Happy new years all.
Bit of a belated trip report from the 15/12/2020.
Drove up to Tutukaka during the night and slept in the car, taking the next day off work to try nail a Yellowfin Tuna out wide of the Poor Knights.
I launched solo before 5 am, shooting out about 50km offshore to the 300 meter mark and deploying the gear. I was only trolling for 40 minutes and now in 320 meters when I saw about 10 seabirds working the surface of the water a few hundred meters away. I made a beeline for the action and saw some small splashes on arrival. Small Tuna?
Well about 2 seconds later the Pakula Phantom in Brad J gets nailed off the short corner about 15 meters behind the boat, and line is getting lost! Out the corner of my eye I see the port outrigger flex and bang goes the rubber band with the RG2 lumo with squid daisy chain. Double on!
The fish both had a good first run before finding their "comfort zones", in which time I calmly cleared the other two lures. I didn't put too much heat on the first fish, trying to keep tension on the other fish all the while. A Yellowfin Tuna soon came onto sight right under the boat and was secured with the gaff. Chaaaaarrrrhhhhoooooo!!! My first gamefish landed!
I took a few photos and videos before turning my attention to the other fish. I soon had another Yellowfin Tuna to the boat after 5 minutes or so, securing that fish with the gaff too. Absolutely pumped that the mad dash mission had paid off!
I trolled for another couple hours after that, seeing a few Yellowfin get airborne in the same area not long after setting the gear again, before calling it a day around 10 am.
Both fish went 17 kg and were incredibly good eating, well received by good friends and family.
Super stoked to land my first gamefish, super stoked to land a Yellowfin Tuna in NZ and solo off my own 5 meter boat, and super stoked to have a double hookup and land both.
A day to remember!!!