Well finally the weather gods smiled and the forecast for Saturday looked great so our Boulder Guiding trip to Tairua was all on.
At the wharf we got out the Bait gear and set about our task as Carl had already been out and reported that bait sign was scarce as at the usual spots. It was very hard getting bait and we ended up with a mixed tank of perhaps 12 Jackmacs and 4 large piper and 20 odd yellow eyed Mullet. Now I have never favoured YEM as bait but beggars cant be choosers. They were to prove me wrong later in the day to my great delight.
Off to the puka spot that has been fishing pretty well over the last few weeks and down with some baits. I muffed the first bite well and truly striking hard like an excited first timer Lesson re learnt.
Then a real good bite and something stuck hard. Pulling so hard I thought I had jagged the bottom till the rod started bouncing merrily away.
Using an JM Enchanter 300 powered with a JM pe7 I was soon into getting some line back but it was a solid load. I was still surprised by what eventually popped as I had never expected to get my PB Hapuka from so shallow a spot so close to the coast.


Weighed back at the wharf at 42.5kg of goodness

The bite died off a tad so the call was made to move to the pins and wave some Metal around.
This was quite productive

Tizzys son with a typical Jig caught fish and his first ever on a jig


Atilla or Astis from f.net blooding his new slime green coloured Synit rod in great style.

Many more fish were released as the bite progressed
As a rest from Jigging we tried some Piper caught earlier that morning and whammo they lasted 10 seconds max at the depth that Carl called while the Jack macks took 30 seconds or maybe a full minute to be eaten.
A great run of fish and fishing like it used to be. Then something strange happened well strange for me anyway I got hit hard in 40m and away the fish went. Rod straight down and the pe5 reel on max drag I never even looked like getting a wind back till it hit the bricks some 100m below. Busted of Bugger. Now that has not happened for quite some time.
By not its later in the day and the call was back to the puka spot to see if one of the other boys could help to fill the bin.
Remembering and old trick of Rick Pollocks we cut the filits of one of the big Yellow Eyed Mullet and sent down just the head and frame with the guts waving around and produced this nice one to F.net member Tizzy.


Ahh that worked lets try that again and this time it was Atilla on the rod again.
Hooked up we had him squealing and grunting like a Girl especially when we teased him it must be a big shark to pull that hard> Talk about a happy chappy when he hauled this aboard


Again weighed back at the wharf this went the identical weigh to mine at 42.5kg
A comfortable ride back to the wharf and Tizzy was sent to buy a doz Beers to bribe Capt Carl into getting the fillit knife to work.
First a couple of length shots for the records




Mine was 145cm and just 3 cm longer than Atilla,s one

A phone call or two from Carl to some locals saw a train of wheel barrows arrive to take away the heads and frames so not one scrap of fish was wasted


the last spooky coincidence happened as Carl was checking the stomach contents of my fish to see what they had been eating when out popped an old crap covered jig. A bit of cleaning revealed a curved slider in a colour I have never seen before orangy red with a black back and and one full Lumo side.
Now strange as it may seem last year not too far for the spot we got those I also caught a 35kg model and that also had a jig inside of a type not sold here in New Zealand.
Roll on next year and lets see if that happens again


still had the factory hook attached.

A top day with a bin full of tasty fish to bring home we were a happy but tired crew on the homeward trip
Big thanks to Carl and Epic Adventures mate just like the Chessdale boys from down on the farm "you never fail to please"