Double land-based SBT caught at Cape Runaway
Landbased fishing for kingfish at Cape Runaway turned into a day these anglers will never forget, when a school of Southern bluefin tuna came in casting range!
Northland fishers Shanon Scott and Shane Tekiri were targeting kingfish off the rocks at Cape Runaway in the Bay of Plenty when they landed a southern bluefin tuna – each!
Based at Kemp’s Farm, Shanon and Shane were at Cape Runaway for six days.
Shanon and Shane’s captures were remarkable for two reasons – the SBFT usually range a little wider and it is rare to find this within casting distance on the coast; and secondly, they were caught on topwater lures – in this case, poppers.
Speaking to The Adventurer, Shanon says the blue water was in close and there was a workup not far offshore.
“The tuna had come right in,” he says. “We didn't know what they were at first, we only target kingfish, so it was a massive surprise.
“It wasn't really until we had one close to us swim under the ledge that we knew exactly what it was.”
Shanon says the fish weren't as aggressive compared to other game fish.
“As for the catch, from hooking the fish up to landing it, it wasn't overly long but it was a heavy fight. We definitely ran the gear as hard as we could push it. But it was a fairly quick fight considering.”
The pair used a Cotton Cordell and a Rapala Xplode 170 for the catch.
Shanon says they were determined to land the fish.
"They weren't too worried about the live bait, and they fought a bit differently. We did have to change tack to 'fish of a lifetime, make sure we land it’.
“You seem to lose a lot of fish on the rocks and that was one we didn't want to miss, so the effort to land them changed as soon as we knew what they were.”
The fish weighed in at 36kg and 39kg. It was the first southern bluefin for Shanon.
