Moving into good fishing

Happy New Year everyone, I hope you have all had a nice relaxing break over the festive season and found some gaps in the weather to get out on the water. It was a bit of a mixed bag around the country but there were a few nice days in there.  

As always, the Top of the South has been a bit slower on the snapper front over the festive season, which often coincides with the end of spawning and more visitors in the region and more boats out on the water. However, that should change quickly as we move into a few really good months of fishing ahead. 

There are still plenty of snapper around, and some nice fish are starting to be caught, it is just a bit slower than it was in the lead-up to the end of last year. 

Like always, the Top of the South has been a bit slower on the snapper front over the festive season.

Lots of kingfish are now throughout Tasman Bay. The bigger ones seem to be over at the mussel farms of Motueka and Kaiteriteri, but they are not easy to get. If you are targeting them by rod you have the mussel lines to contend with – they will head straight for them to dust you in the ropes. Or if you are a spearo, there are lots of bronze whaler sharks about that turn up as soon as a kingfish is shot, not for the faint-hearted that’s for sure! 

Water temps are warming up in the bay, it is over 20 degrees now and there is so much baitfish throughout the bay, primarily jack mackerel, blue mackerel, and small kahawai, which is great to see and also provides a ready supply of fresh bait when you are out fishing. 

With the early game season up north, I know a lot of people in the south are hoping we will see some of those bigger pelagic species turn up in Tasman Bay this year. 

Anyway, I will leave it there – I’m getting up early for a fish in the morning to try my luck, so I will report back next time!

Cheers!

Dan Govier 

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