Fishing Reports

As you read this “PURSUIT” and her crew are leaving the Far North having completed this year’s charter regime slightly earlier than normal.  We depart somewhat reluctantly since things are quite buoyant currently on all fronts – arguably better than they have been for many weeks – or make that months!

Doubtless Bay

Still brilliant snapper and kahawai fishing, even if the quality isn’t so good.  Again limit fishing for pannies coming in just hours, sometimes less.

Great Exhibition Bay

Also very good snapper with better quality overall.  A few nice fish in double digits grace most catches right throughout this expansive bay.  A few more kingfish also apparent after a fairly lean time of late.  A few stripees have also been plucked from between Mount Camel to North Cape in 120-140 metres in rather cool (but obviously acceptable) water.

Garden Patch

Here is the premier spot in the country for two premier species.  Most boats here are seeing and coming into contact with at least one striped marlin each day, some many more.  Seeing fish feeding on saury and forming meatballs has been quite common just lately.  With the settled weather lately there’s been a pleasing upsurge in effort with some reasonable success.  While this has been a great bonus, it pales in comparison with what’s happening on the broadbill front.  While there’s been a lot of effort (17 boats one night!?!?) there’s also been a good amount of success.  Highlighted was a 168k sword taken on 15k by Carl angers off the national and world records.  This was followed up the next day with a spanking on 10 kilo tackle – same angler, same boat – a spool job after nearly seven hours of hopeful toil.  All this took a backseat to what well known skipper John Gregory did, single handed, onboard his equally famous “Primetime”.  After landing a solo sword a couple weeks previous, he followed that up with an incredible four in one night!  He tagged three and was forced to keep the fourth –DOA and just to sweeten the deal he also caught several bluenose between 25-43 kilos plus tagged a 100 kilo stripee in his travels!  What a trip!  Just to finish off, many boats did exceptionally well on the bluenose, averaging 10-20 kilos in size if you can get them through the killer whales.

North Cape – “The Shelf”

Beautiful water with plenty of temperature, especially on the bottom end of the region.  Also, not surprisingly, there’s still good numbers of skippies (some over 5 kilos) and the odd stripee lurking about.  Snapper have obliged well inshore with many in double digits and a few over the bite with some excellent sessions on both bait and jigs – definitely better and more consistent than anything we’ve seen there over the past two months.  Not only numbers (most 13-18kgs) but a few trophy fish over 30 are available now.  Deepwater (140-200+ metres) has also been productive – not amazing with few big fish but good steady fishing.  A nice mix of bass and hapuka grace anglers hooks here, often two at a time.

King Bank

Some nice fishing here with a real mix.  On the right day (not every day) there is still some class striped marlin to be had.  “Reel Passion” enjoyed a great day with three stripees to his credit.  These late season fish have taken a real liking to bait with few rising to trolled lures.  Skipper Mark Hoare utilized live bridled rigged skippies to entice these fine fish – all in excellent condition between 120-160 kilos.  However, and just to prove the opening statement, he followed that brilliant day up with a fishless one at exactly the same locale!  Also some great bottom fishing (three bass over 60kgs!) with kingis vastly improved as well.  Many of the latter are over 20k’s with the odd one approaching 30.  In the case of this bank, it just seems to be getting better with time.   More opportunity on more species (albeit on an intermittent basis) now at this late stage – what a screwy season it’s been.

Middlesex Bank

Same old, same old here.  Water plenty good enough for stripees but none seen by the very little traffic just lately.  Plenty of skippies and a few decent (to 20kgs) albacore showing for trollers.  Bottomfishing is pretty ho hum by this bank’s standards.  Still pretty decent on a mixture of bass and puka (as many king terakihi as you would like) but few fish over 30k’s.  Kingis, quality kingis, are abundant here – easily affording ones best chance at a 30 kilo and even 40 kilo fish.  Bronzies, and a few XOS makos, still are in abundance meaning you can’t stay too long anywhere regardless of how good (or bad) the fishing is!

Summary

Still great fishing opportunities as you’ve just read and, in many instances, better than anything over the past couple months.  Yes, wish (weather permitting) the “PURSUIT” team had another few weeks to explore those opportunities.  But alas duty calls and we’ll be alternating our efforts between White Island and Ranfurly Bank over the next six weeks.  Expect another Eastern Bay of Plenty report soon.

Northern Wrap up

A few boats, skippers and feats need to be recorded here – none in any order of relevance.

Bevan Beauchamp onboard “Headquarters”.  This young and well traveled deckhand finally came of age this year with his first crack at the helm.  To say he accorded this opportunity with aplomb would be an understatement.  In a season that saw arguably more stripees landed and tagged than any other boat in the country this year.  He followed this up with a late three marlin day off Mt Camel plus several swordfish in his first efforts there as well.  Great season Bevan; hope you can follow it up next year.

John Gregory and “Primetime” – Despite relatively few days at sea this skipper and his crew keep up the fabulous catch rate he’s so accustomed to.  Aside from a great marlin catch (both striped and some XOS blues) he’s currently got 20 broadbill to his credit (this may still rise) with five of them single-handed catches.  What more could anyone say?!?!?!

John Batterton, the Jacobsen’s and “Hook’n’Bull” – This legendary team just gains in their collective status.  With world records falling like flies, their penchant for light tackle excitement just grows.  The big question is with all their WR’s in the book, where do they go next?  Another outstanding performance from anglers and crew alike.

Mark Hoare onboard “Reel Passion” – this unassuming skipper does nothing flashy but quietly chips away at very steady catches for his passengers.  He catches anything and everything with nice diversity at the conclusion of most trips regardless of the prevailing weather conditions or where he chooses to fish.

Lance Goodhew onboard “Enchanter” – His abilities over a broad spectrum, very much like the preceding skipper, is apparent.  A wide variety of species find themselves boatside when you fish onboard this boat. He has become increasingly popular with the jigging fraternity and does well with this technique.

Bruce Martin and “Predator” – While he spent less time at sea than probably ever before he chose his timeframe well and landed a fine broadbill for longtime friend Carl Angers.

Geoff Lamond and “Arenui”

Nice to see Geoff get control of such a nice boat to chase his tease and switch dreams.

While there are undoubtedly more that should be recorded, this is all that comes to mind now.  On a final note I have been informed that the spearfish come stripee was not even close to the smallest striped marlin ever landed in NZ.  Pete Saul informs me he once landed one around 25 kilos and knows of several others only just larger.  This writer had only ever seen a few between 40-50 kilos previously.  And silly me, thinking we were only known for the largest stripees in the world!