T
he winter Southern 
bluefin tuna (SBT) run 
this year has been stellar, 
with many fishos and 
charter skippers saying 
it has been one of the 
best yet for fish numbers and size.  
Captain Josh Yorke from Aquarius 
Charters and his crew aboard 
their custom 12m boat and based 
out of Whakatane, were right at 
the brutal coalface of the fishery, 
grinding through tight winter 
weather windows to keep clients 
hooked into some of the most 
powerful sportfish in our waters.
The ultimate test came during the 
Hubbard Contracting Ltd Winter 
Tuna Tournament, a gruelling 22-day 
event that saw the Aquarius team 
completely dominate the fleet. Facing 
a wild mix of winter sea conditions, 
Team Aquarius capitalized on every 
fishable window to clock up an 
incredible 49 bluefin tuna. That 
massive effort secured them the 
coveted Top Team points title for the 
third consecutive year, alongside 
pinning down the 7th heaviest 
fish overall in the tournament.
While trolling high-visibility game 
lures remains the classic daytime 
strategy to cover ground and find 
the schools, this season really 
highlighted the absolute power of 
mechanical jigging. When the daytime 
lure bite turned tough, switching 
to heavy metal completely saved 
the day. The real magic happened 
on the night shift. As darkness 
fell, massive bait balls of squid and 
lanternfish rose from the abyssal 
depths, holding between 100 and 
300m down on the sounder. The 
bluefin followed them right up, 
creating a red-hot opportunity 
for anglers prepared to drop big 
jigs into the pitch-black ocean.
On a recent July trip, Black Magic 
Pro Angler Chris Firkin and the crew 
aboard Aquarius proved just how 
Best 
Bluefin
Season 
Yet!
18  FISHING IN GODZONE MAGAZINE
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