Fishing Reports

Well the 2006 game fishing season is well and truly here. We had a good start tagging a stripey est. 75kg on our second day out on the Saltshaker. It was 29th of December at 11.00 am which made the fish the second for the Bay of Islands Club and the 3rd or 4th for the country. Tom Buist from Florida was the angler who was honeymooning with his new wife Cindy. Great to take a honeymoon couple out who both love to fish !

The fishing was still very slow as you expect that early in the season but we did catch plenty of very nice albacore up to 15kg. Fish of this size are not common in the Bay of Islands and usually indicate quite cold water. For this reason I stuck to the tried and true running a standard lure pattern with super sharp single hooks and it was a black/purple moldcraft senior wide range on the long rigger thaqt did the damage.

Early in the season it is important to cover as much ground as possible and lure fishing is the best way to do this. Normally I tease and switch fish but again when it is early the fish can be finicky about eating baits so I like to keep it simple stupid. One thing that tends to characterise the early season bite is the large proportion of missed bites the fleet reports.

I believe the best way to combat this early is to try and not let the fish eat the first lure it comes up on. Crank the lure away as quickly as possible to force the fish into a more agressive attack. Secondly ensure your hooks are absolutely razor sharp so you give yourself the best possible opportunity to get a solid hook-up.

Unfortunately I have not fished since that early trip as I have had pressing business in the city to take care of but I start in earnest next week and cannot wait. All the reports suggest things are heating up quickly with good numbers of yellowfin around and a few billfish amonst them. Take time to check out the NIWA Sea Surface Charts at this time of the year to help save a little fuel.

Sharp Hooks !

Jeff Strang,

Northern Sportfishing.

PS check out the photos on my main charter page of the waterspout that I took the day we caught the stripey.