Game fishing continues to run hot in the area surrounding the Cape and the 9-pin. The good news is they're in close! Sea Temps off these locales are running from 21.9 - 22.6 thanks to some consistent generic easterly winds and swells. Anyone tuned in to VHF channel 3 over the last 2 weekends would be chomping at the bit to get out on the water and drag some plastic around - if they weren't out there already. The surprising thing at the moment is the ratio of blues to stripeys. As of last weekend, there were almost as many blues being reported as stripey's and several reports of multiple groups of marlin being seen! This has me excited for the good possibility of continued double strike panic, and a great late season. You can always expect the unexpected off the cape at this time of year. Whether it's a challenging tail wrapped 250kg+ blue marlin in a 6m alloy, or a school of dolphins chased closely by a sperm whale, it's the place where you had better keep your wits about you and have your live bait ready for that brief moment of opportunity! Saturday's weather did not help the anglers on the first day of Small Boats Tournament, as winds picked up from the south to 25 knots and the swell to 2.5 metres off-shore. All through the morning hookup's were recorded consistently, with a mix between stripeys and blues of about 70/30, and a landing success rate of about 40%. This did not apply to me unfortunately, as two tailing stripeys close into the 9-pin casually cruised down either side of my boat, pursued the menu of my lures but decided not to dine that day! All-in-all it was a good tournament with a variety of fish being caught and weighed. The camera flashes were working overtime from the tourists at the weighstation. Yellowfin numbers are way down on previous years and if there is an angler, meteorologist, philosopher or priest that can give me a good reason for this, I'd gladly sit and listen. My home chest freezer is subdivided up into 4 main compartments. One for marlin, yellowfin, kingfish and bluenose/hapuku and let me tell you, my yellowfin stock is sadly on the lean side this year. Maybe April will see a better late run of this majestic and tasty gamefish species? Until then tight lines and sharpen up those open gape hooks! The gamefishing season is about to go platinum in the far north!

 

From

Report type: Saltwater

Report date: 27 February 01

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