40kg Southern Bluefin Tuna Landed After Two Hard Days Offshore — Get The Treats

Some fish are caught for food, some for sport. The Southern Bluefin Tuna is one that can define an angler's season — and this trip aboard Get The Treats delivered exactly that, but not without a fight.

The crew — Max, Mark, Yuri and Andrew — headed offshore into a solid three-metre swell and 15 knots of wind, working deep water where the sounder read anywhere from a few hundred metres to over a thousand metres beneath the hull. Finding tuna isn't as simple as running to a waypoint: it comes down to reading water temperature, currents, bird life, bait and information from other boats.

On day one, the sign finally came. The reel took off, line disappeared from the spool, and for a few minutes the whole boat moved as one — until the fish came free. A tough way to end the first day, but not the end of the trip.

That evening the crew joined other boats from Manukau Sport Fishing Club for a night jigging session — working heavy metal jigs through the water column in the dark, guided only by deck lights and the feel of the rod. It turned into an adventure of its own: a chance to fish alongside other crews and watch the lights of other boats scattered across the black water.

By day two, tiredness had set in, but so had determination. Get The Treats headed back offshore, working the grounds between Lottin Point and Hicks Bay. At around 11am, over water close to a thousand metres deep, the reel came alive again. This time, everything held. After a hard fight — the fish diving and circling as the crew worked together on boat position, deck and gear — a magnificent Southern Bluefin Tuna of around 40kg came aboard.

Then came the overnight drive back to Auckland from Waihau Bay, with Max and Mark swapping the wheel every two hours to stay safe and alert. Once home, the tuna was carefully broken down, portioned and vacuum packed for the freezer — some for the crew, plenty more to share with friends and family.

Max says last season was even better for the crew, with three fish landed including an 80.4kg giant — and with a few weeks until they try the bars west of Manukau, the next chapter isn't far off.