Mick Johnson NZ Fishing Trip Sept 2011

Report from Carl

Mick is one of those real 'fishy buggers', you know the ones' they always seem to be there when the action is hot and come away with awesome fish.  He's always stoked just to be on the water and that positive attitude usually translates to some epic fishing.  On Mick's last trip with us in February he nabbed his first ever marlin - two of them - and on this trip we had a few more firsts planned!

The bait was real thick up in the Mercury Bay and there were nice sized kingfish there with them so that where we headed each morning to load the livie tanks. Mick was real keen to get one on his little Daiwa Certate and it wasn't long before a kingi scoffed a livebait set behind the boat during our bait catching.  The reel SUUUUNG - its just awesome hooking kingfish in the shallows on light gear, they have no where to run but away from the boat and they peel off some serious line at full noise!

Mick with the first kingfish of the trip - awesome conditioned fish on the light gear.

Joining Mick's crew this year was his son Ben.  Mick has always mentioned on various trips he'd love to get Ben over from Sydney as he'd love it - and Ben sure was enjoying getting railed on some beasts at the Aldermens today!

Mick with a solid fish. Most of the fish during the week we released but this one went to Me Old Mates to get smoked up and vac packed for Mick to treat his mates back in Aussie with

Another kingi newbie with his first ever kingfish, a serious arm stretching on the MC Works for James - well done bro!

Double trouble!

Ben with one sporting an old war wound, we released him to harass some more bait fish

Another addition to the crew this year was Lithuanian 'Ollie'. 

Used to chasing Sydney sized kings he was blown away on day one by the power of the big fat Aldermen Islands kingfish - the words ' sh*t, I never going home now' were uttered a few times

Ruined by the end of day one!

The bite got better by the end of the second day and Mick was stoked with his last of the day

Last drift was called - the MC Works Southern Blue 516 bent over, - the Stella sung a sweet tune and the fishing gods blessed James with the fish of the day on !

These guys had one of the best five days weather forecasts for a week long trip we've ever had, 5 knot variables most days....the sun rose for day two and we had the same game plan

Fishing with Micks Saltiga rod and Saltiga 6500 extreme spin Ben was consistently hooking up and loving it

But in true Mick J style, sneaking down a livie on our trial rod from Thomson Walker, a Van Stall 500 and Marquesa 30 twin speed, he hooked the fish of the trip, peeling a sh*t load of line and railing Mick to the max!  An awesome fish in the 28-30kg mark

Quick photo with the kit before we released this prime fish back in the drink for someone else to breed up a few more !!

By the end of the second day the fellas had their kingi fix well and truly so the next day we had we stopped at Dize Zone in Whitianga and hired some dive gear for Mick, the plan was to get him on to his first ever scallops and crays and have a fish up at Cuvier and the Mercs, Epic swallowed up all the gear like a dream the dive tank compartment underfloor getting its first test out

An cruisy dive in 7m of water at Home Bay and in no time we had our quota of scallops.

The boys got a treat of their first ever raw scallops straight from the sea...in the words of Ollie...."oh f*** thats it this place.......now I can never buy scallops back home either....."

Bait tanks loaded with livies, scallops, ...and now we just had to add some crayfish....

We headed for Cuvier Mike Bonnici had found freedidving last year.... crack Crayfish virgin Mick came up trumps .....how the size of this beast for his first ever crayfish.....the smile says it all!!  The boys had all the ingredients for a right royal seafood feast that night!

Straight back into the fishing and some trevally sashimi!

20 or so avg sized kingfish on jigs at Crackerjack rounded out a top day.

Mick was off the next day to pack his shiny new Surtees up in a container to take home to Sydney and Ollie and Tommy went for the ride to the Surtees factory in Whakatane to see some of the countryside, he lent son Ben his trusty Certate and it was long before Ben was engaged in an Epic tustle with a Whitianga kingfish on the light stuff!

Back out at the Aldies and Dad's trusty Saltiga did the job on another Aldies fattie which we released

Dunno what it was but it was all thumbs up today

Mick's cousin and kingi newbie Ivan got to feel the burn on his first four or five hard fighting kingfish

A few years ago we matched Noel and Mick up on a casual charter, they've stayed in touch and Noel joined the crew got smoked on the jig by a couple of big boys and nailed dinner on a livie from a double with Ivan

Ivan with the last of the day, an 18 kegger and a happy chappy

More clear skies for Day Five!!

Tommy got well and truly sea sick and was KO'd and out for the count on day one, day two he spent recovering, and so we swore this fifth member of the week long crew would get dibs on the first harbour kingi on the light gear...he was loving getting PEEEEEEEEled!

Choice one Tommy!

One more first to crack and that was blooding Mick's 2011 Daiwa 4500.  I pulled my JM 120 spin out of the cotton wool and in no time Mick had the little 4500 howling, what a sound!  The traditional 'blooding of some light kit' pose

James with his last of the trip

And Ben comes up trumps with another nice fish to wrap up a very cool week with a TOP bunch of fellas

See ya next September Boys!!

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