Easter Break

With a 4 day holiday the family headed over to the sister in laws bach at Bowentown, a five hour drive towing Gazebo. The forecast for Gisborne was great for Bowentown not so great... typical. Good Friday was fine with a light on shore wind just enough to lump the sea, I managed to grab Bruce to crew for me and we headed out the bar, he said the snapper were in the 20 metre mark, true to word at 22 metres we went over a large school of fish on the sounder (moral to story... "listen to locals"). So down went the pick and the berlie, we had to wait 40 minutes for the first snapper to be hooked. Over the next 2 hours we landed and kept 12 pan size snappers and would have released another dozen legal but smaller fish, as quickly as it started it was over, I pulled the berlie pot up to find it was totally empty... (moral to story "good berlie brings in fish"). After pulling the pick we headed over to a spot called Steels Reef, interesting area, caught nothing but worth a second look at a later time.

Saturday took Cliff (doesn't like bumpy seas)and Gary (second ever time out in a boat) out over the bar, conditions hadn't improved any from the day before and Cliff was not looking good while we were going over the bar (the sea was a bit uneven), so I thought I would be nice and take them back inside the bar so we could fish the flat calm of the harbour. After 5 hours we gave up trying as the snapper were not there. Sunday had a harbour only contest but I decided to give it away as the fishing was so hard, good call as very few snapper were caught, if hardened local struggle what chance has an outsider got.

Came home on Monday to find the weekend weather had been fine and calm, great for fishing...bugger.

Tuesday.. Now I'm getting ready for our 5 day Cricket fishing trip up to Cape Runaway on Wednesday. The weather has turned to custard, gale force winds and heavy rain, flooding and road closures..great we leave in the morning... wait for the next installment.