Fishing Reports

 

Today I planned to write about fishing out west. Thought it would be fresh for the reader. But alas, it will not be so. For right now, the fishing out west is not the best. Even though the Hokianga bar was flat all weekend. I rang Simon Howard of Bay Knight Charters who was plying his trade out east. I phoned at dusk on Monday. I was invited to speak to his crew. Direct from the fish’s mouth, so to speak. Tim Small, hailing from Fendalton in Christchurch, was showing his father the best part of New Zealand. Brian, was visiting from Farnham, Surrey, in merry olde England. The fishing had been so fantastic that they were both into their second day on the briny. Fellow fishos were Leon McLean from Mt Albert in Auckland, with father-in-law, Richard Gilmore from the North shore. They too were excited about the fishing. Best fish of the day weighed 16lb. And this followed a weekend when a more than a few snapper came to grief in the Bay. The Paihia Ex Servicemen’s Club had conducted their annual two-day tournament. Sixty anglers weighed in 250kg of fish. John Neal from Waikato, landed the best snapper of 8.55kg. Junior contestant, Chris Oldham, won the mystery weight prize of a 21” TV that he promptly sold to dad for a mega percent profit. Not a bad investment for Dad, who paid his son’s entry fee. Other prize-winners included Kelvin Windust of Auckland, with a snapper of 8kg and Bill Schulze of Paihia with a third prize fish of 7.425kg. The junior prize went to local lass, Nicola Clementson, who landed a noddy of 3.380kg. Terry Newcombe of Island Water Taxis had a great weekend too. Drifting across the front of the Black Rocks worked a treat. Nothing huge though. Not like the 14.2kg beast landed today, the first day of the three-day Blue Heelers (police) tournament. Terry’s been drifting in 35-40m of water, and depending on wind direction, starting or ending somewhere near Onslow Rock. Reckons he passed through a school of pilchards that was at least half a kilometre long the other day. Speaking of which: if big snapper are on the menu, pilchards are definitely the bait of the moment. If you have the time to shop around, select some of the superb snap–frozen NZ pillys; the bigger the better. They look good enough to eat. Pillys have been working for Warren on charter boat Skipper Jim too. He’s been fishing am off Onslow and in the afternoon on Mita’s Foul. Some say Mitas has gone off the boil. Not the big fish of a month ago. But still holding some nice fish according to Warren. They’re all through the Bay he reckons. Just have to be prepared to wait for them to get hungry. Tight lines!

 

From Steven Radich

Report type: Saltwater

Report date: 14 November 01