The power of the good old snapper is something awesome to behold. Through out the North Island and around the top of the South, snapper are the most talked about, stalked about, lied about fish in the ocean.

We headed for the Three Kings recently just after the massive floods that “drowned” Northland. Amokura sailed from Opua in the Bay of Islands and the ocean looked like milky coffee.

It only takes a couple of mild days in early September to get my heart pounding and remind me that those balmy summer days are just around the corner. Just weeks ago we were pitching our way through a cold winters night hooked up to giant bluefin tuna.

There are no guarantees when it comes to fishing, after all "they" call the sport fishing not catching. For several months we have been fizzing at the idea of getting back to Greymouth and chasing giant bluefin tuna.

I first met Colin Jones down on the Wairarapa Coast about the time my son James was born. We were filming and I was newly diagnosed with MS. A bunch of us congregated on a secluded piece of windswept, rugged coast. It was a calm day but with a leaden threatening sky.

I have a saying that drives my team nuts and it is, “these are the days that turn out to be the best”. Every time I make this call the “boys” just raise their eyebrows and say, “here he goes again!”

Stewart Island is one of those places you can never get enough of. It is wild, rugged, raw, invigorating. It is the place I chose to take my son on our first great adventure together.

Many years ago I planned a trip out to the Hokitika Trench targeting Bluefin tuna. The editor of Fishing News at the time was a guy by the name of Steve Snedden and Steve had learned of the unique nature of the fishery from a couple of commercial fishermen.