After hardly going fishing in June, I just had to get on the water in July.

I went up to Oamaru bay in Coromandel last Thursday but didn’t fish until Sunday, because it was sooooooo cold. There was a big high over the nation, and some epic frosts, but even though I had thermal vests, Resene fingerless gloves, and a pair of stout Skellerup gumboots, I just didn’t fancy it for all sorts of reasons.

I was In luck Saturday night, some friends who are also great cooks were in attendance at the Oamaru bay motor camp where I stay, so I declared my self as a starving itinerant, and just ate what was put in front of me, helpless bloke that I was, and dinner was great

I got out fishing on Sunday morning at 7am, the weather was calm, no swell or wind waves, or rain but as cold as charity in my open FC390. I immediately went to a spot beside a reef where I have had luck catching snapper in July over many years, we call it Les’s spot, The first cast got bites as soon as it reached the bottom, the fish were interested but not ravanous they were biting at the Nuclear chicken 5” jerk shad softbait but it took a while for them to decide if they really wanted it and get it in their mouths, which is typical in the middle of winter, and with the dreaded Sou East breeze. 

But by being patient I hooked a reasonable pannie on each drift, nothing big they were all from 34 to 39cm long averaging about 36 cm. The key for me was letting the fish really take it without striking, two of the fish took the bait forward of the boat where I was casting too, and three took the bait down as it swung behind the boat and I started towing it, I had five long drifts in less than an hour and 5 nice pannies was my reward, It wasn’t a great day on my calendar, a couple of days before new moon, and with the SE breeze I wasn’t that hopeful but the trip was well worth while, the snapper are in fantastic condition with plenty of fat reserves for the winter, and were delicous.

There is something really satisfying about sneaking out for an hour in the middle of winter on a nice day and catching a nice little feed of fish, it makes you realise how lucky we are, I was fishing just 12 minutes from the ramp which is the furtherest I need to go in the winter, when the snapper have moved out of the 5 minutes from shore spots, I was back at 8,30am with the whole day ahead of me glad to be alive, with a big smile on my chops, marvelous.

The weather is looking marginal for this weekend as I write this on Monday night, but if you can take the time to get out even for a morning it can be worthwhile, the snapper are on the move out to deeper water, but there are plenty of good trevally about which are a great bonus at this time of year. A mate of mine did really well with trevally at Waiheke island last weekend. I have done well with yellow softbaits, the best being the Gulp Chartruese 4” swimming mullet, but the most reliable way is to anchor up, berley away, and use small shelfish baits with small hooks, I like the Black magic KS3/0 hooks hidden in a lump of tua tua or mussel tied on with bait elastic. You should fish with a light drag and always net the fish as they have very soft mouths, and I have seen many lost at the boat, and lost enough myself to know.

Good luck if you can spare the time, there are fish about.

Joe Dennehy