Manukau Harbour & West Coast fishing

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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Dunwurkn Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 22 Oct 2018 at 10:56pm
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Mixed bag today at 60m mark back of the bar.

A good Haul of snapper, 2 gurnard, a few Kahawai and sharks, 1 kingfish and a random terakihi at 43cm which I’ve never caught out west before.


Fishing was sporadic with flurries of activity at times and three dead at others.

Ended up filling the chilling bin over 4 hours. Mostly nice pannies with a couple bigger models at 13 and 16pound.

Good weather and good day out .

Spot the turkey

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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Kevin.S Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23 Oct 2018 at 8:05am
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Got out for a fish in the harbour yesterday.  Was great to be out again after so long, but the fishing was terrible.  Tried several places, but nothing at any of them.  Ended the day having caught one undersized snapper between us.  Saw two floats come past us while anchored in a channel so I upped anchor and went after them expecting to find a long line, but pulled out a big set net.  Someone obviously didn't set it very well, glad we got it out before it got wrapped round someones prop or it drifted around the harbour catching fish.
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote seahunter Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23 Oct 2018 at 5:18pm
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Funny old place eh Kevin - I got out in the harbour on Monday morning - fished my usual spot, across from cornwallis, at change of tide. We had lots of small snapper - and a couple big ones (3-4kg) caught on a whole pilchard rig, and a monster kahawai joined the fun.
Saw some birds near puponga on the way back to cornwallis, so detoured over. Was a burley bomb floating away.... flicked the softbait around for another couple massive kahawai.
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote cirrus Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23 Oct 2018 at 5:56pm
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Good on you Kevin for dragging that drifting set net out. They can do alot of damage drifting around like that. 

Probably owned by someone who dosent know or dosent want to know that most of the Manukau is covered by a set net ban. Assume they didnt have name or contact detail on the floats.
Pity about no fish. Fishing can be patchy this time of year.
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Kevin.S Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23 Oct 2018 at 10:23pm
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Originally posted by cirrus cirrus wrote:

Good on you Kevin for dragging that drifting set net out. They can do alot of damage drifting around like that. 

Probably owned by someone who dosent know or dosent want to know that most of the Manukau is covered by a set net ban. Assume they didnt have name or contact detail on the floats.
Pity about no fish. Fishing can be patchy this time of year.

No contact details on the floats.  Looked brand new, suspect whoever was trying to use it didn't know how.  No idea if it was inside or outside net ban area, was outside when we got it on outgoing tide but could have come in on the tide earlier from anywhere.
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (1) Likes(1)   Quote AlexRecurve Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07 Nov 2018 at 12:18pm
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Made the most of light winds yesterday, even though we couldn't cross the bar due to 4.5 metre swells.  Opted instead to fish the harbour and chase down a kingi . . . .  or two.

Spent much of the morning trying to catch livebait which seems to be an essential, especially when the water is as murky as it is and stick-baits are not effective.  Eventually ( after 3 hours or so ), we had enough in the tank and made out way to 'spot x' to fish the out-going tide.

After numerous false starts when large sharks took the baits I hooked into a faster fish which put up a lively scrap and was clearly the right species - kingfish - but came in undersize.  Did a couple more drifts before hooking into some slightly larger fish -  2, each going 10kg and each put up a great tussle.  It always amazes me the strength of these fish!  Great fun and a good start for the season.

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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Clifftastic Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07 Nov 2018 at 1:50pm
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Nice one Alex!
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote FISHBYFLY Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07 Nov 2018 at 5:57pm
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frigging awesome harbor kingy,
nice oneThumbs Up
By Fly, Nothing Else,Just Fly
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Steps Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07 Nov 2018 at 7:25pm
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Got to know the bottom end pretty well...
 Now Waiuku, got to start from scratch..with very different conditions currents , channels.
 Missus and I headed up to the bar entrance the other day. Couple drags for scallops, bit patchy  but got a good feed on the way up.
Then hooked into a little bay up past big bay, awesome back eddy. Hooked a big solid eel, neck was over 20" in circumference..
Put it back cause the smoker is not set up yet.
 Came home with a couple nice 'east coast' size pannies, curtosy of a few guys who came in after us..
Good old friendly chat.
We did that a few times on the east coast but other than that never saw it in last 7yrs.
People are very different down this way.

Oh well big learning curve for the harbour and crossing both bars.
If anyone is looking for crew, pm me, espec crossing the bars.
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Roofless Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07 Nov 2018 at 8:22pm
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Originally posted by AlexRecurve AlexRecurve wrote:

Made the most of light winds yesterday, even though we couldn't
cross the bar due to 4.5 metre swells.  Opted instead to fish the
harbour and chase down a kingi . . . .  or two.

Spent
much of the morning trying to catch livebait which seems to be an
essential, especially when the water is as murky as it is and stick-baits
are not effective.  Eventually ( after 3 hours or so ), we had enough in
the tank and made out way to 'spot x' to fish the out-going tide.

After
numerous false starts when large sharks took the baits I hooked into a
faster fish which put up a lively scrap and was clearly the right
species - kingfish - but came in undersize.  Did a couple more drifts
before hooking into some slightly larger fish -  2, each going 10kg and
each put up a great tussle.  It always amazes me the strength of these
fish!  Great fun and a good start for the season.



nice start to ya season, we had a good run of kings and sharks 3 weeks ago in the same spot ,it went shark- king -shark- king and so on then the water went real dirty .think i seen you a couple of Sunday's ago I was on the rocks stickbaiting
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote AlexRecurve Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 08 Nov 2018 at 8:15am
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Yeah saw you on the rocks there.  That day was frustrating for me;  I only had a couple of good baits.  Had a kingi take one but missed it as the hook point was buried . . . . then lost the remaining bait to a shark. It must have been a big bugger.   I cranked up to full drag and couldn't even slow it down.  Stripped off 50 metres of braid then chewed me off.  I'm tempted to scale up my tackle one day and target them - just to get a look at what's down there.
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote MacSkipper Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 08 Nov 2018 at 4:20pm
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Originally posted by Steps Steps wrote:

Got to know the bottom end pretty well...
 Now Waiuku, got to start from scratch..with very different conditions currents , channels.
 Missus and I headed up to the bar entrance the other day. Couple drags for scallops, bit patchy  but got a good feed on the way up.
Then hooked into a little bay up past big bay, awesome back eddy. Hooked a big solid eel, neck was over 20" in circumference..
Put it back cause the smoker is not set up yet.
 Came home with a couple nice 'east coast' size pannies, curtosy of a few guys who came in after us..
Good old friendly chat.
We did that a few times on the east coast but other than that never saw it in last 7yrs.
People are very different down this way.

Oh well big learning curve for the harbour and crossing both bars.
If anyone is looking for crew, pm me, espec crossing the bars.
Yes plenty of good spots for eels up the harbour entrance way - off any point, destruction gully side can catch them - pays to use a grapple to anchor on rocky bottom though - Danforth style can get stuck!
Good fishing trip nothing breaks, great trip catch fish.
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (1) Likes(1)   Quote AlexRecurve Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 18 Dec 2018 at 12:43pm
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Had a mint day out on the water Sunday: came back with a very mixed bag of goodies:  Flounder, kingfish, kahawai, gurnard and snapper.

We managed a small, but legal, king in the harbour early on before crossing the bar at low-tide.  Pushed out to the 50m mark and squeezed in among the line-up of boats. Fishing was far from frantic but the fish were all good quality with nothing under a couple of kilos and a few approaching 5 kilos. 

Saw dolphins on the way and also had mako and a blue shark come up to the boat to snack on bait-bits whilst at anchor.  Sea was flat as a witches-tit to boot.  Great day out.

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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote CrayZfish Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 19 Dec 2018 at 10:23am
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Awesome catch there Alex, love the variety. How'd the boat go?
Why choose either diving or fishing when you can do both. Besides crayfish tail is very good bait!!
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote AlexRecurve Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 19 Dec 2018 at 12:14pm
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That was the low-point to the day:  All went well until the homeward leg.  The engine started slipping gear again so it's now at the yard getting the gear-box replaced.  But don't want that minor issue to spoil a good day out!
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (1) Likes(1)   Quote seahunter Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 20 Dec 2018 at 1:15pm
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Nice catch Alex - it was a great day out. I was meaning to post on here too - but we went out (only in the harbour) on Sunday too. Fished over the change of tide from 9:30-1pm, anchored in my trusty spot sort of near Graham's Beach. 
Was one of those amazing days of constant fish action - we lost a small kingie on the first drop, it had taken a bait on a cheap flasher rig, which broke when the fish took off when it saw the boat. Caught constant snapper (on both bait and softbait) - most around the 30cm mark - still managed 5 good keepers in the 45-50cm range. A few koheru, decent kahawai, ~1m shark, a stingray and a solid trevally to end the day.
The visibility was unreal - we could clearly see the bottom in 3m of water off the beach at Cornwallis.... Pretty rare for the murky Manukau 

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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote AlexRecurve Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 21 Dec 2018 at 7:41am
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We noticed the water clarity too - amazing.  I was planning to do a dive this weekend but a lot has happened since then.  Looking at the water now, its back to its usual state - clear as mud!
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (2) Likes(2)   Quote Steps Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 29 Dec 2018 at 10:18am
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Now we have moved home and the Manuakau /west coast to be our hunting grounds rather than East coast bottom end/ Firth.. A whole new ball game/ learning curve.
 Talking to locals weights, traces everything seems to be different... and far more tide dependant, inside and outside the harbour.

The other Thursday, p155ing down with rain, spir of the moment rang the son in law for a trip out get a feed snapper and a few scallops....
And not expecting much other than a few sharks...
And taking into account every word Smudge and locals had whispered into my ear on how to...
 Smudge was dead on the mark re time to fish over the tides and the sort of place to prospect

Put in at Tetoro.. bit of a easterly breeze so when cleared the 'river' channel hit the chop .. VERY different to east coast chop..cant hit at speed as well.. oh well less gas used.
 Found a gut...
Dropped anchor, and a plague of tiny snaps...
 So we decided to throw the local knowledge out the window and fish our east coast style.. drifting with my custom straylines and home made burley dragging the bottom on basically soft bait rods .. and a soft bait out the back as well.

Keep in mind we are out for a feed, not PBs..
5mins, and the keepers.. small pannies started to fill the bin, coming in faster than we could gut them.
 Yep draging a burley, the snapper guts going over the side..light sinkers, didnt even bother with a sea anchor..
 Wasnt long before had a doz or so 28/ 34cm snaps in the bin and 1 nice fat KY.
 Tided dropped and headed further up the harbour find a few scallops.. They where a bit few and far between , each drag  bringing in 3 to 5 keepers.. looked like the beds had been hammered in the previous weeks/ months.
With 20 something in the bucket, 1 last long drag in the direction of home....and the boat came to a sudden halt...
So what the hell, give it a bit throttle.. solid.. bit more (lot) solid.
 Backed up and came free nps.
 Took a bit of a detore dropped again .. and again came to a halt... 3rd attempt all good.. that spot marked for further fishing spot.
So headed home, 30 something scallops a doz snaps and fat KY
 Happy chappies

Now to day 2, yesterday.
 chatting to locals uin the mean time.. same thing , lot tiny fish, maybe a couple 27/30cm in the bin at most..lot sharks etc..
So the missus, m8 and I head out again...same general area but far distance away... east coast drift style, burely , straylines  etc.
 5min from burley drop, 29/ 36cm snaps, gutted then dropping into the bin..2 short drifts and on last long one put another doz plus into the bin...
 So decided to head closer to the channels with dropping tide ( a few local boats in the general area who had been there before we got there, and still there) .. no burley this time.
 And wash down the boat stow stuff away to make unloading /washdown easy when at ramp and home.
 None of us even lot a bait...

 I miss the full days out in the gulf,
 Dont miss the 40 min trip to and from the ramp (now 10 or 15min depends which local ramp go to..)

Now IF the manukau fished for a feed like this in the early/ mid 70s I would never have sold my 1st boat and gone hot rodding classic cars for 40 odd yrs...

And the same goes for the bottom end/ harbour / inner gulf.. if in the 70s it fished like it has for us in the last 7/8 yrs.. would never have gone hot rodding..

Fishing is not anything like the late 50s thru to late 60s, but if want a feed, do a little home work.. a little thought, listen to locals, experiment....

Anyway heading out over the waikato bar, tomorrow , 2nd time in our boat.. m8 and a well known experienced local to show us around a little.
 AND to experiment with appling some east coast old school methods...
 The local guy didnt believe our last 2 trips in the harbour... till actually opening the bin after he lifted it out of the boat at home...espec fishing the way we did..



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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote MacSkipper Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 29 Dec 2018 at 3:26pm
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Originally posted by Steps Steps wrote:

Now we have moved home and the Manuakau /west coast to be our hunting grounds rather than East coast bottom end/ Firth.. A whole new ball game/ learning curve.
 .....
Thanks for posting enjoyed the story - don't want to confuse you but unusual conditions in harbour at the moment - a LOT of rain recently and average to smaller tides so may not be typical conditions if such a thing exists LOL!
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (1) Likes(1)   Quote smudge Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02 Jan 2019 at 10:44pm
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The coast has been pretty consistent although we've been struggling to find big fish. Having said that the 35 to 50cm fish we've been catching are great for eating and as a bonus are easier to fillet than the big jobbies. jigs have been working for us one day and not the next. Baits are as consistent,as always.

Lots of blue and mako sharks but not too many tope or spiny dogs which is about the nicest thing I can say about that.

I've never known as many trevally to come from off the coast. A friend told me they caught 30 out there not so long ago. 

The harbour has been turning up some great kings for everyone except us. Jigs seem to be the way to go although Arron has had plenty of hits on livies but for some reason isn't hooking up. He needs to listen to his dad Big smile. I haven't had a single hit myself so maybe he is on the right track by not listening to me Embarrassed

we've had some reasonable snapper catches from the harbour, not red hot but not shabby either. Here are a few pics from our last couple of weeks - the pic at the top is a nice snapper caught in the shallows yesterday off Clarks Beach:

Best gurnard fisherman in my street
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