Catching Fish During an Easterly

If long-range weather forecasts are anything to go by, then we may be in for some more of what we’ve just had: day after day of humid weather with an easterly swell of at least 2m. So what’s a poor boy to do? There is relief from going stir-crazy if you want to take it. Like kite fishing. Yeh! On the west coast. Not far to drive. An easterly will take it nicely off-shore. Don’t leave the line out too long though. Could get cleaned up by the local shark whanau. They’re in plague proportions at this time of the year. You could be pleasantly surprised by the size of your snapper too. A rumour (started by me) has it that west coast snapper are just off the surf as they prepare to spawn. 18C out there so I’ve been told. And if the sea conditions stay as calm as they’ve been, you might pick up a few tuatua, stand on some flounder or stub your toe on some paua. Big ones under the rocks over there too! Just like the huge tuatua that live on the west-coast. And if you’ve got the gear, try netting for flounder or mullet in the remnants of the surf. Otherwise you could try rock fishing. Takaou Bay could be worth a close look. Watch for rogue waves though. But if you can manage the safety factor, chances are that snapper and kingies could be right in close feeding on the spoils of stormy seas. No sinker, a big pilly for bait and a decent hoof out to sea: a recipe for a fish dinner. Or you could get into a boat on the Hokianga. Some big trev’s start to enter the harbour at this time of year. Bonito’s the bait. You could even fluke a nice snapper or too and there’s always plenty of kahawai. Up north a little way is the Whangaroa. Gets a bit brown in the rain, but always pretty safe. A few medium snapper are being caught inside at present. And there’s always a few john dory; in my opinion, the best eating fish of all. A chance to stock up on mackerel for snapper baits, hang out a livey for a JD, and toss a couple out the back in the hope that an edible snapper will come by and munch! If you can handle it rough, the Bay has been red-hot all though the bad weather. Some charter boats have fished right through it. Captain Bucko has been delighting clients off the outer ends of all the islands. Some big fish too! Shane on Alibi and Hamish on Blue Seas have landed a few nice fish in the middle ground. “Under the birds,” Shane reckons. Gannets and Black Mutton Ducks are working schools of pillys, under which lurk schooling snapper and kingfish. Tight lines!