Kahawai Thread

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Post Options Post Options   Likes (1) Likes(1)   Quote Hengemaster Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 30 Nov 2018 at 1:18pm
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Good for getting among the fish so quickly Sewin. I moved from the UK nearly 6 months ago. Those kahawai are an impressive fish, put our seabass to shame.
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Sewin Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 30 Nov 2018 at 1:34pm
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They are a hard fighting fish! Well think I lucked out a bit, the mark being around 200 meters from where I'm living. Starting to work out what flies are working and find the larger specimens. I fished a few times and only caught kahawai, so will have to figure out how catch some other species.S
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (1) Likes(1)   Quote FishMan Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02 Dec 2018 at 6:18am
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I ventured down to the local wharf last night in search of some of the local kahawai that hunt under the lights. We have some new pontoons for servicing the incoming cruise ship tourists and these make great casting platforms. The kahawai are often small 25cms to 35cms, but good fun none-the-less. They are actually quite tricky to hook. They feed aggressively with 'smash and grab' attacks under the lights. I seem to be only able to hook them with ultra-fast retrieves. So big casts and fast retrieves off flat pontoons beside a warm and humid ocean... nice Smile 

Anyway, caught and released a few after some effort. Used the 9wt Method that I don't use enough. A beautiful rod. I was inspired to use it because Wolfie just bought a 7wt Method at a very good price. To my horror I found a few bits of corrosion on the guides on mineUnhappy Obviously, I need to use it more! My work-horse Xi3's don't have any corrosion at all, but they don't spend the same length of time sitting in their socks!

Also needed to figure out a fly line that I had found in my fishing cupboard. I determined that it was a Rio In-Touch coldwater floater just by the colour, but could only guess at its weight. After a bit of casting I called it a 7wt... a bit light for the 9wt but still cast ok. I'd completely forgotten I owned it Stern Smile Alzheimer's must be creeping in!

A pleasant evening anyway. Nice to have warm conditions at night.


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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Sewin Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02 Dec 2018 at 1:50pm
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I was finding that anything other than a fast strip retrieve didn’t get any interest. As a general rule the bigger the lure the faster the retrieve. There was plenty of small fish around which scattered as the Kahawai were brought in, I guess they were chasing these.
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (1) Likes(1)   Quote m.d.hoffman@xtra.co.nz Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03 Dec 2018 at 12:04am
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Atrocious weather in Auckland most of this weekend and/or seasonal events - so have yet to get out on the water with my 7 wt Method and new line - maybe one evening this week. Very frustrating having a new toy just sitting in house when it should be out on the water!
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Kingaling Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 13 Dec 2018 at 12:12pm
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I had my 6wt rod at Big Bay down in Fiordland chasing sea run brown trout last week.. 

One of the days involved a walk around from Big Bay to Martin's bay. So I thought i'd have a crack on the salt water off of Penguin Rock 

The fly I was using was one of these smelt pattern whitebait imitations

I wasn't getting any hits with a fast retrieve in 1ft strips. The fly was quite close to the surface, so I changed to a shorter 10cm strip, which let the fly sit a little deeper. 

About halfway through my retrieve I saw a silver flash and BANG! Line started peeling like crazy, a Kahawai for sure. Got on to the reel which just span furiously as I helplessly upped the drag until the 8lb finally leader gave way. Got taken to the cleaners on that one, absolutely smoked me! 

Wish I'd had some stronger material rather than just my freshwater gear but because I was tramping all the way it was all I could afford to carry. 

Would have been great to get that fish but oh well, had to settle for mussels, paua and crayfish Wink

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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote FISHBYFLY Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 13 Dec 2018 at 5:55pm
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Nice,
how did ya do on the Browns?
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Kingaling Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 Dec 2018 at 8:38am
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Originally posted by FISHBYFLY FISHBYFLY wrote:

Nice,
how did ya do on the Browns?

I thought this was a saltwater fly forum, and this a kahawai only thread! LOL

I managed a few average ones, nothing amazing though. Had a big boi teasing me with a few follows but he wouldn't take! 
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote FishMan Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 Dec 2018 at 8:54am
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Sounds great! Any pics of the coastal spots there?
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Kingaling Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 Dec 2018 at 9:01am
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Originally posted by FishMan FishMan wrote:

Sounds great! Any pics of the coastal spots there?

Unfortunately my brother in law has all the photos. But from Google images: 

This is Penguin Rock where I was at 

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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote muchalls Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 Apr 2019 at 8:27pm
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Went for a fish with a mate who’s been fishing a nearby estuary to ocean channel, small KY, but I must finish my 6wt build as 9WT was waaayyy OTT. No sensitivity for small fish.
Still managed to land and release 4 or 5.
Crazy Charlie’s did well, and I was so stoked when I hooked up on my first cast.
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote FishMan Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 Apr 2019 at 9:04pm
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Sounds good Charlie . There should be some bigger ones as the water gets colder.
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Sewin Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 Apr 2019 at 10:33am
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I would stick to your 9 weight, this one took me into my backing twice. It also means you can use larger flies, that will produce the bigger fish and handles the Wellington winds better
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (1) Likes(1)   Quote muchalls Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17 Apr 2019 at 4:15pm
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Cheers....might compromise on the 2 pce 8wt I rebuilt from an old freshwater rod. Stripped to the blank and rebuilt with sw gear.
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote muchalls Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 18 Apr 2019 at 12:40am
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Quick query...I was using 10lb fluoro trace, but although clear water and sandy, there are a few volcanic rocks, rough as! The leader was noticeably scuffed up. Better to go up to 15-20 or change when worn?
We had shhhhh... berley....and I hooked it but busted off, leaving the fly for retrieval later,






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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote FishMan Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 18 Apr 2019 at 12:49am
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Yep, I'd go to twenty. I don't find kahawai to be particularly leader shy. But trevally are.
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (1) Likes(1)   Quote Jofly Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 18 Apr 2019 at 7:30am
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I use 20lb pretty much all the time, you never know what you might hook and few fish worry much about the 20lb as far as I can tell.  Not caught much trevally yet but I can imagine if I hook a decent one I would want 20lb anyway.
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Sewin Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 18 Apr 2019 at 5:46pm
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I think it is important to make sure that the tippet is the weakest part of the system, so if you do get spooled it is only the fly and the tippet that end up in the environment
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote otdrmn Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 19 Apr 2019 at 9:18am
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A few small lollipop sized kahawai turning up in the kaipara, some fun on the 6wt , can’t wait for the larger ones to turn up and get some serious action.
The 4 R's ~ Rods, Reels, Rifles, Rooting
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote cirrus Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 19 Apr 2019 at 9:54am
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Caught 3 big 50cm kahawai in the manukau a couple of weeks back.
One trolling,two off the bottom on snapper gear.
Very very good condition and surprisingly they were well roed up.
Unusual at this time of year.??

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