Snapper Invasion

Water temperature in the Bay of Islands is about 17°C. A few weeks ago it was only 15°C. The sea has warmed up nicely since then. Mahimahi, a tropical game fish, have been reported off Cape Reinga. Skipjack tuna are being caught in 100-150m. The Bay is reported to be chock full of schools of pilchard and other baitfish. Ripe hen and buck snapper are dropping their bundles on deck. It’s possible we are looking at an early season. Although mid November is the time local snapper usually go ballistic, reports of red hot snapper fishing have already started to arrive. Warren on Skipper Jim has been having fun on Mita’s Foul while Scott and punters on Strayline landed twenty big snapper in as many minutes on Sunday afternoon. Earlier reports have consistently indicated great snapper fishing in the Cavallis. Captain Bucko Lane reports large numbers of big snapper right in close both on the Rainbow Warrior and up the many guts and channels of the Teapot. Justin Low and friends of Kerikeri have been catching a few of them too. And further north, off Rangiputa and Kaimaumau, where the snapper have been schooling for several weeks, the snapper fishing has been fantastic. A big moon over the last week has slowed fishing a little. Although the bite has been there, it’s been short and sweet, as with Strayline: only twenty minutes. It’s been the same on the west coast where snapper fishing traditionally gets hard at this time of the year. Where they all go, nobody knows. Probably spawning somewhere. But remember, a bad day out west is often better than a good day out east. At this time of the year, with large aggregations of snapper moving about, fishing becomes more predictable. Recognised bite times are worth considering. It’s not surprising that the best fishing on Sunday was reported between 2 and 3pm. This equates to the moon being at its zenith, which occurs during the last quarter of the ebbing tide in the Bay of Islands area. It’s also not surprising that the fishing on Sunday was better than Saturday. Apart from the weather, the third day either side of a full moon is well recognised as a good day for fishing.So the coming new moon cycle should be good for catching noddies. And by snapper fishing, I don’t refer to catching pannies. Mega reds are on the prowl. Traditional spots such as Red Head, Mita’s Foul, Capstan Rock and Roberton Island are definitely worth a visit. Meanwhile, up the inlets, some nice pannies are being caught. Fat too. Lindsay and Kathy Thompson with Kevin Trainor, all from Kaikohe, managed a good feed of nice fat snapper up the Te Puna on Sunday. 2-3.00pm too! And so too did Ken and Cheree Coombes on Thursday night. Another good fish was caught at Wharau Bay recently. 11lbs so I’m told. They’re everywhere, a veritable snapper invasion. Tight lines!