Make the most of the short weather breaks

For many, the Whangarei harbour provided some respite from the incessant squalls and wind as well as some good catches.

Matters were further complicated with a rahui placed in the inner harbour out of respect for the elderly swimmer who went missing at Onerahi. Those observing the rahui could not fish west of a line stretching between Manganese Point across to Takahiwai. 

Outside of that extensive area, the fishing was generally good with bait and berley proving effective. Fishing the channel shoulders, sometimes in as shallow as 1-2 metres, were the places to be, all the way from Takahiwai east to Busby Point.

Reports posted on the popular Bream Bay Facebook page show some impressive catches of prime eating fishing in the 40-50cm bracket. There were some excellent trevally catches as highlighted by the father/daughter crew of Troy and Addie Langley. Addie, using her Shimano Kidstix rod and a micro-jig, caught a beauty which she landed with just a little help from Dad.

Father/daughter team Troy and Addie Langley produced this impressive trevally, fishing a micro-jig on Addie’s Shimano Kidstix rod.

Other hotspots included the sides of the main shipping channel from the port east out to the entrance.

Surfcaster Kadin Williams of The Reel Clinic took time away from servicing fishing gear to using it. He concentrated his efforts at the Waipu Cove end of the bay with some great results – snapper to four kilos and kahawai in plague proportions. He described the fishing as “epic” and had the best results on the Saturday during the rainstorms around two hours either side of the high tide. Pilchards, bullet tuna and jack mackerel were his best baits.

Outside of the harbours the snapper have been a little deeper. Nik Key from Snap Fishing Ventures had a great session on Labour Day, targeting snapper in 60 metres off Ocean Beach north of Bream Head. There he encountered consistent workups, and he believes the biomass is making its way into the shallower areas inshore pre-spawning.

Dave Gurr from Mangawhai Diving and Fishing headed out towards Sail Rock the week before the long weekend. He encountered some great workup action around the 40-metre mark. He was the only boat out there and was fishing the tail of the action a couple of hundred metres away from the workups themselves.

The next day, with steadily increasing easterlies kicking in, he trailed his boat to the Kaipara, launching at Port Albert. Struggling to catch anything in the harbour, he made the call to make the most of the offshore wind and head across the bar where he loaded up on some beaut snapper.

On a less positive note, there have been public meetings and a petition organised in the region to discuss the proposed fast tracking of sand mining in the greater Bream Bay area.

This is just one of 130-odd projects nationwide the Government is planning to fast track through the consent process. The company currently mining off Mangawhai is behind the application. They originally sought consent to continue their operation but have been refused.

We need sand as a base element of glass and concrete production among other things. To my mind, grant them consent to continue mining in the area that they have already damaged, rather than let them open up and destroy more virgin territory in Bream Bay. They are looking to operate at a depth of 25 metres which takes in the worm and scallop beds popular with recreational anglers.

When will it all end? It seems there are just wave after wave of issues that negatively affect recreational fishers’ ability to enjoy the simple pleasure angling provides.

Tight lines!

November 2024 - Grant Dixon

New Zealand Fishing News Magazine.

Copyright: NZ Fishing Media Ltd.