I have 4 days off for Christmas, the weather reports are good for the first 3 days, so with my son Matt home for the break we are looking forward to some father and son bonding. Friday night we set 3 crayfish (like a lobster but with no claws) pots after work in front of our camp site at Pouawa beach (in Gisborne we have a number of beaches we can freedom camp on for a small fee, our caravan is only a few metres from the sand and sea).
Xmas day Matt and I get up at 4am and head out and pull the pots to find 6 legal crayfish for Christmas lunch, the sea is calm so we head out to BS1A 30km's out for a quick drift fish. the sea is a bit sloppy that far out and the fish weren't playing the game but we managed a nice Bluenose for the table, the sea inside was flat calm, we managed to find a work up with gannets and dolphins so we dusted off the lures and managed a couple of fat Kawhai (also known as sea trout). We managed to be back home and have the boat cleaned all before lunch.
Boxing day, Murray joined us and we headed out again and checked the pots, no legal size crays but lots of small ones, we were going to head out deep but hear on the radio that the seabreeze was already up so we stayed inside for a Tarakihi fish, but yet again we were unable to find let alone catch a fish, we met up with 5 other boats all with the same story...no fish. Last night at 1am we had a good earthquake (4.9) maybe that had some bearing for the lack of fish, anyway we went home with our tails between our legs.
Monday 27.12.10. We are up early again and head out to check our pots again, this time we have only 2 legal crays but they are beauties, we head out wide again to our favourite spot TR1A the sea is calm with a very light seabeeze. We spend the next 4 hours drift fishing and catching 3 nice Hapuka and one Trumpeter (the biggest Hapuka was 14kg's). We came home to our hot dry northwester winds that sent our temperature soaring into the high 30's - summer is finally here ya.
Tuesday the winds have turned gale force from the northwest, so it is a day chilling out at the camp site.
Have a Happy New Year everyone.
Monday, December 27, 2010
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
15.12.2010 Here we go again
Our run of bad weather continues, with persistent easterlies now forecast until Christmas. The only redeeming feature is that the water temp is rising, up to 18 degrees (C) and the first Tuna were caught in the Carpet court contest (7 and 9 kg Albacore). So with any luck the easterlies will push warm water down from the tropics and we will have a good game season, already reading reports from Cape Runaway, that say the commercial fleet are catching Yellow Fin and Big eye tuna's, so we are hoping they will head on down here.
With my son Matt coming home for Xmas I hope the weather will clear so we can take Gazebo out.
Merry Christmas to all those reading my blog, cheers and have a good one.
With my son Matt coming home for Xmas I hope the weather will clear so we can take Gazebo out.
Merry Christmas to all those reading my blog, cheers and have a good one.
Monday, December 6, 2010
04.12.10 Carpet Court 34 hour contest
Saturday; The contest was postponed from last weekend thanks to our weekend destroying southerlies that have been turning up most weekends of late, even this weekend isn't looking the best with light easterlies forecast (winds from the east fish lest - or so it goes).Up again at 4am, pick up Murray and on our way out to sea by 5am. The wind is light with a half metre swell from 2 directions, we head out to TH1A (40km's out), we arrive to find conditions a little sloppy but fish able in 180 metres of water. Tzar followed us out and scored first with a teen pulling up a nice puka (groper) of 28kg's which ended up winning the Hapuka section, I had a puka of 8.5kgs on board soon after and Murray followed with a small 3kg Bass. THAT was it, sharks were the catch after that (all released) by 7.30 / 8am the wind had picked up making drifting near impossible, so we move to CO2A about 6 km away, where we could anchor up in 100 metres of water, there was plenty of fish sign - in fact 4 metres of them over the rock, but (and I have said before there is always a but) they were rubbish fish (we call them granddaddy hapuka - small orange things) they came up 2 at a time and released, after an hour of that we pulled the pick and moved to TM1A 14kms inshore, yet again lots of sign, again granddaddies, we kept dragging the anchor and sliding off the rock. It was about then when I snapped my Shimano Raider 2 rod in half - short version ..hooked rock ...small tug on rod ...snapped rod...totally f%*ked off. Time to move again. Time to do what I do best - strayline for snapper, 6km later and a bucket of berlie even later not even a bite, so 3pm - time for home.
To make a bad day worse while cleaning the boat I was re bending the anchor arms and I slipped and put my back out.
Sunday; After raiding the wife's medicine bag for pain killers at 4am, on the water by 5am, the wind was already blowing 15 plus knots and the swell had increased to a metre and a half we went to a good snapper spot on Aerial reef, we would have been better off parking in our washing machine, it was ugly, after half an hour we had straightened the anchor again. So we pulled the pick and went for a look at South rocks, we went over 8 of our best marks and not a fish on the finder, where have they all gone??? lots of rumours on shore about a gill netter setting a 1 km nets over the rocks and a out of town trawler running chains over the rocks as well as a long liner setting 40kms of line with 4ooo hooks, fact or fiction who knows. by 9am we had had enough and went home. It must be bad, never have I given up in an contest before like this - 160km's traveled for 2 fish?.
Monday was a brilliant summers day - hot and calm, Tuesday back to southerlies cold and trying to rain.
Talking to others who were out, we were not alone - most struggled to catch anything as well.
To make a bad day worse while cleaning the boat I was re bending the anchor arms and I slipped and put my back out.
Sunday; After raiding the wife's medicine bag for pain killers at 4am, on the water by 5am, the wind was already blowing 15 plus knots and the swell had increased to a metre and a half we went to a good snapper spot on Aerial reef, we would have been better off parking in our washing machine, it was ugly, after half an hour we had straightened the anchor again. So we pulled the pick and went for a look at South rocks, we went over 8 of our best marks and not a fish on the finder, where have they all gone??? lots of rumours on shore about a gill netter setting a 1 km nets over the rocks and a out of town trawler running chains over the rocks as well as a long liner setting 40kms of line with 4ooo hooks, fact or fiction who knows. by 9am we had had enough and went home. It must be bad, never have I given up in an contest before like this - 160km's traveled for 2 fish?.
Monday was a brilliant summers day - hot and calm, Tuesday back to southerlies cold and trying to rain.
Talking to others who were out, we were not alone - most struggled to catch anything as well.
Sunday, November 21, 2010
20.11.10 we suck again
The weather forecast wasn't good so we decided to go for a quick Tarakihi fish Saturday morning before the rain arrived. We went out at 7 and headed to Kells a spot 10km out, the easterly was already getting up, roughing the sea up. We had a few problems trying to anchor up with the current and the wind going in the opposite direction. We ended up with nothing (no bites = no fish) so we tried a couple of other rocks in the area with the same result, with nothing happening we headed back and stopped at one last rock before the ramp. This time I managed one lonely small snapper that was just legal (27cm) and it was released to grow bigger. We headed home and had to have steak for tea, hopefully next week will be better.
Sunday, November 14, 2010
13.11.10 Discount Fishing Hapuka Hunt
Friday - the weather finally came right, a beautiful day but and there is always a but! a solid 2 metre swell decreasing, Saturdays contest looks ok.
Saturday 5.15am at the ramp 3 of us for day one Evan, Murray and myself as the dawn lightens we can see the swell has dropped to a metre and the sea is calm with a 10 knot land breeze which should burn off when the sun rises. We head out to TR2A (38kms out to sea). The land wind drops away to nothing, we set up for our first drop - plenty of sign on the sounder but no takers, after a couple of drifts we move over to TR1A about 1km away, yet again plenty of sign, but no takers over the rock, we drift about 500 metres with the current and see a small 2 metre ledge on the sea floor with sign on the downward side of it. As soon as our gear dropped into it we were hooked up. Murray had a pair of 8kg Hapukas I soon followed with a 10.8kg, after a couple of unsuccessful drifts we decided to move as the sea was calm as we headed out another 14kms to a new spot for us EB2A. Same again we found a small drop with heaps of sign in 225 metres of water. Evan pulled up a double hook up of large Gemfish, I followed with a 11.8kg Hapuka and a small Bass, Murray and Evan both ended with another Gemfish each. The day was magic no wind all day hot and sunny. We got back to the ramp at 4pm tired but happy.
Sunday 14.11.10. Yet again up at 3.30am and at the ramp by 5am. The swell had dropped but (yet again a but) the wind had picked up from the northwest and was supposed to pick up during the day. Murray and I (Evan was crewing for another boat Sunday) headed out and along the coast, we started to go out to an area 20kms out but the wind was roughing the sea up to much so we headed to an area under a cliff, hopefully to give us protection from the wind. the sea was calm but fishless, the wind seemed to drop off so we pulled the pick and headed out to a group of rocks in 30 metres of water 12 kms out, we dropped the pick and the wind returned in it's full fury, a solid 20-25 knots - not very pleasant. Murray who loves stray lining (NOT) soon had a couple of snapper on board, I followed with one and that was that, we stayed till 12 and called it a day and headed home with a 30 km drive into a head wind.
Prize giving. Much to our surprise Murray's biggest Snapper 2.60kg won first prize in the snapper section and my 11.8kg Hapuka came 6th out of 7 prize winners.
Saturday 5.15am at the ramp 3 of us for day one Evan, Murray and myself as the dawn lightens we can see the swell has dropped to a metre and the sea is calm with a 10 knot land breeze which should burn off when the sun rises. We head out to TR2A (38kms out to sea). The land wind drops away to nothing, we set up for our first drop - plenty of sign on the sounder but no takers, after a couple of drifts we move over to TR1A about 1km away, yet again plenty of sign, but no takers over the rock, we drift about 500 metres with the current and see a small 2 metre ledge on the sea floor with sign on the downward side of it. As soon as our gear dropped into it we were hooked up. Murray had a pair of 8kg Hapukas I soon followed with a 10.8kg, after a couple of unsuccessful drifts we decided to move as the sea was calm as we headed out another 14kms to a new spot for us EB2A. Same again we found a small drop with heaps of sign in 225 metres of water. Evan pulled up a double hook up of large Gemfish, I followed with a 11.8kg Hapuka and a small Bass, Murray and Evan both ended with another Gemfish each. The day was magic no wind all day hot and sunny. We got back to the ramp at 4pm tired but happy.
Sunday 14.11.10. Yet again up at 3.30am and at the ramp by 5am. The swell had dropped but (yet again a but) the wind had picked up from the northwest and was supposed to pick up during the day. Murray and I (Evan was crewing for another boat Sunday) headed out and along the coast, we started to go out to an area 20kms out but the wind was roughing the sea up to much so we headed to an area under a cliff, hopefully to give us protection from the wind. the sea was calm but fishless, the wind seemed to drop off so we pulled the pick and headed out to a group of rocks in 30 metres of water 12 kms out, we dropped the pick and the wind returned in it's full fury, a solid 20-25 knots - not very pleasant. Murray who loves stray lining (NOT) soon had a couple of snapper on board, I followed with one and that was that, we stayed till 12 and called it a day and headed home with a 30 km drive into a head wind.
Prize giving. Much to our surprise Murray's biggest Snapper 2.60kg won first prize in the snapper section and my 11.8kg Hapuka came 6th out of 7 prize winners.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
08.11.10 The weather sucks
Well it couldn't get much worse, the last 2 weekends the opening fishing competition for the club has been cancelled due to bad weather. The weather becomes fine by Wednesday and down she comes again Friday evening. This weekend is the Hapuka hunt so fingers crossed the weather gods will smile on us.
Monday, October 25, 2010
25.10.10 Perfection
Monday being a holiday, we planned to head out to pick up the cray pots and have a quick fish but we ended up having a major change of plans. We again headed out from Tata ramp at 5.30am the sea was mirror flat, we pulled our pots to find only 2 legal crayfish which went in the live bait tank to keep them fresh, we were amazed to find the 2 scarifies from yesterday still alive. the sea was flat so we headed out to TR1A our other spot on the drop off, we headed into the big red blob of the rising sun. Tr1A is 38 ks out and was calm as just a slight swell on the glassy sea, our first drift yielded 2 nice Trumpeter, our next a couple of sharks, our next a couple more trumpeter, next more sharks, next a couple of big Gemfish and then more sharks. It puts a bit of strain on the old back hauling sharks up from 190 metres. By lunch time still no wind, we decided to have a bit of a look around for more rocks in the area. A couple of Ks away we found another rocky outcrop with good sign, our first drop each yielded a couple of Hapuka, then sharks, then a couple of Trumpeter and then more sharks. By 2 o'clock we were out of bait and the sea was still glass... magic. We were able to fillet the 7 Trumpeter, 2 Hapuka and 2 Gemfish on board to save the mess at home. What a day I hope we have many more like it, but we could do without the sharks.
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