Was the day after Christmas, the family had gathered at my brothers house in Kaikoura, for the Christmas period. After a big day drinking a few whiskeys with the family, the decision was made to venture out the next morning for a fish and a dive.
There was a whisper floating around of the elusive kingfish lurking about, so we packed the gear for the big one—you just never know. It was a beautiful calm day when we launched out front of the Pier Hotel. In the trusty little 14 foot Fyran called Gone Missing, we headed out, noticing a large number of birds on the surface to the north. Changing tack, we headed up for a closer look. Scrummaging around for an old kahawai lure that had be drifting around the boat for years, it was eventually connected to a Penn Fathom jigging reel and the Penn Ocean Assassin rod, then flicked out back.
We towed the lure in hope of catching a kahawai for bait. Within 10 minutes, I noticed a disturbance in the water, then—BOOM! The rod bent over, line was peeling and the reel was squealing. Some kahawai!
A glimpse of the distinctive yellow tail and I knew we were in business. At first, the size was unknown but as the line wound in, we noticed colour sliding under the boat before swimming into sight. Making eye contact, the kingi dived deep and we instantly knew it was a big dog and I was going to have to play it well. Considering the only thing connecting me to the fish was nothing but a rusty old kahawai lure, the next 30 minutes nerveracking. To and fro, back and forth the battle went; kingi getting the upper hand then me turning the tables. Ultimately, the fish tired before I did and I was able to coax it close enough for my brother to gaff it. WOW. We were both yahooing and laughing—we couldn’t believe it! What a fantastic feeling. Weighing 22kgs gutted, this was my new PB—and all the more special because it was caught on a rusty old kahawai lure. Definitely a memory of a lifetime!
