Report 047 Some Snapper for the smoker... 10th of December 2010

This trip was another early start with the weather assisting with the choice of destination… I left Bucklands Beach ramp about 6am to see a couple of other Jetskifishos also taking advantage of the flat water, early start. My start had a small hick-up! I had launched the ski and pushed the ski out to deeper water to avoid sucking any stones up the intake at low tide. This is all good in practice, if the WaveRunner security isn’t turned on! Hence the ski wouldn’t start and the remote I had locked away in the car parked up the road. It was one of those mornings, maybe a bit early for me, also forgetting the net! After running back to the car and a few profanities later, I was off enjoying a refreshing ride out towards Rakino Channel. The conditions were great with a smooth run all the way to my first spot of the morning.

At Rakino, I was not finding the fish as quick as I expected, so after a short time with no great action I headed via the back of Rakino, in the direction of the Ahaahas. I stopped first at a trusty spot that holds plenty of fish this time of year… It didn’t disappoint, as first cast and a solid strike with a fish giving me a good work out on the Daiwa Sol set! I was only fishing in fifteen metres of water and the Snapper smashed the 7” Gulp Nuclear Chicken on the drop, I hadn’t even had time to turn on the new Tachyon HD’s! After five minutes of slow retrieve and its rapid string pulling, I landed what was to be my best fish of the morning.

After placing the fish in the chilly bin I proceeded to reset for another drift over the same area of fish I had marked earlier on the Raymarine sounder. The second drift didn’t have the same success as earlier, a few hits, but not hooking up on any big ones. I next opted to try another colour soft bait, the Gulp 6” New Penny, this was the bait of the day, with hits on every drop.

With the incoming tide, I next fished a different area to work better with my drift. There was plenty of sign at the spot and the fish were more aggressive in this area, also hitting the New Penny on every cast.

I love fishing and I hope to see my children experience the fishing we enjoy, hence why more of us should fish for the future. My intentions were to take enough home for a feed and this good sized fish was left to swim another day.

The fishing was going great and after landing one more for the smoker, I made a call to head back to start a days work at the shop.

The ride back was fast and exciting, with that feeling us Jetskifishos appreciate of how fortunate the lifestyle is on these fishing platforms. Next it stepped up another level, just as I had called it session over, I am greeted by Gannets and Dolphins as close in as Rakino Island.

I couldn’t resist to having a quick stop and yes first cast there was another Snapper on and soon released amongst what was to be an intensive work up building for some great Friday fishing. It was only eight minutes from Bucklands Beach on the jet-ski, so it shows you don’t have to go far for this experience if you know where and what to look for. I continued enjoying the atmosphere of the feeding frenzy, taking some more photos of the friendly Dolphins.

I could have spent another few hours out there, but I was overdue to get back in the real world of work, so it was 100 kph back to the ramp! The Snapper was prepped for the smoker and made for another productive Jetskifishing session.