| For the fifth drop I cut two squid baits exact copies of what Hugh Ensor had used on the previous drift. I figured he was the man with the most experience. Long large strip baits from a squid body with no tentacles. These were big 250 gm baits. I released my line at the exact moment as Arnold next to me so when he touched bottom I'd have another indicator.
The wind had eased up considerably and for this drift. We started the drift in 200 metres and with less line out it was easier to feel the bottom. It all came together and I now had that "touch" of the more experienced members of our party. I was confidently bouncing my sinker off the bottom, winching it up a metre or so, dropping it down again to keep it in the fish zone which kept changing as the boat drifted.
I was confident my technique, bait, terminal tackle were all spot on. It felt a lot better. Sure enough half way through the drift I hooked up. I could feel a fish pulling though with all that stretchy mono out you don't feel much of the fight, a bit like winching in a sack of potatoes. Sounds like hard work but with the heavy fishing tackle used its not so bad. With 30 metres to go my line took off straight out from the boat and for a moment I thought I'd wasted all that effort on a shark. Rob, standing on the other side of me to Arnold had just then landed a 2 metre shark. But no it was just the swim bladders on my fish blowing up with the change of water pressure. I had two bass of approximately 14 kg and 6 kg that "popped" up on the surface to be gaffed, one on each hook, cool!
 |
A sea perch came up. Most of these were thrown back. But Ian kept one to eat. |
Next drift same set up except I put a mackerel fillet as well as the squid on each of my two tuna circle hooks as a sweetener. Another hook up half way through the drift and this time it was a single bluenose. A variety of other fish were now coming on board. Gem fish, which look like an over fat barracouta and tastes real nice, sharks, barracouta, large red cod, even an octopus which was quickly turned into bait!
One unusual catch was 300 metres of someone's lost rope which Ian smith "fought" for 25 minutes before landing and which we all thought was the "big one".
Next drift I hooked up right away I could feel a fish pulling and thought to myself its about 10kg I'll leave the line down for a bit. One struggling fish will attract another and I'll get a double hook up. That was a big mistake. He dived for the bottom and snagged me! I was wrapping the line around the boat guard rail with the thought that boat drift would solve the problem one way or another when Arnold suggested giving the fish some slack, it might swim itself free. I did, wound up tight, still snagged so tried it again and this time it worked. This fish was coming up now with no more mucking about. Trouble was, it now felt more like 30 kg and it clearly did not want to come to the surface. When 50 metres from the boat it started swimming in circles tangling other lines, and I knew it was not the longed for big hapuka. Up it came, we got colour, green and gold, kingfish! How big? I figure it you don't weigh them your mates can never catch one bigger! Also the fish then has the potential to get much bigger still after its been cut up for eating! If it had not been recorded of a sort in a photo it might have reached 50 kg!
One more short drift on which I did not hook up then we were off for home early. We all had Hapuka type fish except Rob and he had 3 other large eating fish. Ian Smith had finally caught a bass, 3 at once on a 3 hook dropper!
 |
One of the four orange roughy taken from the stomach of the kingfish. |
The weather had calmed up considerably as we cleaned the fish on the trip back; Ray Allen doing most of the work. We were all surprised to see four very fresh juvenile orange roughy in the gut of the kingfish! Several flocks of working birds were seen on the way back in.
We knew there were some big winter albacore tuna about, two of the party set lures but no strikes. A whale was also seen, too far away to determine what type it was but all part of the added interest and entertainment value of a trip like this.
Coming home a little early enabled me to get all my gear cleaned and the fish packed away by midnight . No work time lost the next day.
Just what does a single chap do with a large kingfish, two bass, and a bluenose? The upper half of these larger type fish are cut into "skin on" scaled steaks. Its easy to eat around big fish bones and there is no waste. It is also faster to process. Scale the fish: cut in the flesh part of the steaks with a knife and cut the backbone with a hack-saw.
The back third of the fish, which has only the backbone to contend with, becomes boneless fillets.
The heads are given to a neighbour who is always raving about eating the smoked heads of this type of fish. Enough will be kept to feed me till I next go fishing. The rest is given away to a few friends and my mostly elderly neighbours. If the community where I live is getting some enjoyment/ benefit from my sports fishing then that helps protect the sport politically. Politics is a "people numbers" type game.
While no one got any of the big 30 kg plus hapuka we came for this trip; it was still a great outing and from what was learned there will be better odds on the big one next trip.
If I'd been on the ball from the first drift! Perhaps you too are reading this have learned something that will help you when you visit this area. I will certainly try this trip again. Just maybe if I do the trip in the summer and chase after kingfish then I'll catch that big hapuka! |
