- Thread starter
- #41
ah yeah sorry that is what I meant.
They don't really get a feed from the holes in the can eh lol.
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Social Fishing thread
- Thread starter sup42
- Start date
They don't really get a feed from the holes in the can eh lol.
John Nick
Contributor
They like the canals as theres a lot of easy food there.
Same as old/injured sharks.They have scraps from the homes on the canals.
Dont have to hunt or compete for the scraps.
The crabs are great eating tho..
I imagine people keep their dogs out of the canals if there are bull sharks about. I saw a program on TV where one attacked a horse being trained in a river, a long way inshore. They are aggressive sharks by all accounts.
John Nick
Contributor
Exactly
Plenty of dogs were attacked in my time on the Gold Coast- Thread starter
- #45
Jeremy Wade River monsters hey.
Great show that, his Eels in NZ episode was one of my favorites.
Grew up with stories of giant Eels, went out many a night trying to catch one. Saw two monsters and got busted off a couple of times by an unseen leviathan in the Takanini Milk factory creek - makes for a good tale. A giant was caught there once, made the Local paper, the courier, but no picture, no weight given, just a claim it was 8ft in length (the size Wade was chasing on his NZ episode was an 8 footer).
Everything at night is more sinister, strikes and bust offs seem bigger. Take the poundage of line broken - how forcefully you were dragged towards the waters edge and you have to formula for a good yarn.
My old man and uncles swear they caught an Eel in the King Country that was more like an Anaconda than an Eel for its sheer length and size, my Grand parents being superstitious told them to bury it and it was not for eating.
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As a kid in Hellyers Creek, back of Beachaven, I used to go eeling in the mudflats. Find a small chanel and work my way along it looking for the ledges and eel holes. One arm up one end the other up the other end and hope to grab a head and a tail, throw the eel onto the mudbank , grab it and into the sack. We got some big ones. This was 1967-68, we found a Samoan family a few streets from us that would give us 50cents for a sack full. That was big money to my mate and I, coke was 5c a bottle from memory and so was a jelly tip. Had no fear then, now, I don't like handling them.
When I was 13, I went out a few times with a commercial eel fisherman, collecting eels from his nets which were set in farm canals.
He was a big Maori man called Tweedie. He used to yell at me, don't lose that fucking eel, it's worth 20cents. The big ones weren't worth as much pound for pound as the ones about a foot to a foot and a half, they all went for export and that was the target size. He had a holding pot in the Ohinemuri River, just under the bridge about 10kms north of Paeroa. Occasionally, it was robbed and he got very pissed off. Would hid down there at night with a shotgun sometimes when full just before his eels were picked up.
I'm sure he would have shot any thieves, which might have been better for them because he was a huge tough man.
Treated me very well, like a young bloke rather than a kid.
Rizzah
Contributor
I lived on the West Coast of the South island for a couple of years - a place called Rotomanu (pretty close to Gloriavale). The farm I ran had a creek at the back of the property, it was surprisingly deep. When it rained heavily (which was often) - you could ride over the paddocks adjoining the creek and see these giant eels grouped in the ponding hollows in the pasture. It was a very odd sight, scared the shit out of me the first time I came across them.
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Had a coupe of early morning sessions off the rocks at Lizard Bay, a walk over the hill from Opito at the northern end of BOI. Only small snapper.
Bought a boat on the weekend, Stabi 1550 fisher, a little big boat , ideal for solo missions or one other person. The wife and I went out this morning as the wind was 5knt variable, I decided to make the 45m trip each way across the bay to Bird Rock which is about half a km from hole in the rock. It shelves up from 70m to about 30m near the Bird, lots of schools of trevally and maomao and of course kingis. We had about 8 drifts before heading in with 6 snapper, all pannies except for a 7kg model and a decent trev which we have just consumed as sashimi. Excellent day, snapper in beer batter tonight, I'm the cook as usual and a fridge full of coronas.
Shame there is no football on.
Bought a boat on the weekend, Stabi 1550 fisher, a little big boat , ideal for solo missions or one other person. The wife and I went out this morning as the wind was 5knt variable, I decided to make the 45m trip each way across the bay to Bird Rock which is about half a km from hole in the rock. It shelves up from 70m to about 30m near the Bird, lots of schools of trevally and maomao and of course kingis. We had about 8 drifts before heading in with 6 snapper, all pannies except for a 7kg model and a decent trev which we have just consumed as sashimi. Excellent day, snapper in beer batter tonight, I'm the cook as usual and a fridge full of coronas.
Shame there is no football on.
- Thread starter
- #49
Thanks for the report bro.
You beauty, that was good mission with the big snap and Trev.
Did you try target the Kings specifically?
Was that all softbait fishing bro?
We were targeting snapper on the bottom. We have often caught porae, blue cod and pink maomao on the bottom and the odd king, but not targeting them. In the deeper water currents are weird, sometimes top and bottom, so no drift is the same. We had a drogue out and needed an 8 oz sinker, 3 hook ledger rig. We left without any bait, too tight to buy it, so took half an hour to catch 15 or so jack macs on the sabiki for fresh bait.
My softbait rig is only 4kg, so I tend to not use it over 40m deep.
I used to do lots of hapuka fishing when I had my big boats and a fishing mate as mad as me. We used electric reels in 300m with either 32 or 64 oz sinkers depending on wind and had the motor in reverse all day.
Went out with my wife this morning to Marsden Cross. About 70m off the beach in 7m of water. It's a close go to spot for me during winter, usually get my limit of pannies quickly. Today we got four but threw back about 40. Small snapper every bait. Probably a couple of months too early.
I'll head out for a solo mission on Friday.If the wind stays as predicted I'll fish Hansens Reef a couple of kms north of the Ninepin and hopefully find a few bigger fish.
I'll head out for a solo mission on Friday.If the wind stays as predicted I'll fish Hansens Reef a couple of kms north of the Ninepin and hopefully find a few bigger fish.
I went out yesterday on a solo mission.
First boat in at Opito, 6.30 am. Tried my underwater lights for the first time. Look great in blue but probably better for disco dancing than attracting fish. I hadn't taken any bait, so my plan was to catch it early. It took two hours to catch about 30 jacmacs, so a slow start.
Headed beyond the Ninepin, 65m deep and fished a three hook ledger rig, two baits and a livie. Absolutely dead. Headed north for a kilometer or two and just the same.
Decided to head back south and eventually I saw Bird Rock as a speck on the horizon and headed for it. Used the ledger rig again for one pannie, then I got snagged and lost my favourite rig, one my old fishing mate made for me as a birthday present a few years back.
Decided to deploy a soft bait just for the hell of it and straight away caught a big kahawai. Another few drops produced three snapper to my surprise.
Wind started to fill in so decided to head back in, takes 45minutes. Snapped the butt of my softbait rod somehow on the first snapper, about 200mm from the reel seat, so it was like fishing with a sawn off shotgun I guess.
I'll try and repair it today. Next mission will be the Rawhiti area I think.
First boat in at Opito, 6.30 am. Tried my underwater lights for the first time. Look great in blue but probably better for disco dancing than attracting fish. I hadn't taken any bait, so my plan was to catch it early. It took two hours to catch about 30 jacmacs, so a slow start.
Headed beyond the Ninepin, 65m deep and fished a three hook ledger rig, two baits and a livie. Absolutely dead. Headed north for a kilometer or two and just the same.
Decided to head back south and eventually I saw Bird Rock as a speck on the horizon and headed for it. Used the ledger rig again for one pannie, then I got snagged and lost my favourite rig, one my old fishing mate made for me as a birthday present a few years back.
Decided to deploy a soft bait just for the hell of it and straight away caught a big kahawai. Another few drops produced three snapper to my surprise.
Wind started to fill in so decided to head back in, takes 45minutes. Snapped the butt of my softbait rod somehow on the first snapper, about 200mm from the reel seat, so it was like fishing with a sawn off shotgun I guess.
I'll try and repair it today. Next mission will be the Rawhiti area I think.
Wife and I went out last Wednesday for a soft baiting session. Started off Tapeka Pt, Russell. Got a big JD and a kahawai. Pretty slow going so made the call to head out to Bird Rock again. Had a couple of hours there, got another four kahawai and seven snapper.
Bird currently has four seals resident. Pretty good day in the end. Poached the kahawai in milk for my dogs, will keep them feed for a couple of days, poor buggers.
Anyone else getting out or off land?
Bird currently has four seals resident. Pretty good day in the end. Poached the kahawai in milk for my dogs, will keep them feed for a couple of days, poor buggers.
Anyone else getting out or off land?
Got out twice this week. Wife and I fished the shallows toward Rawhiti on Monday for 8 pannies. We threw back dozens of small snapper.
Solo mission yesterday to Bird Rock, little wind to start but lumpy with a metre of sea and 1.5m swell.
Soft baiting got 6 snapper, 1x 650mm, 1 x 600mm and a Kingi 1m long about 17kg. Good half hour battle on 6kg line.
Smoked the wings and bellies this morning, froze a pile for a couple of nights fish and chips when the visitors fill the house for Easter.
Three Maori blokes arrived not long after me in a small tinnie and we shouted greetings and kept an eye on each other. They had two free divers down among the trevally schools spearing. They were not in the water long, less than hour and there was lots of happy yelling from the divers, I think they nailed a few kings, loaded up and headed for home. Gave me the thumbs up as they left.
Solo mission yesterday to Bird Rock, little wind to start but lumpy with a metre of sea and 1.5m swell.
Soft baiting got 6 snapper, 1x 650mm, 1 x 600mm and a Kingi 1m long about 17kg. Good half hour battle on 6kg line.
Smoked the wings and bellies this morning, froze a pile for a couple of nights fish and chips when the visitors fill the house for Easter.
Three Maori blokes arrived not long after me in a small tinnie and we shouted greetings and kept an eye on each other. They had two free divers down among the trevally schools spearing. They were not in the water long, less than hour and there was lots of happy yelling from the divers, I think they nailed a few kings, loaded up and headed for home. Gave me the thumbs up as they left.
