Steve Radich’s Bay of Islands Fisherman’s Newsletter

January 2011

Seasons come and seasons go but this season may be remembered forever. On the snapper front, I have it on good authority that the spring spawning season was among the best in the past 10 years. Whilst many have reported average fish size to be down some-what, my sources report typical limit catches ranging from 3-7kg.And that’s not counting the occasional 8-10kg fish that most regular seasoned fishers have landed since November.

Bite times have been fickle with the pre-Xmas bite dancing to the “any time is the right time” rhythm. However, since the New Year, advice is that near top and bottom tide bites as well as dawn and dusk bites have been the most reliable. Nothing new here! However, what I have found is that those fishing plastics have been having the most fun. Not being a fan of soft plastics, this is said with a bit of verbal indigestion and a red face. It would also seem that those who have had the good fortune to encounter working birds have had the most fun of all. In other words, if you can fish a bite time under working birds with soft plastics then your chances are very good indeed.

Where to find a snapper or two has always been the most vexing of questions. In addition to the advice offered above,  it might be worth recognising that further good advice from one who regularly nets for both mullet and flounder is that the autumn pattern of snapper up the estuaries has already started. So think Jacks Bay, Tapeka Point, Nobbys, The Brampton, Slain’s Castle, Rangitane and the Mangonui aka Puerua Inlet for starters.

With all the latter most likely to fire dawn and dusk, I’d be inclined to give the middle ground a careful look if fishing during gentlemen’s hours was what you had in mind. And don’t forget, drifting under working birds is still pretty hard to beat, any time of day or night.

On the game-fish front, the blue water is right in close as I write, and having jumped off the back for the hell of it, I can tell you its like jumping into warm blue ink. Incredible visibility too – not only for me I thought, so I climbed back out almost as fast as I’d jumped in. But with big Blue Marlin strikes at close on 50% those of the striped variety, this season will be remembered for many a year. And it’s still only a pup.