April 8, 2010
Fishing and diving that is unbelievable!
Boarding early and feeling a little 2nd hand from the night before, we steamed out to our chathams fishing grounds, barely 15 minutes from the wharf. This really confused alot of us, as we are so used to having to steam for an hour or two to reach the good fishing grounds, so we decided it best to stay quiet and appreaciate the scenery.
When 'lines down' was called, the thick cord handlines, sporting a lump of cast iron and 2 weathered hooks, struck the bottom barely 40 feet below and it was all on.
Huge blue cod were coming on board thick and fast. They had that glorious green back and deep blue flanks, a true sight to behold. The amazing fishing continued for hours and at times we would drift over a patch of school groper, and the thumping back through the hands would signal that good hapuku was coming in.
One member of the team had some awesome softbait or soft plastic gear, that really dealt to the blue cod, thats when he could get it down past the seabirds. The locals had never seen gear like it, let alone the fish, but it certainly did the damage.
We spent another half of a day fishing out of the week we stayed, on the cat-0-9 boat, this time closer to pitt island. The rest of the time there was much exploring and gathering to do, abalone, crayfish and more fin fish formed the bulk of the haul. In the tidal lagoon, we netted flounder and found old fossils. You will be blown away by the health of the Chathams fisheries, and diving the area reveals even more for the eye to see.
The jury is still out on whether or not the locals were taking the piss about the sharks teeth, but we all enjoyed plenty of laughs and banter on how stupid we all looked scratching around in the sand like a pack of chooks.
To those who haven't been to such a place I cannot recommend the experience highly enough. Diving chathams should be high on anyones list also! The experience of fishing chathams is one I will never forget.
Filed under Fly Fishing Vest by Brian