Matt Watson pulled a full house at Christchurch Hunting and Fishing recently delivering TUNACHAT thanks to big support from SHIMANO.
Anglers flocked in from far and wide including Hokitika,Blenheim and Timaru and sucked up every word of wisdom the ‘fishing god’ said.
For over two hours we were taken on a deep dive into the world of bluefin tuna and swordfish and a look at the abundance of these deep sea beasts and their accessibility in our local waters.
Dealing with the speed and sheer power of these pelagics when hooked is thrilling and addictive… getting to that point takes planning and patience.
Being migratory and in the water column means you need electronics good enough to pick up sign at depth…baitfish will hold up at a temperature drop off and tuna and swords know that and search that line.
Furuno Navnet fish finders and charts are intuitive touch screen tech that will give you all you need to increase your success.
Structures with deep drop offs present chances and depending on tide should create an upwell of food.
Matt encouraged looking at the moon phases and learning from Maori traditions. When the moon is lit at the top looking down the kete is empty and when it is lit at the bottom and looking up it is full.
On Matt’s Ultimate Fishing TV you’ll find guides covering lure selections and how to set up for trolling, tying, splicing etc.
A big take out was that you need to be careful….if you’ve got a 200kg + Sword slashing around on the deck and capable of shredding teak you don’t want to be stuffing around getting rid of obstacles like lures not in use…keep the deck clear.
The other point was that by buying really good gear you buy time to learn.If your gear is weak its going to get busted up if you’re a novice to big game fishing.
Finally Matt pointed out that most fish are lost in the last 5-10 metres…gaffing too early and general excitement means decisions are rushed….take your time.
Matt thought February would be the start for the Swords here in the Sth Island.Good luck and remember tag and release could be helpful to future of the fishery.
$2500 in SHIMANO product was handed out in a prize draw with all ticket sale proceeds going to Canterbury Coastguard.
The major prize was the SHIMANO Tiagra 50W LSR with SHIMANO Xitus rod worth $1000.
