NZ Sport Fishing Council - 2012 Nationals This started like every Nationals several weeks earlier with me and Had’s (Don Haddon) talking up the prospect of slaying large Blue Marlin at Waihau Bay in the eastern Bay of Plenty, home of some of New Zealand’s largest blues and a super close fishery putting the lures in 3miles from the ramp. Last year we fished there in Don’s McLay 550 with no success, this year Ross lent us the McLay 680 demonstrator with an Evinrude E-tec 200 HO strapped to back of it, looking like a formidable platform to head south with. Day 1, Saturday: We missed the first day of the week long competition due to traveling, which is around an 8 hour tow. Arrived at James farm, which is a 5 minute ride to the ramp, set up camp and got the boat sorted and started the great debate of which lures and where to troll them over a couple of coldies. Day 2, Sunday: Up at the cracking pace 8.30am and hook the tractor up and off to the ramp. Off to the secret spot in the middle of bay 15mins away from the ramp and out with lures. Had only one shot with a large blue smashing the Bagwan Blue Angel on the port rigger ripping out a heap of line, next minute its off the starboard corner in the air heading back across to the portside and gone. Psycho Fish!!! Day 3, Monday: Towed baits most of the morning and lures in the arvo. No bites. Damn It! Day 4, Tuesday: Back out to where we had the shot on Sunday, was morning tea time. Had the jug on waiting for it to boil, sure as s..t fish has come in and grabbed the short lure on the port side, didn’t see the fish and didn’t take a lot line, thought might have been a shark? But after about 3 minutes and ¾ of an empty 80w I guessed a little different! At one stage we charged forward for a nautical mile at 20knots just to keep the line tight, this happened a further two more times but only half mile. These fish are crazy!!! An hour and half later we had come to a stalemate, with the fish 80m straight under neath us no one was winning. Time to sunset it clamp down on the spool and try to plan the fish up before it died. With Had’s very much not happy about losing any line and telling us so after fighting so hard to get it, slowly driving away putting some angle on paid off, with the fish slowly coming to the surface just kicking, in went the tag just in case very quickly followed by the flyers! 2hours after first hooking it, it was in the boat! A cheeky celebratory ale and a call to the weigh station we were on our way back. Fish weighed 222kg, and straight off to smokey. Day 5, Wednesday: No bite, and the wind started blowing Day 6 & 7, Thursday-Friday: No fishing, wind blowing, weather crap Day 8, Saturday: Fished late afternoon, as wind dropped, chased some bottom fish. At the end of the week, we still had the heaviest weighed fish for Waihau Bay Club, taking out the Heaviest Marlin trophy and the sweepstake! With Waihau Bay taking out the billfish fish section of the Nationals
- Greg McKinney Fish City Albany, Branch Manager