Fishing Reports

 Finally -we have a change of season here in Whitianga !! 

 After an outrageously long game season, which has seen several marlin hooked last week, and I think one caught, together with Stingray's well publicised "Mahi Mahi Madness" session in mid April, things have finally cooled down with this weeks southerly / SW wind pattern. Warm offshore water at 20 miles or more out kept things going game-wise longer than I can ever remember.

Inshore

The biggest change is happening on the Snapper front. Until now the snapper have been spread across both sand and reef, as they waited for the colder water cue to send them in onto the reef edge and further into the heavy foul and shallows. Well they have finally had their trigger !! Of course there are always some fish out on the sand but now a lot of the fish are starting to seek the reef, as they know they have to put on condition for winter.

The great thing about long weekends is you get to hear about a lot of fishing trips  from others. Most people reported good fishing in heavy foul and on the edge of reef structure anywhere from 8-25 metres.

It now doesnt seem to matter where you go geographically here, as long as you take lots of burley and get on the reef.!! The weekend snapper comp here saw  top local fisho  "Fluff" Wilson take out the honours with a snapper just under 20lbs, and by all acounts they also released many other good fish.

People reported good fishing all around the islands, and I would expect this to last for a while now, until the fish go out deeper right in the coldest part of winter.

Deepwater

Kingfish jigging is going darned well, with a noticeable reduction in the barracouta numbers, and some very fat fish being landed-See attached photo from our last trip out jigging. Most offshore pins are holding these kingis now, as they move away from the inshore islands, due to our colder weather trigger. 

Sportfishing NZ's new "The King" Jig will be out to market soon, and as usual this did the business the other day when no other jig would get anything larger than a "Rat" kingi.  We only used it for 2 drops the other day and nailed 2 good Kingis for a very happy Japanese angler.

Puka will just get better and beter now, with some one landing a fish of mid 30's kg recently.Get those slabs of barra out of the freezer that you should have stashed away when they were plagueing you earlier in the year offshore.! And dont forget the terakihi flasher on the top of the puka rig to pick up bonus tera's.

So get out there with your hot soup, brave the cold and give it heaps !!

Good Fishing

Andy Kerr-Stingray Fishing Charters -Whitianga.