It was an early morning treat for fishermen as thousands of kahawai were spotted up the Clive and Ngaruroro rivers today. One local man who has fished in Clive for many years said they were there to spawn. Fishing identity Bob Fenton said it was not uncommon. "Kahawai often spawn in fresh water,"he said. Ministry of Fisheries officer Craig Petherick said they could be there to chase the yellow-eyed mullet, commonly known as herring. "I don't think there's any special reason why they'd be up there at the moment," he said. Mr Petherick said there were often big runs of kahawai in spring when they followed whitebait up the river. Vince McGrath was on his way back from Napier about 8am when he spotted the fish. His son Luke cast a rod out and managed to hook one but lost it on the rocks when winding it in. It was the first time Mr McGrath had seen kahawai up the Clive River. "It's something that happens once in a while," he said. Kahawai are a saltwater fish found in New Zealand and Australia. They are known to be easy to catch when on the bite and can be spotted breaking the water surface when in attack mode.
