Fishing Reports

If you think this is summer you must be a long ways away from the BOP!  What a “summer” we’ve had (not in a good sense by any means) with no end of current conditions (or temps) in sight.  As I put this report together now, all our passengers are rugged up like spring or autumn – not summer!  Still, and I don’t know how or why, water colour is generally excellent with temps on the slight increase.  Otherwise all fronts seem all intact and producing pretty well.

Inshore

To be honest, have lost track of this scene so won’t try to extrapolate on thin air.  Will do better to glean some meaningful info next time.

Offshore

A mixed bag at the moment with plenty of opportunity.  Deepwater fishing, particularly at either end of the day, remains vibrant.  While fish aren’t large, there’s good numbers on the change of light.  A good mix of hapuka, bass, and gemfish but all on the small side with only the odd fish among them over 15kgs.  Kingis remain an anomaly – red hot one day, ice cold the next!??!

Also a wide range of sizes from rats through to 30 kilo fish obliging with dead flyers as effective as anything else, certainly better than jigs!!  Some nice size trevally (4-5k’s) also playing the game for those light tackle, sashimi loving anglers who care to put in the time.

Ranfurly Bank

While surface conditions have affected this outpost, it hasn’t taken away from its productivity – only the comfort stakes.  Both kingfish and all the bottom grabbers are there in abundance with some marvelous surface activity up in the shallows for kingis. Like White, a wide variety of sizes from rats through to the low 30’s landed this week. 

While the vast majority of bottom species have been rather pedestrian in size, a few standout bass have succumbed.  Clevedon “Top Catch” manager Dave Mitchell always wanted to land a big bass and this was his turn – times two!  Initially he landed a very tough 52 kilo specimen which maxed him out on several occasions. 

To prove it was no fluke he followed it up with a 45 kilo fatty the next drift which fought equally as hard!  As an added bonus the smaller bass had a decent (plenty legal) fresh cray in its gob which the crew snacked on later!  All good!  Water very patchy here which leads us onto ……….

Gamefishing

After a season of frustration Waihou Bay has finally come of age with some brilliant water and fish to go along with it.  This past week has seen some action every day with progressively nice water appearing all the while.  Plenty of schools of foaming skippies in the 120-150m range, all the way between Orete Point and Waikawa Point.  Don’t know how long they will be there as purse seiners were seen moving into the area yesterday! 

The action has predominantly involved stripees although blues have featured each day.  Elsewhere things are heating up as well.  At long last there has been some action in all directions from White with blues, stripeys, shortbill spearfish and even mahi mahi providing the fireworks.  Water our wide is surprisingly the same temp as inshore, around the 20 degree mark and purple.  Both Whakatane (234k for deaf angler William Waitohi) and Te Kaha (287k for Chris Tovey) weighed their first blues – both excellent fish from a similar area near Waikawa Point.

Summary

For sure, the gamefishing scene has climbed in stature over the past week if its counterparts haven’t kept pace.  Looks like some nicer and warmer? Weather may be upon us for awhile now.  Should be some interesting events/ catches to document next week.  Until then ………………