Fishing Reports

The Espresso Report

For Play
Hibernating fish and really shoddy weather sure can reinforce the winter fishing doldrums. Apart from the odd day out to catch a few fresh fish a lot of my time is now spent on the other aspects of fishing. Hard to make and down-right cruel decisions to get rid of much loved (or is that abused) fishing gear and getting those ‘little jobs’ out of the way.

I say little with a sigh, as more often than not they are lengthy and time consuming, leading to ever more gadgetry need, but better to have it all completed now than when the fish are back in force and hungry! Stuff on the boat like replacing a light, zip tying up things, cleaning out the cabin, finding the odd stray hook, changing my 150hp Yamaha outboard with a brand new one, all the while reminiscing and looking forward to the halcyon days of summer loading up on Big Reds with ease just a few k’s from home.

It is said that getting there is half the fun, well I’m not sure about that but I’d rather get the jobs done now than wait until spring when the weather turns on its charm.

Highs and Lows
Certainly more lows than highs lately and a lot more cold fronts and windy weather to come yet. One thing that does get the fishing blood running during winter are those eerie calm times…you know, as the low or front passes there’s often several hours of complete calm, perfect for the prepped fisho. Last Friday afternoon was such a time.

‘Twas the night before the storm
Yes just hours before the worst storm to hit NZ in a decade the sea state went flatter than flounder. Calm seas as far as the eye could see, tide running and since it was ‘almost’ the weekend, just enough time for a fish! The entire Hauraki Gulf was teeming with aquatic life. All it took was to stop, look and listen for a while and it all unfolded like origami. The Gannets didn’t need to fly, they just sat and ate the baitfish that were in their millions all over the sea surface, everything was feeding up large before the storm.

Whales and Dolphins didn’t bother bailing up meat-balls, they just spread out and enjoyed leisurely quaffing bait whenever and wherever they chose. The baitfish were so thick on the sea surface, it looked like wind squalls all over the place. Pure magic fishing because the Snapper were feeding underneath, even if somewhat spread out as a result of the widespread surface activity. Metservice must’ve been widely read, everything out there knew what was on it’s way weather wise.

The Snapper are in great condition at the moment, full of winter condition with an aggressive attitude to match. So a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon of being at one with nature it was, right in amongst it all and landing feisty fish determined to break the leader with blistering runs. And not just for me, many fisho’s were at their Spot X getting into an excellent afternoon fishing session.

Play it again Sam
It’ll happen again too, more than once – fish on the bite, calm seas and a great time catching fish on a calm winters day. So keep watching those forecasts, keep the fishing gear ready for a fast exit (whatever day of the week) and no doubt there will some seriously enjoyable sessions to be had on the water in the wintery future.

East of Flat Rock, east of Tiri, eastern Noises, the northern end of the Firth and southern Little Barrier have been holding some excellent Snapper lately, a lot of them around the 60cm+ mark, 10 – 12lbs and in stunning winter condition.

Lately change is the most consistent factor needed for the best success on Soft Baits for me. Change of colour to find the menu preference at that time of day, less twitch (most of the time), and making good use of the shorter bite times has been essential.