Fishing Reports

Yes, things are happening in this part of the world. The brilliant weather we started the year off with is still with us – what a bonus for anglers doing their thing – everywhere.  It looks set for a hiccup but no one can complain about 2004 on the weather front thus far.  Some changes about the EBOP, some subtle and others far more bold.  Still exciting times with truckloads of potential if not good fishing abounding.  Read on

Inshore Areas

Snapper, being everyone’s favourite at this time of year, must get top billing.  In short, fishing for this icon of inshore species, is patchy.  There have been some great sessions which have seen anglers, entire boat loads of them, limit out in less than two hours.  Many fish are 2-4kgs, me larger.  Some of these fish are in 30 metres of water and much less, others in 50-60.  Some bites are directly associated with high and low relief foul, others on the sand – miles from the nearest rock.  On the other side f the ledger, and there are plenty of them, come the misses and barely feeds.  No real rhyme or reason to this fishing which makes it quite frustrating.  Yesterdays hotspot is today’s chillybin and so it goes.  Better to be lucky than good.

For those that want them/dip out on snapper, terakihi are still in the offing.  While good out deeper (120 – 140m) there are plenty in the shallows.  Nor east the Rurimas and out off Matata are favourites.  The latter recently kicked out limits of 1-1.7kg fish in 22 metres of water – very large for anywhere let alone such shallow water!  Topping off the inshore scene is the usual – kahawai, gurnard and trevally plus quite a few kingis – most of which are under the new 75cm size limit.

White Island

The Jewel of the BOP is still the place to be for deepwater species and kingis.  While the latter have yet to regain their pre-Christmas form, there is still some good fishing to be had.  Still most of the fish are in the 12-17kg category but enough 20-30k fish to keep things interesting and rewarding.  Sharks have not been such a problem with most kingis arriving boat side intact. 

Deepwater fishing is divided into two efforts:  260-320m for bluenose and 140-220m for hapuka and the odd bass.  Both have had their moments of brilliance interspersed with doldrums.  Once again, early and late hours favour the bluenose hunters.

Shallow water reef species (terakihi, red snapper, the mao maos, porae etc) have all become more aloof recently.  One plus is some nice trevally (4-6k’s) biting well at times.  Good to see MFish officers dispose of an illegal gillnet placed between White Island and the Volkner Rocks recently.  Well done to the boys in blue.

Yellowfin Tuna

You have no idea how much pleasure it gives me to have a separate section for these glamour fish!  Aside from token catches, there has been little to write or get excited about.  Now, with the Whakatane Tuna Tournament looming large, good news has finally arrived.  Contest organisers will no doubt be sighing relief right about now!  All they need is some good conditions and the catches should take care of themselves.  Saturday the 17^th saw a number of YFT taken almost right around White Island.  Most of the catches to that point had been in association with dolphin whereas these latest fish came out of the blue.  Most of these fish were on the small side (14-31kg) but one stood out.  Chrissy Ifbister fishing onboard “Westerly II” landed the 61k beaut east of the smoky island.  That’s exactly the type of fish (largest caught by a woman out of Whakatane for many years) dreams are made of and tournaments won with.  In addition several marlin strikes were experienced with one 98k specimen coming to the scales.  To top off the weekend, Sunday the 18^th produced another four tuna including one great fish – the largest for NZ this season thus far.  The light hearted named boat “Osama Bin Fishin” (honest) landed a 67.8k YFT near White, what a fish!  Maybe, just maybe, this might be the start of a tuna season – keep everything crossed.

Waihou Bay

Easily the best looking water in the EBOP at present.  At 21-22 degrees C it’s not cold either!  In spite of this there’s been little to get cranked up about.  The first marlin came in recently off the Whakatane based charterboat “Cova Rose”.  The courtesy weighed stripee went 111 kgs – a good start!  Otherwise it’s been several missed marlin strikes, the odd small tuna and large albacore (both around 15k’s) with patches of skippies throughout.  Inshore bottom fishing patchy but mainly productive, kingis among the missing.

Ranfurly Bank

Fabulous bottom fishing – about as good as it gets.  While size slipped a little just recently, numbers have not.  Some visiting boats are securing all they require in half a dozen drifts or less.  The catch is predominantly hapuka with a sprinkling of bass and trumpeter.  Some of the bass have been beauts, between 45-65kilos.  Kingfish still do not want to play the game, other than rats up to 10 kgs.  This remains a mystery since historically this is the most productive time for the big slugs.  Plenty of saury up on the high spot to keep them entertained and full.  Trolling, just north and west of the Bank, has yielded a couple marlin strikes, small yellowfin and large albies in addition to skipjack – much the same as Waihou Bay.  Water colour and temps deteriorate about 7 nautical miles from Hick’s Bay toward Ranfurly.  Improvement in water should see a corresponding move in the gamefish prospects here.

Summary

Well it’s all on.  The length of this epistle would give some indication as to my demeanour!  It’s all positive, from a game fishing perspective, and moving the right direction.  We’ve waited for times like this all winter/spring so maybe payday is just over the next swell – we all live in hope.