Fishing Reports

  Blue water fishing , has really heated up off the bay in the last week. Water temps have risen to more than 22C, with blue water right in to the 120M line.

  Stripeys are not prolific, but are frequent enough to sustain interest, and some good yellowfin of around 40kg have also been taken.

 The hot news, however, are the blues. After a number of boats losing fish over the weekend, a couple of beauties graced  the wharf on Tuesday,

 Saltshaker weighed in a huge 310kg fish in Paihia, only to be followed in Russell by a monster of 391.2kg for Swedish angler Johan Rodin fishing on Major Tom II. Johan's fish took a large Purple and Black pusher, crafted by Bonze lures, running well back on the shotgun. The fish took 2.5 hours to bring to the boat, then needed assistance from the crew of other boats to help lift it on board. Johan is getting the fish mounted, and shipped back to Sweden, but is likely to need an extra room in his house to fit the display.

 Other fishing options have also been good. A large school of medium sized kingis has made it's home around Bird Rock, with some larger fish at 71 Meter Reef, especially if fished deep. With the blue water close in, it is wise to use well spooled 24kg outfits, and 200lb trace if fishing live baits for kingis in this area, as an accidental marlin is always a possibility.

 The main snapper schools seem to have dispersed in close, with a lot less bird activity than earlier in the month. Best snapper results seem to have come from around the Nine Pin, from deeper features up to 60M.

As always, drop me an email at MAJOR.TOM@xtra.co.nz if you have any queries