Fishing Reports

All in all it was a great weekend and competition with good fishing, good stories and almost good weather. It was certainly fishable and better and warmer than last year. 30knot Northwesters on Saturday dying in the evening and 20 knots NW Sunday. The weather man promised us light southeasterlies for Sunday but they never came. Thanks to all who entered, thanks to the sponsors and thanks to my staff and friends who helped out running and organizeing the event.

We had approximately 230 anglers, 100 in boats (30 boats) and the rest off shore including about 20 kids. Two boats fished the Wairarapa on Saturday, two launches fished the west on Saturday, the rest fished the harbour and local sth coast. On Sunday we had 3 kayaks out, 4 or 5 boats out the west and the rest on the sth and harbour. A few hardy soles ventured to the trench but it was a bit too windy out there (for runabouts anyway).

Certainly the highlight of the weekend was the tremendous 9.5kg snapper caught by John Delich is his boat Leanne while fishing off Seatoun on Saturday afternoon. He had been out of the harbour without too much success and caught a nice bin of snapper, kahawai, couta and gurnard on Peter Jacksons’ front doorstep (so to speak). Barry Rae caught a 5kg snapper around WardIslandin Aaron Bradly’s boat CloudyBay(last years snapper winner). They also had a bin of snapper on board.  

Launches Melicent, Destiny and Pamir all had good puka fishing on the west. Rob Schoey had good fishing on the sth end of mana and on the bridge.

Shore fishos had great moki fishing. There was a heap caught at terawhiti and some good ones also at pencarrow and in palliser bay. Spotty sharks were less abundant but anglers not entered caught 15 plus over the wairarapa, probably white rock and north of there.