Landbased Marlin Easter Trip
Printed From: The Fishing Website
Category: Saltwater Fishing
Forum Name: Landbased & Surfcasting
Forum Description: From rocks or beaches, here's the place for the landbased fishos to share information
URL: https://www.fishing.net.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=28216
Printed Date: 06 Jul 2026 at 5:42am
Topic: Landbased Marlin Easter Trip
Posted By: INOV8A
Subject: Landbased Marlin Easter Trip
Date Posted: 28 Mar 2008 at 11:47am
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Well Josh and I have just spent 3 days up north trying for a
Marlin.
The weather was good on the first day but we only
caught 2 small Mako's.
The second day we had to retreat from the front
rock because of the wind and move to the back rock and fish the livebaits back
into the bay slightly. The result was a small Mako, not much bigger than the
Kahawai livebait, and then at the end of the day a 26.5kg Kingfish, which didn't
pull any line until I got it back to the rocks, but with 37kg line and a 400lb
trace, it really had no show of breaking me off. Never hooked a Kingi that far out before and it took a 2kg Trevally Livebait!
Attached are a couple of photo's of the
trip. I was thinking I had lost my Mojo for Kingi's.....But its Back!!!    |
Replies:
Posted By: bigstuff
Date Posted: 28 Mar 2008 at 12:27pm
| Nice! Very well done! Those 50TWs help as well huh? |
Posted By: INOV8A
Date Posted: 28 Mar 2008 at 12:36pm
Mate, they are 80w's! and one went for a swim on tuesday too. Have stripped it down already and now have to try to put it back together!
------------- INOV8A out. |
Posted By: JK
Date Posted: 28 Mar 2008 at 12:53pm
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hey Andrew good to see ya out there doing it mate.
Nice king, shame about the lack of beakies. All the signs still there? ------------- LedgeNZ LBG |
Posted By: bigstuff
Date Posted: 28 Mar 2008 at 12:56pm
|
My mistake! I stripped down both of my 50TWs after the Tauranga OneBase as they both got pretty well doused over the 4 days...not too challenging! What kind of swivels are you using between your line and leader? Do you use a 3-way swivel and tie the balloon to that or a 2-way and just tie the balloon on? |
Posted By: KingiSlayer
Date Posted: 28 Mar 2008 at 2:31pm
Well done bro! 
**** was the livie was as far out as last time? That's a huge wind!! ------------- It is the God of the Tight Line by which I am governed |
Posted By: Rock Fish
Date Posted: 28 Mar 2008 at 2:33pm
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Nice Kingi!!!! What kind of rods were you using? I think a Kingi that size would snap my poor penn like a toothpick...lol. |
Posted By: LBGer
Date Posted: 28 Mar 2008 at 2:42pm
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Hey Andrew, i heard you were up there trying for a Marlin, I was down the coast - tried a longer drift for a marlin but got a hammerhead shark instead... Tue was a bit hairy trying to get off the rocks, 30-40knt wind pushed the small inflatable around quite a bit. ------------- A king on the bricks is worth 5 in a boat. |
Posted By: JoshW
Date Posted: 28 Mar 2008 at 7:16pm
yep tuesday was bumpy alright. thought we were about to hit a rock, but no. False alarm only a big dead floating whale . What size hammerhead you get LBGer?
|
Posted By: LEVCAT
Date Posted: 28 Mar 2008 at 7:25pm
if it's floating then why not? 
|
Josh Worthington wrote:Posted By: JoshW
Date Posted: 28 Mar 2008 at 7:36pm
| It was in our path and close, but not that close. It was more like "what the f**k's a big breaking rock doing there where a big breaking rock doesn't exhist" |
Posted By: Blue Asparagus
Date Posted: 28 Mar 2008 at 7:39pm
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on ya guys, recon that rock i was telling you about would still be worth a hammering if not hendersons reef. ------------- Ultimate GAME Fishing Adventures. Northland |
Posted By: kingiman
Date Posted: 28 Mar 2008 at 7:41pm
Good on you mate! or thou i am glad you didn't get it first!! lol. nah go hard man
------------- The best time Fishing is when its raining when its not raining or if you are married, When ever you are allowed to! |
Posted By: LBGer
Date Posted: 28 Mar 2008 at 9:10pm
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Josh, it was about 5ft, est 40kg..... ------------- A king on the bricks is worth 5 in a boat. |
Posted By: phantomdeviant
Date Posted: 29 Mar 2008 at 8:15am
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Hats off to use guys trying. Its got to happen soon for someone ------------- Skirt Pulla |
Posted By: LBGer
Date Posted: 29 Mar 2008 at 9:12am
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i have found when I start talking to people around the place, there are more marlin sightings in close than I first imagined - apparently one was sighted off Tokerau beach between Xmas/New Years not far off the beach.....and another between the two exposed reef systems in doubtless bay...not to mention the one off Tiri just recently. I wouldnt be surprised if marlin have eyed my livies before but didnt take it.... ------------- A king on the bricks is worth 5 in a boat. |
Posted By: SHIN
Date Posted: 30 Mar 2008 at 12:11am
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I didn't know you can catch Marlin lade based in N.Z. I have seen it done in Javis bay in NSW in Australia.
I am counting a day to go back to N.Z since fishing in Melbourne is Dead. I hope there still be good fishing in April in Auckland. Thats good kingfish. I better save some money and buy one of that big ass Tiagra. how much are they this days? regard |
Posted By: JK
Date Posted: 30 Mar 2008 at 11:16am
We don't....yet....but we try! ------------- LedgeNZ LBG |
Posted By: INOV8A
Date Posted: 30 Mar 2008 at 11:47am
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Hey Rockfish, rods are custom made 37kg LBG rods made by Reel Rods. Magic things they are. LBGer, where have you been trying? Its quite tough when its so weather dependent and your crew work or are at uni! Still plenty more try's on the cards over the next month. ------------- INOV8A out. |
Posted By: Al BG
Date Posted: 30 Mar 2008 at 5:25pm
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Good luck with the LB marlin boys, surely its only a matter of time... Great to hear about your stories, and with the effort being put in i'm sure it'll happen. Theres a keen group of us down here in Wellington who have recently joined the chase. We just came back from East Cape on our first attempt. Unfortunately the weather/ sea didn't play ball for us which limited time on the better ledges but we still had a good time. Plenty of kingies and a good sized bronzie. The blue water did push right in for a couple of days, but no joy. |
Posted By: LBGer
Date Posted: 30 Mar 2008 at 6:39pm
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If anyone is interested there is a new marlin off the rocks type DVD production - 'Bill Rage' have a look at this clip... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AclX2BF6VWc - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AclX2BF6VWc Al BG welcome to the chase - and good luck......(I think we'll all need some of it to succeed).... ------------- A king on the bricks is worth 5 in a boat. |
Posted By: Al BG
Date Posted: 01 Apr 2008 at 1:15pm
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Great vid LBGer, pretty inspiring. i noticed some of the gear didn't look that heavy, interesting. yep i get the feeling good luck is THE ingredient needed to pull this one off, but if you have a line in the water...
|
Posted By: JW
Date Posted: 01 Apr 2008 at 1:59pm
| I think I've seen that inflatable up at Mahurangi over a month ago? Looked just like it with the extra protection around the nose unless there are other arancias with the black reinforcing? Remember pointing it out to my mate as what I need to do to my little inflatable. |
Posted By: JW
Date Posted: 01 Apr 2008 at 2:00pm
That's a very nice Kingfish by the way
|
Posted By: JK
Date Posted: 01 Apr 2008 at 2:14pm
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There are quite a few like that JW, mine too looks like that. It's the only way to go ------------- LedgeNZ LBG |
Posted By: KingiSlayer
Date Posted: 01 Apr 2008 at 4:30pm
Yeah mate, i've seen heaps of aussie fishing vids on youtube and they're always using light gear. Always the sportsmen, those *******  ------------- It is the God of the Tight Line by which I am governed |
Posted By: Bungel_
Date Posted: 01 Apr 2008 at 4:56pm
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Well done there Mr Inov8a!~ Solid kingi, your time will come with the marilin.. luck favours the brave! If your in need of crew on short notice, lm still keen as and able to get time off when ever. ------------- here fishy, fishy fishy..... |
Posted By: Unty
Date Posted: 01 Apr 2008 at 7:56pm
| does anyone have any idea if a west coast spot like gannet island would be worth a shot for a lb marlin? |
Posted By: the gas man
Date Posted: 02 Apr 2008 at 12:23pm
| Great kingi, hard luck on the marlin. Looks the "marlin off the rocks" day can't be too far away. Huge effort. |
Posted By: Al BG
Date Posted: 02 Apr 2008 at 3:35pm
| a question for Northland Marlin exponents - do you have problems with craypots littered around your favourite ledges? We have big probs at East Cape, every decent reefy ledge sticking out into the current has one or two cray pots there...Can be a problem even on big kings and our last trip saw us run around the pots by a big stinger. |
Posted By: nzkingfisher
Date Posted: 08 Apr 2008 at 12:37pm
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Yeah guyz Hi. I'm a marlin off the bricks entrepreneur as well, and just thought I'd introduce myself again. I have a big pain with cray pots around the area that I target. I think I hooked one once. I've never seen anything pull line off so fast.
Stripped off 200m in a couple of seconds, and then pulled the hook. Never got a look though. It may have been a dolphon though, there was a big bottlenose hanging around for a while.
I fish far north usually, but my mate saw one in the surf off Bayley's beach last summer.
|
Posted By: carlostairua
Date Posted: 08 Apr 2008 at 3:01pm
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Good luck guys, it has to happen soon!!
The marlin the guys gaffed in eastland has to have you confident it will happen at some stage, just a matter of being in the right place at the right time, and all the preparation and time spent will be worth it! BTW, there are a lot of marlin running close to shore off the Coro at the moment....... Not sure about the legalities of landing at the Sugarloafs (ie whether they are classed by DoC as part of the Aldermen Is) but if so, to me that has got to be THE PLACE to have a shot right now? Need some good weather and no swell though.... Anyway, you've got to be happy with a bycatches like a 26kg kingi in the meantime..!! All the best |
Posted By: kiwinoz
Date Posted: 11 Apr 2008 at 11:43pm
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great to here the hunt is still on! reading this thread brings a few things to mind as well.. i guess the NZ LBG scene is a little different to over here but there would have to be similarities. front ledges are great but i would never discredit fishing just inside the bay, if the current runs past and causes the water to eddy or upwell keeping the bait locked inside you could be in for a very good time! i only got down for one beaky bash this season and was probably the best days south coast fishing i have seen. We saw 4 marlin hooked 1, landed 1 13kg king and lost another while having a ball on spin gear with the rats. The beak that ash got connected to wore through the leader in around 4 minutes, 150lb ande pink. The fish must have been bill wraped (around both bills and sawed through as it was breathing) as 150lb is a fairly common leader weight around these parts and plenty of long battles have been won on what may seem like a light leader. another thing to keep in mind is that marlin takes are very rarely fast, the fish i have seen hooked just tick off the reel.. others have reported similar. once you set the hook things get a bit more lively but they seldom match the speed of a tuna. when they start playing up and trying to bill smack the hell out of the heavens is when things heat up! i have said this before but how much time are you guys putting into this chase?? its not uncommon for blokes to spend a month or more fishing one headland over here, thats 14 hrs per day every day (i did it last year). It seems that when you watch videos like marlin off the rocks, if your far enough away you can think oh its too easy over there.. a lot of effort goes into trying to work these fish out and then getting hook in face! guess i got my timing right this year aswell. NEW MOON! tight lines, kurt ------------- one more parking ticket and i'm going to snap! |
Posted By: kiwinoz
Date Posted: 12 Apr 2008 at 12:05am
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while i'm at it i might as well throw a few more ideas around.. the runs of fish i have seen over here have been consistent with moon phases, well most of them.. it seems with the new or full moons you get larger tides, if this is combined with a favorable wind you might just see the water turn over and if it does thats when you want a bait in the water! one could draw conclusions that more tidal movement can tip the scales enough to give a poor bugger on the rocks a decent chance  thinking about water changes brings another thought to mind.. we were chasing fin down south last year and the water was dead flat, mirror flat. it was running a bit but just looked too clear, and way too good. we had been fishing this water for about 4 days with bugger all action so when 3pm rolled over we thought we'd drive the 40 mins back to town and stock up some supplies. We returned to the camp a bit latter on to see the chap we were fishing with doing big arm pumps. i thought he got a big king king... check out the ute.. he dropped the tail gate.. 100lb yellow fin! after we left the water pushed out and a slip stream of the dirty stuff shot through close to the ledge his bait was on the colour change and there was FIN! only took the bloke 10 years to catch that fish! next day he hooked a marlin amongst a school of fin.. and he was pissed, guess he wanted another fin. the point i'm trying to make is that if the water looks like crap thats good because it will change and if your there when it does.. i am by no means any authority on any of this stuff, just haven't been on this forum for a while so i thought i would share a few experiences. good luck, kurt ------------- one more parking ticket and i'm going to snap! |
Posted By: INOV8A
Date Posted: 12 Apr 2008 at 9:04am
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Hi Kurt, Any information from you guys over there is greatly appreciated! I think we have all come to the conclusion that it is definately "time on the rocks" that will produce the results. Unfortunately for most, finding the time is getting harder and harder. Not only do you need to find the time yourself as an angler, but you need a mate or two to help. I was wanting to fish yesterday, but could not find enough people last minute when a mate pulled out. I have probably done around 14 days for a marlin this season. It has to be the most boring fishing off the rocks! This season there has been a distinct shortage of big kingfish in close and on discussion with others it seems they may be out on the deep reefs? So once they are not around to catch while your Marlin baits are out soaking, whats left is the odd kahawai and trevally, which you soon get a little bored of catching. The water is generally too deep to be a good snapper ledge too. Unforunately we are now probably in the last month of our season, and looking at the forecast, next week looks crap, hope to get out again, but we'll see. There are rocks that you would definately hook one in no time, such as Cape Brett, but it would be a large Black (150kg+) and you have to contend with the tourist boats twice a day and then there are the other boats! So it would be a constant battle to hold on to your rigs. In saying that, you'd probably hook it within 100m of the rocks. The spot is very swell dependent too. Epic, Superloafs would be a great spot to try and certainly closer for me than Cape Karikari. Put it to a few mates earlier in the season, so might give it a try sometime, even just to chase Kings! ------------- INOV8A out. |
Posted By: kiwinoz
Date Posted: 12 Apr 2008 at 10:45am
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it can be boring as all hell, i spent 3 weeks fishing last year before i got a run... thats 1 run! marlin will come in very close, i have seen fish hooked within 20ft of the rocks. we have plenty of issues with boats as well, when we hooked the fish i described above there was a boat anchored 80m directly in front of the ledge! funny thing was he was in a boat fishing for snapper or kings and we were hooking beaky's off the bricks. i just wish that fish had of come out of the water before we parted company... i reckon it might have just blown his mind! there are certain boats at JB that have cut off plenty of good fish, one at kiama too come to think of it. i havn't had a run in with these guys yet but it amazes me that one particular boat is still afloat. we all know who it is and where they moor.. you put a guy on a ledge full of fishos in 38 C day in day out for a month, 2 stroke pumps buzzing away all night, a nor easter that will just about drive you nuts and then have some noddy dive boat operator cut off his fish, just like the guy did to someone else the day before.. the bloke in kiama is worse because he's a charter boat operator and refuses to run wide around the point! he has been asked plenty of times, reckons it will cost him too much in fuel so he leaves his auto pilot on! just out of interest there were fish hooked in excess of 200kg this year, they put one on the rocks ant 163kg aswell. i wouldn't be intimidated by the size as they all fight differently, mine went 105kg and i had it to the gaff in 20 mins on 24kg. you can go really hard on these fish and i wouldn't be concerned about ripping the hell out of the rod and running across the ledge like a maniac trying to turn a fish. the biggest problem you have is they will die on you... kurt ps. i've got to get outta here now, got a week off and heading north to chase long tail! will put in a report... ------------- one more parking ticket and i'm going to snap! |
Posted By: JK
Date Posted: 12 Apr 2008 at 2:52pm
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Great posts there kurt mate. Have you got pics of your one from this season? Saw robs black from a few months back, nice fish!
------------- LedgeNZ LBG |
Posted By: kiwinoz
Date Posted: 21 Apr 2008 at 9:51pm
JK i haven't landed a fish live baiting this season its not for want of trying either!!unfortunately my 50W locked up on me in two consecutive trips! i had it serviced before the season then went for a fish and crunch. got another bloke to have a play with it, went fishing and crunch! god damn! i didn't set baits after it started playing up, not fair on the other guys... or me!! this is the only real fish i've landed this season..  mac tuna on spin; lure rapala slash bait 140mm, 15lb fireline under 50lb trace. kurt ------------- one more parking ticket and i'm going to snap! |