Fishing Reports

Looks like summer, feels like summer, acts like summer, smells like summer – not quite summer yet!  Many manifestations of the warm months are upon us in so many ways yet we are still lacking the main ingredient – pelagic gamefish! 

Plenty of precursory imitations (albies/skippies) are about, it must be meaningful.  Still no cigar but can’t be far away.  Otherwise there’s everything we could want available most everywhere else, and plenty of.

Inshore

After the brilliant spring we’ve experienced, things have gone off the boil over the past few weeks.  Still some decent catches are coming in with most everyone getting that all important “feed” to justify the day out but things are comparatively lackluster.  Snapper still the main goal for most anglers although more turning to terakihi and gurnard to supply the goods.  Crays moving into the shallows for divers, some in ridiculously (waist deep) shallow water this time of year.

Offshore

Talk about heating up, some aspects are on fire – including the island!  Still plenty of nauseous stain provoking gas being emitted from the lake less crater now.  Visiting boats beware, you won’t like the result of even an hour spent in the less if the island, let along overnight – quite a price t pay for some good fishing!  If you can’t get over that malady then all you need to do is enjoy!  Kingfish are biting as well, or better, than they have all season with some brilliant sessions over the past week. 

Jigs are still out of favour but bait, any kind of bait, is doing the trick.  Unlike the early season which saw smaller fish on average, the reverse is now in vogue.  While no monsters succumbed this week (largest a credible 28 kilos) the average size has stepped up considerably with many fish over 20kgs and numerous in the mid 20’s.  Would appear they are now in full spawning mode, something that should continue for another few weeks if not longer.  Expect some brilliant surface action as fish move into the shallows wholesale.  Otherwise there’s nothing wrong with the other fisheries, thank you very much. 

Deepwater continues to pump out the catches with a pleasing mixture of bluenose, hapuka, bass and bluenose.  While most of these fish are of modest size (sub 10 kilos), there are just enough over 20 and even 30kgs to test anglers and make things interesting.  Long may this situation last as its retrieved fishing we once had but thought was long gone.  For those that don’t care to plum the depths we have plenty to offer you in the shallows starting with trevally.  Large shoals of krill feeding trevs can now be seen ach day in a number of areas around the island. 

Just because you can see them, however, doesn’t mean you can catch em!  Matching the hatch doesn’t always work as sometimes you need to think outside the square to initiate a hookup!  Water colour and temps are screaming summer; blue (nearly purple in places) with quite a few skippies moving in to join the pre existing albacore ranks.  Plenty to do out there but still scope for improvement.  Plenty of mako sharks have appeared among the skippies and albies.

Ranfurly Bank

The superlative fishing we have seen here over the past months just keeps going.  Bottomfishing, in particular, continues to excel.  Hapuka, bass, trumpeter and king terakihi are all biting well at numerous posies across the bank.  Puka of mixed size are arriving at the surface in doubleheader proportions.  While most are small (6-8kgs) to medium (15k’s) average, some beaut bass are present and available. 

A good example was father and son team Warrick and Sam Moore.  On one drift Warrick struggled to land his largest fish ever with a nuggety, grumpy 34k bass.  While he was celebrating his capture son Sam hooked what appeared to be the bottom on the very next drift.  After quite a battle he watched his over inflated beach ball of a bass float to the surface.  At 48k’s the Moore’s had themselves two fine fish to cap off their trip.  Kingis, while still offering great action, were not as prolific. 

With some nice fish landed just over 30k’s, the average size was far smaller.  Unlike White Island, jigs are working exceedingly well – even surpassing the efficacy of live bait!  While water quality is a mixed bag, there’s far more blue and warm stuff than the cold, green counterpart.  Skippies, and to a lesser extent, albacore, are thick. 

They both require much larger lures or even lures out of the water if you think you’re going anywhere!  They are in great abundance from 50 metres of water off Lottin Point all the way through to Ranfurly in all depths from 80 to over 1000 metres.  Getting the drift? – There’s a lot out there!!

Summary

As we pass Christmas, zero in on New Years and focus on summer ahead there’s plenty to be joyous about in every regard.  Great to see so many on the water on Boxing Day utlising their new toys – locals and holiday makers alike.  Weather has been kind with more of the same expected at least on the short term. 

Bring it on to everyone’s benefit, except maybe the fish!  With the first marlin landed (on the West Coast of all places!), others seen in the western BOP and decent chances at tuna of two different varieties it’s all on with prospects improving literally by the day.  On a sad note we must report the passing of a grand gentleman named Mick Ellwood.  Mick was “Mr Whitianga” whom everyone knew and loved.  He saw and did a lot during his long life and it was very fitting to see him land such a fantastic blue marlin last season and very rightfully take out the “Old Man of the Sea” trophy.  His presence will be sadly missed by all on the water with the utmost condolences to Dulcie and the rest of the family.  Won’t be back with another report for a wee while – till then ………..