timlawrence Fishing Spot
theMillwatermag
Game on! The fish are here and the weather has been kind enough to let us get out there to take advantage of the action. Softbaiters are doing well under the workups around the 35m-40m mark, along the line between Tiri and Kawau Islands. As predicted, the moon phases have played an important role in bringing the fish onto the bite. This year is already turning out to be better that last year. You needn’t try hard to get a feed of good-sized fish, because there are plenty of them. Seriously, it’s kicking off out there and the fish are nice and close to shore too. I managed to get on the water four times during October, with mixed results; three times on the Magpie and once on a mate’s newly acquired Surtees. I was impressed with the performance of the Surtees – especially cutting into a stonking Norwest wind, which I reckon was gusting to about 20 knots by the time we decided it was best to head home. One weekend I was booked to go fishing but the person I was meant to go with pulled out last minute. I had no-one to go fishing with!!! Desperation set in so I rallied up the wife and kids and shot up to Omaha for a couple of hours’ fishing with the family. Ryan did really well catching four good-sized snapper, with her biggest weighing in at 6.59 pounds. Fishing with the family can be busy untangling lines, baiting hooks etc. I really wanted to get a bait out and I couldn’t resist throwing a whole pilly out the back on a strayline. I missed the first run, with the hook pulling from the fish’s mouth, but the second shot worked like a charm and a huge fish made a run out wide like a shark does. It wasn’t until I saw colour that I realised it was a donkey of a snapper, weighing in at 21 pounds! Sadly, it didn’t survive the release and we had to drive around and net it into the boat again. Nothing went to waste though, with the frames and head all getting eaten. Our next adventure will be dragging the Magpie up to Houhora for a look around. Fingers crossed the wind drops and we get a look at the Karikari Peninsula. Tight Lines!!
Millwater ROMEOs The third outing of the Millwater ROMEOs (Retired Old Men Eating Out), attended by all 10 current members, was held at the Puhoi Valley Cheese Company, which started in 1981 as a humble dairy goat farm making goat’s milk powder, ice cream powder and milk shake powder before expanding into the production of goat’s milk camembert. Fast-forward to the present day and the Company, now owned by Goodman Fielder, produces camembert, brie, feta, blue cheese, ricotta, crème fraiche, mascarpone, yoghurt and custard. A cheese-tasting session had been organised for the group and this was conducted by the head cheese-maker, Franck Bearain, a Frenchman with considerable experience. The four cheeses presented for tasting were Fiddlers Hill goat’s cheese, Kaipara Washed Rind, Cellar Range Farmhouse and Goat Blue. There was quite a variation in taste and texture and also obvious differences of opinion when it came to likes and dislikes of the group, but all-in-all quite an informative session regarding manufacture, classification, tasting and storage of cheeses. As a wine match, the following were recommended: Soft White Cheese: Light Wine (Sauvignon Blanc); Mild Cheddar: Medium bodied (Chardonnay); Aged Cheddar: Full-bodied reds (Pinot Noir or Cabernet Sauvignon); Camembert or Brie: Sparkling (Champagne); and Gorgonzola or Creamy Blue: Dessert (Riesling). On the conclusion of the tasting, lunch was enjoyed by all at the excellent café, which has quite a varied menu to suit all tastes. The day would not have been complete without sampling the award-winning ice cream produced on site – a satisfactory ending to an informative and most enjoyable day out.
