A snapper safari with Wayne and Chantelle

A Charter Connection

MARK KITTERIDGE - JULY 2009

The hiss of breakfast bacon hitting the pan had barely begun, yet several hulking snapper to 10 kilos already resided within the big Icey-Tek cooler.

That’s a pretty good start in anyone’s language, especially as an ‘accidental’ kingfish of around 15kg had also come aboard, and been released.

Here I was at Great Barrier Island on board Neptune Charters’ Chantelle, with skipper Wayne Banks at the helm, accompanied by his good mate and Big Fish tackle-store owner Phil Appleyard, sometime-deckhand and super-keen diver Dino Broughton, and my fishing buddy and friend Konrad Attenberger.

Despite the wind coming from the dreaded southeast, conditions could hardly have been better; while the direction might not have been great, at five knots it wasn’t affecting how we were hanging on the anchor, and the jade-green waters swirling behind the stern looked dark but exciting in the early morning light. I couldn’t wait to drop my bait in.

However, the pin Wayne had chosen is only the size of a tennis court so is easily missed if the current is stronger than usual, as it was now. Consequently, we’d only been anchored for ten minutes and already Wayne was muttering about repositioning; he reckoned the potential of this place was too great to sit around catching nothing. This made the hefty strike I encountered soon after a pleasant surprise.

I’d finally added enough weight for my big yellowtail mackerel to reach the bottom, and moments later I felt hard chomps transmitting up the line, followed by a determined run. Smoothly engaging the reel’s gears and lifting the rod to set the hook simply served to ignite the big fish’s after-burners, which got me very excited initially. But when a series of powerful runs kept me on my toes, forcing me to run from one corner of the transom to the other, and lacking any telltale headshakes, I picked it for a kingfish rather than a snapper – correctly, as it turned out.

The strong current didn’t do me any favours, so almost 10 minutes went by before the gaff’s hook slid into the kingie’s mouth to lift it aboard for a quick photography session, followed by release.
And when the next bait met a similar fate, this time resulting in a solid snapper of 6.5kg, I thought this was going to be my day. But it wasn’t.

Sure, I got another snapper of around 5kg a little later, but Phil wrestled a better specimen of 7kg on board, along with another one a bit smaller – and then Konrad cleaned us both up.

Renowned in Maraetai as a ‘small snapper specialist’, Konrad had already caught several nice fish to 5kg before a whirr of rumbling bearings told us a good fish was racing off with his monster pilchard – a sound that abruptly stopped when he ripped his rod skywards. The healthy bend indicating a successful hook-up soon intensified as the rod was hauled firmly down in response, the line now leaving the reel in an unstoppable burst. Departing line was accompanied by “Oohs” and encouraging cheers (tinged with jealousy) from the rest of us – this was the type of fish we’d travelled so far to catch and Wayne was delivering the goods.

The snapper gave a good account of itself, aided by the tide, and despite being able to dimly see the big silvery slap deep down in the Barrier’s clear waters, it seemed to take Konrad forever to pump it into clear view.

But then, there it was, bursting up and rolling ponderously on the surface, the big tail waving briefly before getting traction once more to make one last dive towards freedom. Unfazed, Konrad just kept good pressure on, until finally the big rubber-meshed net scooped down, securing the beautiful fish, its tail hanging out of the frame and the long handle bending under the strain.

At 10kg it was Konrad’s biggest-ever snapper and he was justifiably stoked.

But what I particularly liked was that it wasn’t yet 9 o’clock, the bacon, mushrooms, sausages and scrambled eggs were just sorting themselves out to become a hearty breakfast, and two more days of this lay ahead!
Sure enough, we found ourselves at a number of spectacular locations and experienced equally spectacular fishing – mostly lumpy snapper averaging 2.5kg to 5kg, but also some very big kahawai and trevally in excess of 3kg, giving our gear a good workout.

This was especially the case for Phil, who often set aside his heavier tackle and used 3kg instead, boating several snapper around 4-5kg in an impressively short time, demonstrating he’s not just good at selling fishing tackle, he also adept at using it.

I couldn’t get enough of Great Barrier; it’s one of those places where anything can happen. I can’t describe how wonderful it felt to be lobbing big baits towards gnarly headlands with oceanic swells rumbling whitely onto them, while mixed schools of trevally and kahawai gulped down krill nearby and a variety of seabirds kept us company. It was pretty close to fishing heaven.

Obviously you can’t have ideal conditions like these and not have a couple of fish stories to show for them; I missed two snapper I really regret. The first raced off with a massive whole yellowtail and was one of a handful of fish that avoided my twin circle-hooked rig. This was most unfortunate, as the bite imprint made on the wrecked mackerel was truly impressive.

The second occurred while things were relatively slow, but we’d maintained a good chunk trail, just in case. I was casting a 7-inch Gulp! Jerk Bait around at the time, and had inexplicably lost several fish in a row, including a likely ‘double-figure’ specimen. I was thinking of throwing the ‘dud’ lead-head away when my retrieve came to a complete halt. On whipping the rod up, two ponderous headshakes registered, and it was immediately apparent I was connected to a beast.

However, it didn’t pull off heaps of string, content instead to lumber around for a while, perhaps not fully appreciating the potential trouble it was in. I could barely suppress my excitement. Then I thought about the fish that had fallen off previously and jabbed the rod back as hard as I dared several times more. Still no reaction, just a hefty fish easily resisting all the power at my disposal – until the hook came free once more.

Winding in, I cut the jig-head from the end of my line and tossed it overboard, as I should have done earlier.

Our last stop made it even harder to leave. Every bait was being hammered by assorted fish with plenty of grunt – mostly large trevally and decent snapper – but we knew the best was yet to come as the change of light was approaching. However, if we didn’t cut a track, we’d be in very late – and besides, we had more than enough fish to fillet already. So reluctantly we left, happy with what we’d experienced, but knowing we’d only scratched the surface. 

The operation
I thoroughly enjoyed being aboard the 12.2m (40’) Chantelle, mostly because she’s a welcome reminder of the days when boats were solidly built and chugged along steadily at under 10 knots – no matter what the conditions.

No charging along at a million miles an hour, crashing and bashing; instead the sedate voyages from A to B on this sea-kindly boat are opportunities to make up rigs, re-spool reels, share a beer or two with mates and tell stories. And as Wayne’s Snapper Safaris are typically four days long – double the duration of the trip we experienced – there’s more than enough time to get your fill of fishing, snorkelling, sightseeing, or whatever.

Yes, there’s no denying Chantelle’s a boat of character, her many care-worn surfaces hinting at the thousands of anglers who have enjoyed her, although Wayne has obviously been pretty busy recently, with restoration work and additions obvious. The end result is a comfortable, warm and dry boat, and as Wayne’s a realist, there’s no need to worry too much if you spill your beer or track a few scales inside. This boat is made to be lived in by people who enjoy life on the ocean, whether that’s just for the trip or overnighting.

The latter is catered for by four tiered bunks up in the bow, two each side, and up in the saloon the sofa converts into a decent bunk.

The saloon itself has a reasonably spacious galley, along with a decent living area that allows five or six people to sit around and chew the fat or eat a meal – made all the better by a truly impressive computer-based music and video system. Wayne has over 2500 songs entered into the computer to cater for most tastes, and as there are no less than 11 good quality speakers, even those you’re not so fussed about sound fantastic.

Even better, the large computer screen normally used by Wayne for fish-finder and GPS information, swivels around and can be used for watching movies, music and fishing DVDs.

Out in the huge, sheltered cockpit are more goodies. There’s a BBQ that’s often put to good use, despite much of our tasty food being well catered (one of several options available), and there’s also a freezer down below decks for bait and berley. In the middle is a massive icebox – big enough to accommodate a huge catch – and Wayne has a great system for keeping caught fish in the freshest condition possible.

A recent addition is the deck spotlight, which shines on the water around the stern, attracting good numbers of baitfish at night. As big fans of yellowtail mackerel for bait, Konrad and I made good use of this facility the first night. One of these baits accounted for the kingfish.

I also liked Wayne’s practicality, with the numerous rod holders lining the transom and stern each accompanied by a neihbouring cup/can holder – enough to cater for all on board. He says he got sick of seeing so many drinks knocked over.

While the emphasis is definitely on catching snapper during these trips, as we found out first-hand, kingfish are always on the cards too, and getting a few fresh hapuku fillets are a possibility as well – even if you don’t have the gear to catch them. Wayne has a decent selection of outfits on board, ranging from 6-24kg, courtesy of Penn, Daiwa and Shimano.

Then there is Wayne himself; like the boat he’s a one-off – another real character. He’s a very experienced skipper who loves what’s on offer here in the Gulf, and he enjoys sharing its bounty and attractions with others.
There’s no getting away from the fact that Wayne literally does all this single-handedly – and has done so for many years. After all, he only has one arm! I was very impressed, because if you didn’t know, I suggest you probably wouldn’t (unless a can needs opening – and that’s why he has a nifty little device to sort this out!).

Finally, Wayne was keen to mention that he really values the association and mutual support he has with Phil Appleyard and ‘The Big Fish’, as well as with Dino, whose company has made many trips that much better over the years.

So, for those who would like to sample some special places and have the opportunity to enjoy memorable fishing aboard a sedate, sociable and popular boat, please phone Wayne on 0274 908 770. 

Would you like your charter operation to feature in a Charter Connection? If so, contact Mark by emailing:
mark.kitteridge@fishnz.co.nz  or phone (09) 634 1800 till 3.30pm weekdays.

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