We hadn’t had much luck so far this season and decided to prospect a new area, depth and time of day. We found the depth we were after, less than 20 metres, then cruised the surtees around looking for enough sign to stop and set up. We found some indications and dropped anchor and set the berley. Things were quiet for 15 minutes or so and while we were considering plan’s B, C and so on, my line went tight and up came a perfect 37-centimetre snapper. As we all know, one fish is awkward and looks lonely in the bin, but in the next 10 minutes I boated another, around the 40-centimetre mark. We now have a meal and some good eats. I landed another couple of snappers and let the family know, they are more than welcome to start catching some too if they want, in that sarcastic ‘Dad’ tone we learnt at Dad school.
Next thing Carol’s little Okuma set up from hunting & Fishing bent over. Putting up a very good fight it was a relief to get this snapper on board – our biggest so far and Carol’s PB at 53 centimetres and 7.5lb. Jasper soon followed with another PB, a 60 centimetre, 10lb specimen.
Max emerged from the cabin and figured he should partake and up came his PB, a 62 centimetre, 11lb snapper, which he then added to with a good PB trevally. Max has annoying form for this, minimal effort, maximum results!
We now had enough for a feed and some to share with our neighbours who do not fish and frames and heads for another local chap. The action ensured we all learnt how to really manage drag, the real meaning of ‘lift and wind’ and our home tied pink flasher rigs did the trick and took the pressure. We landed another 60-centimetre fish, which was suitable for release, and it powered back down. Love that sight.
At this point, I was on full-time ‘Dadmin’ duties. Cutting bait, landing and releasing fish. I called a stop as we had plenty and I was not fishing now, my sarcastic snipes earlier had backfired on me! Always feels good when we call the stop, not the fish. I had a bit of filleting, more ‘Dadmin’ to do.
We have been back to that spot a couple of times since with similar results, even a 65 centimetre that was measured and released. So far, we have released four fish between 55 and 65 centimetres and just kept some smaller eaters. Great to be able to fish from a spot that we can leave home at 6.30am and have lines in at 7.30, home by 11.30am, after a coffee at Ruby’s of course.
The Okuma Baitfeeder gear from Hunting & Fishing is great value and perfect for Tasman Bay snapper. Our main learning is how to prospect for new spots depending on the time of year. As always, no matter the outcome of a day’s fishing, look for the learnings. The Dawnbreakers crew are always keen to share ways to make fishing better.
