FishPros are awesome. If I was going to get another ski, it would be a FishPro.
Well into the tide we wandered…
A bit of a what to do this weekend …chores were done and the sun beat down on a Saturday afternoon pushing me into the shade …I picked up my phone and a cold beer …the tide times popped up and well …well you cannot let a good afternoon tide go to waste…
So txting some of the local fishing folk …I got reply’s like …do we have to?
So after a bit of rubber arm twisting , and dragging the @Pengy down from his roost , and sorting everything thing out to perfection…
I watched the ebb tide wander out of our local estuary…and watched as vehicles arrived full of fisherman …all but one …we waited and politely waited then then burnt fuel…
Arrived late to the flats , with a mid range flood we arrived to find the gutter damn near perfect …well drained we where almost late to the digs …we plunged in and set to hauling ..hits and small fish jumping all around the drag in the front out the back and …….snagged …got the short fella wetsuited up to lift the drag out of the sand barr , and then again and again ….thanks @ROKTOY your a bloody legend!
Small fish , even I’m 100 % sure there were half grown flounder that were bumping the net and then skimming the surface along with plenty of small Kahawai ..
So the drag was beached 3 flounder , the next haul 5 flounder , then 3 flounder …the fishing crew was epic ..in ..clear the net …out …drag ..yarn.. laughs, haul ..set up the drag , clean the fish ..ice the fish ..what a bloody epic team!
Then we ran out of tide, so headed up the gutter to set up for the flood…
Well we had an audience with my lady ,my mother in law , and the good lady from next door ! All standing on the bank calling us to land fish …whilst I was standing in the flood saying ..we are not wasting a second of the flood tide …
Guess who won ??
the net was beached to see 5 big flatties on the hard and the ladies satisfied they retreated to the high ground as the flood pushed …so into the tide once more …
The tide flooded for the first time this year …it really got going a current deep in the gutter ..more fish skimming the surface and then thump thump thump thump
Both sides of the drag thump thump …smiles abounded but the tide was pushing and thigh deep had turned into neck deep in half an hour …
so we tip toed and bumped / swam the net in up it came with Roktoy hauling and the Pengy counting one , two , five , …..well that was a bloody epic drag …
Fish gutted, washed clean , iced and sorted …then the net was chucked on the beach and time taken to clear the weed and sticks …
Off to the trucks with a warm Autumn sun on our back , a cold beer in the ice bin and a couple of bags of chips to chew on as we finished the afternoon yarning and making plans…
A van with a boat in tow wandered out onto the flats ..to launch into the flooding tide …we ate snacks , yarned and watched the day drift quietly ..
Then watched the flood tide creep up on the van and boat …then the owner running for shore and our crew scrambling out of our seats of leisure and into help out mode…
The next half hour was just that a flooding tide , a stuck van and trailer , broken straps , but all the while quietly, and very professionally directed by @ROKTOY ..
The man was a legend , no rush , no panic …just simply hook up and haul …snap ..redo haul …snap ..
To the point Roktoy said to me get your truck on the hard mate we do not want to be recovering two vehicles…get your truck safe
Then the owner turned up with a heavy duty bit of rope an a very lucky chance it was was damn near 100 meters long so with another vehicle , and to this day I will call my sons father in law the” hulk “ he lifted and the truck moved the van …
Boom …once it was moving ..keep it moving …..and by what was certainly the last gasp of luck the van ( still running) and truck made dry land …
The fall out ..whilst we congratulated ourselves on the recovery!
Roktoy once again took hold of the situation …two young blokes about 8 and 10 were in the boat that dad had launched …the eldest was in real distress …old Father Time Roktoy wanders up ..tells me …I’ve got this and gives the young but big brother a hug , holds onto him as the young bloke bursts into tears ..then he tells the young fellla some yarns to calm him …..in all my days on this earth …I was glad this man was with us!
A big blue tractor arrives with the boat trailer ..we trailer the boat and the share handshakes and smiles and get the hell out of the flooding tide …
Back on the dry stuff …everyone takes a moment, they secure the boat to the trailer and trailer to the van …we step aside and leave the to it …
The young folks come over to say a polite thank you and Pengy offers them a flounder or two …well they lift the lid on our fish bin and their eyes light up …” yes please” ..
So with a few flatties in their bin they head away …
We enjoyed the sunset and the company we had …the sand flies bit , and it was time for home ….
Epic evening and once again proud as hell to know all you folks.
Nil durum volenti !!
What an afternoon eh lads. I'm glad we had a good outcome; it was getting pretty hairy at the end.
Ass end of said van was just starting to float as the last tow was made. Al hands on deck made the difference.
No vehicles were harmed n the making of this adventure.
One of those fishing trips that you will remember for years to come
glad you guys made it out, ok.
Always wanted to do barge fishing
keeps hearing the stories about it but never actually try it.
Mate rang up Saturday night and said the barge might be going tomorrow,
So off I went, launching from Kawakawa and heading off to the coromandel side (a long way from home).
Couldn't see any barge so we hooked on one of the mussel hook and hoped one might turn up,
While we wait, we drop the line and nekminit...
My mate got his limit and I have 4 fish in the bin,
and that's all the fish I need for my 2 good neibors.
So we headed back and barge fishing is still on my to do list :/
Nice work Stingray and crew. It's always more fun when it's someone else's vehicle stuck in the tide.
Sounds like you guys got a feed and a show
That's a nice haul Snap 4T. With fishing like that who needs the barge aye
Well done team
"Hunting and fishing" fucking over licenced firearms owners since ages ago.
308Win One chambering to rule them all.
[QUOTE=Pengy;1428033]Not me. I sat on the sidelines and let the experts sort it while I drank their beer[ and kept the ladies company/QUOTE]
Went fishing a couple of weeks ago, i caught a scarpy but on the way up Mr John Dory swallowed it.
Remember the 7 “P”s; Pryor Preparation Prevents Piss Poor Performance.
PB trev today. 55cm.
Experience. What you get just after you needed it.
12 snaps, 3 trevs and 1 carrot. A few hours out in Golden bay and all caught on the same lure.
Experience. What you get just after you needed it.
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