Wellington has a reputation for being a blustery old city but it does turn on the perfect day— occasionally. What’s more, the region boasts some fantastic fishing when the stars align and you manage the right drift over ‘Spot X’. Get it wrong and it can be pretty average fishing… if you get my drift.
My uncle and I headed out early in the hope of hooking up on some solid fish. Finding the ubiquitous Spot X, we commenced drifting and working the slow jigs. I was using my ‘go to’ kahawai rod and soon we were sifting through an array of snapper: mostly small stuff but with the odd 10lb+ fish thrown in for good measure. It was slow fishing, taking a few hours to get a respectable number on board but they say perseverance pays dividends.
Deciding on one last drift over a big ledge, I dropped my Glowbite Jack Flash slow jig and tickled it into action. The jig caught, stopped dead and then the rod developed a huge bend—the weight was hefty. I pumped and the rod responded with big thumps back, the fish giving the gear a fair old hammering.
After what seemed an age and with a good deal of effort, colour appeared and happiness put a shine on a perfect Wellington day—hapuka! My first and what a thumper, made all the sweeter because the little kahawai rod and reel stood up to the test and delivered us a fine feed for the families.
