Hapuka and Bass and Deb The Tui average weight only contest is a new idea and a strange contest to fish in, 7 species of fish, 1 fish per species per angler per day can be weighed in. Trying to work out what size fish to catch and to weigh in would be the problem.
09.04.11 Day One. Canceled due to massive seas and strong on shore winds....Ugly.
10.04.11 Day two. Slow start to the day, the swell and wind had dropped and the contest was on and by the time we loaded up and launched it was 7.30, we headed out to Aerial reef to our snapper spot for a stray line. The fishing was slow with the odd fish coming in, Murry's good run continued with his first fish weighing in at 4.9kg we ended up with 7 snapper, Tzer who were fishing not far from us radioed they were catching some large fish. As the current slowed down we pulled the pick and headed out to south rocks to see if we could find any work ups, but there were none the sea temp had dropped from 20 to 17.8 in a week. Plan 3 was bought into effect - go out to Baistows for a Hapuka drift, on arrival we found Tzer already there they had skipped plan 2 and gone straight to plan 3. Tzer were already fishing the main group of rocks, so we headed to a small group that we had found earlier this year and found good sign the sounder. My first drop I caught a small Bass (really small) Murray a small Bluenose, our second drop, we both had a pair of Blue nose. By now Tzer was following our drifts. Our third drift I had a 8kg Hapuka and half way up from 200 metres my brand new OKUMA (top of the range) rod snapped 30 cm from the tip, I managed to wind up the fish with much swearing. Mean while Murray hooks something big, it takes him 10 minutes to finally get the fish off the bottom in 200 metres of water, another 10 minutes later a huge Bass breaks the surface, we gaff it and bring it on board and estimate it at 40 - 50 kgs. with the fishing good I try another drop with my broken rod and hook up on another 7kg Hapuka. With 2 fish to weigh we leave and go back to plan 2 on south rocks, with no work ups we head home and weigh the bass. It pulled the weigh station scales down to 71kg's - wow - Murray is on fire, two "in a life time" fish in 3 weeks and 3kgs short of the club record caught in the same place last year.
At prize giving Murray manages first in the snapper, I am second in the snapper and second in the Hapuka.
My view on the Average weight only contest is that it still needs at least 1st and 2nd heaviest and then the average weight, it's sad a 71kg Hapuka and a 10.7kg snapper caught by another boat and Tzer's 3 - 8kg snappers didn't win anything, so hopefully changes will be made for next year.
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