Patchy still but improving

I'll keep it brief as we have had a week off for maintanence and a special birthday for which I was a victim..hahaha

We are still travelling for the fish although a few reports closer to home have sparked some interest in having a go closer in but until we get into some decent fish in close I'll stay wideer out as it's been a really good winter. I don't think the fish have moved too far out and we have been nudging away at Colville, Little Barrier and up the coast of Rodney and the beaches  with pretty good successes.

From day 1, many moons ago when first starting posting roports we vowed to have a "no lies" policy and pass on the good with the bad. Here's the worst day I've ever had in 10 years....wait for it...2 gurnard all day! I could see the fish on the sounder, knew they were there as we had pulled 53 snapper plus others the day before off the same structure but the blighters wouldn't bite. Checked the water temp and it was 10C! Chilly huh! The crew will get another trip of course and fully understood what was going on with the fishing at the time of year but shessh it was hard work...moving on....

Colville has been good all season other than a few patchy days here and there but overall a pretty good option. The bigger tides ravage the place and make the fishing a little harder if you like to fish from the anchor but drift fishing the place gives you more scope. Pulled into the shallows there on a recent trip and soft baited the 7-12m fringes of a reef system...in short ...it went off! 2 over 7kg and a bundle around 3-4kg to top off the day.

Little Barrier or Barracouta Island as we call it has been patchy. Deeper has been best and other than a few slow days we seem to be able to get onto some pretty good fish when conditions allow.The place tends to suffer from "southerlyitis" and I' rather not bother unless the breeze is going to ease.

Great Barrier has been good.The ever popular overnighters and extended trips have been pretty productive all this winter with good captures of hapuka, kingfish, snapper, terahiki (although we have noticed a decline in numbers for these tasty table fish), john dory and the list goes on. A lot of soft baits have been chucked in all around the island and we have had a blast using these, jigs, livies and the usual goodole fashioned baits.

The middle Gulf..you know that Anchorite Rock area that got raped all summer is still pretty barren. The odd work up here and there but nothing special to mention. Spoke to a bloke who fished it through a whole tide run with a good burely going for 2 pannies...get the drift and give it a month.

Some of the weekend warriors are muttering on about gannet action off the Noises and out off the Gannet behind Waiheke but I'll give that a miss for now too until the fish grow up...or at least move in. 

Whangaparaoa Bay on the other hand has been producing some nice  fish(snapper) up to 6kg out off Army Bay and down towards Waiwera. Look for the gannets and try to get an early start is the word from the locals.

Check the webby for dates for casuals... www.charterconnection.co.nz and we'll catch ya out there or give us a shout/txt on 021 2446346. Keep in mind I'm at sea a lot and often your voice messages are unhearable due to location and range issues...txtin sorts that out.

Cheers...(geez i said that few times last week ..hahahaha...turned 40)

Damian(Damo)Clayton - The Charter Connection - Where fishing is catching!©