Fishing Reports

If there is any worse scenario for retaining water quality in the eastern bay than gale force souwesterlies, it has to be soueasterlies. We’ve just had a full week of both! The results have been a big body blow to water quality, both colour and temperature. Weather has finally improved so there may be some retrieval but that remains to be seen. Otherwise there are areas that are shining other than gamefishing, thank goodness.

Inshore

Some excellent snapper fishing along the beaches in limit proportions – that’s the good news. The bad is that they are not big; plenty legal but anything over 2 kilos is noteworthy. The stretch of near shore coastal waters from Coastlands to Matata has been particularly productive, 15 metres depth the best.

Bait and SP’s are equally productive with drifting outstripping anchoring up. Trevally to 2kgs also in the mix as are some miniscule gurnard and huge kahawai. Indeed, a recent three day tourney at Opotiki produced equal winning weights in the snapper and kahawai sections – 3.7kgs! Both are remarkable for different reasons! Fall fishing can be looked forward to in this popular area.

Offshore

White Island has proved a difficult place to fish just lately. The prevailing weather has been very tough but much of the fishing even tougher. Other than bluenose and trevally, things have been very hard. Kingis, what the geothermal wonderland is so well known for, have been in near shut down mode. Bite times are short if non existent, size has been small and fish continuing to shun jigs – save rats. Auckland angler Andrew Pegg made a mockery of all this recently with a beauty 35 ½ kilo fish – on a jig! This was by far the exception and probably the largest landed at White in many weeks, perhaps even months. While this trophy is heartening the kingis have largely dispersed as their spawning is complete and they seek deeper waters.

As mentioned, the trevally are cooperating well with most in the 4-5 kilo category. Small boats and SP’s are equally productive. Shallow water reef fishing has been generally hard with the exception of dusk when some nice terakihi showed up in numbers. Hapuka have been hit and miss – mainly the latter. Bluenose are shining now with no real need to fish early or late due to the height of their spawning season. Many of the roe laden females are over 20 kilos with some eclipsing 30 – a lot of great eating on a single fish!

Ranfurly Bank

In a word, difficult! Between strong cold winds, extreme tides due to full moon, swells from two different directions and less than vibrant conditions, things are hard going here. Everything (gamefishing, kingis and bottomfishing) has proved difficult with nothing shining at all. If one perseveres among the inclement conditions, there are rewards to be had. Trumpeter have excelled of late, with a few real beauties being boated. Doubleheaders of fish over 10 kilos is unusual and haven’t been seen as such for years.

Several over 13k’s are truly trophy fish in the trumpeter world. Elsewhere puka are reasonably plentiful but not big, most in the pup to 12 kilo range, few over 20. Bass have been fairly aloof although an “Enchanter” angler recently scored a beauty of 50kgs. Kingis are biting well but, again, so little quality fish over 20 kilos are ever so hard to come by – why noone seems to know.

Pelagics

A disappointing time in a disappointing season. Things can and probably will bounce back but right now are pretty dismal. By far the best water is right out wide (10 miles north of White) and parts of Waihau Bay. Not surprisingly Waihau is the best of a bad deal with the middle of the Bay of Empty drying right up. Blues and mahi mahi may well be a thing of the past with stripees pretty much the only game in town. Where we go from here is uncertain but not overly promising. Recent northerlies or total lack of wind will certainly help.

Summary

While witnessing the life blood of an already disappointing game season sucked away by southerly winds was hard to take, there are many other avenues to successfully investigate. Having success in numerous areas is on the cards this autumn with many settled days to come. While it seems we skipped fall and went straight into winter recently, autumn will reward those who get out there. Till next week…………..