Fishing Reports

 

After an agonizingly long wait, the game fishing season is away to a slowish start. Most of the Clubs on the Northland Coast have recorded at least one marlin, but the rate per boat and/or fishing days remains painfully low. Perhaps now, with the first yellowfin catches also recorded, and a scattering of spearfish also being taken, the season is about to take off. Our own catches last week included two yellowfin and a spearfish, all out past the 500M line and North of the Cavallis. We also caught a gumboot (blue shark), while on a broadbill drift, but despite our best efforts are finding makos a bit elusive. We are also catching a few albacore, but haven't had a skipjack since before Xmas. I did hear a report from Whangaroa that a boat had caught some skipjack yesterday, and am sure that once the schools of skippies arrive there will be plenty of makos and marlin with them. The hot snapper activity around Whale Rock has fallen away, with the best fishing now available in the deeper waters off the Nine Pin and Kingfish Reef. Plenty of snapper remain in the Bay , but are mostly barely legal, though I have had reports of bigger fish amongst the schools around Brampton Buoy. Kingfish action remains slow, but calm seas have allowed most of the boats to exploit some great hapuka and bluenose options out a bit wider. Some very large hapuka and bass have been brought back to the wharves, with our own largest being a 48.4kg bass caught in the Queens Buoy area off Cape Brett. As always, drop me an email at MAJOR.TOM@xtra.co.nz if you have any queries, but please be patient for a reply as much of fishing for the next 3 months will be on stay away charters, well away from the computer and comfortable beds of home!!

 

From Major Tom II

Report type: Saltwater

Report date: 20 January 03