Andrew Cox and Jigging Master Australia visit New Zealand to tackle some monster kingfish!
This report is a bit of milestone for us at Epic Adventures....after five years we've added a second boat to the fleet! Based out Whitianga and skippered by our skilled Capt Tobes the boat Sanity is the new addition to our Epic Adventures fleet!
Having two boats opens up a whole lot more options, including being able to cater for groups of eight people out of two boats.
There was no better way to put Sanity to the test than when we were joined by Andrew Cox. Coxy runs a fishing tackle business in Australia, with one of the main brands he distributes being none other than Jigging Master. Andrew brought over four Japanese clients who are right into their jigging and had various friends from New Zealand join him during his four days fishing out of Tairua, so it was perfect running two boats to cater for the big group.
The new rig
The boys ready for action
First drop and Jiro realised these ain't Brisbane kingis!!! Takes a BIG kingi to do this to a JM350......ended in tears....
Cosy sticks it to one on the JM200
Coxy with his first for the trip
The rail was used a wee bit....
The boys watch on as Jiro gets peeled!
All holds together this time and we have a nice fish to the boat for Jiro
A real nice Aldermen Islands kingfish for Jiro Ogawa
Coxy getting peeled on the JM200 spin and Stella 5000
Nice fish on the spin!! JM Alience doing the damage
Coxy hooked up again
Jiro Ishibashi on the rail.!
This one went home for sashimi, fish soup, baked fish, steamed fish....you name it!
Coxy with another on a Lumo JM rocket
And another on a JM green and gold Alien
One of a double for him and Jiro
Giro was on fire an picked up his third for the day
Over on Sanity Tobes was putting the boys on to some good fishing, Tobes had a load of Coxys mates on who fished beside us. Here is Rob and Brad on a double
Rob had been hunting in New Zealand and timed the end of his trip so that he could have a day out fishing with Coxy while he was here. Getting pulled to the rail here on the JM450 and Stella 2000 with a green and Gold River to Sea jig
A double for him and Jono
Jono with his trusty blue jig and a nice fat Aldermen Islands kingi
Regular Epic client Brad Burden was invited along by Andrew and got into some nice kings as well
Rob with a 19kg kingfish, fish of the first day, and a green and gold spike jig and Stella
Double hooks ups a plenty aboard Sanity on Day One.
Day two and the arms and legs were feeling it, here Jiro uses a new technique we call the "jigging chair"
Jiro pretty stoked with his fish!!
Mitsuru Nishimori, otherwise known as "Chef" (and a pretty talented one at that as the skipper can attest to!) putting his electric reel to the test on a big king on Day two
And pretty rapt with a solid fish
Another one to the boat
The jigging chair in action once again!
Jiro with a big king about to be released
Kotama Hosaya arrived a day later than the others and so this was his first day and here he is loaded up on his first for the trip.
Good times at the Aldies!!!
Day three and the chef was doing his thing again!!
A stonker of a fish!!
Andrew fished Day three with some friends and family aboard Sanity and Tobes had a blinder on some solid kings
Stella getting put through its paces
Coxy with a sweet kingi
Giro loaded up on a kingfish on a livie aboard Epic - skippers rod so no rod on the rail this time!!!
The boys aboard Sanity were slaying them! Tim getting stuck into a nice fish
Tobes had the livies sent down one after the other and the kings were scoffing them left right and centre
A very happy Sean with a fat Aldermen Island kingfish caught aboard Sanity
Jon with a cracker
A triple of kingfish destined for Jon's 60th birthday party, about to go into a slurry!
Coxy loaded up on Sanity
And a big fat fish to finish off Day Three for Tim
Mitsuru's creations put to the test! Sashimi, miso soup, the skippers smoked marlin and some abalone and crayfish from Tairua made for a good celebration that night!!
Day four and we were kept coastal, but still turned up some good fish on a half day close to home
The boys tried out some livebait fishing for the first time and had a ball catching kingfish in 10m of water!!
Kotaro with a nice fish from the shallows taken on a live mackeral bait
Jiro with one tagged about to go back
And Coxy naileda nice one on a jig in 10m of water - green and gold the colour amongst the mackeral shools
Cheers to Coxy for organising the trip! We hope to see the boys back again soon!
And we're rapt with how things went with the two boats working side by side - we certainly got onto the fish!
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