Napier man catches 15kg kingfish at Bay View

Tareq Assa'd caught a 15.58kg kingfish while surfcasting at a Bay View beach on Monday afternoon. Photo / Supplied

A Napier man reminiscing about a mammoth catch one year prior hooked another "whopper" while surfcasting at Bay View.

Tareq Assa'd, a member of Pania Surfcasting Club, said after a half-hour struggle he finally landed the 15.58kg kingfish.

Assa'd was spending an afternoon near Gill Rd with family and friends on Monday when he caught the unexpected motherlode, just over a year after he caught a 25.29kg kingfish at Awatoto beach.

"Our friends from Auckland wanted a few fishing tips, but I was telling them about last year's catch and turned around to see the rod doubling over," he said.

"It was all action from there, and took me more than half an hour to land it."

Assa'd said this was by far his biggest hook-up since his 25kg catch, after a somewhat slow start to summer.

"I've caught nothing or just small fish recently – I was fishing in Mohaka on Sunday and only caught two fish," he said.

"Then the next day we went for a quiet family day out and this happened. It's just the luck of the draw I suppose."

Tareq Assa'd was spending Monday afternoon with family and friends when he caught the 15.58kg kingfish in Bay View. Photo / Supplied

Originally from Jordan, Assa'd only took up fishing eight years ago when his father-in-law took him out for the first time.

Kingfish fillets currently sell for about $31.90 per kilogram, which means this catch of the day would be worth just shy of $500. But the fish was shared with his friends and family, with not a single piece wasted.

"It was filleted in big chunks right away – then we smoked some and ate some raw – it was beautiful. Plus we've given a lot to our neighbours and friends also," Assa'd said.

"Then we have one friend who took the frame and the head, as they'll cook the whole thing – nothing was wasted."

Hawke's Bay Sports Fishing Club said with the club competition season well and truly under way, this is one of many fine catches already been made right across the region.

"Over the weekend, a lot of people reported great catches – with the likes of gurnard and snapper being right up there," a spokesman said.

"With the next week's conditions being favourable, a number of crews are looking at trolling lures for tuna and marlin."

Hawke's Bay Sports Fishing Club has three open competitions in the coming months – the Ladies Day Fishing Competition on January 30, the four-day MegaFish leading into Waitangi Day in February and the Family Classic in early March.