Spearfishing NZ late summer

[Ron Bakker]

With a Blocked Sinus and a cough that wouldn’t leave me alone I thought I’d Spend the Sunday afternoon feeling sorry for myself kicking up my heels on the couch.
Then I got a Text from Ricky “C U @ da wharf 12 sharp”. Hmm better pull myself together like a pair of curtains.
Anyway next thing we were off to somewhere. Choose our location once we were out of the bay. We left the Wharf at 12 and had to be back at the wharf by 4:30 so we didn’t want to spend too much time on the boat. So Ohinau it was. Chae and Ricky decided to dive Ohinau. The tide was running from the north and I had my mind set on getting a good Snapper. I headed off to Little Ohinau; the swim across didn’t take as long as I thought it would. The moment I arrived at the weed edge Kahawai circled me. “Can’t go home without a fish,” I thought. So I shot one of these fish then straight after three Kingies came in. Two of them would have been close to 30kg. Pulling the mono in with the fish on the end of the spear. The Kingies were chasing it. Then just as they got right behind the fish they changed their mind. So I hung around the point for a while and there was plenty of bait fish life. So I shot another Kahawai and a Trevalley. Then I moved along the weededge, which looks perfect, but has not really done much for me in the past. So I went into the shallows where a shark went past. But he/she was minding it’s own business. When I got to the other end I snooped the Northern rock To find this Snapper which I thought had nothing more than a dark patch on it’s head. It Wasn’t till I had it in my hands I noticed it had a chunk out of it’s head. What a great survivor I thought. My sinus was not letting me past 10m deep so I avoided the weed edge incase I saw something good that I can’t get to.
Back at the end closest to Ohinau I waited for a while and sure enough the Kingfish came in. Different from the last time as they were smaller. I landed a 20kg King Which I was happy with. And at the same time the boat arrived.
We did another dive at Maori Lady but nothing more than butters were spotted out there.

A Nice dive for a Sunday afternoon.

[deep thinker]

Nice yellow tail (kingfish) you got there mate. Sounds like a awesome day out

[getawayFK]

What a nice story Ron. I hope u get well soon man... I know how it feels man; i have always been a sufferer of chronic sinusitis... As for the snapper, I am still wondering what could have caused such deformity... Could it be aggression by another predator? Or the fish was diseased ?

And for the kings, here in the Persian Gulf water (I am based in Qatar now), its their season now... We get kings up to 50-60kg and really close to shore. So what's your setting with the speargun? Do you use a float or a reel? Cause I guess you both go to open water and shallow reefs right? So do you do some sort of balance for the two conditions?

Best regards !

[Ron Bakker]

I 've got a home made carbon 120cm, 110 is quite common too. with a 25m floatline and then a fairly standard float at the end. Snapper and bigger Trevalley are really the only species that are really flighty. I think the record King landed here on a speargun is 47kg, my biggest is 40. Had about 12m vis the other day which is good for close in.
I actually think it might be spear damage which could of taken a big chunk out of the fish.

[deep thinker]

Our kings give up quite a fight, for a 40 to 60kg id like a biggish float with a bungee line, I use 20m of float line of which the first 5m is bungee cord, it just gives you that extra bit of play on the line. They also tend to go for the bottom and run the spear out on the reef...

[Ron Bakker]

I remember once I had a king close to the surface, but every other time they go down and try to tangle up in the weed.

[mbax002]

60 kg kingfish! That's interesting. I believe the world record is approximately 108 pounds. That's slightly under 50 kg. Additionally the fish was speared at the Three Kings Islands in New Zealand. If you were able to land one of these fish you would become the new world record holder. Good luck...

[Ron Bakker]

Originally Posted by mbax002

60 kg kingfish! That's interesting. I believe the world record is approximately 108 pounds. That's slightly under 50 kg. Additionally the fish was speared at the Three Kings Islands in New Zealand. If you were able to land one of these fish you would become the new world record holder. Good luck...

Isn't a kingfish a different species in South Africa?

[flying_spanner]

I'd love to land a good size King. Unfortunatly I wasn't in the right place at the right time and of last summer when they were being landed in the area.

As towards the end of summer when the water is a little warmer down here in the Top of the South the Kingies show up for a while.

Maybe this year............

[Ron Bakker]

The best I have managed 40kg at the mokohinau's

Which I don't have a photo of but I do have one of this 28kg fish.

[slingshaft]

Nice stuff, That fish really looks like what we call an Amberjack.

[Coral Sniper]

They also look a lot like our rainbow runners.