Fishing Reports

Readers will be pleased to welcome this report on the screen – must have been tough contending with all the past negativity which has been vented this young season thus far by this writer! After such a slow and disappointing start, not to mention some inclement weather, we’ve turned a corner. Suddenly there’s potential, if not decent fishing, where there was little promise even a week ago. Aside from a lackluster but steady inshore scene, the other regions are now spreading their wings. 

Inshore

Steady as she goes, which means not a lot going on. Fat Kahawai gorged with whitebait (what a waste!) are about the most exciting happenings inshore. Sporadic catches of pan size snapper are falling for those lucky or more proficient crews – nothing like the fishing being experienced in either the Hauraki Gulf or the Western BOP. Speaking to well known Whitianga “Whai” skipper John Ellwood, the snapper fishing is phenomenal there – the type he’s never seen there at this time of year. Unfortunately not so here. Otherwise there are the usual suspects to keep crews happy: gurnard, terakihi and trevally. If the water temps would warm, it should trigger a good snapper bite – the type our western neighbours are already enjoying.

Offshore

At long last, the kingis have finally come to the party! While the bite is a long ways from torrid, it’s a massive improvement over anything that has transpired over the past three weeks. Even better, the fish are biting in a number of different areas and depths which suggests a general improvement. Depths anywhere between 20 and nearly 150 metres have produced to prove that point.

One interesting aspect is the fishes’ total disdain for jigs at the moment. At a time when the iron should be knocking ‘em dead, they don’t want to know. This is undoubtedly change and soon. Baits, both live and dead, are currently the much preferred option.

Fish are tough and well conditioned as they march down the path to spawning. “Whopper of the week” went to Australian visitor Roy Kegg for his conservatively estimated 30 kilo specimen – tagged and released after the obligatory photo. Other kingfish in the 20’s have also been taken recently to testify to the quality we know lives at White Island. No quantifiable effort put into deep water species but the shallows are yielding the normal hodgepodge of reef fish including some nice trevally. Water patchy in colour and still only just over 15 degrees C.

Ranfurly Bank

This distant outpost has also perked up, delivering some decent catches for those making the long voyage. After a near fruitless morning, the puka put on a real show thereafter. In a strange turn of events, the normal range of plied depths (120-160m) were barren. Fish were in good numbers in 200 metres plus and less than 100. Also few outside a relatively narrow band of weights, namely eight to 15 kilos.

Attempts to score other species (kingi terakihi, trumpeter) only succeeded in finding more puka – straight puka! Elsewhere kingis also played the game and here they do have a liking for the iron as well as bait. A real mixture of sizes but enough quality to keep everyone interested and break lines. Best fish was tagged by Waihi mine worker Anthony Kendall, also estimated at 30k’s. Rotorua angler Mark Dibley was hot on his heels, a kilo back. As an aside, some huge tope around as well. The type that would be world record contenders if one could get a light line down to them.

Summary

So nice to have something positive to report. While a long ways from vibrant fishing, the improvement is welcome and noteworthy. If we can but improve from this lot, things will become what we hope and expect from spring fishing. Hope everyone will enjoy what looks like a cracker of a Labour Day weekend – go get em! Till next week ……………