Mark Joseph - Salt Water Fly Fishing and Jigging Trip with Epic Adventures 2011

Report from Carl

This is Mark's third trip back to Tairua with us. A keen as salt water flyfisherman he loves mixing up a bit of everything, jigging, flyfishing, popping and stickbaiting.  His mate Dermot who came with Mark last year was back to join in on the fishing action. December is a great time to have a crack on the fly with loads of kingfish up high, often eating squid and plenty of followers on hooked fish

The first morning saw us on Pumpkin and with loads of bait it looked like we'd have a shot at some kings on stickbaits.  Dermot's Nomad stickbait was first to be nailed

Not massive kings on pumpkin yet but good fun in the shallows

After 3 or 4 of those models while we collected bait it was out to the pins, Dermot's Daiwa Sacrifice Stick got nailed on the drop, a real nice king but close to the boat a couple of big whacks on the rod, we knew something was up.....sure enough a marko had got himself some dinner

Next drop and same thing, hit on the jig on the drop.....Dermot's 500gm JigWrex creaked and groaned and then what we were waiting for.....

While Dermot slaved away with 1/4 of a rod, fish still hooked, Mark landed a nice one

Dermot with his king and broken jig wrex

Mark loaded up on his Jigging Master Titanium 350, wicked rod

Jigs running hot at the pins today

Another nice king to Dermot, this time on livie

And upsized next drop

Mark just loves his kahawai on the fly, stopping at any boil up was compulsory!!

Mark having blast

Fat as kahawai!

This was a bit of a suprise though from the depths, 27 pound snapper on a livie - CHOICE!!

More fat as kahawai on the fly from Macgregors

Final day it was up to Crackerjack at the Mercs, where it fired up the week before.  There were stacks of kingfish all up high feasting on squid, Mark's blue, green and lumo jig was a killer

Jigs, livies, baits they were all getting hit....

So time to try the fly...Mark's squid imitation got nailed

Nice 85cm king on the fly

Dermot was nailing them every drop on the jig

No rest for the wicked

Doubles the norm

And another

Mark's same killer jig in pink

More fly action

In no time Dermot was up to 27 kings released by himself, there was plenty of fishing time left

Mark snuck a few more fish in on the jigs before his next fly mission

Righto enough of that Mark, back to the fly!!!!  Sure enough a bigger fish engulfed Mark's next offering and it was a solid, fish, stripping off 30m of Mark's fly line and 70m of his backing, 100m of line out in 90m of water......all held tight though and Mark went to work on the fish

BOOM, solid fish landed which went 15kg.  After releasing 50 fish this one got the gaff treatment just to make sure.....!!

Mission accomplished ....a very happy Mark with new PB on fly!

To book an Epic Adventures fishing trip on the Coromandel, New Zealand click here

To go back to the Epic Adventures fishing reports on our home page click here