Paddy and Stuart were both staying with friends so as soon as the coach pulled out Chantelle and I headed North to Houhora Harbour for a kayak. It is months since we last went for a paddle. The forecast today was for calm before a big storm drops in from the North tomorrow. Perfect. As was the calm water. We were a little concerned about the car thermometer which was reading 2 degrees C as we drove through the dawn mist.
As it turned out, it was not not too cold. The sun came up over Mount Camel and warmed things up. The water was very clear and so we could see the bottom and sus out the best places to fish. The tide was coming in so we were not too keen to go out of the harbour against the current and then be having to come back in as it went out. We did go out to a big rock and then out to the mouth of the harbour. I was fishing with a luminous yellow plastic softbait with a lightweigt rod of Stuarts. I hooked into something big that put up a good fight. It was making good runs and pulling the kayak after it. We got it up to boat and saw it was very silvery, not one of our usual fish. I was hoping it was a kingfish as I have yet to catch a legal one and they are both good sport and very good eating. We got this one right up to the boat and it opened its mouth to reveal some very long sharp teeth - barracuda!. Chantelle was not keen to have it thrashing out in the limited space of the kayak. Knowing that they do not make good eating we cut it free and off it went back into the deep.
After that we drifted in with the tide and crossed some very shallow sand banks that had lots of cockles and vaguely reminiscent scooped out hollows in the sandy bottom. Rays! Neither of our favourite fish and there must have been about 30 that we disturbed with our path. They shot away with a swirl of water and looked like birds flying through the water.
We had a go fishing round a smaller rock in the mid harbour. I hooked into a kahawai and it bust my line. The barracuda seemed to have caused the line to fray badly - perhaps a combination of strain and UV damage on an old cheapo line. I had to retire from the fishing at that point and we shared Chantelles rod. We made for the deep water channel by the shore of Pukenui. People fish off the wharf and catch John Dory and other prized fish at some times of the year. Chantelle caught a nice Kahawai a nd we manged to land and deal with it.
After that we slowly worked our way back. kayaking is good exercise for the stomach, back and arms. We were out for about 5 hours. My legs were like jelly when we finally got out. The wind was getting up and the sky to the NE is looking black. Bring on the storm, there is soccer on the TV and we are both too kanckered to do much else apart from veg out.
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