Fishing Reports

Finally, after many weeks, some respite in the windy conditions we’ve been made to endure.  The first time the phrase “10 knot variables” appeared in any marine forecast for a month in the Bay and stranger still – it came to fruition!  Anglers Nice to observe busy boat ramps where there has been so little activity in so long.  While fishing continues to be generally quite productive on most fronts, water temps are well down.  Considering we are only a month from the “official” start of summer, most unusual to see some of the coldest temps of the entire year now!

Inshore

A mixed bag of species and fortunes.  With lots of effort recently there have been plenty of stories come through.  Listening to them one could be excused for thinking these anglers were in different oceans, not metres apart – such is the disparity of these tales!  Shining lights have been gurnard and terakihi with good numbers available even if they exist in totally different locales.  Snapper have been the hit and miss species with some good catches interspersed by tales of woe.  Nothing big but when anglers are lucky or good enough to get on them they are lovely school fish in prime condition.  As an interesting aside a number of adult sized rays bream have been either washed up on local beached or caught by anglers in as little as eight (8) metres of water.  A strange place for deep sea mid water fish to be.  Water temps less than 14 degrees C in many places here.

Offshore

White Island remains an attractive place to be for a variety of reasons yet has received little attention of late.  The big attraction, pre-spawning kingis, have fallen off somewhat.  Still some nice quality on both bait and jigs but bite times are increasingly smaller with only one place producing recently – namely the small area of the Volkner Rocks marine reserve we’re allowed to utilise in our quest for these fish.  Thank goodness common sense (and a lot of hard work/lobbying) came to fruition, otherwise a great start to spring fishery would have been very bleak indeed.  “Whopper of the week” has gone to an “Enchanter” angler with his beaut 28k fish.  To compliment this catch has been many in the high teens and low 20’s – not a bad average in anybodies book.  Finally a little luck (and decent weather) in the deep.  While the 300-350 metre depths weren’t red hot, the quality of the bluenose were good – especially for the time of year.  A solid 10-12 kilo average put smiles on angler’s faces, even if they did only land one or two each in a morning session.  Back closer to the smokey isle the reef fishing has become more hit and miss on the previously productive terakihi.  Water a much nicer colour here (milky green inshore) but only scantly better temps – just eclipsing the 15 mark.

Ranfurly Bank

Some decent bottom fishing here but one sure “pays” for each fish with trying conditions abounding.  Indeed, on a recent trip a boat experienced 20-25 knot winds and big tides taking them nearly a mile with each drift!  This, in spite of virtually a plate of glass in the nearby BOP!  A near even mix of hapuka and bass but nothing particularly large with the average between 10-15 kilos.  Lots of great eating, however.  Mangawhai builder Bill Naish took the class fish, a bass of 32 kilos.  Otherwise a few kingis spice up the catch, mainly decent fish (18-24k’s) landed by anglers reeling in about mid water.  An opportunity for jigs?!?  Back inshore the snapper are still biting in the murky conditions off East Cape.  Water temps running a chilly 13-14 degrees C throughout.

Summary

Would have to think this could be a turning point in the young season.  If we can get these heretofore incessant winds behind us, let alone replace them with warm northerlies we could see rapid positive changes.  In the meantime once again, life on the sea may be bumpy but it ain’t that bad!