Fishing Reports

Winter is definitely on its way, but the fishing hasn't cooled down at all, quite the contrary.  This would have to be one of the best times of the year to be on the water. 

Sure, there is the odd snotty day, but the last couple of weeks have been stunning in Tairua, with offshore winds providing perfect conditions in close all the way down the Eastern Coromandel.

WHAT A NIGHT!
We've just got in tonight after a couple of hours right on dark.  First of all we were greeted by some of the biggest dolphins I've ever seen.  They were cruising the weed line along the coast, and sure enough a dive in close showed all the bait was pushed in close, with kahawai, jack mackeral and slimeys all cruising in less than a couple of metres along the fringe of the weed and rocks. 

After nabbing a few crays, we anchored up in picture perfect conditions, bait splashing all around us, a stunning sunset and mirror like sea.   We picked up a nice line of good snapper, with a frenzy right on dark, then dropping off to nothing.   A few were taken on live slimeys on the bottom, the rest on cray scraps and small skippy baits.  You've gotta love living in paradise!

BIG KINGS
It has been no use fishing mackeral livies for kings over the last month unless you've got an endless supply of them, there have been so many rats around, hitting as soon as the livey is in the water. 

Kahawai have been the best livies and we've been hooking into some beauty kings on them.

You don't have to travel too far, with kings cruising most of the likely places along the coastline close to Tairua.  As long as there is a good supply of bait around you can be sure the kings aren't too far away.

I've heard through the grapevine that a monster was caught on a charter on Taranui last weekend out at the Aldermen Islands.  While it wasn't weighed (it had to be cut up to get it into the chiller) it would apparently have gone close to 40kg.   That's close to the Kings of the Coromandel mystical weight and not too far away from the tournament area.  By the sounds of it, it was caught on a dead bait intended for a snapper.

GREAT SNAPPER FISHING
The snapper fishing is really firing at the moment.  With things cooling down the snapper are moving in over the inner reef systems, providing some great snapper fishing over the kelp.

The afternoon seems the best time to get stuck into them, and a after setting a good berley trail you can be sure of a great line of snaps in the 2-5kg mark. 

The snaps are on the bait straight away but tend to be sucking at them, so smaller skippy baits, shellfish and cray scraps seem to be the way to go.  Right on dark a change to fresh butterflied mackeral has produced some nice fish.

TREVS AND KAHAWAI
Our fiesty friends are in on the action as well, again you don't have to go far, in fact we've been stocking up on our live kahawai in the Tairua harbour before venturing out.  There have been some big trevs caught inside the bar as well, and out on most of the reefs a good berley trail will have big trevs feeding  right by the boat ready to take small cube baits. 

DIVING
Coastal diving is the way to go over winter, with the south westerly weather kicking in the conditions are sensational - great vis, flat seas and there is some good cray hunting over the next few months.  And not too long til scally season.....mmmmmm

Drop us a line if you've like to get out on the water over the next month - I'd rate it as the best time of year to have a line in the water.

All the best from
Carl at Epic Adventures!
www.epicadventures.co.nz
info@epicadventures.co.nz
Tairua, Coromandel Peninsula
07 86 48193