Fantastic fishing at the Three Kings - an exert from a recent charter aboard Reel Awesome
The trip set out with 5x blokes and 2x crew from Whangaroa into a rising Easterly blow, bound for the Three Kings on a 5x day charter. This trip wasn't going to get nice weather, we new that but our intrepid anglers didn't flinch an eyelid.
Day 1 saw us leaving at day break and steaming through till the night and arriving at the Kings around 10:00pm. No interruptions save for the odd skippy and Albacore. The east Coast fish had gone on holiday elsewhere for a few days with general reports of little activity down the coast. Coming around North Cape and on our way over to the Kings, the water was cold, only 17.6 degree's so we couldn't wait to get to our destination. Evening saw us putting the anchor down in South East bay as a stiff North East blow had developed at this stage. Most of the Three Kings fleet had decided to stay away and there was just us and 2x other boats, More room for us in the little bay we thought, yippee!
Day 2 had us steaming just before daybreak off to the King bank approx. 17nm to the North in a still rising Easterly. Comfortable conditions at this stage and anglers and crew's anticipation rising by the minute. This was a Marlin hunt in the first instance with bottom fish on the agenda after our appetites had been quenched. We arrived at the King Bank at 9:00am to be greeted instantly with a double hookup of striped marlin. We where the only boat in this area so had the whole patch to ourselves. Anglers and crew cleared the gear in well rehearsed fashion and set into the task of what they where here to do. Nicely separated, the Marlin played ball our way and kept apart, both fish on separate quarters of the stern. The first fish was bought to the boat, tagged and released in quick fashion with the 2nd marlin following the same fate soon after. A quick round of congratulations on 2x tagged striped marlin and the lures where back in the water in a few minutes.
No sooner had the whole lure pattern been deployed when we where pack-attacked by big striped marlin. We watched in awe as we saw striped marlin charging lures in every direction. 3x rods went off resulting in one solid hookup. This striped marlin was huge and probably the biggest stripey of the whole trip. Our angler gave the fish no mercy and had it to the back of the boat in 40 minutes in what was now a 20 knot easterly with wind against tide. Not nice on the King bank as the waves have a tendency to stand up literally. Just as we where about to trace the fish, the hooks pulled. It happens. The angler had fought the whole fight so there where still feelings of elation as the fish swam away. Lure pattern deployed, we once again set off to plough the field. This time we had to wait a whole 30 minutes for the next bite but we just knew it was going to happen. Waiting 30 minutes suited us well as it gave us time to re-rig some damaged traces and gather some of our composure as well as our anglers breaths. The next bite came from a stripey that didn't hookup, that happens a lot too.
It was 1:00pm when the next bite occured. All of our anglers had seen more marlin action at close quarters than they would probably ever have expected in a half day so when I spotted a dorsal coming up behind a long outrigger lure and shouted MARLIN, they where not too surprised. Snap went the outrigger clip, no hookup and resulted in a lure running off the tall rod's tip way back. That was when I saw the big brown fat shape of a Blue marlin coming back for a second go at the lure. As they do, the Blue Marlin sat back a bit underneath eyeing the lure then lunged forward and struck. This time it was on. Leaping away, we immediately slowed the boat down and backed the drag back as we didn't want to pop the line. The deck well cleared again, the angler set about catching his first marlin. The fact that he was left handed did not deter him one bit. We had 850 meters of line out and it was time to start backing up. Reel Awesome has no duckboard and no trim tabs so she backs up really well. We had the waves piling over the back as we hit swells in reverse at 5 to 6 knots. No problems as the saloon door was shut and the big scuppers dumped the water in quick fashion. This fish was swimming strongly in the opposite direction down deep so we kept reversing without stopping for the next 40 minutes while the angler managed to retrieve 600 meters of line back. It was seriously looking like we had this Blue and had just managed to turn him after 45 minutes when we pulled the hooks. Again, general feelings of elation where all around as the angler had fought nearly the whole fight on a big Blue. Fate may have been kind to us as I considered later what we would have done with a Blue Marlin on the back if it had died given that this was just our 2nd day of the charter.
Mid afternoon arrived and we trolled for another hour before heading back to the somewhat dodgy protection of North West bay at the Kings islands. By now the wind had whipped up to a 20 to 23 knot easterly and it wasn't nice at all. Reel Awesome was full to the brim with fuel and beer so we where well planted in the water. Very little bucking and chine slapping with all this weight aboard so she was handling the now moderate to rough conditions very well. That evening saw us sitting at anchor by ourselves at the Three Kings with the 2x other remaining boats having headed for North Cape. Bottom fishing wasn't high on the agenda that evening (even though the anglers gave it a bit of a bash) as I am sure we where all still coming down to earth from the marlin action of the day.
Day 3 and we where on the King bank at 9:00am again. Again, no sooner had we arrived and BANG, off went a rod as we saw a stripey making a hasty retreat with a lure in its mouth. He dropped it and the decky wound it back into position. That stripey did not take his eyes off that lure for one second and once wound back into position, hit the lure with more determination than the first attempt. This time we new he was well hooked and he proceeded to jump through the now 3 meter breaking Easterly swells, Reel Awesome in hot pursuit backwards, waves slamming into the back of the boat and over the angler in the process. The drenching of the angler only bought cheers of excitement from all in the cockpit. After a 40 minute fight the fish was subdued at the back of the boat and the decision was made to take it as it was estimated at 110kg and fat.
With the fish on board and lures deployed, again we did not have to wait long as within 30 minutes a much larger stripey charged in and attacked the long left lure, dropped it and we watched as he shot over to the long right without hesitation and thoroughly scoffed that lure. He was well and truly hooked this time and gave us a great display as he jumped through the big swells. Reversing up into these big waves was starting to get more exciting but it didn't slow us down a bit. The troops where cheering with excitement as the angler was repeatedly drenched by big waves hitting the back of the transom and dumping into the cockpit. This stripey, jumping like a blue, turned around creating a big bally in the line and started greyhounding parallel with the boat to starboard. What a magnificent site as this HUGE stripey was plowing and grey hounding through the 3 meter waves, more out of the water than in. Still continuing backwards, Reel Awesome kept the tension on the line to a minimum as the fish started to overtake us from the side. No problems with the huge belly in the line and the line was still trailing off out our stern. Stripeys don't take long to settle down and the angler just kept his head down and wound on what was his second fight of the trip. Not a single word of instruction needed to be given as I am sure the angler felt and looked like a seasoned pro by this stage.
After another almost obligatory 40 minutes, the fish was brought to the back of the boat and greeted by some anglers in awe of the size. This fish was a monster stripey that I estimated at approx 160kg and took some tracing to lift up in these big swells but eager hands grabbed the bill and the decision was made to take this fish too. This ensured enough Striped marlin for all anglers for the next year. Courtesy of the anglers, we where fortunate to have a very large 400 liter professional grade chilly bin aboard so chilled storage was no problem. With both marlin now well secured aboard, the sea state downright rough and the anglers thirst for marlin well quenched, we headed back for the now really dodgy protection of the Kings islands. On arrival a couple of hours later we where greeted with waves being whipped up inside North West bay, the best anchorage in these conditions and again the only boat there. Our need to quench a bottom bouncing habit was pretty much stymied by the large breaking waves careering past the eastern point of the bay so we resigned ourselves to a mediocre bottom bounce in the bay itself while contemplating another sleepless, joggly night.
Day 4 and the decision was made to make a run for it back to North Cape as the bottom bouncing options where pretty much written off at the Kings due to a now steady NE to easterly of 22 to 25 knots. An un-eventful trip back across cold water saw as back at Thom Bowling's bay with all looking forward to a good nights sleep after more than a few bevy's.
Day 5 saw us beating into a 20 to 25 Knot easterly almost on the nose all the way back to Whangaroa, straight-lining it all the way to get back in time. No time to troll over the 505 but the water colour was hopeful, a few large greedy skippies slamming our Tuna lure along the way. Arriving back to Whangaroa at 5:30pm, and a session reminiscing over the marlin action was enjoyed at the club over a few bevy's. All 5x anglers had fought marlin with 4x caught and 2x dropped at the back of the boat for just 1.5 days on the Kings bank.
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That's Three Kings Marlin fishing for you at it's best on Reel Awesome. Despite the weather, great boat and great anglers made the trip very successful