Fishing Reports

 

What a difference a week makes !!!! From wondering what to write last week, the news has turnrd all good around the Bay. Last weekend saw some furious kingi action around Cape Brett, with one of our clients even taking a free dive along the Dog to secure a great 20kg fish. 71 Meter Reef is also fishing well, and moving in a bit closer for some bottom fishing off Deep Water Cove will secure some extra large tarakihi and the odd snapper. Snapper have been on the bite for the last few days and good bags have been taken from Rocky Point right through to Cape Brett. The few commercial snapper boats fishing in the Bay have been landing consistently large fish, and this has started to be reflected on our own trips, with at least one fish over 20lb seeming to come on board each trip, and plenty of fish from 1.5kg to 4kg to ensure everyone has gone home with a good feed. Our best results have come from foul in 50m out towrds the Nine Pin , and from close in on Motorua and Roberton Islands. Use plenty of berley to keep the fish interested, and even in deep water I've been holding a berley bag close to the bottom on our downrigger. Barracoutta will still be a problem with surface berley in the deeper water, but are far less common close in. Try keeping the odd barracoutta for snapper bait. When the fish are feeding it catches well, and makes it down through the rubbish fish in the berley trail. Best baits have been bonito slabs, split fresh mackerel and kahawai. Pilchards have been a bit frustrating, being smashed by the sweep before they reach the strike zone. Stray lines seem to be giving better fish in shallower waters up to 20m, but ledger rigs are still working well in the deep. Plenty of hapuka are still available on the outer reefs, though size seems to have dropped off in the last month. Skippies have been seen between the Nine Pin and Taheke Reef, and a yacht coming in on Whangerei landed two small yellowfin just outside the Nine Pin Trenches. Commercial tuna boats are catching some big tunas at the 90 mile mark, and water temps are consistently over 17C. Our own trip out wide last week was uneventful, but did provide a feed of hapuka from Queens Buoy on the way back in. Hopefully the Easterlies will fade after the weekend, and another exploratory trip will be possible next week. As always, drop me an email at MAJOR.TOM@xtra.co.nz if you have any queries.

 

From Major Tom II

Report type: Saltwater

Report date: 02 November 00