Oil, but felt pretty insignificant once the other boats out there drove off. I prudently followed soon after, riding the following swells home.

I also racked up a good john dory on a 7" Nuked Pilchard from 23m under some bird action out in the middle ground, and saw two big kingies lurking as I wound in a snapper from the same thick bottom sign. Tried winding a big softie on a 1.5oz jighead fast through the activity which got hit - but surprisingly by a 50cm snapper, not a kingie.  I tussled with some horse kahawai during the trip, and two hideous barracudas, but had no joy towing a big Rapala around the harbour entrance in the hope of a kingie.

The trip had got off to an unforgettable start in the shape of an absolutely stunning PB trevally - 77cm and 7kg (15.5lb) - from over the sand in Rangaunu Bay. A long-held dream realised. The full story of that capture will hopefully appear in a future NZ Fishing News.

As usual, the marine life up there was amazing - a huge pod of dolphins jumping and carving in the bow wave at the harbour entrance one day, and squadrons of korora (little blue penguins) honking out at the 20m mark. I also slowly passed over a massive bronzie cruising on the bottom in 3m of water off the beach one early morning, which gave my heart a flicker. Apex predator, for sure.

It's a magical place, and it was hard to point the Hilux south to the re-emerging rat race. But the Far North will call me back. With a trevally trophy of a lifetime nailed, hopefully there is a monster softbait snapper swimming around up there with my name on it.

Some photos from the trip:
 






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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote brmbrm Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 Jun 2020 at 10:25pm
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Really good stuff - nice trip, nice report, jealous "locked down" (by domestic duties) in Auckland.
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Motorhead Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 Jun 2020 at 10:57pm
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Great story capturing your trip. That Trev is a monster at >15lb.
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Muppet Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 Jun 2020 at 5:49am
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Very nice Lester
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Snappa Geoff Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 Jun 2020 at 8:05am
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Top report lester! Congrats on the PB'sBeer
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote kitno Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 Jun 2020 at 9:29am
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Awesome trip, not jealous at all
Great boats those FC's from what I hear. Perfect for the Grunter Hunter
Top 10 finish
2024 Grunter Hunter.
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Sufishent Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 Jun 2020 at 12:43pm
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Great report Lester. 
You can never have enough fishing tackle
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote foulplay Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 Jun 2020 at 1:47pm
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Fantastic report. Captures the magic and adventure of fishing well. Took my fc390 up round the tip of cape karikari with decent ground swell running. Know the feeling. Felt like being at the edge of the earth when no boats around. Cool place. I look forward to reading the nz fishing news if this is anything to go by.
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Telecaster Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 Jun 2020 at 4:49pm
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Man that trev must have been a great fight!
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote MB Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 Jun 2020 at 7:10pm
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Cool report Cool
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Transformations Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 Jun 2020 at 9:42pm
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Great report, thanks for sharing with us👍
We don't know what we don't need till we've got it
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (1) Likes(1)   Quote The Tamure Kid Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07 Jun 2020 at 8:39am
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Thanks very much for the positive comments, team. 

We all had to stay put and miss so much prime fishing time over the autumn, so it was great to have a trip that definitely redressed the balance. 

The weather windows are shorter as we sink into winter, but I had some luck in that sense and was rewarded for hard yards on the water. Great memories.
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote FISHBYFLY Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07 Jun 2020 at 9:55am
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Great Report LesterClap,

Awseome catches in a wonderfull place, cant get any better than that!
By Fly, Nothing Else,Just Fly
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Clifftastic Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07 Jun 2020 at 12:32pm
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Lovely trip report Lester. Congrats on the PB's and glad to hear that Fusilier was doing the damage!
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote shaneg Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07 Jun 2020 at 5:40pm
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good one mate, can’t beat a big Trev.. haven’t caught one for long time now.

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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Speedy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07 Jun 2020 at 8:27pm
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Wicked trip - wicked report!!

A place very close to my heart too!

Thanks for taking the time to share....
Proud supporter of Ronald McDonald House & the team at Legasea

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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote The Tamure Kid Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 08 Jun 2020 at 5:17pm
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Originally posted by Motorhead Motorhead wrote:

Great story capturing your trip. That Trev is a monster at >15lb.

Funny, last night I put away all the jigheads I used on the trip from the 'wash box' into their correct storage and noticed the one I got the trev on was a bit bent out - a 5/0 TT Lures 3/4 oz with 'heavy duty' Mustad hook. The fish certainly had some pulling power. Luckily all my knots held together!! I was using 20lb braid and 20lb leader.
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote The Tamure Kid Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 08 Jun 2020 at 5:24pm
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Originally posted by Clifftastic Clifftastic wrote:

Lovely trip report Lester. Congrats on the PB's and glad to hear that Fusilier was doing the damage!

Thanks Tyler. Haha, yip I actually thought back to our charter with JW as some of the territory looked very similar to Little Barrier - very clear water and you could see bommies interspersed with patches of sand. I remembered my luck on the Fusilier during that trip and put one on! It still looks like Z Man got the colours upside down, with chartreuse on the top and blue on the 'bottom', but the fish don't seem to mind.
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Motorhead Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 08 Jun 2020 at 6:50pm
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Originally posted by The Tamure Kid The Tamure Kid wrote:

Originally posted by Motorhead Motorhead wrote:

Great story capturing your trip. That Trev is a monster at >15lb.


Funny, last night I put away all the jigheads I used on the trip from the 'wash box' into their correct storage and noticed the one I got the trev on was a bit bent out - a 5/0 TT Lures 3/4 oz with 'heavy duty' Mustad hook. The fish certainly had some pulling power. Luckily all my knots held together!! I was using 20lb braid and 20lb leader.


That Trev would have pulled like tractor.

Do you run braid that heavy all the time or is it terrain dependent?

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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote pjc Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 08 Jun 2020 at 7:21pm
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Well done TK beats howick shallows
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