Fishing Reports

While things are far from perfect and it feels like light years away from summer, there are yet more improvements and highlights which need reporting. Some changes, most all beneficial, in all our fisheries. Cool winds and water temps still dominate but the rewards are there. 

Inshore

Hardly a bad story here, regardless of where you ply and which species you seek. While most are after apex number one (snaps) all the other contributing members are fronting well. Hard to imagine where we’ll be with a warm influx of water as snapper are seemingly everywhere at the moment – all depths and bottom terrains. Whether you’re out in 60 metres on the sand or stray lining in eight metres on the foul you’re currently enjoying some luck. A few beauts also grace the catches which are dominated by pan sized fish. Again, all methods and bait choices are being rewarded – easy to be a “snapper” fisherman just now! Also plenty of terakihi, gurnard, fat kahawai and even regular reports of pup hapuka filtering through. Despite the wind it’s a good time to be had by all.

Offshore

Steady as she goes with a few pleasant surprises to highlight. Most anglers target kingis during spring at White Island, thus far, has been anything but consistent with pre spawning fish. Hit it on the right day and you’ve got an experience to remember. Choose the wrong day and you may go home fishless! After a long delay in their effectiveness, jigs are starting to come into their own – even out fishing bait offerings some days. While few rats are fighting over these temptations, there are only a few quality fish to be gad of late. Most days they are out of the same mould with 13-15 kilos the average, 17 the big one! Blowing that idiom away recently was Aucklander Andrew Buckton with his spectacular 42 kilo trophy.

A few nudging 30 are also showing up to test tackle and bodies alike. Unfortunately they very best fishing would occur at the area set aside for fishing within the reserve at the Volkner Rocks. Hoards of mixed sized bronze whaler sharks (50 to over 300k’s) have claimed this once productive spot, making the landing of any size kingi intact next to impossible. Diving and in particular spearfishing there at present would be ill advised.

Elsewhere deepwater is yielding some rewards with a real mixture of fish collaborating to the end result. Standing out again was a “gambler” angler with his massive 53 kilo bass, a great if not unusual catch in close proximity to the island. Small bluenose and mixed sized puka finish off this catch. In the shallows terakihi have shown a little better with some nice pinkies and the odd 5 kilo trev as a bonus. Water still just barely 16 degrees C – nearly two degrees below the same time last year. A few coke albies (2-4kgs) about in the predominantly green water as well as infestations of jellyfish and regular sightings of algal bloom.

Ranfurly Bank

Spectacular catches of kingfish seemingly on every rock here! Average size is good, at over 20 kilos with few rats to compound things. A Chris Wong led jigging team onboard “Enchanter” had an excellent trip recently, scoring numerous “barrels” over 30 kilos. While the bottom fishing is not as vibrant, it’s not far behind. Although hapuka of 10-20 kilos dominate the catch, there are just enough nice bass to spice things up.

Again, an “Enchanter” jig fisherman scored a superb 56 kilo bass to bag whopper of the week of the week down there. Like everywhere else, if not considerably worse at times, the weather has been pretty rugged at times. Look for more good catches to come from this great spot in the near future – winds permitting.

Summary

Cool winds have been the catchery of this spring – that’s for sure. The incessant southerly and westerly winds will not allow improved (read that warmer and bluer) water quality to get anywhere near this country – a casual check of any recent sea surface temperature charts will confirm this. While we participate in the long wait for summer, things aren’t too hard to handle in the meantime. Till next week……………………..