I had a couple of hours to spare so thought I'd go for a solo snapper mission this afternoon. I've promised to take a couple of forum members on a gurnard fishing trip before the Grunter Hunter so thought I better get some snapper fishing in!
I launched at 3.30pm on the Manukau and headed off to a spot I've been prospecting on and off for the last 3 years. It has some promise as we got an 8.2 kilo jobbie there last November.
It's about 500 to 1000m west of the tripod on the Papakura channel in 14m of water. The first fish was a 28cm snapper, a keeper but let it go. I caught about ten or more of these but there were plenty of bigger fish too. Here's a double header of 35's:
The biggest fish fell to my little Okuma Avenger 2500 reel it was about 45cm and took a bait I was given to try out by the local tackle shop DKM in Waiuku. It's arrow squid mantle, nice, white and tough as! Well worth a try. Here's the fish:
II had a count up as the light started to fade - eight nice snaps from 32 to 45cm, average a good solid 40cm, not bad! The Terez loaded up and it was another double header. Time to go:
A great day on the harbour with fish surface feeding all around the place, they looked like trevs but probably kahawai
and got a couple of straightened hooks also - I had a couple of cheapie flasher rigs to try out. They worked but the double header hooks ups showed them up big time. I also had two swallowed 7/0 recurves, thankfully both 32cm fish. Baitrunners aren't the best option for recurves.
Came home with ten nice snapper and a kahawai. Tomorrow? Hopefully we'll go over the coast.
. You up for it Skoti & Arron?