That's rough
Printable View
That's rough
Bloody fantastic day today, crays,snapper,blues ,epic weather,great company.
With @stingray.
Attachment 247527
Attachment 247528
Not tomorrow but might wag work on Wednesday and head out to the beach because tidechart.com is saying fishing is all good for middle of the week
Give it 15 more minutes.
The previous photos from VC tells a yarn , that as normal @veitnamcam does in his quiet unassuming way.
So here the story…
Out at way past VC’s late start time , to catch the high tide at the official ( NCC you bunch of fuckwits) launching area! We dropped in and set out all legal and correct!
Headed out of the entrance to a spectacular autumn day, just a ripple to and odd puff of wind out wide! It was magic
So I had. Bit of intel from my son of a spot that I haven’t bothered with for 20 …ok perhaps 10/12 years, always held crays but they were small and difficult, well he had swam out and had a look and apparently there were a few holding crays but it was on his max depth breath hold and cavey.
Well that lite a fire under my arse , I told VC and next thing I knew we were on an old stomping ground with me scratching my head going yip those rocks are our starting point hen we do this and that and then there’s the cray rock, this was the first time I’d seen the bottom on a sounder and it looked pretty shit, so we went back to the starting rocks …I did this , that and turned a corner to find a rock face…back to the surface …swim back to the rocks this that again and hello you beauty!
A nice keeper sitting out , what a great way to start , round and round hello my pretty another , oh you barstard the big buck was sitting just back and to the side of a keeper, ( bird in the hand is worth two in the bush) I sacked a second cray.
Feeling great ( being going to the pool 3 x a week doing lengths) I decided to save the rest of my tank for another spot.
Well that was a tits up they had being dived previously, fellers missing and spooky crays saw a nil result.
That done and with the tide running we set out wide for a late season snapper, well I’d hardly got the burley soaking and VC’s bait runner starts howling, a sound that is like gunsmoke to duck shooters or a roaring stag to hunters , smiles all round and VC lifted the rod and it bent like a staple and the reel howled in protest…you bloody beauty…a big red rose into view …
Well we thought we are on here ….the next hour spiralled into shit fish , spikies and carpet sharks , with the odd xxxl Kawahai to keep the hopes alive…
“We’ll give it 15 more minutes VC said and then bugger this , mid day fishing is always hard ….he reached over and shook the burley pot and his reel howled again, the next hour was a wonderful memory of joy , frustration and epic fishing. Nothing huge but solid fat fighting fit delicious fish.
A wonderful autumn day, with a bloody top bloke, and amazing weather!
Never ever give up!
Seeing the exploits of the experts I realize that I’m just where I am, planted firmly at the bottom of the pecking order…and loving it :)
We went on our first genuine camping trip to Totranui over the Easter weekend and it was spectacular!! We didn’t have cell service, that in and of itself was worth it. I brought my jetski but our camping game leaves a little something to be desired, namely the ability to haul gear…we ain’t in the land of full sized chevys anymore. My cooler was used for family food so all fish were released which is fine.
I ran into @kukuwai and had a great catch up before he and his crew headed out for some fun.
Long story short I tried my softbaiting game for the first time and I’m aware that I will always be lagging behind the burley/bait crowd and I’m alright with that.
I fished 17g and 35g and felt it out. I feel like the offering was way too big, about 5-6” and a BIG hook, as I went something like 40 bites, 15 fish on and 10 fish landed. Got some nice specimens for their species as I feel like the smaller fish couldn’t really get hooked…especially with the gurnard and blue cod. All told I got my first of many species on my own: gurnard, blue cod, trevally, kahawai, moki and a few others I couldn’t ID.
Also went to check out the Motueka Port launch and have a fish…didn’t even see a bait boat catch a fish but I checked out the farm and a “point” by the green dolphin, it was really tough not having much water/structure to read…just a big flat bay. Most importantly I figured out how to properly sit on the ski and LOVED every minute of being here in the sunshine!!
Attachment 247638Attachment 247639Attachment 247640
you do realise the solution to the chilly bin thing is to EAT what you catch??? double win as dont have to fork out for bought dinners lol.
Nice going Joe :) And as MDuck says, I would have at least had a couple for dinner cooked up over the fire
Attachment 248156
Sometimes VCs rock holds a few.
What about the other photo? @Joe Schmo may be interested in that.:)
Well when they wernt catching, brim two at a time or cleaning out the tucker box or annoying the local barracuda population they were just perfect.
To be honest they were fine young blokes doing dishes , helping out cleaning the boat etc...and eating all the tucker available
What photo ? Mates use bait ...and the young blokes slayed on the baits
What photo ...mates using bait ..stray lines slaughtering ...not sure what on about
Giant crawdad without pinchers. My kinda place!!! @stingray…the fastest man on the South Island in a 25cm sprint, those poor crays never stood a chance:thumbsup:
My god!!! Is that a lure I see????
Our little @stingray has finally grown up:D
Ah the "old salting the hooks" trick...
I had the resort to that yesterday as well, 3 off us ended up with 16 snapper between us, mostly between 32 and 36cm. A couple of Kahawai as well. Baits out fished the lures at least 3 to 1.
Fished out in 33m from ohiwa until the wind and chop drove us in and we headed up the harbour on way home to pick up one in 4m of water.
Surfcasting has been slow for me my normal possies just not producing.
Cheers FBDhttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...0c29033bdc.jpgAttachment 248283
Sent from my SM-A546E using Tapatalk
Lesson: Read the message properly, you idjit.
Finished work at 1pm Saturday, grabbed the lad and some gear.
Arrived a few minutes late to the local flounder rehabilitation area. Odd, there's no one else here? I'm usually the straggler.
Hmm, open phone and re read message.
I'm not late, I'm early. 24 hours early.
Looked at the lad, and we both shrugged our shoulders. Oh well, we're here, and the tide isn't in too far...
We quickly wet the net in the incoming tide, grabbed two flatfish, and headed home and warmed them up in the smoker for an early dinner.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...49b9e20969.jpg
Sent from my SM-S711B using Tapatalk
Don’t say no!
Got a txt yesterday , something about a flounder bash, was having a beer with a couple of blokes from work, so just sent a yeah / na ?
Well the lawns were done and washing on the line, the Autumn sun was wandering across the sky , So I sat down for a beer and a relax…and the red Waka turned up at my place, out hoped the short fella…are you coming he asks?
I looked around and at her indoors , na mate I’ll give it a miss! It was just a lazy Sunday afternoon……
Well ok said the short fella ..if your sure , well we will see ya …
He pulled foward out of the drive way and gave me a sad look….ahhh fuck it let me grab some gear wetsuit bottoms, warm tops , and can I fit in the dog?
In we all jumped, and away to the tide!
VC and his dad met us at the channel, into wetsuits and yarns.
Into the tide the @Pengy’s new net! Well the sun shined and was warm on our backs , dragged the channel slowly and bites were felt, we beached the net to a beautiful harvest, we set free a few shorts and set to clearing the net, we set back into the tide and watched fish busting up down the channel, it was just one of those afternoons!
Birdlife , fish busting up , great folks and yarns and laughter damn near perfect! We binned a feed of fish each and wandered home before the sun dipped behind the hills. I enjoyed every second,
Guess you have to get out of your own way …when your offered an easy trip grab it with both hands and enjoy it!
A huge thanks to @Pengy and VC and senior VC what a wicked afternoon! Truely magic!
I dont know. We could of done better than 47 fish :P
tideking.com says fishing is good for Thursday so that'll be me
In case anyone is thinking "greedy bsatrds". There were 4 of us involved in the mission to evaluate the new net. So, 11.75 fish per person.
I know for a fact that 99% of those fish were gifted to friends/neighbours etc.
Good banter and bs ending in many people getting a nice fresh feed of fish. Who could ask for more
Mojo lacking at the moment for some reason. Working too hard at actual work I think. Wife persuaded me to go out tomorrow which is a first. Boat locked and loaded. No real plan. Catch a feed. A kingfish would be nice.
Work is fishing kryptonite....to be avoided if at all possible.
Unless the weather's shit...then work your arsenal off so you can Nick off when there's a good weather window.
Anyone have some tips for finding Crays up durville way? not looking for specific spots but each year i head up in march and try a couple of spots, after 5 years no crays found anywhere. ive started just taking freedive gear as ive got a few paua spots and that beats coming home empty handed.
So can anyone help with depths i should be looking? heavy structure? East or West? or out from bouldery hills/Beaches? I dive alone so i generally stay well away from areas with current, Is that Why im missing?
Thanks for any help.
Locate the sea
Get into the sea,
Put your head under the surface,
Look for rocks, kelp and cray feelers,
Zero in on feelers and determine whether there is a cray body attached to them,
Report findings to @stingray and appeal to him to come catch the buggers.
If your getting Pāua , then your on or close to cray turf, weed and cracks , silty dark corners. Weed is great but large boulder bottom is as well.
Look for Blue and Red Moki and don’t spear them , they’re your mates follow them they will lead you to crays!
Depth wise from 3 to 30 meters, they don’t seem to like the surge to much so a quiet weedy bays are my first jumping off spot.
That or head for Kaikoura, few crays around that area :thumbsup:
Dad wanted to go get some oysters so the Son and I went to give him a hand.
Things went well everything worked like it should and we got a few dozen each.
Attachment 248618
Attachment 248619
Give it a go mate!
So with work being slow, and the wind being light ..I did a bit of a bludge and took a few days off “ for painting and chores etc” ..But I made the fatal error of telling VC that I had a day or two off, well after VC had done his chores he turned up at my place with the boat hooked up!
What’s a man to do, gear in the boat , boat into the tide , me into the gear and into the tide!
What’s a yarn without excitement, well we had being looking at this patch of turf for a while and the weather gods pretty much made us dive it with choppy and unpleasant conditions, making it hard for the boatman to monitor the diver it was the best choice ….down a large rock straight into the sand , not a great start , but the fish life was abundant, and a couple of large red Moki drifted past so I quietly followed them and they lead me to holes and cracks and the cave, nothing nothing nothing , then as I rolled over the side of a rock, feelers , and legs …you beauty…well no it was tucked up in a safe from me spot ..next hole empty along with one more then finally a catchable cray , which I rushed and completely fucked up!
We’re there is one there are normally others and I found the village idiot out on its own in a crack with no escape , bloody wonderful we’re on the board, sacked another couple , back to the boat to find the wind had dropped away and it was a truely stunning day.
Had a yarn and a beer with VC as we enjoy a spectacular Autumn’s day
Another spot marked for the future. VC your a bloody great mate and excellent skipper, thanks for the time you put in getting us on the crays!
Bloody epic mate! Cheers
Attachment 248666
My and many others pleasure @stingray
Attachment 248667
Heading south to Pelorus tomorrow- old boys weekend with two mates we worked together as graduates at good old Valuation NZ Wellington a government department- JHC we had some fun way back then 1986/7.
Weekends adenda:
Fishing
Talking grumpy old guy shite
Beer
More shite talk
Hunting deer goats
Chardonnay
Chardonnay
Chardonnay (thats me i am an addict)
Sooo good to get away from the work stuff!!