Our fishing adventure began at 2 am, heading to Tora on the east coast, with my son entertained by my possum-dodging driving. Arriving at 4:30 am, he set up on the beach but was chased away by seals, while I prepared the kayak for a 5 am launch with my friend Greg from GP Fishing Adventures.

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We launched through a 2-meter swell, heading out to the 50m to 100m ledge, and continued north, surrounded by whales and dolphins. I used my usual spin SPj setup - the Catch Kensai with the IRT 300 reel loaded with Tasline 40lb and the Paua Power Double Trouble. Despite our efforts spin-jigging the ledge, we only caught kahawai, mackerel, and jock stewarts, and even after splitting up to try different spots, including a 100 to 300m ledge, we had little success.

I then decided to head into a bank with good signs. Here, I caught six kingfish, keeping two, and returned to shore not wanting to stay out too long as my son was on the beach. He greeted me with a huge smile, having caught three crayfish and five paua in knee-deep water. We offered our koha to the landowner - a whole kingfish and two crays.

As I packed up, I contacted Greg, who had caught three bluenose and a rays bream. It was a long day of paddling, and interesting to compare the speed of a pedal drive (7 to 9 knots) against my 4 to 5 knots in the Stealth kayak.

Tight lines, fishos, and see you next time. For any questions, hit me up on Facebook or Instagram. Links in my profile below.

Jason