BOP Spring 2014

How many more reversals can we expect, especially since we are officially into the “summer” months?!? Like a friend of mine said recently “thank goodness we’ve got global warming – just think how cold it would be without it”!! Last weekend marked the 2^nd time in three weeks we have shed water temperatureat a time when we should be recording steady gains. Very hard to see where this season is heading but suffice it to say it will be late ………… if at all!

Inshore

Despite water temperatures that plunged below 14°C, (that’s winter water for those of you that don’t know) fishing has remained pretty steady – makes you wonder why?! Snapper lead the way with the amount of effort being put towards them. There are plenty of snapper there already with presumably more to arrive yet. With water temperatures like this it certainly looks like a very late spawning season with a poor recruitment year ahead – not good news for the future. This time last season the fish were in full spawning and 19° – my, what a difference a year makes! Gurnard and tarakihi don’t mind – they’re still biting their heads off!

Offshore

The morning doldrums continue and have even worsened, particularly on the kingfish stakes. Water here over the weekend dipped below 16°, exceedingly cold for this time of year and a full 3° below last season at the same time. While blue, it is cold! Best to chase anything other than kingi’s in the mornings as there has been very little reward for those boats trying in the a.m. Afternoons start coming alive with some decent fishing by 3 – 4 o’clock. While the Whopper of the Week went only 25 kg, landed by Auckland angler Dave Green, there were many other plump fish in the 20’s landed on a variety of enticements.

The big volume of squid has gone now, probably been consumed! As a result the amount of surface activity we saw for weeks on end has disappeared but this has the effect of making the fish far more aware of traditional baits like mackerel and flying fish. Shallow water fishing remains tenuous and deepwater sporadic. Better fishing on the horizon? Bound to be.

Ranfurly Bank

Just more quality being seen all the while on the kingfish with some real trophy fish being caught on a daily basis now. Jigs, bait and top water gear all having varying degrees of luck as the shallows (50 m in under) start to produce on a regular basis. The best news about the fishing? The vast majority are being released after landing and photo session so are still there for the next lot of anglers! Bottom fishing remains on the tough side with little quality coming through. Water still sitting at just over 15°C, chilly for this time of year yet the kingi’s don’t seem to mind. Just think what may transpire with another couple/3°!!

Summary

A late game season? This would appear to be the case without question. With improving weather over the rest of this week and leading into the weekend we should see the reversal of our woeful water temperatures; it’s just a matter of how soon and how much. Back at you again next week.