Serious Rock Fishing Day 1

We have attempted to rock fish multiple times in the last couple of months, but all attempts have failed to provide very good results. So, Tuesday Nov 22nd we went on a "real" rock fishing trip with a man we met here who does it for a living. Marty Benson took us to a rock about 5 miles

out via his small boat/dinghy. It was the three of us and a camera man, as Marty is documenting his land based fishing trips. We spent 14 hours fishing from a 30ft by 60ft rock that was about 30 feet tall at its highest point between two islands in the Pacific Ocean. We fished from several different spots on the rock in different corners and jetties. Jill caught several live bait kahawai and then spent most of the day trying to catch a King fish on live bait. She never caught a kingfish, but she had some fun catching a few small

snappers on another rod. Dave caught several small snappers and two ten or eleven pound snappers. Dave also caught about ten rock hind, which are more of a nuisance than a success. We were also able to get some fresh green lipped mussels, which grow abundantly here in New Zealand.
Rock fishing proves to be more difficult than it appears. There are many obstacles other than the obvious seclusion. First you have to get to the rock you want to fish from and that isn't easy. Maneuvering around these rocky surfaces takes some practice, there isn't much give when you trip or fall into barnacle covered rocks, so you have to be very careful. You really have to watch the rhythm of the waves and plan your moving based on the ocean. When fishing, the edge of the rocks will grab your line like a magnet and then you end up breaking it off. Dave and Marty both spent quite a bit of time making and tying new rigs that we lost in the rocks. If you catch a fish and you allow your line to get snagged on the rocky edge you will lose your fish. Being mindful of all rock edges above and below the water is a must. We both learned a lot on this fishing trip and had a great time. While it was a bit difficult it was a new challenge and we have a great respect for people who catch huge fish from the rocks. We are hoping for even better results on day 2.