Fishing Reports

 

TARAKIHI TIME Crisp winter mornings promise more than a nice day. They also herald the arrival of one of the ocean’s un-sung culinary delights, the tarakihi. The jaws to power their ultra-small mouths require small heads, so even mini-pan-size tarakihi provide a very reasonable fillet, and when it comes to edibility, I’d rank tarakihi well above snapper and only slightly below John Dory and hapuku. Their delicate, ultra white flesh fries, bakes and poaches well, and is especially nice when smoked. The flesh seems to absorb the smoke flavour better than most other fish-flesh. Where to catch them is more of a challenge than how. Tarakihi spots are closely guarded secrets that are often kept in the family. Some charter boats specialise in targeting tarakihi over the winter months, and if you know what you’re doing, tarakihi fishing can be much more reliable than snapper fishing. In the absence of a specific location, some generalities can be shared: the triangle between Onslow Rock, Whale Rock and the Nine-pin covers one of the most well known tarakihi territories in the Bay. Reefs outside Oke Bay, right inside Deep Water cove and deep-water fouls inside Cape Brett can also be quite productive. In particular, look for areas of foul with mud near-by. The type of bottom should show up on a sounder, a hard bottom produces a big echo; a soft bottom produces a less distinct echo. Tarakihi like to hang out just off and downstream of the foul. They will move as the current changes but are less likely to follow a berley trail. You have to drop your lines right into the school, so positioning is worth getting right. Once you’ve found a school of tarakihi, it pays to stay around, for at some stage of the tide they will feed. The best time according to those with more experience than I is at still water, either end of the tide. And if that coincides with a frosty morning, then the salivary glands might start juicing in anticipation. Since tarakihi have extra-small mouths, extra-small hooks and baits are all that’s required. 1-2/0 hooks usually do the trick. And fresh pipi or tuatua is the bait of choice. However, any soft juicy bait may do the trick, including bonito or pieces of pilchard. When on the bite they will eat almost anything. They’ll snag themselves on quite big hooks and, as with most other hungry fish, catch themselves. However, most of the time you have do the work and set the hook as the fish has a look at the bait. Apart from when they’re really hungry, tarakihi tend to nudge at the bait so detecting a bite can be a major challenge, especially in real deep water. Tight lines!

 

From Steven Radich

Report type: Saltwater

Report date: 14 July 02