Moocherati

This handsome beast took a jack mackerel in 5 metres of water, close into the bricks. In his stomach, I found a bait pilchard I'd cast and lost earlier, some crabs, and a stone tablet with an eleventh commandment relating to the inappropriate use of sinkers in shallow water.

Tackle review: OPUS BULL 6000

TACKLE REVIEW: DIAWA OPUS BULL 6000
If you're the kind of puny weakling that gets sand kicked in your face by fishing bullies, this reel could well be for you. With 15kgs of drag, it has a good amount of grunt, and its robust, chunky, bulletproof body will fill you with confidence when you stride onto the rocks to tackle topwater kingfish, kraken, or passing boats. These reels are cheap for the quality they offer, and while they are undeniably mid-range-ish, they perform and last well. I absolutely thrashed one of these bad boys for three years, catching plenty of good fish and dinging it up on the rocks in the process. The Opus Bull 6000 never complained once. The reel still works reasonably well, but the drag pulses at bit at the top end: entirely forgivable considering how much work it's done. I've retired it to a shelf alongside other treasured reels, in the hope that it will breed.

FINAL WORD: 
These reels are a good combination of performance, robust components and affordability. The extra spool seems standard, and is very handy. Buy at least one Opus Bull immediately, before you have time to consider the mortgage or a loved one's birthday.

Rainbow alliance

Releasing a fine rainbow in the Tukituki in Hawke's Bay. This is a river overlooked by many, ignored by some, and unknown to circa 6.98 billion of the world's population. The poor fools.