Fishing Reports

 

Day after day, La Nina’s humid northerlies are making for squid-damp weekends and leaving us waiting for a gap in the weather. Mushrooms are a-sprouting, tinea is a-blooming and the mildew is high. Billy Blight attacks Toby Tomato and Percy Potato. Feral lawns threaten to take over. But, after the Friday night forecast, Sunday afternoon looks a possibility. I’ll check the synoptic chart over Australia: maybe! Sunday rolls around: a bit of blue sky to start my day, the hint of a wind change. Not so sticky. Afternoon looks good. Wind and swell are supposed to abate. “Let’s go for it,” I decide. Milton Parker of Waimatenui escapes domesticity; son Janaka wakes late morning - a bit seedy after a night at the Lighthouse with the lads. “Fishing? Why not, beats mowing the lawn.” On the water, Waitangi, looks like a latter day Boston tea-party with milk added: great water colour. And not too much swell on Ti-ti beach. Plan “A” finds us pouring out the berley on the western end of Roberton Island. Wind hasn’t changed direction at all: still roaring in from the north. Must be at least 25knots. Pretty snotty in the open: an angry couple of metres. Working the rising tide produces little joy. Heaps of baitfish in the trail with reasonable snapper signs but only manage one whipper-snapper; duly returned for the pleasure of Tangaroa. Plan “B” and we venture out into the open. A lone Strayline is anchored in the Mita’s Foul region. We check them out. Don’t seem too busy. Signs mediocre. A few hundred metres east we encounter the signs of a massive snapper school. The grapnel gets quickly straightened, but not before a brace of fat noddies find themselves on ice. Even the sand anchor drags, but not before another brace of noddies find themselves on ice. I’m worried that the danforth will take hold forever, but the fishing is so hot, I’m willing to risk it. About a fish every five minutes. Nice fish too, classic schoolies of 3-8kg. And of course, the big one always gets away. We three fish on for a couple of hours: it’s as rough as guts, we get battered and bruised, but who cares when the fishing is as good as it gets? Tight lines!

 

From Steven Radich

Report type: Saltwater

Report date: 17 December 01