Fishing Reports

Well....we've started our winter stay away season running regular trips (overnighters) to Great Barrier. Kicked the first one off in style with big snapper, puka and a few other species. The deep water drift fishing has been awesome in the area with good numbers of fish and really good size fish too.

It's great to get away from the schoolies in the Gulf for a change and get stuck into the "bear" that lurk around the place. The offshore structures, both the low foul and the bigger reefs, are providing pretty good fishing and getting some of the guys sorted out with the deep water soft plastic techniques has been securing PBs (personal bests) and catching a lot of fish.

Big bleeding baits like whole mackerel and trevally get scoffed amoung the reefs and in some instances we just couldn't overcome the bigger fish and were dusted and busted in the reefs. This deep water fishing using 6kg and 10kg line can be pretty hard on your knots and connections and its vital to have good gear especially the rods and reels.

We run these trips for groups and individuals with regular midweek and weekend slots on the website. Check it out....

Closer in we have been doing really well & putting a dent  in the Gulfs' snapper population with limit bags most days. Soft plastics are featuring more and more as anglers take up the noodle sticks and silly string. Some good captures have been made on gear as light as 1kg! Most anglers are using 6lb, 8lb or 12lb braid though and this is good enough for the Gulf.

Don't think that you can't fish deep water with soft plastics 'cos you can and can do very well. I would reccomend perhaps filling the whole spool with braid rather than "top shotting" as when the heat is on and you get down to the mono backing and even down to the spool base itself, you may find yourself in a bit of trouble! We have been spooled a few times now when we can't put the pressure on a big fish when you've backed off the drag when you get to the backing.

There are still plenty of work ups out here too in the "middle" and keeping your eyes peeled can get you amoung the awesome fishing that normally occurs around this sort of action. Whales and dolphins rounding up schools of anchovies is the norm and recently there have been a lot more kahawai generated action too.

The kahawai are up to about 4kg and make a mean sight as they tear apart a school of helpless anchovies. We even had them hiding under the boat to no avail as the school got torn apart before our eyes and whilst our rods buckled and line screamed off the reels. Sharks too are in attendance with a few small makos showing up and trying to eat what we've hooked up.

We are running regular soft bait only trips for both novice and experience anglers too. Dates on the website...some trips even have a prize pack to win for the longest snapper caught (and released if you want). Prizes vary but there will be soft plastic product, appaeral and other goodies to take away. Best baits this week have been the Gulps...as usual, Mr Twisters in orange and gold, Catch green anchovy and bleeding pilchard and one that has been doing well for us in deeper water is the Basstrix brown coby.

Check out the website for recent photos and upcoming dates. We try to update the site as often as we can so check it regularly for trips that might interest you.

Bear is where its at!

Damo - Charter Connection - Where fishing is catching!©