We have been just a little busy the last 2, 3 weeks since the last time I posted something up. But the good news is that the fishing gods have been good to us!
Due to the last Wanganella trip finishing so close to the Nationals, we were going to miss the nation wide competition. However all was not lost as we scrambled together the boss's son and a few mates to fish a few days up at the Three Kings.
We got up there late on Tuesday the 22nd, with a handful of boats already fishing the king bank and with plenty of action. All the boats were experiencing the same painful phenomena….when stripeys are bastards! Jeff Strang filled me in on what was going on, "lots of fish here tom, but do you think we can keep a hook in one?!" So just like the other boats, we had 3 bites in the dieing hours but couldn't keep a hook in one.
We stayed out on the bank that night, so we could see if the fish were biting any better early in the morning. They weren't but by 1000hrs we had had two bites from striped marlin, released one of those and released a small blue marlin. The blue was of typical blue marlin fashion with a great bite and spectacular first run, but after 15minutes we had the fish on the leader and it promptly gave up. Estimated at 160kg we tagged the fish for first time angler, "Bob" and let her go.
With the slow bite we headed back to the Island to stock up on some bait before the sun went down. In the morning we headed for the Princess group and towed some baits around for some kingies. We managed to "kook" the first two bites but released the next three 40lbers. Jeff on the Independence, was already up on the Middlesex and didn't sound too happy, but we proceeded with the plan to head up there.
Just as we were approaching our spot for a puka drop, the boys yelled that we had a fish following our lure in. Lately, while steaming at 13knts we have been getting bites and hooking up on marlin, so nowadays wherever we go, we have a lure in the water. Anyway, the boys pitched the bait, but we got it back with the hook crushed back into it. It was a promising start. We put a couple of nice puka in the boat for a feed and then continued up the bank in search of a fish.
The rest of the day was rather uneventful, the water and temperature was good enough for them. The bait was about 50% of its usual density. So where were they. We live baited in the afternoon, for nothing and it wasn't until we were on our way home that we raised one and pitched the bait. "got you this time!"
The last day was spent back on the king bank, with John G, getting the jump on us all with two early fish, but didn't hear much from him for the rest of the day, while we let go three stripeys and had another shot from a blue, Chris Brittan boated a 266kg blue marlin and let go another stripey and Jeff Strang also a good day with three releases. So in the end the fish started to bite.
The interesting point of note was that all over the country from the Three Kings to the West coast and right down to East Cape, the fish were all doing the same thing….NOT EATING PROPERLY. We finished up with 6 fish for the three days fishing at the kings, also with puka, kingys and some 18lber snapper once back at New Zealand.
Congratulations must go out to Striker for winning the nationals with 18 fish caught down the west coast during the 8 day competition.
Good Fishing. Tom
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