Despite not sleeping, I managed to miss my 6.00am launch and it ended up more like 6.45am. In my defence, some of the extra time was debating whether I head out at all given the conditions.
Of course, I did. I needed an entry to put in my first fishing logbook.
Strong headwinds, plenty of swell, chop and slop – what could possibly go wrong?
I confidently declared to the grand kids I would head out, grab a fish and be in by 9.00am and off I went.
After a slow, lumpy paddle out, I discovered one of my rods was in fact Tivies’ and, one of my own rods had no leash. I knew there and then this was going to be tough. Add to the fact I am probably the untidiest fisher I know and there’s a real chance of spectacular failure.
I did attempt to fish two lines, one Kaveman Tackle Kabura and one micro jig but decided to bring the jig in – two fish on is fine in good conditions – but this day, two would be asking for trouble. My Kabura seemed hell bent on heading halfway to Taupo or I know not where, so, I decided to wind in and do another drop to get a better gauge of where it was sitting. Down it went and a ton of line after it before it finally hit the bottom. Me none the wiser as to where, so I wound in some line in the hope it would sit better. It couldn’t sit anywhere! I had a hook up and it had some real grunt. I was quite sure I was losing the battle. Between the tug of war, trying to keep my paddle blade from slicing into the swell and trying to prevent my fish from tilting me nose down into the water, I momentarily contemplated my demise.
“What a way to go, focus woman, you have a fish to fight,” I said to myself.
It seemed like it took forever to get it up – my poor wee Shimano Genpu has a very tough life!
Hauling the fish onto the kayak left me low on one side and sitting high on the other, half expecting a wave to flip me out. It didn’t and I got my fish, a snapper, in and there was no way I was going to tempt fate by trying to hoist it into the rear well. Instead, I looped a rod leash through the gills, wedged it in the footwell – one leg sticking out over it. Less than an hour on the water and I was done fishing for the day.
I headed on into the washing machine, tsunami hybrid, lopsided – leg stretched out over the water – stopping to ask the occasional boatie if they knew if the tide was incoming or outgoing in the hope I would plan my landing well. It didn’t occur to me I may have looked more than a little odd.
The trip in, well I am surprised a snail didn’t overtake me, but I got there, my landing about as elegant as me posing, jello arms, rod in mouth with my 825mm PB and first ever pin fish.
Yolande Jeffares – “That Kayak Fishing Chick”
