Expect the unexpected

What I love about saltwater fishing is expecting the unexpected. For me, freshwater fishing is boring – you either catch a brown or rainbow trout, all of which taste very bland.

Fish that are trapped in the confines of a stream or a lake are hardly challenging, whereas saltwater fishing brings on a lot more challenges; weather, sea conditions, and time of year all play a part. And just when you think you know it all, it all turns to custard. Every year it’s largely the same migratory pattern of the pre-spawn snapper coming into the Gulf, but there are subtle changes regarding where the snapper are and how they feed. This is what really tests your knowledge and builds up history and information to fall back on.

There have been some significant changes in the last couple of weeks compared to the previous year. Snapper have arrived on the worm beds and can be found right up the Firth of Thames. Works-ups are more frequent, not only getting bigger but lasting longer – all good when hunting them armed with soft baits or jigs.

Very different to most years, Area 5 at Spots 15 and 6 have been firing, which is quite early. If you look at the chart and slightly to the south of Spot 6, note the shape of the contour line. The great thing when soft-baiting and you get the wind and tide right, the boat can be positioned, so it allows you to cast up and work the soft-bait down the slope as well as out onto the bottom where it flattens off. The same applies to Spot 15, where you see to the south, the contour lines are close together, making for a sharper drop-off.

I got a call to say that in Area 7, Spots 24, 21, and 22 have produced a bunch of good fish in the last week. The great thing with Area 7 is that no matter what direction the wind is, there is always an option that is very fishable.

Work-ups are now happening on the worm beds, mainly to the northeast of Tiri,  but also in the Rakino channel; I find when they break up, it can pay to go down current and anchor, as the scraps take a while to float to the bottom. Here, you will encounter the fish that have followed the scraps.

There is still plenty of good fish to be found close to town for those short of time or who want to save on fuel. My picks are Area 1, Spots 9 and 16; Area 2, Spots 3,4 and 14; and Area 3, Spots 13 and 19.

As we are coming into the spawning season, I have noticed some snapper are ready to pop, so be aware that from now on, every fish we take is one that will not get to spawn. Just take what you need for a feed and let the rest breed.

Bruce Duncan