Easterly not a feasterly

The sounder display popped up with a whopping 13.2C water temperature at the northern end of the Tiri Channel last saturday as we headed north for another Top Catch Strayline Masterclass. We all new it was going to be hard going with a week of stiff and bitterly cold southerlies, frosts, and the fact it is August.

The combined knowledge and skills of all aboard could not have made the fish bite any more than they did and when a 6kg snapper came from one of the early baits we saw a little glimmer of hope and the crew got right into the swing of things. Alas with the strong wind in the morning swinging the boat around in the little amount of current we had and then wind against tide in the afternoon session it ended up being our biggest fish of the day.

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During the week, Bruce Duncan had schooled the crew up on rigs, knots and straylining techniques. He followed on during the trip with loads of useful tips and tricks to get the fish on the hooks. We used a variety of different baits including squid, red plate pilchards, bonito belly flap, baby blue macks (my fave) and mullet. Fresh kahawai was also used from the by-catch.

One of the crew was new to fishing and Bruce did a great job of coaching him through to one of the best snapper he has caught so far.

The next day was quite a bit calmer and we chose to head out to the Colville area. As we approached the channel we were greated by the sight of orca guiding their young along the coast. Further south we could see the occasional whale spout but the loose reports and the seasonal patchy nature of the season kept us headed east.

35-40cm snapper came from a few deep drifts in 55-75m along the trench and there was quite a bit of sign along one particular bank but again I think they had their mouths frozen shut and we opted to head into more current. This payed off until slack water when we got pack attacked by sharks. Over a dozen hook ups and some epic battles especially on the light set ups. Here "Ants" (our deckie) guides and angler through a fight with a 5ft bronzie.

There were much better numbers of fish in the area than the previous day and a few by-catch species too. The deeper foul didn't fish as well as I would've thought it might and the majority of our fish came from 35-45m and mostly on bait although the orange Jitterbug in 80gr caught its share (as it does).

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Better conditions have prevailed this week but its about to come to an abrupt holt! A blustery easterly is dropping in on us from today until mid-next week. Sunday looks about the worst of it but even before and after will be marginal for working the Gulf.

I'm not too phased as the fishing will be a little patchy due to the "new moon" phase we are in, combined with the smaller tides. The swell and onshore winds will clean up the beaches, stir up the bottom and possibly even warm the water a little which will only make the fishing easier.

Coming up we have numerous Top Catch Master Classes including both straylining and lure fishing seminars and trips. Call into any Top catch store to find out more about these.

We also have a few trips in the wings for individuals and some out wide fishing to snaffle a few snapper as they move in through the corridors that feed the Gulf. If you go to our facebook page you can find plenty of info.

Enter our Guess to Win prize draw: Just guess the fish that is hooked in the video and comment to be in the draw to win an Ocea Angler prize pack.

Another few weeks and the work up fishing may kick in a little better than the empty work ups that are around at the moment so keep your eyes peeled for them. There is commercial activity in the Bream Bay area now and this is a good indication that the east coast is soon to be getting the first of the "bucks" moving in.

These will be followed by the first of the schools that will again fill the Gulf with snapper. Some of the snapper we caught at Colville and around Channel Island were part of this influx and you will often notice what we call "razzorback" fins and bright crimson/orange colouring on the snapper at this time of year. These are the fresh stock coming in.

Get your gear serviced for summer at a Top Catch store and keep an eye out for the new range of stock that is coming through for the new season. There is some cool lures and new gear to help you catch more fish and better fish.