Fishing Reports

The last few weeks have been great with reasonable weather (well reasonable enough anyway although there have been a couple of pretty rough trips but when the fishing are biting as hard as they have been you don't notice a bit of slop here and there) and we have been pretty much fiillng up on most trips. There was a few days "down time" due to a high speed metal fatigue issue in the bowels of DIVERSITY but other than that it has been pretty full on.

Chris, our relief skipper and I have been trucking out to the same areas for the past 3 weeks and finding some big work ups (one so big one day ,we could not see the other side of it!), whales, dolphins and gannets working over the new seasons bait schools. Some days it can be all over in a single drift and on others when they are not on the bite a bit more looking around may secure a good load of fish.

"Pannies" or good eating fish are the most common as they are the general make up of the schools but every now and then during the day a few bigger fish will turn up. The great thing about drift fishing like we do is that not only are you more mobile and can quickly move to working birds or scoot around the other side of a work up but you move through the schools of fish. The boat is very stable on the drift too and allows us to successfully drift 9-10 anglers at once, more if they are on to it and can work together as a team. On our individuals trips or "casuals days" we only put 10 anglers max on at once to give you a real good chance and plenty of fishing room - DIVERSITY is nearly 6m wide don't forget!

Soft baits have been getting some big fish this last 2 weeks.

Amber, new penny, blue neon pepper, nuke chook and basically any of the Gulp range will do the job. To demonstrate just how superior the Gulps are (and no! I am not sponsored nor get any favours from them) I use the left overs at the end of the day when we get back to the marina to show the guys and girls the local snapper and kahawai that hang around my berth. We throw in a range of leftovers and watch them as the schools buzz about at the back of the boat. The ones that get eaten, swallowed and competed for first are the Gulps. Some of the others get looked at or just float away or sink. A key difference being of course that plastic and rubber lures can be harder work to get a fish to bite compared to Gulps and the other soft "baits". I know which ones I want to use eh!

There is a few kingfish showing up but only in the work ups. The deeper reefs will have them on or around them too but there will also be a few 'couta to go with it. Jigging in the work ups is working pretty good on the snapper too. This one is on a Benthos 200g.

The kingis that are in the work ups will take a livie sent down too, that is if you can get it past the snapper. Hook them through the nose and and slide a ball sinker right down on the nose of the livie or run the sinker above the swivel on a longish trace. I have been using the Owner livebait hooks. Good tackle stores will have them.

A few small "pup" hapuka have been getting caught out on the sand too. They are up off Pakari, out off Kawau and further down in the Gulf. You may snaffle one if your lucky. They taste pretty good, in fact ,better than the bigger ones. There are a few out the back of the Barrier too and recently a large bass was caught out here. They get a bit a bit of commercial pressure the ole hapuka so its good to nab a few every now and then.

We have dates for indivduals up on the website all the way through to January now so have a look. If you'd like a date for a boat booking its best to give us a ring or flick us an email.

We have some cool fishing videos up on the site too. Click the links to see gamefishing and more locally some snapper fishing. Gift vouchers are also available if you want to reward a staff member, work mate or a relative by giving the gift of fishing.

Stay tuned and I'll let you know as the big schools of snapper get closer to town and let us know if Chris, Rob or I can get you out on the water for your next fishing adventure.We have a couple of boats on the go agin this season som can get large groups out on the water. A popular trip for the larger groups is our 2 boat contests with prizes. A days fishing with a "raft up" and BBQ at the end. Great for team building not to mention the laughs!

Cheers

Damian (Damo) Clayton

www.charterconnection.co.nz - Where fishing is catching!©