kaipara reports

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Post Options Post Options   Likes (1) Likes(1)   Quote Transformations Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17 Sep 2019 at 5:28pm
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After a serious fishing draught due to the dreaded β€˜W’ words...work and weather 😲😭, everything finally lined up for a mission on Sunday. Thanks to intel on here and a bit of speculation on google earth some likely spots were chosen and punched into navionics. I have never fished much past the concrete marker before and have been keen to explore further. Launched just on first light and scooted down to the marker to check conditions and get the cobwebs shaken out of the kit.

Made my way down to the waypoints and marks I had chosen with a close eye on the depth as I was not keen to run aground with the soft bottom inflatable, even a few big shells on a bank can rip you a new one😨. Pleased to say I found the coordinates I pulled off of Google and ran through the navionics matched up pretty accurately to the finder. Found the channel I was looking for and put down anchor, by this time a nasty little breeze had sprung up and after the anchor had dragged twice I was tempted to ask myself if it was worth it....dont worry, only very temporary insanity. Persevered and once everything was set I got three lines out in a nice spread and soon picked up a nice fat 50ish snap...then all went quiet.






After about an hour I called the missus and told her that I had one in the box and I was going to be turning my phone off to save battery.....well, never got to do that as I got another call on the little Sienna. Screaming run and a good tussle produced a nice deep red that went over 60. The next 2hrs was a classic one legged man in the proverbial ass kicking contest. Quickly went from 3 rods down to 2 and for a bit down to one. Snaps kept were solid 45 to 60cm.....threw back plenty around 35 to 40 and can honestly say I never hooked anything undersized. A few XOS kahawai added to the mix as well. At almost high tide I put out a nice long strip of salted KY on a 2 hook rig, few minutes later it took off like a train. Had him halfway back to the boat and I swear I felt that big old snap bite through the trace between the 2 snelled hooks.....ah well, I'll be back for you.











As the tide turned I headed back up towards Shelly and tried a shallow spot for gurnard, could not buy a carrot. Couple of other boats at the ramp said they also struggled for them. Perhaps the snapper have pushed them away from the trough. All said and done another magic day on what is truly the Mighty Kaipara.

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Post Options Post Options   Likes (1) Likes(1)   Quote bazza Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17 Sep 2019 at 11:14pm
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[QUOTE=Roofless]Posting on behalf of bazza

Many thanx to "Roofless" for posting these pics on my behalf as the
image posting once more is not working for me inasmuch as will not show recent pics on file in order to be able to select those required. Even Roofless says he encountered problems posting them & had to crop them in order to post ... but at least he managed to locate the images in order to do so.
 
Like many here have been finding the fishing on the Kaipara ultra productive of late albeit can barely buy a bite in areas that have historically always produced in the past.
 
Don't know what others here think but I am rather puzzled as to what has brought about such dramatic change when fishing the harbour both good & bad.
 
Not so long ago a trip out on the harbour would normally result in a mixed bag of snapper, gurnard, trevally, ky plus un wanted species such as sharks, rays along with endless doggies & the scollies all but disappeared overnight. Nowadays the catch seems to predominately be a one or two species bag .... in a harbour as large as it is .... why ?????????
 
The up side of course is the fishing can be absolutely unreal as the photos being posted of late bear testimony to the fact & on a recent trip in about 4 mtrs of water had five rods down when it all went ballistic & in short order had five hefty snaps flapping on the floor of the boat due to no time to unhook them so had to reduce the rods to one each in order to cope.
 
Not only were the fish a good size but were fat as with uncharacteristic for the harbour had a deep pink / orange colouring as if they have come in from outside the harbour ... maybe they have. Another upside is that any bait offered is gulped down whole therefore can often be re used to account for another eager "customer" & last week only used four mullet fillets for a limit bag each which is a welcome change from the hordes of little bait snatchers occupying the gulf at present.
 fish in from deeper water
Have noticed the OS snaps have tummies full of tiny mussels about 10 mm long ... could it be there are mussel beds forming that are luring the fish in from deeper water & reflecting back now we noticed how clear the water was which would support a mussel bed theory.
 
Anyone else noticed such dramatic changes & if so any suggestions as to what may have influenced them? 
 
This weekend looking promising weather wise to test out any theories so see you out there.
 
 
  
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Snappa Geoff Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 18 Sep 2019 at 4:56am
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Wow! impressive Harbour fishing there Bazza! Great photo's Thumbs Up
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote bazza Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 18 Sep 2019 at 8:59am
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Originally posted by Snappa Geoff Snappa Geoff wrote:

Wow! impressive Harbour fishing there Bazza! Great photo's Thumbs Up
 
High praise indeed considering it comes from the well recognised
doyen on catching super size snaps albeit comparatively & probably in truth consider them to be throw backs !!
 
Thanx nevertheless Geoff.. 
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Snappa Geoff Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 18 Sep 2019 at 2:49pm
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Regardless wot you may think Bazza, you guys in the big smoke are spoilt for choice having two harbours so close to fish. I would love a choice other than waiting for weeks at times to get out and catch a great feed like you and your cobbers have just posted. Size doesn't come into it.
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote bazza Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 18 Sep 2019 at 3:59pm
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Originally posted by Snappa Geoff Snappa Geoff wrote:

Regardless wot you may think Bazza, you guys in the big smoke are spoilt for choice having two harbours so close to fish. I would love a choice other than waiting for weeks at times to get out and catch a great feed like you and your cobbers have just posted. Size doesn't come into it.
 
Three actually Geoff if we include the Waitemata, Manukau & the Kaipara all of which are reasonably sheltered, not to mention the Gulf with its' many islands ... so you are right we are rather blessed in that regard even if the traffic is a curse most of the time & seemingly getting worse by the day. 
When you cry, feel pain or sadness, no one notices your sorrow .... BUT
fart just ONE time !!!!!!!!!!!
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote VIKING 3 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 19 Sep 2019 at 11:08am
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never fished the kaipara but from Warkworth to hoteo ? is not that far any tips for a 12 ft dinghy fisher general area tide would help.
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote bazza Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 19 Sep 2019 at 6:11pm
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Originally posted by straycat straycat wrote:

never fished the kaipara but from Warkworth to hoteo ? is not that far any tips for a 12 ft dinghy fisher general area tide would help.
 
Apart from a longer haul from Warkworth to Shelly beach you basically have a launching choice between Stables landing, Mungakura or Port Albert which are all near enough equal distance from Warkworth however the latter involves quite a long haul down the river
to reach the harbour proper.
 
A 12 fter has the advantage of not drawing much water nevertheless if going out for the first time would be prudent to do so on a rising tide just in case you ran aground but on a rising tide would only require 30 mins or so to refloat ..... all the same unless familiar with the region a depth finder is almost essential.
 
On reaching the harbour the fish will be where you find them but suffice to say the action of late has been unreal albeit that spots that historically were considered "never fail" are comparatively dismal.
When you cry, feel pain or sadness, no one notices your sorrow .... BUT
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Transformations Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 19 Sep 2019 at 7:26pm
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Originally posted by straycat straycat wrote:

never fished the kaipara but from Warkworth to hoteo ? is not that far any tips for a 12 ft dinghy fisher general area tide would help.


Good advice re fishing the incoming. Also don't be afraid to fish shallow, Burley up and be patient πŸ˜‰
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Mad Spearo Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 22 Sep 2019 at 6:10pm
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Went out yesterday in stunning conditions.



Chopped up about 2pm so headed in reasonably close, nw of the green marker in 8m.

Got a few bites then it went dead for about half an hour. As boats started leaving the bite got really hot around 2.30. As a gulf fisher I'm new to the experience. It was so much fun! 10 fish in the first 4 hours driving all over, then 20 in one. Fish just went nuts.

20 snaps, 7 gurnard, a trev and a few ky, so a really nice mixed bag. Love the kaipara! Thanks for all the advice!

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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Transformations Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 22 Sep 2019 at 7:28pm
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Awesome day out there again. Everything from glass conditions to a 90 minute slog back to Shelly after lunch. Again could not buy a carrot...tried shallow just past concrete marker then shallows NW of the green marker, nada. Went to spot X for incoming and misjudged the depth and spent 20mins getting to deeper water using the 2 oars powerπŸ˜•

Snaps turned on and ended up with limit from 42 to 60. Again no undersize caught, no it, no trevs, no anything else. Just snapper.

















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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Mad Spearo Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 22 Sep 2019 at 7:33pm
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Odd you didn't get carrots. We have caught 5-7 both of the trips in the last month. No snaps last time but heaps yesterday. Both south of green marker and nw. Berley on top and on bottom. Kahawai, pilly, anchovy and bonito baits. 4m and 8m
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Transformations Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 22 Sep 2019 at 7:57pm
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Sounds like you did good... I had Burley, pillies and salted ky which is always a winner with the gurnies. Oh well, I'll just have to try again πŸ˜€πŸ˜€πŸ˜€
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote bazza Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25 Sep 2019 at 8:52am
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Unlike the gulf the Kaipara continues to "fire" .... once again a very gratifying haul on Monday & much like days of yore with a greater variety of species.
 
However once the tide changed to incoming the weed became something of a problem as it has done several times of late.
 
Why only on the incoming ?
 
Surely if presumably there is a heap of weed present it would float in the current on both the outgoing & incoming yet not a trace on the former. Guess can only put it down to the mysterious pattern of ongoing changes that seems to be affecting the Kaipara this season, both good & bad ... such as localities that have historically produced
well cannot even get a bite yet not far away the action is frenetic.  
When you cry, feel pain or sadness, no one notices your sorrow .... BUT
fart just ONE time !!!!!!!!!!!
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (1) Likes(1)   Quote Roofless Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07 Oct 2019 at 3:44pm
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With Sunday's weather good and not really interested in playing bumperboats out east i decided to head out for the incoming in the shallows and with in 5 minutes of getting the baits in the water the fish came on the bite and had the little Shimano stradic 3000fl screeming, loaded up pretty quick of good quality pannies and was back to the ramp .
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (1) Likes(1)   Quote Transformations Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07 Oct 2019 at 5:19pm
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Nice going Roofless, planned my trip for today.....nice and quiet but snotty weather made it a bit more challenging. Not quite up to your sizes but had limit by 11am with fatties up to early fifties.





Tried for carrots on the way home but no joy. That's 4 trips on the Kaipara without a gurnard 😭😭😭
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote crowbar Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 08 Oct 2019 at 7:39am
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Hi Transformations we where fishing just above you.
Did you get a lot of seven gill sharks towards the bottom end of the gut or they just wonted to hit us.
In saying that in between the seven gill sharks we had some very nice snapper caught for home.
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Transformations Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 08 Oct 2019 at 7:52am
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Hi Crowbar, not one. In the last 4 trips have caught over 100 snaps, kept 36 , not hooked one undersize snap. No sharks, rays, gurnard...did get one ky yesterday, turned him into bait for more snaps
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote crowbar Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 08 Oct 2019 at 8:19am
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Yes we have fished that area for fifty years and it has always supplied nice fish but the first time with seven gill sharks.
Maybe wrong burley
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote brew Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 08 Oct 2019 at 9:53am
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Hi there... are you guys finding any difference between the incoming and outgoing tides?
Cheers
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