ISSUE 4 5 Trans Taupo Race Results - Canoe & Kayak

Andy with his 12kg Kingie.Big Catch! by Andy BangsDawn on Good Friday was a morning all keen fishermen dream of. No wind and barely a cloud to be seen. The swell forecast was less than 1 metre, greatnews for a novice kayak fisher with dubious skill in the surf.The Fish n Dive went onto the roof rack, 8kg soft bait rig and net in the boot and I was off to Motiti Rd, Papamoa. High tide was around 7am. I had been doingwell on the snapper during the last couple of hours of the outgoing tide so I was keen to see if the fishing was as good for the incoming up to high tide.At the beach in the half light of dawn I set up the Cobra, dragged it into flat calm water, paddled for 500 metres and looked for the current lines whichpromise good fishing. Lacking a sounder I guessed where to drop the first Berkley Gulp/Pink Shine soft bait to check the depth. Before I could decide if Ineeded to paddle further a 1.5 kg snapper took the bait. I dispatched it and the bait went down a second time. Same result, another hard fighting pannie inthe bag. Yeeha this was looking promising! Third drop, nothing.I moved to deeper water about 1 km from the beach as the sun rose and counted 12 other kayaks. Popular pastime! In a good patch of current I dropped thesame bait. WHAM! A solid hook-up. The rod bent and 8kg braid peeled off the screaming reel. By crikey a rather large snapper to join the other two in thebag. But the run continued and all the 100 metres of braid disappeared. I was down to the mono backing. “This ain’t a snapper. Hope it’s not a shark!”30 minutes later I glimpsed colour then a rapidly pumping large yellow tail powering a kingie back to the depths. For 20 minutes this awesome fish towedme around the ocean until, at last. it was beside the kayak. Lacking a gaff I got about one third of the kingie head-first into my snapper net, put the rod in theholder, grabbed its tail and hauled it in.I was rapt! I have caught kingies in a boat before, some bigger than this, but this was my first in a kayak.I weighed it at home: 12kg or 26lb. Funny how youthink they will weigh more! Now I’m looking forward to good snapper fishing before winter kicks in. Roll on spring!!ISSUE FORTYfive • 2008 23