Fishing Reports

Some of those nice sunny days we used to get with winter have shown up amongst all the rain and freezing cold temperatures and provide the perfect opportunity to get out on the water and into a few Snapper and Gurnard. Sadly though, with the water being so cold and the fish’s metabolism having slowed down, they won’t feed everyday. This can of course prove to be a little frustrating but there are a few things you can do to get some reward for your efforts.

1. Take some burley with you. There are many different varieties and flavours and personal preferences will be decided by the result you get I suppose and at the moment we are using a Southern Bait 100% Bonito Burley. It is oily and because they guarantee the content you know what you are getting. Going back a few years there were burley bombs around that were of very dubious nature, their content including sawdust, Snapper trimmings and even a bit of Shark thrown in to help bulk them up! You get what you pay for so choose carefully. There is some excellent product around including a Kina burley and a range of shellfish burleys.
2. Fish where there should be some fish. During the cooler months the fish tend to hang out around the reef systems in the Gulf. At this time of year and when it gets colder they will be in the shallows. 2 reasons – there is normally a good food source and the water temperature may be a little warmer where the sun has heated up the shallower water.

Let’s talk about those food sources first. It is not uncommon to find all sorts of reef dwellers in the stomachs of the Snapper at the moment. Crabs, Crayfish, Shellfish and small reef fish make up the diet of our Snapper as they winter over. It would be logical to fish in the places that have such feed and even use Crabs, shellfish and Crayfish scraps as baits. (I had to say Crayfish scraps, as I enjoy the Crays as much as the Snapper and prefer to eat the tails myself!) A lot of these "natural baits" can be found in situ if landbased fishing but can prove a little harder to come by when fishing from a boat. Check out the few fish wholesalers around the traps or go gather your own. Failing that, you may prefer to take a more traditional approach and use a frozen bait like Pilchard, Squid, Mullet and Skipjack. You can catch small Mackerels on Sabiki rigs along with Sprats, Piper and Maomao, all of which can produce a result as they rely on the Snappers natural hunting instinct. Experiment with a combo of baits, burley up and fish where there should be some fish.

Water temperature is pretty important too. The "school" fish wont move into the Gulf to start the annual breeding routine until the water temperature climbs over about 15C. They tell me the prime breeding temperature is around 18C and it is normally around December and January that the Gulf heats up to about this temperature. We don’t have to wait that long though as the fish will be in the Gulf and schooling well before then. Book your mid October – November trip with us now.

I mentioned Gurnard earlier. Not so common in the inner Gulf, but they are certainly around in the deeper parts of the Gulf. We find that small cubes of Pilchard, Skipjack, Mullet and even some of the salted baits work well on the Gurnard. You are never going to fill the bin up with them, but they are a welcome addition to the day’s catch when you get them.

So, what's been happening locally? Overall it has been very slow fishing around the Gulf with the best results coming from either the deeper reefs, that don’t get too much fishing pressure or from in close and shallow. It is not at all unusual for 1 boat to do well and others to report catches of the dreaded Zilch! We have been adding to the day by using a strategically set longline while we try other locations. It has been fishing well, perhaps because it is left for a few hours, perhaps because it is not creating any noise and spooking the fish or perhaps because it is creating its own burley trail. It has saved the day a few times now and it is this time of year you need to think outside the square a bit in order to get a few fish in the bin, especially locally.

So far as the Kawau scene goes, well it’s been a mixed bag really. Some good, some bad. The good being some nice Snapper from out of the shallows and the bad being the pack attacks of those toothy snakes, Barracouta! Time to move on if you aren’t pulling any fish from under them.

Little Barrier has been fishing very slowly if you’re after Snapper. There are a few good fish in close but sometimes the day is just not long enough or angler patience wears thin. A few Terahiki around but not as good as in previous seasons. The ‘Couta are not shy out here either!

Great barrier is fishing a little better but it is still hard going. The water temperature is quite cold at 14C and this will have something to do with the lack of Kingfish and an abundance of ‘Couta. Quietly, straylining in close would have to be the pick of it unless you can get the weather to do a few deep water drifts over some structure.

Haven’t heard much from around the Auckland area so suspect it is hard going in the channels and around the foul of the Noises, Rakino and the Ahaahas. The Bottom End has also slowed down so a trip across the Firth could be the go and trying the nor-western coast of Coromandel. Pick the small tides if venturing around the Cape to fish some of that awesome foul through the Colville area.

The Department of Conservation has released its’ proposal to establish a marine reserve on the north eastern coast of Great Barrier. Proposed to be 50100 hectares and extend out to the 12 mile limit! I wont use this chance to get on my political soapbox but will add that a properly managed fishery would not need marine reserves to protect it. Perhaps a reduction in bottom trawling would help protect the fishery and the rare and unique life that lives on the seabed. Information is now readily available from DoC regarding this proposal. There are also a number of websites on the subject both for and against the reserve.

We are off to Great Barrier this weekend with a group of 10 for 2 days of landbased fishing. One would think that it would be a good time of year to be targeting a large Snapper in close and one would be right! I will keep you posted and put the results in the next report.

The Scallop season is well under way and we can tell you that there is some very nice, fat, "Scollies" around. Another supplement to the days catch. I can also tell you that the 500 metres of lead core trawl rope, which was dumped in a bay near Kawau, is no longer there. I lifted it with a Scallop dredge and not being like the plonker that dumped it there, took it aboard and disposed of it back at the marina. Could have proved a handful to any small boat trying to get an anchor back off it or dredge for "ashtrays".

MATANGI is still plying the waters of the Gulf on our day trips (still only $50pp midweek!) and SIAN is taking the smaller groups on day trips and extended trips.

We are still taking bookings for work dos and social club outings on the Powercat. She is a 45 footer with excellent BBQ and we can put together both catered and BYO cruises. Our most popular cruise is the tour of Kawau Island with a BBQ lunch. Keep trips like this in mind for your end of year function or for a family and friends day out. Trips start at around $800 for up to 25 guests BYO.

For you guys and girls that want to be notified when the fish turn up, get notified of any upcoming casual days and be offered the occasional special, then join our "Casuals List". Simply send us an email, or call us on 09 4240607 or 021 244 6346 and we will put you on. Emails to: deepsea@clear.net.nz

There should be enough tips in here to help get you onto a few fish so till next time keep your powder dry, your wheels oiled and give us a call for a day on the water.

Damian – The Charter Connection – where fishing is catching