Fishing Reports

Wrap Up

There’s not that much point bleating about it being bitterly cold, raining and windy, an abrupt halting effect on fishing is near universal since it is winter ‘n all, and unlikely to change much overthe next couple or three months. A bit like barracouta, an inevitable annoyance every season but these things will pass, hopefully sooner rather than later.

However there’s still much to discuss judging by The Fishing Website forums with the odd actual fishing report sparking feverish viewing - giving us all just a little taste.

Speaking of taste there have been a few John Dory being caught lately around the greater gulf, such a superb table fish and even with a howling wind it’s quite feasible if nothing other than for a change of scene.

Mainly while at anchor, in a well sheltered bay, burley slick, live-bait on a ledger rig – you know, the traditional approach, any boat size will do too. Sounds like a good winter’s day fishing fix.

So many massive storm clouds have been billowing across land and sea lately with downpours more like the Huka Falls, sometimes with high winds but then those strange grey eerie calms, freeze frame until the next squall…perhaps just enough fishing time for the fast launching, small boat brigade around Auckland’s edge.

In and around the Waitemata channels over the past month there have been some good snapper caught, an early afternoon knock-off time coinciding with a passing weather front and just a few hours of flat sea.

The brief windless windows out further in the gulf provide the ideal opportunity to go winter fishing - check out this 22lber's big head caught random drift fishing over the sand in 50m, and although the workups have been inconsistent they're worth their weight in gold in terms of snapper catching lately.

Duration of the excitement can be very short lived unfortunately, but long enough to make that fish bin live up to its name!

In the early 40m depths there has been some rather good fishing reported north of Waiheke and the Ahaas, out further some not so good (only sometimes reported). So apart from the wind gusting 60kts at times, the other brief periods when there’s not a movement – total stillness,

I’d be out into the gulf fast. Out past the islands I’d scope the skies for those wonderful white funnels, not the towering cumulonimbus types, the gannet types, sometimes big funnels, sometimes small flurries but invariably there’s a pot of gold ‘n red fish in the vicinity. Without the enticement of a workup or some significant inducement the fishing can be harder going out in the middle of the gulf at the moment even with plenty of fish on the sounder, I guess it’s to be expected when there’s a constant risk of hail.

Now with school holidays on even one days fishing can make memories for a lifetime. These guys ‘n girls were getting right into it the other day drifting along, their laughter and excitement carrying clearly across the water, multiple hookups, brilliant holiday banter, happiness is!

Kahawai, king?

Wow, although my memory is naturally somewhat selective I do not recall so many kahawai over the past few years than just recently, how about you? The area from Waiheke/Noises north for many miles has been holding massive schools of these fish.

I like kahawai for their speed of fight, their colour, sheen and usefulness. Like a lot of things though sometimes too much of a good thing, isn’t. And to be targeting some snapper but catching kahawai after kahawai can get frustrating and you know there’s your preferred dinner mooching around underneath.

But just a day later the kahawai seemingly vanished from sight, sounder and hook, the gulf devoid of all Arripis trutta. Or perhaps it was something to do with the big Orcas that have been around lately? Or the earthquakes? Who knows, but life in the gulf is inevitably following its natural seasonal changes.

Now if you were a kahawai you’d know that kingfish aren’t exactly your friend even though they can be close by a lot of the time. So instead of just cursing schools of kahawai, I’m now carrying a new Lethal Weapon, much bigger-er jigging gear…’cos those Kingfish sure are fun! So when you’re getting hammered by kahawai use it to your advantage and drop your own hammer, a big long jig and there may well be a big king who wants to pay you a visit.

This month’s Catch Pack goes to Predator07 who nailed a binfull of excellent winter snapper recently, this one on the Catch Purple Pilchard soft plastic and 1oz Glowing Torpedo hook, nicely done in the recent icy blast drift fishing the early 40m depths - and such perfectly conditioned snapper too!

How to fillet snapper

If you want to pick up a few tips on how to fillet snapper – have a quick look at this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Il7-4hsjhJ4

May I suggest that when the weather next looks good, head to the 40m mark under the bait schools (mackerel and pilchard), use your sounder to see the bait mid-water and any birds sitting around the surface in groups.

Drift with flasher rigs hard on the bottom or slow retrieve the soft plastics or slow jigs up from the bottom a metre or two, or just use whatever tackle you have, just make sure it’s on the bottom – the snapper are there.

Cheers.