Drone Fishing Mt Maunganui/Papamoa

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    Posted: 17 Dec 2023 at 11:49am
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Joined: 16 Dec 2018
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Points: 21
Hi all,

Thought Id ask some opinions encase there's something im doing obviously wrong. I got into drone fishing a few months back and have exclusively been fishing off the main beach at Mt Maunganui a few kms down to avoid surfers. Out of the first 4 trips I made, I've caught lots of snapper, with the 4th trip getting 6 good size ones about 600+ m from shore.

Today I went for a 6am early trip, same routine, but got nothing, and virtually no bites. 
Started by casting 500+ m out, it looked like there fish tugging on my rods (I have 2 at once) but then nothing on the end when I pulled it in.

Bait was salted pichards and squid + a single whole piper, 60lb braid, I usually leave them out 20- 30 min. I have 8 hooks usually per line.

I find it weird that out of the 4 trips ive made with 3-4casts each trip so far there's usually always been at least 1 snapped on the line..... Then suddenly today I cast 6 times, with nothing.


I wondered if: (things I may have done differently)
 - I used to much bait elastic, so it wasn't striking properly?
 - I needed to go further today like 700m
 - Just needed to be more patient , although I've always found 20min plenty of time
 
Also, are there any full proof techniques? For example:
 - Im going to add dissolvable burley bags on my line next time
 - I reaslise Im casting out over very little structure, so I guess that could be improved but again, Ive had such good lcuk so far in the same place, so its a bit weird.

Finally:
 - I retrospectively cheked the bite times calendar, and it suggested it wasn't that good of a fishing morning, but Im not sure how much weight they have.

I realise drone fishing may be more luck than say a boat and fish finder, but I feel like I should be able to almost gurantee a fish or 2 with a 3hour fishing trip like this..

Thoughts?





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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote GregS Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17 Dec 2023 at 12:54pm
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Joined: 14 Jul 2016
Location: Mt Maunganui
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Hi JN, I went softbaiting early this morning along Matakana, similar set up with no structure and got zilch. Tried from 4m to 12m, gave up and did a couple of drifts in the entrance with the same result.
Could be just one of those days
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Reel Deal Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 18 Dec 2023 at 7:43am
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Titanium
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Joined: 28 Sep 2003
Location: Whangarei
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Don’t sweat it fish move around. They may have been hard up on beach feeding and now with temp warming moving out a bit to spawn. I had been past month boat fishing 6-10m behind breaks up north and big and plentiful catches then nothing. Moved to 27m and back into them for a few days and I feel they are moving north of that spot at the mo. You don’t know till you try I guess. I’ve noted sometimes after fish have moved off a few days later a couple of donks follow up on the same ground 
The gods do not subtract from the allotted span of men's lives the hours spent on fishing - Assyrian Proverb
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