Moko’s antics come close to breaking records in Gisborne . . . Brent Wooster was amazed when the friendly dolphin dropped this huge snapper beside his small boat while he was testing a new propeller in the river.
20 October 2009
www.gisborneherald.co.nz
By Debbie Gregory
By Debbie Gregory
A 12.6kg snapper caught by Moko the friendly bottlenose dolphin and given to two fishermen in a small boat near the river mouth at Gisborne’s Waikanae Beach would easily take the prize for the heaviest snapper of the season.
The gift of a the snapper from Moko totally amazed the two men and others who witnessed and heard about the encounter.
“We didn’t realise the size of it until we had it on the boat. It was still alive and flapping and we were like ‘Yee-haa!’,” said boat owner Brent Wooster.
Gisborne Tatapouri Sports Fishing Club’s all-time record for the heaviest snapper is 13.5kg and most years Moko’s snapper would easily take the heaviest snapper of the season, says club president Roger Faber.
“Any angler would be rapt to catch a fish like that.”
Mr Wooster and his friend Oliver Davies took a 14 foot aluminium boat for a run up the river to test a new propeller on Sunday afternoon when they came across Moko playing near the mouth of the river at Waikanae.
“We could see he was playing with something and it looked like a fish. He started bringing it over to us in the boat.
“When we reached out for it he turned it into a game of cat and mouse.
“He pulled it away then came back.”
After a while a person on a jet ski came along and he dropped the fish by the boat and took off to chase the jet ski.
“I leaned over with the gaff and pulled it into the boat.
“I have done a lot of fishing and never caught a snapper that size, and I didn’t even have a fishing line on the boat,” he said.
“It was great playing around with Moko and getting to know him and then have him give this gift to us.”
The fish was offered to the fishing club to mount on the wall but, after the club turned it down, it was smoked for dinner.
The gift of a the snapper from Moko totally amazed the two men and others who witnessed and heard about the encounter.
“We didn’t realise the size of it until we had it on the boat. It was still alive and flapping and we were like ‘Yee-haa!’,” said boat owner Brent Wooster.
Gisborne Tatapouri Sports Fishing Club’s all-time record for the heaviest snapper is 13.5kg and most years Moko’s snapper would easily take the heaviest snapper of the season, says club president Roger Faber.
“Any angler would be rapt to catch a fish like that.”
Mr Wooster and his friend Oliver Davies took a 14 foot aluminium boat for a run up the river to test a new propeller on Sunday afternoon when they came across Moko playing near the mouth of the river at Waikanae.
“We could see he was playing with something and it looked like a fish. He started bringing it over to us in the boat.
“When we reached out for it he turned it into a game of cat and mouse.
“He pulled it away then came back.”
After a while a person on a jet ski came along and he dropped the fish by the boat and took off to chase the jet ski.
“I leaned over with the gaff and pulled it into the boat.
“I have done a lot of fishing and never caught a snapper that size, and I didn’t even have a fishing line on the boat,” he said.
“It was great playing around with Moko and getting to know him and then have him give this gift to us.”
The fish was offered to the fishing club to mount on the wall but, after the club turned it down, it was smoked for dinner.
After about a month touring the East Coast, Moko turned up at Tatapouri, then the harbour late last week.
On Saturday night he spent about six hours playing in the shallows of the Waimata and Turanganui rivers and at Waikanae Beach on Sunday.
He has not been spotted since but Mahia residents are keeping their fingers crossed that he is on a return journey back to the area where he lived for two-and-a-half years.
Source: Click HERE
On Saturday night he spent about six hours playing in the shallows of the Waimata and Turanganui rivers and at Waikanae Beach on Sunday.
He has not been spotted since but Mahia residents are keeping their fingers crossed that he is on a return journey back to the area where he lived for two-and-a-half years.
Source: Click HERE
