Fishing Reports

My name's Al and our home ground is the Marlborough sounds with a few away games in Kaikoura. Snapper and Kingfish have been our main target species over the last few months and I'm pleased to report the snapper season (sept-april) has been excellent!!

As opposed to last season, most of the large snapper have been hooked at night, and in shallow water. Kingfish have been around in large numbers as well, much to the delight of an unsuspecting ten year old, who while fishing with his grandad, landed a kingfish so big it helped him make the local paper. Granddad was so impressed he passed the rod on to the next generation.

Kingies have generally been seen around mussel farms, which puts the odds in their favour. They have been hitting liveies and lures off the top of the water with gusto, and anything resembling a pillie thats dropped to the bottom.

Liveies haven`t been a problem with some of the biggest schools of kahwai I've seen in the sounds and probably your best chance of hooking and landing a kingie around the rafts. The usual schools of mackrel have been prominent with some nice trevally seeing the inside of the boat too  - lots of fun on the spinning rod.

Our night forays have been the best to date,as long as the moon was out the lice were't.Then all you had to do was dodge the stingrays. The plus side to fishing the shallows is the action with some amazing fights from snapper and stingrays alike,you know its shallow when the dorsal fin of your 16lb red is out of the water.

Things are about to cool down now with the snapper moving out to deeper water following spawning, and the kingies following suit, so its time to check out the groper,  blue cod,and gurnard in the mouth of the Pelorus. As well as the odd winter red. Durville islands a good place to start not to mention the Chetwoods. Of course we can`t forget Kaikoura with groper and trumpeter calling us again,lets hope the weather plays the game,will keep you posted.

Till then Tight lines and wet lures

AL the Angler