The Bites Never Stopped — Elephant Fish, Rig & Gurnard
Non-stop surfcasting action near Christchurch with early-season rig, elephant fish and gurnard.
🦈 Early Morning Rig
It had been a long time since my last fishing trip, so it felt good to finally get back on the beach. The target species were rig and elephant fish, and I caught paddle crabs the night before to use as my primary bait.
Soon after casting out my first paddle crab, I had a fish on. It didn’t put up much of a fight, so I was a bit surprised to see a nice rig appear in the surf.
Early morning rig shark
🎣 Elephant Fish Make an Appearance
Soon after landing the rig, my fishing buddy Dave and his son turned up. It wasn’t long at all before Dave was into a fish, and we were both surprised to see an elephant fish emerge from the surf.
They often have a habit of swimming in with the bait, meaning you wind in a bit of slack before the fight really begins. This one took a paddle crab bait.
Around the same time, fishermen on either side of us along the beach landed elephant fish as well.
Dave's elephant fish
It wasn’t long before Dave was into another fish, this time making a big run down the beach. It turned out to be a very hard-fighting rig, which eventually got tangled with another fisherman’s line further along the shore.
Not long after that, I had a double hookup and landed a couple of rig. I kept one for the table and tagged the other for Tindale Marine Research.
🥕 Gurnard Turn Up With the Sun
A bit later in the morning, once the sun was out, Dave’s son wound in the first gurnard of the trip. We weren’t expecting one so early in the season, so it was a welcome surprise. It went for a raw prawn and crab Fishbites combo.
Dave and Jaxson with the first gurnard of the trip
Next it was my turn to get into the gurnard — well, almost! I had a double hookup and let Dave’s son wind in my second rod. I landed a dogfish, then walked over to Jaxson just as he pulled in a nice gurnard.
🎣🥕 Dogfish, School Sharks, Carpet Shark and Another Gurnard
Over the next 1–2 hours, we dealt with a range of bycatch including dogfish, school sharks, and carpet sharks. This is often the downside of using oily fish baits — they’re great for gurnard, but the bycatch species love them too.
Eventually, my perseverance paid off and I landed a nice gurnard — the biggest of the trip. This also happened to be my last cast, so I felt very fortunate. Funny how that final cast often produces a decent fish.
A nice gurnard on my last cast. It went for cooked prawn on a flasher rig.
With two gurnard and two rig in the catch bag, it felt like the right time to wrap up the session.
🍳 Catch and Cook
This fishing trip provided plenty of fish meals over the following couple of weeks. One of my favourite recipes is bacon crumbed fish — it tastes great and is ideal for anyone following a gluten-free or ketogenic diet.
Bacon crumbed fish
Click the video link below to see how I prepare the bacon crumbs and cook the fish.
📓 Field Notes
- Location: Canterbury
- Target species: Rig shark, elephant fish, gurnard
- Landed: Rig shark, elephant fish, gurnard, school shark, spiny dogfish, carpet shark
- Conditions: Light winds, 0.3m-0.4m swell, slightly coloured water improving through the morning
- Best bait: Fresh paddle crab for rig and elephant fish; cooked prawn, raw prawn and Fishbites combo for gurnard
- My gear: Shimano Xitus Pro 13'6" rods (x2), Shimano Ultegra CI4+ 14000 XTC reel, Shimano Ultegra XSD 14000 reel
🎥 Watch the Full Video
The full mission, including the fishing action and catch-and-cook, is available on my YouTube channel.
Got any feedback or questions? Feel free to drop a comment on the YouTube video — I read them all.
— Dan