King tide brings kingfish bounty from the footpath
Most fishermen like to keep the location of their big catches secret. However, Hoani Gordon had a rod and reel experience that literally stopped traffic in Nelson.
Thanks in part to a king tide that resulted from last week’s supermoon, Gordon landed a 9.98-kilogram kingfish while fishing from Rocks Rd last Tuesday afternoon, using live bait and mussels sourced from the nearby rocks.
Since moving to Nelson from Canterbury five years ago, Gordon has regularly cast a line from the footpath alongside State Highway 6 on the city’s waterfront, amongst other fishing spots around the region.
‘‘If the kids weren’t at school, they’d be here as well. It’s perfect to bring them down, catch a feed and buy some chips to go with it,’’ he said.
Rig, snapper and kahawai are commonly found on Gordon’s hook. However, catching a kingfish was something he had only achieved in a boat until now.
Hooked about 150 metres offshore, the kingfish took Gordon’s line on a 200m arc from his position, avoiding other people’s fishing lines and pedestrians, before he landed it at the seawall steps near the Days Track entry.
‘‘I was running up and down along here trying to keep it on there. Normally, no-one’s ever around when you get the big ones, and then one day it happens during peak traffic.’’
He said the battle drew a large amount of interest from pedestrians and motorists, with some surprised to see a kingfish reeled in from that location. ‘‘I had the old fella from across the road hoo and hahing that he’d never seen one caught from here, and he’s lived here for close to 50 years.’’