Amid the disruption and uncertainty affecting our lives, it was uplifting for my soul to watch the sun rise over the craggy Motuketekete island group as I rolled my little runabout off its trailer and into the flat sea. If you have fishing in your blood, these are the moments that help you achieve a sense of perspective in a world gone mad.
After a fitful night in which I finally gave up on sleep at an ungodly hour well before my alarm was due to go off, the drive north along near-deserted roads had given way to a beautiful dawn full of promise. And the day wouldn’t disappoint.
A quartet of keen kayakers – pretty sure it was Muppet and his merry band – was already prospecting near a rocky outcrop as I gave them a suitably wide berth and headed further east. There was plenty of very promising sign on the sounder as I cruised around the channel.
But after 30 minutes doing two long drifts in the light westerly, my softbait had only attracted nips and tugs from presumably small tail-pulling fish. There’s nothing more frustrating after having had such high hopes when the first cast hit the water.
I started to tick off the struggling lure fisho’s mental checklist. Was the 7” softbait too big? Was Bruised Banana the wrong colour? Was 1/2oz too light to get down to the right zone in 20-23m?
I even wondered if I should make a move to join the ever-growing cluster of boats I could make out through the low sun’s glare at the 30m line south of Kawau Point. Were they making hay amid a frenzy of dive bombing gannets that I couldn’t quite see? Realising later you missed a good work-up within small runabout range is always a bummer.
But when a couple of the kayakers paddled over to my side of the channel it gave me the impetus to stick with the game plan and stay positive.
I was very glad I did when a little while later I saw a couple of tentative tugs on the drop, tightened quickly with a couple of fast winds, and came up solid. The fish shook its head, then took off on a blistering run that peeled a heap of line. I only managed to get in a couple of winds before the reel started screaming again. This was a serious fish, and I was pretty sure it was a snapper. I felt a burst of adrenaline hit my veins.
What followed was the most protracted battle I’ve had with a snapper. It just would not let me control it – and kept up the long powerful runs. When it did pause, I could feel every big tail beat and nasty head shake. The drift direction started to help me recover line, but also had me nervously looking sideways at an anchored boat not far away, and the rocky point behind.
Thankfully I eventually managed to get over the top of the fish, and I felt another surge of excitement as big colour finally came into view below. There was one final heart-stopping moment as the fish somehow popped up under my boat hull with a bump, and I could feel the 25lb leader scraping the FC465's chine. But mercifully, disaster was averted, I was able to ease the fish out and soon had a superb red-bronze snapper in the net.
What a fish. A big humpy foreheaded male, thick shouldered, and just longer than my 75cm Fish City measure sticker. Unfortunately, it had barotrauma and wouldn’t go back after the exhausting fight. Later it pushed the scales over 17lb – my second best snapper, and biggest from the Auckland region.
The whole fish was honoured – head and wings to a delighted Niuean friend; two huge fillets hot smoked and the sweet, succulent flesh savoured still warm, simply with fresh bread.
That one catch had made the day, but after a cuppa and bacon and egg bap over the typical low tide slowdown, I checked out several other zones nearby and picked up some smaller fish up to 55cm (on a very promising Bait Junkie ‘White Magic’ 7” softie – which looks incredible in the water).
As I cruised back to the beach, where families were playing on the sand and justifiably enjoying some normality in these crazy times, I was grateful to have had another fishing experience that will live long in the memory.
(Some photos from the day)
Muppet wrote: Very nice Lester. Was probably me you saw. |
Snappa Geoff wrote: Nice Lester! Wish I had your writing Skills Great report and photo's! liked... |
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