The BIG Bluefin are Back!!

Kaide Parish with his fish of a lifetime!

At the start of this report period we ventured out into the Bay to be greeted by bait balls and gannets! The fishing was great with some nice pannies falling to the “lazy” softbaits drifting out the back and a few more to slow jigs. The snapper are in great condition and already have roe which indicates an early spawn. However yesterday we tried again and struggled to find the fish or at least get a bite! Lots of bait and sign on the sounder and we did pick a nice pannie up on the slow jig at 60m but that was it. Eventually we retreated to the shallows and picked up a few small ones for our Wednesday night dinner at the Swordfish Club.

During the morning there was a huge splash not far from the boat and Pete said that’s a Tuna. We were drifting at around 66m near the 9 pin and a few more big swirls were observed. Then last night we heard that Rowe'De'O fishing out of the Bay of Islands, had landed a Northern (Pacific) Bluefin Tuna. The fish weighed 229.9kgs and was landed by 10 year old angler Kaide Parrish after a very tough 4 hour fight. What an awesome achievement! I think a few boats will be out chasing these monsters over the next few weeks.

Come into the shop to check out the latest in gear, get your bait, ice and berley, and most importantly, some genuine intel! We are now operating on our Spring hours, Closed Monday, Tuesday, Open Weds-Sat from 9.00am to 4.00pm daily, but close on Sundays at 3pm. As always, if you urgently need some supplies after hours just give me a call.