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: