I  read pretty much every post here but I don't always comment. This site has bene great for me and I think I've done my bit for the site. Social media has changed a little  since I first posted here in 1998.

Keep up the good work Kandrew

We have had the best winter's fishing around Auckland this year and spring is turning out just as good. While shallow water stray lining was the go in the winter, the softbaiting is going off.

Today we headed straight out to Sargents for a softbait session, although we couldn't resist stopping to pick up a few Jack Macs in case softies didn't work and we wanted some dead bait. Low tide was around 5.00am and we were in the water at 6.00 - only one other boat trailer at HMB. We started drifting soon after 6.30 and by 7.30 had seven good snaps in the bin, nothing under 34 and one at 45. We pulled the pin soon after 9 with 10 in the bin. 5" Smokey Shad and Smelt did the damage.

13.09.2024

Magic dead flat day. Launched Buckland' Beach, caught some live Jack Macs and anchored up off Crusoe to try for a kingy. Nada but we did pick up a nice squid that held onto the live bait just a little too long and ended up in the landing net.

Then headed out into the channel to drift with softbaits and dead baits. Eight on the softies and a couple on the dead baits. Smokey Shad was the killer bait.

If anyone is interested, we are selling our lovely 2017 Surtees 495 soon as we are heading overseas for a long spell. She is a gorgeous boat fully kitted out with all the extras available at the time. It's hard to sell her but doesn't make sense to keep it. Live bait tank, drum winch, 75hp Yammy, cockpit lighting, clears.... message me if interested. Admin - delete this if not permitted.

I don't think our technique is too unusual. Obviously in the channel you need a big enough jig head to get enough on the bottom time to be in among the fish. Then it's mainly cast ahead and let out more line so it get to the bottom well before the boat passes overhead. Then keep in touch with bait but giving it a few flicks as you pass over. Main strike time is as boat is overhead. Then I lift the rod up with a few good jiggles and when the rod is high, I open the bail arm and let out a metre or so of braid, close the bail arm and lower the rod being careful to avoid tip wraps. The bait has then dropped to the seafloor and is about stationary. Often just as the slack is taken up and bait starts moving is when the fish strike. Let it drag for a few metres then repeat - if having trouble staying on the bottom then do this more regularly or upsize the jig head. Interesting, my wife often casts out to the side and usually catches more than me. I often try a few other colours, e.g. bruised banana, motor oil or atomic sunrise but not much luck.. Nuked pilchard has gone OK but not as good as the old smokey shad. We took a friend out a month or two back who had some old Berkely Nuclear Chickens and they were catching while Zmans weren't. Later on in the day, we came back to the Sarge again and this time it was the Smokey Shads working.

In anchovy season, the flea jigs did well in the Sarge as well but lately no interest in them at all.

In years gone past the Sarge was very busy with boats but not so much now, especially this time of year. Yesterday, not another to be seen. Same as Motuihi Channel - going back 15 years ago it was like dodgems trying to drift through the wall to wall boats. Now, almost none. Have all the fish gone from there?  We haven't tried it for ages but fishing there used to be fantastic. 

It's worth stopping by this area on the way back provided there is reasonable tide flowing. We have also done quite well in Calypso Bay in 7 - 8m at times.

Went for cooks tour of ruths passage/waiheke channel and came across 4 orca in a pod,didnt know they were until surfaced about 50m away,1 had a very strange dorsal bent in 3 or 4 different places,looked a cork screw.Busy thump tail and thats when we stopped hoping the would go.HaHa all they did was dive and surface further away,cloe enough though.