Fishing Reports

 

Have you ever stood next to a bloke on the boat and watched him haul fish in one after the other, while you stand there and can’t even feel a bite? This has happened a few times over the last week or so and a pattern is starting to emerge. With some of the modern tackle arrangements available to anglers these days, such as, flasher rigs, lumo beads, numerous styles of hooks and fluorocarbon trace, it can be easy for an angler to get caught up in trying something new, and as I’ve witnessed, not do as well as an angler using only the basics, such as a simple running rig or a ledger rig. This is not always the case and I’m certainly not against trying something new but in some fishing situations, like we have had over the last week or so, it has been the anglers using simple and proven tackle, that have done well. It can be frustrating for anglers and a skipper if suggestions for a simple rig are not listened to and 1 or 2 fishers end up with all the fish. Food for thought? On to the fishing. Last weeks calm conditions and full moon made it pretty hard on everyone and we were finding the fish only biting a few times each day. The evenings was one of those times, and was fairly consistent all through the great weather we’ve been having. Snapper were appearing in better numbers around the areas of foul behind Tiri and out in the open, further behind Tiri. The southeastern corner of Whangaparaoa was also a productive area, except on one occasion when we had to throw most everything back and frequently relocate. Out on the worm beds, and even in Whangaparaoa Bay, there were mountains of sign on both the bottom and in midwater, but it failed to produce much in the way of hot spring action. On a far more positive note, the eastern side of Kawau has been firing. Last week in calm conditions, we landed a good number of tarahiki and some pan size snapper off the areas of low foul and broken bottom north of Flat Rock. Under the gannets we found a few nice snapper to about 3 kilos and every now and then a few ‘couda. The tarahiki will not be around for much longer up here, as the water temperature is increasing quickly, partly due to the north and easterly winds over the last 3 days. There is more on the way too. The snapper fishing will only improve in this area and places like Flat Rock and Takatu will become home for the many school fish that are wandering down the coast. One night saw us undertake the task of trying to find somewhere out of the wind and swell to catch a fish or ten. With only a small, hardy group onboard, we opted for a shallow water straylining session in the lee of Whangaparaoa. With a good berley trail flowing, our whole pilchards were engulfed by small snapper that got better and better as the evening progressed. A feed for the crew was secured and extra time allocated, as one of the last baits (a whole yellowtail set as a live bait for a john dory) was dragged rapidly through the kelp and dropped, only to be returned in half! Not a shark looking bite, but rather a crushing chomp! All this within site of the marina! Saturday was cancelled due to inclement weather and yesterday was spent around Motuora Is. Fishing the northeastern end of the island, out of the wind, was slow, so we opted for a move when the tide started to flow in the same direction of the wind. Stopping on some good looking sign on the eastern side of the island produced a few trevally and small snapper. The wind was not going to ease in a hurry so with time running out, we shifted out onto a patch of rubble a mile or so out. After about an hour, we had had a few blistering runs and landed a 10lb and 13lb snapper. Both caught by one angler using a simple, short trace, running rig. The others, using flasher rigs and other “jewellery” did not enjoy the same success and advice was not received willingly. When the tide turned we had to move, as it was becoming difficult to remain standing and a quick shot on the foul in Tiri Channel on the way home was a more comfortable option. This produced a few “pannies” and kahawai on the ledger rigs. It wont be long before this area will be teeming with fish. Labour weekend is just around the corner and daylight saving is here. Now is the time to come and fish the “golden hour” on one of our $40pp evening trips or book your social club or work group on a trip. The bookings are coming in thick and fast now, so make sure you get in soon. Remember a day trip in the weekends is only $55pp and only $45pp midweek! Casual anglers are most welcome, so give us bell on 09 4260604 or 025 2446346 and join our casual angler list. If you want to be kept informed about what’s happening out on the water, why not request a brochure and newsletter at the same time. Alternatively email us at deepsea@kiwinet.net.nz As the fishing action hots up, I will post reports as often as I can to keep you up to speed with what’s going on. So keep a close eye on this site and if you want to get these reports delivered to your desktop why not become a VIP member at fishing.net.nz Stay hooked Damian Clayton THE CHARTER CONNECTION LTD

 

From A Charter Connection...

Report type: Saltwater

Report date: 08 October 01