Recreational fisher PIERRE TROLLIP is keen to share his knowledge with Times readers in his regular column.
Hi there from the Fishing Pensioner.
The admiral and I treated ourselves to a quick mid-winter warm up trip to Rarotonga.
Five days of warm water snorkeling and cocktails by the pool. The range of tropical fish in shallow water is amazing.
Being about a meter deep, I could use my GoPro without the expensive underwater housing.
Check out these wonderful scenes on YouTube.
Back home, I again pushed the boat out. The boat took me out to my old favourite spot, the trenches off Rocky Bay.
It was a warm sunny day with light winds. In nine meters deep water, the snapper were nailing the pilchard baits. Mostly in the 27-30cm range, and all looking healthy.
I moved to deeper water south of Park Point. Here the snapper were a better size.
Then there was a disaster! A whole week of lousy weather.
Besides being away on holidays, there’s not many weeks, since retirement, that this pensioner has not been on the water.
Last week, I again took the boat out, this time to Sergeant’s Channel.
With the recent Father’s Day, the Admiral treated me to a new rod and reel. I know; how many rods does a man need?
TopCatch is running a special; a particular brand of rod paired with a spooled reel for $100.
This light tackle is so much fun! I landed a 39cm snapper which put up quite a fight.
Watch it running off a few times as it gets near to the boat.
I love that screaming reel, bent rod feeling! It shows that you don’t need to spend thousands to enjoy fishing.
This time, I’ve filmed the clean and cook as well. Snapper curry is becoming a favourite for the Admiral and me.
Watch this, and other episodes on my YouTube channel: OutSmart – This Fishing Pensioner.
