Fishing Reports

Well, it might be the official start of winter but don’t tell the marlin!  The amount of stripees seen, hooked and landed by a very few boats between North Cape and Doubtless Bay would make good reading in summer months, let alone in June! A shame more anglers can’t/won’t take advantage of this late season opportunity.  Inshore things are ticking along nicely as well with plenty to keep anglers interested.

Doubtless Bay
The 130 metre mark seems to be the depth one needs to look for a marlin with the vast majority sent there.  A few skippies also showing up after a near total absence for weeks.  Some good pannie snapper sessions being had throughout the Bay with limit fishing if you’re not terribly discerning.  Just off Taipa entrance is a good place to look.  The Mangonui Wharf is still firing on incoming/high tide although the kingis aren’t as big or numerous.  Still plenty of kahawai (some real horses pushing 3k) and JD’s.

Cape Karikari
Still a few marlin seen/landed here but nothing like the past fortnight.  Between Matai Bay and Motoroa Island, again in 130-125 metres, is the place to be.  The islands off the Cape have produced well on small to medium sized kingfish and similarly on snapper.

Parengarenga – North Cape
Proving to be the best region for marlin just lately with plenty of shots and a number of fish landed – again in 130 metres of water.  Plenty of tailers seen as well as gannets diving on meatballs and sauries – presumably put up by marlin.  Water nice colour but by no means warm at 17.5 degrees C.

Cape Maria Van Diemen
As per most of the autumn season there snapper here have been disappointing, lean of the ground.  XOS blue cod (some to 4kgs) and kingis (some pushing 30 kilos) are doing their best to compensate visiting anglers.

Surville Cliffs – “The Hook”
Some nice water throughout with some good marlin action as well.  Water temp peaks just below the Hook at near 19.  Plenty of bait and again, very few boats.

The Fingers
Depending upon tide and time of day, some great kingi or hapuka fishing but seldom both concurrently!

Great Island – Princes’ Group
Not a lot of pressure. Still some decent koheru fishing each morning despite water only around the 16 degree mark.  Plenty of reef fish but relatively few kingis and only average (15-17 kilos) size.

Middlesex Bank
Good bottomfish and kingis ……………. and bronzies!  No marlin seen here for a while and no boats likely to have a look either.  “Oracle” spent a few nights west of here recently and scored a beauty broadbill of 250 kilos – well done to a determined crew!

King Bank
Still an anomaly for marlin anglers.  Earlier we thought if only the water would warm up (15-16 degrees for weeks last month) we would see marlin turn up in droves.  Well we’ve now got over 19 and even pushing 20 degrees at times and blue but still very few marlin seen. 

Last one landed here was a 147 kilo beauty taken by Morrinsville angler Pete Gerrand although a couple have been jumped off since.  Fair few sharks (both bronzies and makos) make bait fishing either interesting or frustrating depending upon your view.  Otherwise plenty of skippies toward the top end of the bank, all one wants on the bungies in no time at all.  Kingis are cooperative as well with some nice fish in the 20’s and low 30’s on tap – some lost on heavy gear which could considerably be larger. 

King terakihi must carpet the bottom here with 2-3 at a time almost anywhere.  Bass are very close to their annual spawn with predominantly small to medium sized males (10-30kgs) far out numbering their larger females.  Some heavyweights around such as Ardie Drummond’s 64 kilo horse.

Summary
With very few boats here now it’s hard to keep a handle on things.  Indeed there could be some marvelous fishing in areas which is getting no pressure and accordingly goes unnoticed!  King Bank is just one of those places which could really fire on stripeys later this month or even July.  At present it still “feels” early there!