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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote The Tamure Kid Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: What the heck was it?
    Posted: 09 Dec 2022 at 8:47pm
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Okay folks, keen to get your thoughts on a possible culprit for a bust-off I had I while softbaiting last Sunday near Kawau. 

I'd had a rubbish trip with minimal success - and was just about to call it. I had on a Gulp Squid Vicious and was getting frustrating small taps as I let the bait hang on the drag out of desperation. 

But all of a sudden, the rod buckled over and I was connected to something big that went... and went...and went. It would do one or two powerful head shakes, then off again.

As this carried on, my initial excitement that I'd fluked a massive snapper started to morph into excitement that maybe I'd been blessed with a kingie. 

I had lost so much line that I decided to motor towards the fish to get some back and that worked well. To my eyes, the line appeared to be angling up towards that surface, rather than down deep (I was in about 20m), as the pattern of big shakes and then another powerful run continued. I just couldn't get over the fish.

After a few minutes of this, the line suddenly went slack. I wound in to find the last few centimetres of 30lb fluoro leader shredded. The end wasn't a sharp cut.

My gut feeling is that i didn't get reefed.

I am thinking the fight and the state of the leader end points to a shark - but I haven't heard of bronzewhalers taking softbaits, so maybe either a small snapper got hooked and then got nailed by a bronzie, or a passing shark got foul hooked? 

Or maybe a thresher, as I know they sometimes take softbaits?

Please don't tell me 30lb snap!!
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote MB Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 09 Dec 2022 at 10:05pm
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I would say mako!

Had a similar incident a little while back. Fishing a reef in 50 metres with an inchiku. No action, retrieving back fast to move spot and boom! Fastest run I have ever seen. Had fun for a minute, then gone. Both Kaveman jigging hooks broken or bitten through. Those hooks are brilliant and I have complete faith in them, so something toothy I'm guessing.

Mako do take softies and jigs.





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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote The Tamure Kid Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 09 Dec 2022 at 10:25pm
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Originally posted by MB MB wrote:

I would say mako!

Had a similar incident a little while back. Fishing a reef in 50 metres with an inchiku. No action, retrieving back fast to move spot and boom! Fastest run I have ever seen. Had fun for a minute, then gone. Both Kaveman jigging hooks broken or bitten through. Those hooks are brilliant and I have complete faith in them, so something toothy I'm guessing.

Mako do take softies and jigs.


That's a very cool photo, and really interesting, mate. Sounds very plausible.

I've only ever hooked a mako on a charter when targeting work-ups (I was on my first charter and had been handed a ledger rig with bait). All of a sudden a mako leapt out of the water near the boat and i thought 'wow, check that out'. Then I realised there was no weight on my line. Turns out the mako had taken my bait on the drop down deep and jumped before I even realised. Cut the line soon after.
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote GregS Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 09 Dec 2022 at 10:25pm
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Hey TTK I have had two bronzies caught on softbaits, the first one my sister hooked in under 10m at Motiti Island, half an hour later and a km away we got it by the boat, only about 4 ft and hook in the nose. I'm convinced he lunged at the softy and ended up hooked.
Second one was at Schooner rocks in 40m which was about 5 ft. The gear was 30lb and and got it beside boat, my mate grab its tail and it got angry and busted off.
It seems if you are gentle and smooth bringing them in they come with you, with softbait gear you have to take it easy anyway.
Once again it wasnt accidental the shark lunged at the softbait but was hooked in corner of mouth so didnt cut the line.
These kind of experiences are one of the cool things about fishing
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote smudge Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 Dec 2022 at 4:32am
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A thresher would be my pick, but have seen a few mako take jigs and softbaits and they will around by now.
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Alan L Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 Dec 2022 at 6:38am
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Would have thought a mako would jump. They usually do when realising hooked.
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote shaneg Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 Dec 2022 at 7:55am
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Thresher most likely especially small taps at start. Probably knocking your bait with it tail. Had similar action/ takes with mackerel  livebaits.
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Jaapie Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 Dec 2022 at 8:25am
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30 lb snapper? Clown
"Only when the last tree has died, the last river has been poisoned and the last fish has been caught,will we realize that we cannot eat money" - 19th Century Indian Creed
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Sufishent Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 Dec 2022 at 9:41am
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Originally posted by Jaapie Jaapie wrote:

30 lb snapper? Clown

That would be 10/10 for cruelty :)


Lester - have hooked one shark in that area on a softbait and and another on an SPJ - both times little Blue sharks - but neither gave the fight you experienced. Bad luck !
You can never have enough fishing tackle
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Bounty Hunter Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 Dec 2022 at 11:00am
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30lb snapper that was then eaten by a bronzie?
No disintegrations!
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote The Tamure Kid Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 Dec 2022 at 12:47pm
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Originally posted by Sufishent Sufishent wrote:

Originally posted by Jaapie Jaapie wrote:

30 lb snapper? Clown

That would be 10/10 for cruelty :)


Lester - have hooked one shark in that area on a softbait and and another on an SPJ - both times little Blue sharks - but neither gave the fight you experienced. Bad luck !

Thanks Steven, I'm 99% sure it wasn't a snapper. If I'd lost it after the first couple of runs, i'd have really wondered!
But the bigger snapper i've hooked to date have run shorter distances in subsequent runs as the fight went on, not as far or further, like this fish did.

The more it went on, the more it felt like one of the sharks I've hooked on livies or other bait - bronzies, and hammerheads.
I have hooked moderate kingies on softbait before and the speed of their first couple of runs is incredible, whereas this one was slower but just seemed to have no limit to its energy.

all up, the worst trip i've had to that eastern side of Kawau in terms of the lack of snapper. Maybe a couple of weeks too late.
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote The Tamure Kid Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 Dec 2022 at 12:49pm
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Greg, Shane, Alan and others, thanks for the feedback.

Interesting how many people have caught sharks on small lures.
 
As someone said, that's one of the things that makes fishing so fascinating.
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Sufishent Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 Dec 2022 at 1:43pm
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Originally posted by The Tamure Kid The Tamure Kid wrote:

all up, the worst trip i've had to that eastern side of Kawau in terms of the lack of snapper. Maybe a couple of weeks too late.

Work commitments and bad weather have kept me away from the Motuora Island area this year and I've only been out twice since September - and both times were poor in comparison to prior years. Quite frustrating as Oct/Nov are my favourite times of the year.
You can never have enough fishing tackle
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote smudge Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 Dec 2022 at 3:04pm
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I once fished with a guy who was determined to only use lures off the west coast. We were in about 10m of water. Arron and I used baits catching pannie snapper, gurnard and kahawai, while he caught just about every species of shark going. Man it was funny. From memory he got a tope or two, a small bronzie, a carpet shark and a spiny dog.  The only sharks I've caught on lures and softies have been makos but I've seen threshers and blues take them too
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Alan L Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 Dec 2022 at 4:17pm
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I have caught sharks on flies and poppers, as well as the usual.
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Kandrew Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 Dec 2022 at 7:03pm
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I’ve lost a few micro jigs to sharks
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote krow Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 Dec 2022 at 7:20pm
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Hammer head? We've had them take softbaits.
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Titahi Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 Dec 2022 at 8:45pm
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I have a extremely high level of confidence it had Gills. Anything else would just be speculative 😂
"I love standing by the ocean and just knowing what its for"
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote smudge Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Dec 2022 at 9:33am
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Originally posted by krow krow wrote:

Hammer head? We've had them take softbaits.

Yeah I've caught a lot of small hammers, they tend to stay up near the top and are rather speedy. I imagine they wold take softbaits and lures reasonably often but I don't recall catching them on either.
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote MB Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Dec 2022 at 3:49pm
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Originally posted by Titahi Titahi wrote:

I have a extremely high level of confidence it had Gills. Anything else would just be speculative 😂

You're right, but speculation is half the fun. Nothing gets anglers going more than the one that got away LOL
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