Fishing Reports

Happy New Year everyone!

The madness continues with a trip every day and evenings near everyday too. Being out there on a daily basis is a sure-fire way to keep an eye on the fishery in the Gulf and stay on the fish. The result of our efforts clear when others hard luck stories are shared with our crews as they haul fish filled bins up the wharf.

The fish did the usual holiday antics as the water temp cracked the magic 18C and kicked off the spawning process and the humans did the usual holiday antics of taking the boat out and buzzing round the Gulf in the great weather and flat seas. Both these events can make the inshore fishing a little frustrating hence the numerous hard luck stories.

There have also been some very good snapper caught, some a complete fluke like a 26lb snapper in the bay at the top of Motuora Is on a rusty flasher rig with a strip of 2 year old frozen kahawai on it. The rod was left in the rod holder while the kids had a swim or the 20lber that took a dried out Gulp again on an unattended rod!

Not all are flukes though as some of Diversitys' crews will attest.. Some big snapper have come from the work ups 20 miles out off Tiri and a few closer in (10-14 miles) too. The work ups are not there everyday and the fish don't feed all day everyday but we know they are holding/schooling there and by sticking to our guns and staying with them we have cleaned up when others have missed out or spent the day driving around the ocean looking for them.

To keep things interesting for everyone (including us) we have been running a range of different trips as we have over the past few years. Kingfish Trips (jigging and livebaiting), Ladies Day, Kids Trips, The Big Day Out (12+ hours), Evening fishing and our Stay-away trips and these have all been a lot of fun and pretty productive but more about them later.

Tiri:

Its been a bit patchy but there has also been a lot of boat traffic with all this nice weather. The channel at dawn or dusk would be worth a decent effort with a good burely trail and from experience I can tell you that the snapper in here when its quiet and you have been established a while can be a good size or very plentiful.

It hasn't fished like it used to for a few years now but typically Jan and Feb are good months in here. Get a livie from one of the bays too and have it set out behind the boat under a balloon. Use a long trace to get it down in the current. There are always a few kahawai around the Bollons Rock area if you get stuck and these are more "durable" than a mackerel especially in the current.

Kawau:

Another place riddled with holiday traffic and large numbers of boats fishing all the "spots" Think outside the box for a second and get away from the boats. The fish have. Try the pins SE of Flat Rock for a kingfish (dont expect anything huge), try a long drift out on the sand in 50m or look for a school of fish on the sounder and prospect it with some pillie cubes and soft baits.

Little Barrier:

We have left it alone as the fish are down this end of the Gulf but there have been some pretty good snapper caught in closer to the island. Its not really the time of year to head that way from numbers but there will be some schools of fish out on the sand. There are still a few coutas biting away at the jigs and softbaits and no doubt these will clear out soon and we will move up the Gulf with the fish as the feed up and shove off for another few months.

Had a few Orca pop in for a nosey the last time we were there

Closer in around the Auckland region the channel fishing is only really getting going with a few good reports from the mighty Rangi Channel and round the the other side of the island in the raging Motuihe.

Rakino too has had the occasional moment of brilliance and over the next few weeks things should improve in these areas. We seldom fish in here as the fishing is better out wider but from time to time its fun to get into the current and traffic and those angry channel snapper and big bronze whalers.

Whats coming up:

Evening Fishing trips and Day Trips for individuals and small groups are on our website and the site is updated every 2 days at 2pm so drop in, bookmark it and you can check dates. Larger groups would best to call us.

Kingfish Trips - $250 with a 0600 deaprt. Jiggers and Livebaiters welcome, BYO gear although we do have some LB sets available

Saturday Feb 27

Friday March 19

Big Day Out - 12+ hours on the water hunting down those big snapper, kingfish, trevs, dory and the odd surprise here and there. 0500 depart.

Friday 19 Feb

Sunday Feb 28

Sunday March 21

Great Barrier Overnighter - depart 0700 saturday and return 1700 sunday $550pp includes bait/ice/burley

May 1-2

May 29-30

June 26-27

Game Fishing - The dates are pretty much all ful for these trips but there has been some interest in the "Inner Gulf Game Fishing Competition"  They have a website www.gulfgamefish.co.nz/index.html so have a look and let me know if you want to do something here. Diversity will be away from time to time duri g the season working out of Great Barrier, Tutakaka and Whangaroa but I will post any available dates on our website.

Ladies Day - Sunday May 9

One of the things that makes us better than most charter operators in the region is the we have adopted all the new fishing methods and use them daily, we fish on the drift pretty much all the time (although there has been the odd slow day here and there where the anchor has gone in and the burley gone out) and we offer tuition to anyone who needs a hand. So bring along your jigs, softbaits or anything you think you'll need to catch a fish and we'll help you do it.

Tight Lines

Damo

www.charterconnection.co.nz