Game fishing: Solid late-season strikes reeled in the Far North

Michelle and Michael Corden at the Taipa Marlin Classic last month.

Taipa

The Doubtless Bay Sportfishing Club/ Taipa Tavern Marlin Classic was a well attended tournament with anglers fishing on both the west and east coasts.

Final results from the event held over the weekend of March 24 and 25 were as follows.
Heaviest marlin: (a very happy first time angler) Ryan Hickey on Breathless with a 93.5kg striped marlin on 37kg line.

Heaviest yellowfin tuna: Mike Corden 47.9kg on 15kg line on Blondie, 1, Michelle Corden 32.35kg on 24kg line (both Mike and Michelle's yellowfins came off a double hook-up).
Heaviest other fish went to Steven Berridge for an 18.1kg bluenose on Breathless, while the early bird entry/ lucky angler draw for $1000 worth of tyres from Steve Taylor Tyres went to Phil Raxworthy.

The DBSC's next fixture is the Taipa Tavern Ladies' Day this Saturday.

Kaikohe gamefishers weighing in one blue and one black marlin at Houhora at the end of March. From left, Shane Wilson, Shane Smith, Scott Wilson and Kash Naysmith.

Houhora

A crew of four keen Kaikohe gamefishers claimed some major spoils at sea at the end of March when they reeled in a 267.2kg black marlin (on 37kg line) and a blue marlin (weight undisclosed) on Scott Wilson's boat MissBhaven over Easter Weekend.

Scott's mum Debbie noted her son's boat apparently gained a few new battle scars "as the blue was really green and came in real quick then jumped over the boat and smashed the outrigger. Then when they had it on the deck it went nuts ... " she said, adding both fish were caught in really shallow water, one in 60m and the other in 80m.