Fishing Reports

 

It has been a pretty busy time, especially with all the great weather we have had, so I must apologise for the duration between reports. We are not normally rushed off our feet over the winter so I should be able to keep you all posted on how the fishing is in our neck of the woods with more regularity. Right, into what’s been happening then and it is probably best to start with this last week as it has been a bute! We spent a few days working the islands and areas of shallow foul between Tiri and Kawau It is this time of year that a lot of fish can be found feeding up for winter and it is on the reefs and broken ground that the inshore Snapper find most of their diet. Such feed as Kina, Crabs, Crayfish and Shellfish are preferred and we have been finding evidence of this in the stomach contents of most Snapper we are catching. The whole coastline between Waiwera and Kawau Island and including the eastern side of Kawau is holding fish and we have had good catches in this area especially early in the morning and during favourable moon phases. One area that produced good fish was the edges of the reefs around Flat Rock and also the north eastern end of Motuketekete Island. Snapper to about 3.5kg were not uncommon amoung the Dory, Trevally, Kahawai, small Kingfish and Red Snapper we have been landing. We have also witnessed a few bust offs due to knot and gear failure (not ours of course) and with these bigger fish being in a hungry frame of mind, trying to put on a good layer of fat for winter, it would be a good idea to check over your gear before heading out for a winter moocher. Another area that has been producing good Snapper and Trevally is the Wellington Reef area. Shallow foul makes up the majority of the area but the deeper edges is where I am finding the bigger specimens. We have not enjoyed the same amount of Kingfish action from this area as in the past but it is also a good spot to try for one at the moment as Whangaparaoa Bay and the area between Tiri and Kawau has been alive with large schools of anchovies. We witnessed a few major work ups in this area over the past few weeks and there has been reports of Whales, Dolphins and heaps of bird life in the area. Try a suitably sized chrome jig or ledger rig loaded with cubes of Pilchard under one of these work ups if you happen to get near one. The ground between Tiri and the Noises has also been producing a lot of fish, but in all honesty I have not done as well as in the past out here, so haven’t really been wanting to get back to it in a hurry when the fishing has been pretty darn good elsewhere. Places like the Northern end of Tiri, Shag Rock and its surrounding foul, the reefs off the back of Kawau and some of the foul ground around Motuora Island were all fishing well. Other locations that turned it on were Motuihe and Rakino Channels, the 50m area south of Flat Rock, South Channel, Blanche Channel (both around Motuketekete) and the Beehive. We have been targeting Dory on Yellowtail live baits with pretty good success around most locations where the current allows. Try a live bait down on a 1/2m trace with a good weight to make it nice and easy for these stealthy predators to catch. Often it will only take a few minutes to get a Dory and care must be taken to play and land the fish gently as often it will only be the dorsal fin spikes of the live bait actually hooking the inside of the Dorys’ mouth. One of our best table fish. Some of you may remember back a few months when we landed 4 Crayfish on Snapper baits during a days fishing. Well, it has happened again with one of our clients landing a good Crayfish in the same location. We have pulled 6 out of this patch so far and I can now give you a few tips. Firstly, they don’t bite but rather crawl onto the bait and get into it with their claws making “the bite” very soft and rather a gently nudge or pull on the line. Secondly, don’t strike if you a getting this type of attention as you will probably pull the hooks away from the Cray. We have been letting them crawl away with the bait with some success but this in turn will allow the Cray to back up into its’ crevice or hole in the reef and your chances are even slimmer. Once you think the Cray has fiddled around with the bait for long enough use long slow strokes on the rod to ease it to the surface and the waiting landing net. Just a few thoughts. The deeper reefs are fishing well now and there is bound to be some nice big fish coming home with us from Flat Rock and some of our other haunts over the next month or so and in fact all the way through winter. I prefer the winter fishing. You catch less fish but overall the size is better and the by catch like Terahiki and Red Snapper is more common. Maybe even a few more Crays! To get away and fish these reefs for a couple of days, give me a call as we are still doing overnighters to Kawau for $120 per person. This includes your accommodation at Pah Farm! We can cater for groups and single anglers and can organise rods and bait by request. We start our Great Barrier trips again soon and we will have a couple of different options in the form of a day trip on a fast, stable, 50ft, powercat and a 3 day trip on a slower, stay aboard, boat with generous cockpit and all mod cons. We will be taking a crew of 6 away for the 3 day mission for only $1500. That’s only $250ea folks and we can accommodate divers. One of our clients reminded me the other day, about a morning fish on Miners Reef where we landed 14 different species including some personal bests for the group! Awesome fishing. A little rave about baits and rigs and I’ll let you get back to what ever it was you were doing. I am not a fan of this NZ Squid that is around at the moment. I have fished all day with a few groups over the last month with it and on a few occasions the Snapper wont take it. They will go for the Pilchard, Mullet and Skipjack we have been using but on a few occasions, not the Squid. To get a better idea of what was happening, I tried one of my favourite baits, Lolago Squid, alongside the NZ Squid. The Lolago won hands down! The Lolago Squid comes from California and is food grade. I think there may be something about the way they process the catch onboard the boat. Instant freezing against slurrying? On the other hand it has been the NZ Pilchards that has stolen the stage along with Mullet, Skipjack and of course fresh Yellowtail. Put these on a Flat Rock Special, Flasher rig or ledger rig and slip it down onto the reef and well, you know the rest. If it’s a small group then perhaps a day straylining the reefs or shallows might be the go. We are only a phone call or email away. deepsea@clear.net.nz or 09 4240607. Boat 025 2446346 Cheers Damian Those who try to do something and fail are infinitely better than those who try to do nothing and succeed.

 

From A Charter Connection...

Report type: Saltwater

Report date: 19 May 03