The boss said I could go fishing!
Last night my boss (XiaolI) agreed I could go fishing today with my mate. I had not told her conditions may not be favourable but I was missing feeling that bite on my line, then hauling it back through the surf and up on to the rocks.
The day started with a beautiful sunrise which inferred good weather was in store for us. 6am up to the roosters crowing ell before my alarm was set to go. But so be it. Have a coffee then I hear the boss has also arisen. Apparently chickens hatching in the incubator. So make her a coffee as well before I load the fishing gear in the 4wd. Didn’t grab my favourite reel as tat was still rigged for boat fishing and was to lazy to strip it down. After all, it would have taken all of 2 minutes. But grabbed my new Penn which I had only tried once prior. Time to christen it properly.
Couldn’t drive the 50 kilometres up the beach as it was just gone high tide, so head up the road and through the forest road to the bluff. The winter had taken its toll on the forestry road but the 4wd was fine. Not sure the 2 dogs I bought with us thought it was that great.
We exit the forest through the sand dunes to beautiful calm at the bluff. (The rock outcrop 50km up Ninety Mile Beach). Park the 4wd and let the dogs out for a run while I put on track shoes comfortable walking over the rocks. Assemble the fishing gear then we are ready to go. Two heads poke up behind the rocks we are about to clamber. 2 seals that had obviously come in over night to rest up. Now disturbed by us the rush off back to the safety of the sea. Not the only seals we were to sight today.
Get to what we term the high rock ready to cast and over comes a wave and I am saturated. The only wave to catch me out the whole 4 hours we were there. Damn. Wet and cold. What a great start.
Within 2 minutes of my first cast I had our first fish. An ocean running kahawai. Often we throw them back as they are not what we were targeting but this one I had a specific point for keeping. Food for my carnivorous turtles I had back at the farm. My turtles for a number of years now have lived on fish we catch. They like a meat with blood and the Kahawai meets that bill. Now their winter semi hibernation is over, they are hungry.
The morning proceeded well with 20 plus good size fish caught. Our freezer was bare, but no longer. Sashimi eaten for a late lunch with soy plus wasabi. To lazy to make a dip or was it the craving meant we couldn’t wait.
Its great the fish are returning after their wintering away in warmer waters. If this is the sign of what the fishing is going to be like this summer, then it’s a sign we are very happy with.
Peter and Xiaoli Tours 