Here's a few photos of my weekend.
Truck to rods


Another view,

430am and the alarm was going and I was up and into it. it was freezing. Short trip over the hill to snapper rock i went. 5am first baits were sent out.I didn't have to wait long before a couple of gurnard were put on ice and they were followed shortly by 2 kahawai and 3 more gurnard. The gurnard were smallish but the missus loves them so in the bin they go. It was weird but were lasting on the bottom. If it didn't get hit or catch a fish they were coming back like I'd thrown them out. Just after 8am in the morning while I was down changing baits noticed that one rod was a bit slack, so I gave it a wind and turned back around to my other rod when the I heard a drag screech and turnded round to see the rod doubled over and line peeling off. I grabbed the rod, tightened the line, felt a pull back and struck and it took off on a short run. Then a weird fight started, "nod, nod, short run, side to side"
This pattern continued for the whole fight!! I was positive I had a big conga the whole way in til I got it in close and glimpse a flash of orange/silver and said to myself,"OH NO Its a snapper and its f@#ken huge!!!"
Words can't describe the feeling of when I saw it coming in on my line, I thought I was bringing in a big conga!!! Bit of shock, almost shit myself. Then freaked out a bit more as I was by myself, gaff was 30m away in the truck (you don't need a gaff for gurnard!!) I got lucky with a swell that lifted the fish and beached on a small weedy ledge and I threw down the rod and dived in below the fish, grabbed it by the tail and slid the other underneath it and tossed it up and to the dry papa rock and did a happy dance in the water, got out of the water and did another happy dance. All up completed about 6-7 happy dances in short order I ran quickly up to the truck and grabbed my berkley scales and weighed it. I was in shock!!!!! 13.66kg of beautiful snapper !!!! I text my wife and Chad to tell of my great fish, responses were the same, "Really? Bullshit". I rang Chad then and he could tell by my voice that I had caught a great fish. I sent both him and the wife a pxt of it sitting on the pania scales 13.656kg. Was a weird feeling. I had a need to tell the world but Chad said there may be another one there, so more baits went out and the wait began. For 30 hours of fishing I didn't lose a bait without seeing a bite or catching a fish.
Somethings in the bin


And here it is. Wasn't the longest fish, 86cm long but was so deep and thick it was amazing. 86cm long 77cm round the middle.