As I write this, the met office has yet again got it all wrong but to be fair looking at the isobar map last night I was predicting to wake up to bugger all wind yet it's been up around 20 knots all day.
At least it's not as bad as the last few weeks of 20-35 knots and I am picking we should get some really good weather in late February and into March.
The old saying ‘the early bird gets the worm’ has been true for those prepared to get out and back early in the day. Even though the fishing has been slow, fishing the change of light especially at the change of tide has proved very successful.
Overall, now that the spawning is over everyone is still finding it slow going, out wide off the top of the Coromandel it’s been great to see good size workups with gannets diving in amongst the whales and dolphins. The snapper below are very small with nobody catching anything over 35cm – the same applies to those fishing the workups around Little Barrier. Personally, I think the bigger fish may well be inside of Anchorite more directly off Onetangi as the fishing outside of Onetangi has been producing some good fish.
Out on the worm beds between Tiri and Rangitoto it's been a bit hit and miss, all the workups we saw were of juvenile kahawai feeding on anchovies but strange as it seems I hooked a trevally going past the school. Right in Administration Bay there have been masses of anchovies yet again the kahawai and snapper feeding below are all pretty small. The most effective lure to work on the surface or on the bottom I find is a small 2” slider. When working on the sandy bottom small sharp jerks and lifts then let it settle for a short time, the next movement is to lift the rod tip high as the snapper seem to sit on it and chew it as if it were a bait.
Closer in around the Rangitoto channels and off to the side the snapper seem to be coming in on the tide then moving up and across the shallower water south of Flax Point (Spot 9 and 10, Area 1 from my Hauraki Hotspots book). On the western side of the channel an evening fish at the northern end of Cheltenham Beach (Spots 19 and 20, Area 1) have worked well with fresh jack macks taking out some snapper up in the 45-50cm.
Rakino on the western side is holding good numbers of snapper with a few nice kingfish lurking on the rise between South Point and Awash Rock. Spot 5, Area 5 is just to the east of the rise and I have never failed to catch jack macks and small kahawai here. For fresh piper slide into the bay close to the beach and berley up.
Out around the Noises/Ahaahas area, strayline close into the foul when the wind and tide will hold the stern of the boat in the target area. The bigger snapper are still lurking in around the foul and can't resist a big slab of kahawai but best of all is to use the whole head with the guts still in. I haven’t had a look at Spot 8 Area 5 between the Noises and the David Rocks but I am picking there should be a few fish hanging in the area as will there be on the side of the drop-off to the south of Zeno rock.
Two spots that have really produced some good snapper lately are Hooks Bay at the southern end of Waiheke (as you come in you will see as you come up into 18-20m there will be fish feeding in the current) and, for a real lazy fish, Anita Bay. Very few people seem to target the foul in the middle of the bay yet I have had some stunning fish come out of here.
On the eastern side of Pakatoa (Area 7, Spot 20) is a great spot to target with all the northeast to northerly winds on the incoming tide at this time of year. It’s a spot where there is only room for two boats and be prepared to lose gear but you will pull some good fish out of the foul. Kingfish love hanging around the reef and headland but I warn you unless you up anchor and move out into deeper clear water you will get busted off.
Overall the fishing will pick up in the next few weeks but I am a little surprised and disappointed in the overall size of the snapper so far. Generally in the next couple of months a lot of the bigger snapper that have spawned then moved right into the shallows to rest up and feed on shellfish will start to move back out so watch this space for more updates.
- Bruce Duncan
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