Conquered kingy a cunning fish

BY SIMON EDWARDS

It wasn't clear who was reeling who in when Tony Jackson went out fishing on a foggy morning recently.

The Alicetown man was fishing from a kayak on Wellington Harbour on January 29 when a tug on his line indicated something big had taken the bait.

Maybe too big.

In a 20-minute battle, he says the fish hauled him out towards the Heads, then towards Wellington before doubling back to Eastbourne. Fish, kayak and man finally ended up on Ward Island beach.

The kingfish is renowned as a fighter, "a very cunning fish. They'll wrap themselves around obstacles and so on", Mr Jackson says.

This one was 15.2kg (34lb).

"When they're getting up that big you lose more than you land."

Not only did this fish run back under his kayak, which could have tipped Mr Jackson out if he didn't have his "wits about me", it was so foggy he could only hear rather than see other boats out on the water.

After landing the kingy he says he had to wait an hour for the fog to clear enough before heading back to the mainland. "I was worried that I might get clobbered by one of the boats going past."

Others might have been tempted to cut the line, "but that wasn't going to happen", Mr Jackson says. The last time he had something that large take his hook, it turned out to be a blue shark. He cut that line. "It was a bit spooky having that near the kayak."

Mr Jackson has fished from kayaks for four years and thoroughly recommends it.

"You can be out to the [harbour] islands in 20 minutes and it's just great on a good day. Sometime I don't even bother to fish, I just potter around."

The big kingfish wasn't wasted.

"It's steaked up in the freezer. The neighbours either side have had a taste, and the in-laws."

- Hutt News