I left home 6am sunday and arrive in Whangaroa 6pm monday totally knackered. Had the tuesday on shore trying to recover thinking i am getting to old for this

 

Had a couple of days on the water fishing Stevies to Taheke area for zip. Day 3 i see a boat gridding an area and thought i might hang on the outside of them, then there is a couple of gannets diving near them.. next minute they are hooked up and had a successful catch and tag release. i continue working the area, they leave and i see a couple of gannets a km away, so i head over there and see a marlin working a very fast moving bait ball. Its the first time i have ever seen this and the excitement level is up near the clouds.  I work the area pulling alongside the bait one time hoping the bait will come under my boat but it doesnt. I get no bites and either the bait ball gets eaten or it goes elsewhere ... i dont know. I do however have you guys yelling at me "dont leave fish to find fish" so i keep working the area for quite a while for no result. 

Couple of days trolling wider and further south and still nothing to show for it.

It is monday and the weather has started to blow a bit . I boat pass the boat ramp and the ramp carpark is very vacant. I head out on the leeward side of Stevies and think it maybe a tad rough out there and it is. However i get to the 88m mark and i see a free jumper a 100 metres away. I again work the area and a couple of times see the marlin swimming near the boat.. i am trying very hard just trying to will the fish to bite my lures but ****ting myself if it does bite the lure how do i get on then ? In a big boat it would of been rough in a 6m boat it is very rough !!! All the while i have Peter Pakulas "hook it and then worry about it" banging away in my head ! I dont have to worry about trying to land it as it doesnt bite my lures.

The forecast i have been given is for more rough weather all the way to friday, i have to leave sunday. I pull the boat out monday evening. I start the long trek home 7am tues morning to avoid the Auckland traffic which i do, phew, arriving home noon wed. The first thing i did when i got home was check swellmap.. it was a 1 or 2, i think for once i may of got it right !

 

It was always going to be a short trip but once again i was beaten by the weather and once again i got zipped. 

 

So my solo marlin ambition has yet to be achieved, full credit to those guys that achieve that. I find it going out day after day esp in rough weather getting bashed around mentally and physically taxing. Maybe it is the age thing again  . Northland I will be back.