Northland vis/ latest dive
Printed From: The Fishing Website
Category: Diving
Forum Name: Spearo's Corner
Forum Description: Free-divers & spearos chat about their sport
URL: https://www.fishing.net.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=77604
Printed Date: 03 Jul 2026 at 8:18am
Topic: Northland vis/ latest dive
Posted By: nicko90
Subject: Northland vis/ latest dive
Date Posted: 11 Apr 2012 at 5:10pm
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Seeing theres on for every other part of the country! Oakura coast - water clearing but still dirty. havent jumped in the water yet but looks about 2 meter vis. |
Replies:
Posted By: Renz
Date Posted: 11 Apr 2012 at 5:30pm
| Good call nicko90. Will post here in future for B.O.I. dives. |
Posted By: BrettB
Date Posted: 11 Apr 2012 at 6:03pm
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Posted By: BrettB
Date Posted: 11 Apr 2012 at 6:27pm
| Looking for someone to dive with sat or sunday wich ever ends up looking better ither a shore dive or boat just split fuel cost will be going somewhere between toots and karikari |
Posted By: nicko90
Date Posted: 11 Apr 2012 at 7:03pm
| Brett B , you working at the russians? Im at Teal . Might be around for w.e. 021 02459344 |
Posted By: BrettB
Date Posted: 11 Apr 2012 at 7:16pm
| Yea sure am. Sweet as mate think il prob go for sat at this stage |
Posted By: BrettB
Date Posted: 13 Apr 2012 at 6:58pm
| Went out after work this avo to a spot wich normally has the best vis around where i live and it was a horible silty green with 3m max viz!..plenty of crays around tho. |
Posted By: Renz
Date Posted: 18 Apr 2012 at 9:35am
| Dived Te Ngaere coast yesterday. 4-5m green and hazy. Missed a couple of pannies I shouldn't have and ended up with a couple of crays, a few butters and a fat blue maomao. nice day on the water but probably should have done the cavs instead. |
Posted By: nicko90
Date Posted: 18 Apr 2012 at 10:00am
| coast was hazy 6 meters in places through the weekend. ended up with a few crays but not much else. Left gun in boat and jumped in at cray spot. Nek minnit - biggest snap ive ever seen swims right infront of my nose. Must have been in excess of 20 lb. gutttsss |
Posted By: Marsden Cove Spearfishing
Date Posted: 18 Apr 2012 at 4:47pm
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BrettB wrote:Posted By: nicko90
Date Posted: 18 Apr 2012 at 4:57pm
| mate i think half the Whangarei tradeys are working there :D |
Posted By: BrettB
Date Posted: 18 Apr 2012 at 6:21pm
| Im a chippy mate working up on the villers..Oh yea so you probly know ben then? theres about 100 workers out there at the moment..viz was looking good the last couple days untill this avo,that swells started to come in a bit |
Posted By: nicko90
Date Posted: 18 Apr 2012 at 8:36pm
| dived in close around teal/helena on sunday. vis was shocking in close. couldnt see my fins but got a few crays. The amount of effluent coming out the estuary accompanied with that bloody chemical spill from the russians is really fukn up the water quality. |
Posted By: JRowe17
Date Posted: 18 Apr 2012 at 11:06pm
apparently the whole project is supporting 80 or so families which is a positive. saw the building site from the water during easter. Nothing flash tbh but I'm sure it will be once finished
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Posted By: Marsden Cove Spearfishing
Date Posted: 19 Apr 2012 at 8:01am
yea, was working with ben and them. you're probably working with richard and garth and dan i'd say.
so, the vis is getting better despite all the crap form the site?
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Posted By: ColinTitahi
Date Posted: 19 Apr 2012 at 2:37pm
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Good to see a Northland thread - any luck it will take off like the Wellington one 635 pages and growing.. Any advice / spots for a Welly diver comming up next week? I'm going to be based in Hikurangi but plan to do a fair bit of exploring. Anyone know where I could borrow / hire some weights from up there? Thanks |
Posted By: BrettB
Date Posted: 19 Apr 2012 at 6:14pm
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yea, was working with ben and them. you're probably working with richard and garth and dan i'd say.
so, the vis is getting better despite all the crap form the site? [/QUOTE]
Yea im working with rich and that..Theres not much crap going into the water from what iv seen?The vis is always pretty crap in helena bay but further out is finally clearing up.Although the the SE wind isnt helping it much at the moment..
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Posted By: BrettB
Date Posted: 19 Apr 2012 at 6:18pm
| Colintitahi..i live near hikurangi your best bet would be tutukaka/Matapouri or if this SE keeps up prob best to go up to the bay..theres two dive shops in town and one in kamo wich you could probly hire weights |
Posted By: ColinTitahi
Date Posted: 19 Apr 2012 at 6:26pm
| Thanks Brett - will check them out. |
Posted By: Fizzlesticks
Date Posted: 19 Apr 2012 at 10:34pm
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you can borrow my weight belt if I'm not using it, im based at glenbervie ------------- It doesn't have to be fun to be fun |
Posted By: ColinTitahi
Date Posted: 19 Apr 2012 at 10:53pm
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Wow thanks Fizzlesticks! That's fantastic. If you could pm me your number I'll give you a ring when I'm up there. Thanks again. |
Posted By: Marsden Cove Spearfishing
Date Posted: 20 Apr 2012 at 8:57am
| anyone been out to danger rock lately? or has it just been getting a pounding from the swell? |
Posted By: BrettB
Date Posted: 20 Apr 2012 at 6:23pm
| looked at it from the hill the other day looked green as grass..theres some nice looking water out there now but its getting pretty ruff this avo |
Posted By: BrettB
Date Posted: 21 Apr 2012 at 5:03pm
| Anyone dive the bay today? might head up tomoro for a look |
Posted By: Renz
Date Posted: 21 Apr 2012 at 5:14pm
| Dived the coast a bit north of the bay today. (Tapuaetahi and Toronui). Was BROWN, pretty disappointing really. Found loads of crays in the boulders though. 3-4m max viz. |
Posted By: BrettB
Date Posted: 21 Apr 2012 at 6:04pm
| oh yea sweet hopefully itl be bit more sheltered on the south side then! |
Posted By: Up2
Date Posted: 21 Apr 2012 at 8:42pm
Dived the chicks today. Viz was 10m plus in most places all but a touch hazey. Was pretty quite on the fish front. Tara had a few kings but thay were keeping there distance. Cressi says 18.9C. My lot was a 4.5kg snap and a 4.06kg packie.
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Posted By: Rusky
Date Posted: 21 Apr 2012 at 10:03pm
Nice catch. Big packies never look there size in pics, but I believe ya! 
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Posted By: BrettB
Date Posted: 22 Apr 2012 at 6:26pm
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Nice looking feed there Up2. I went up to the bay this morning and was greeted with 8-15mtrs vis. So finally theres vis but there where bugger all big snapper about. After swimming for about 3 hours i finally found a 100m streach of coast that had a few nice ones about.After @$%#ing up a couple of goodeys i finally got a fish about 7kg to take home..As you can see i only just got him in the top of the head
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Posted By: Northland Bill
Date Posted: 22 Apr 2012 at 8:56pm
| Nice fish Brett, good to hear about good vis in the bay. Hopefully it will be OK for a Wednesday anzac dive. |
Posted By: Up2
Date Posted: 23 Apr 2012 at 7:29am
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Good fish there Brett. Great shot placement.
Rusky, stop being a meanie.
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Posted By: BrettB
Date Posted: 24 Apr 2012 at 5:49pm
| Anyone thinking of going out tomoro?..clean water was closest in iv seen in over a month today but alot of wash on the rocks |
Posted By: Northland Bill
Date Posted: 24 Apr 2012 at 6:12pm
| Yea bro heading out tomorrow. Think taheke for a kingy. Really early. Whats your plans? |
Posted By: BrettB
Date Posted: 24 Apr 2012 at 6:25pm
| oh yea could be alright out there early ae..Havnt got any yet was thinking maybe stevies but dont know if itl be worth the mish or not.Theres not really anywhere shelterd enough down here |
Posted By: Northland Bill
Date Posted: 24 Apr 2012 at 6:44pm
| Ah true. Do you have a good spot inside of stevies? |
Posted By: BrettB
Date Posted: 24 Apr 2012 at 6:54pm
| Never dived the inside..Im sure there would be somthing along there tho..Might have to leave it till the weekend the reports looking a lot better |
Posted By: Snoop
Date Posted: 25 Apr 2012 at 9:09am
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Headed up for a lazy four hour shorey swim yesterday arvo off Urupuk before the NE swell settles in later this week. Washing machine conditions out the front of the coast - yucky, will only get worse later this week. Vis a hazy hazy 5-7m. Beautiful sunny weather, large schools of parore and blue mao mao. Baitfish streaming around and small kingies. Big snapper on holiday. Tried LJ/Herby's fish burley method (a couple of moki on string). Brought in a 3-4kg snapper which I spooked. Crays in soft shell This little piggie came home last night  ------------- Axemen Spearfishing... "Putting the crap back into elite" www.axemenspearfishing.co.nz |
Posted By: TheSnapperWhisperer
Date Posted: 25 Apr 2012 at 4:27pm
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You sly dog ------------- http://www.facebook.com/TheSnapperWhisperer |
Posted By: Northland Bill
Date Posted: 25 Apr 2012 at 7:12pm
Made it out today. Went to cavallis again. Teapot had PRIMO vis, mate got a kingy amongst masses of kahawai and blue mao mao. Bloody awful conditions despite being out there as the sun came up. decent swell rolling over islands of teapot with chop on top. Spew city :/ Did some snooping in the shallows out of harms way. Lovely dive. Great vis. Plenty of fish. We got four snapper, two trevally and a jonnie + a couple crays. Mate missed a big snapper and I got outsmarted by another good one.   Great time had. Getting paid to shoot fish. Ideal. |
Posted By: BrettB
Date Posted: 25 Apr 2012 at 7:30pm
Looks like it was a worth while trip 
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Posted By: Keeweebee
Date Posted: 25 Apr 2012 at 7:41pm
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Shot NthnBill! Who's paying you? where do I sign up? |
Posted By: BrettB
Date Posted: 28 Apr 2012 at 4:06pm
| Anyone diving tomoro? |
Posted By: BrettB
Date Posted: 29 Apr 2012 at 5:31pm
 Hen and chicks today was a nice dive with 15m viz and even upto 20m i one spot. Dont know how the other four boats full of spearos i saw out there got on but i found there to be a lack of decent snapper where i dived. Ended up getting one snapper around 3 or 4kg and a nice size kingy,my mate also got a kingy.
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Posted By: Up2
Date Posted: 29 Apr 2012 at 6:49pm
Couple of nice Kings there Brett and mate. Shot placement on snapper getting better . Was out the chicks also this morning. In the water by 7. Snooped one area that had alot of small snapper milling around. Snooped the first ledge with a couple pannies mid water which were left alone. Second ledge peered over to have a good fish and a smaller one rise up from the bottom. Went ot aim and fire when the stringer on the handle of the reel gun gets caught on the bloody knife. Lucky the fish was close so fired from hip hitting it mid body with spear goin right through. Found no more after that so swam back to the boat and check on my mate diving. He was still goin so had a look along a weedline for boaries. Did a spot dive on a clump of weed just off the weed line when bout half way down I see a good snapper sitting in the line. So angle my glide to come down on top of it. Get to about 1.5m from it and shoot it through the head. Bonus. One went 7.4kg and the other 7.2kg. Mates ears started to play up so went for a cray dive. Got a packie then home by 10.30am.
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Posted By: BrettB
Date Posted: 29 Apr 2012 at 7:30pm
| Haha not a hell of a lot better..Your obviously in the know where all the snapper are out there! |
Posted By: BOC
Date Posted: 29 Apr 2012 at 7:59pm
| wicked snapper! man you guys up north are lucky! |
Posted By: Fishoholic
Date Posted: 29 Apr 2012 at 9:30pm
| nice stuff lads |
Posted By: TheSnapperWhisperer
Date Posted: 29 Apr 2012 at 9:30pm
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Great result up 2! ------------- http://www.facebook.com/TheSnapperWhisperer |
Posted By: Marsden Cove Spearfishing
Date Posted: 30 Apr 2012 at 8:45am
we had a pretty average day at the chicks. got snapper, crays, and kahawai. and slammed heaps of koheru for the smoker. saw some decent kingys, but all stayed out of range
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Posted By: BrettB
Date Posted: 03 May 2012 at 6:17pm
| Anyone planning a dive Sat? |
Posted By: Northland Bill
Date Posted: 03 May 2012 at 8:58pm
| Yea bro, might head out after duck shooting in the morning |
Posted By: BrettB
Date Posted: 03 May 2012 at 9:14pm
| oh yea i might be looking for somone to come/go with sat, im gonna check the bay out for a quick shorey after work tomoro |
Posted By: Fishoholic
Date Posted: 03 May 2012 at 10:22pm
| Any idea what the vis on the coast is looking like up your way lads? |
Posted By: Renz
Date Posted: 04 May 2012 at 7:30am
| Heading to Mahinepua for a kayak dive tomorrow morning, let you know how we get on. |
Posted By: Up2
Date Posted: 04 May 2012 at 7:35am
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On Sunday the coast along the heads was 1.5m crap. |
Posted By: Marsden Cove Spearfishing
Date Posted: 04 May 2012 at 9:22am
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decent vis at the chicks, on the islands further out. tara reef and western chick were a hazy 10m on the weekend. i'd say this has improved. coppermine area was better 10-15m+ |
Posted By: Gundry
Date Posted: 04 May 2012 at 10:55am
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Hey im keen as on coming up this weekend or next for a dive up your ways, If I came up this weekend any chance on getting out for a dive with someone. Also whats the area around matapouri like thinking of booking a bach up there with the missus and some friends in a week or 2 and would love to get some diving in close at hand. Whats it like between Whale Bay and Matapouri Bay? worth a look? Cheers in Advance ------------- Winter is Meh |
Posted By: Smoo Diver
Date Posted: 04 May 2012 at 11:12am
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Spent a bit of time there (Matapouri) on holidays growing up. The headland between Whale and Matapouri is probably worth a look, but somebody might know more about it than me. There's a nice rock jump and 'Mermaid Pools' out on Rangitapu Point, pity the cave collapsed as you have to walk over the hill to get there now. BigPun probably has some info. |
Posted By: kolt45
Date Posted: 04 May 2012 at 11:18am
| Up2, awesome stuff mate. |
Posted By: B1g_Pun
Date Posted: 04 May 2012 at 6:52pm
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Nah mate never dived there despite growing up out that way.. I know the reef just out from whale bay is a hotspot for johnnies (at least it was 10yrs ago) ------------- "Cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war" William Shakespeare |
Posted By: BrettB
Date Posted: 04 May 2012 at 7:44pm
 Went for a dive in the bay after work this avo..Unfortunatly there where already 2 spearos where i was planning on going.Ended up with one nice one for a feed of around 5kg..Viz was average about 8m.
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Posted By: BrettB
Date Posted: 04 May 2012 at 7:49pm
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[QUOTE=Gundry] Whats it like between Whale Bay and Matapouri Bay? worth a look? Not a bad dive at times..Hit me up closer to when your up im often looking for somone to head out with |
Posted By: Renz
Date Posted: 05 May 2012 at 4:32pm
| Had about 8m vis at mahinepua today, heaps of bait fish around but no kings. Burleyed up some snaps but the bigger ones wouldn't come within range. Ended up with a pannie, 6 crays a ky and a few butters between 2 of us, Easterly came up pretty strong mid-morning. |
Posted By: Northland Bill
Date Posted: 06 May 2012 at 8:22am
| Good stuff lads. nice eating fish there Brett. |
Posted By: Up2
Date Posted: 06 May 2012 at 6:55pm
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Nice fish Brett. Hey Renz, do you just park on the grass verge at Mahinepua? On google looks like a nice dive. Cheers. Went for a kayak out of Langs on Saturday. Hazy 6m viz further down the coast. Lots of small crays and soft shell. Managed a 2kg packie and a couple reds. Had a big king swim bout 2m under me. Gun was on the bottom. F###.
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Posted By: Renz
Date Posted: 06 May 2012 at 7:19pm
| UP2, Yeah, just park on the grass, heaps of room and (so far) safe. Lots of people park there to do the walk and launch kayaks. Mahinepua Bay is usually pretty green but the other side of the peninsula is good and sheltered from an easterly. We take kayaks around but you could walk to one of the beaches and shorey it. |
Posted By: Diver Dan
Date Posted: 06 May 2012 at 7:30pm
| It is a good shorey - you can swim right out to Flat Island if you want. Some good ground there and back |
Posted By: Up2
Date Posted: 06 May 2012 at 7:33pm
| Thanks guys. |
Posted By: long john
Date Posted: 06 May 2012 at 7:55pm
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Did rawhiti with the bluefins this weekend. Saw a painted moki.
------------- Proud member of the Glen Innes Spearfishing Club |
Posted By: Diver Dan
Date Posted: 06 May 2012 at 7:58pm
"They are good smoked"
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Posted By: long john
Date Posted: 06 May 2012 at 8:01pm
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I did wonder about that.
------------- Proud member of the Glen Innes Spearfishing Club |
Posted By: TheSnapperWhisperer
Date Posted: 06 May 2012 at 8:46pm
    I went to rawhiti and didn't waste the weekend by drinking too much. Surprisingly,I found there were fish in the water- in contrast to those who found no fish as they were not in the water. Anyway, great weekend again thanks to Bevan and had a great time again, with a feed to take home. ------------- http://www.facebook.com/TheSnapperWhisperer |
Posted By: Keeweebee
Date Posted: 07 May 2012 at 1:15pm
top photo - I actually did'nt do too badly considering that I was "sleep diving". I woke up about 20 mins after that photo was taken and was stoked to find out that I'd be having snapper for dinner!
Viz was up to 10m where the rocks and reefs were exposed to the swells, in sheltered areas it was around 3-5m. Saw lots of little snapper mooching in guts with the odd wary 5kg one seen swimming off to live another day.
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Posted By: long john
Date Posted: 07 May 2012 at 1:59pm
Yes, Keeweebee undefeated Rawhiti snapper champ with bottle of rum to prove it. Champ  ------------- Proud member of the Glen Innes Spearfishing Club |
Posted By: Keeweebee
Date Posted: 07 May 2012 at 2:10pm
| Yep, it's a bit of an empty win though as during the competion the top seed was to be found lying in a foetal position on a beach asleep as he'd drunk too many diesels the night before! hahaha |
Posted By: long john
Date Posted: 07 May 2012 at 2:16pm
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Sounds like my kinda guy! ------------- Proud member of the Glen Innes Spearfishing Club |
Posted By: Diver Dan
Date Posted: 07 May 2012 at 2:25pm
I didn't think you were that fussy
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Posted By: long john
Date Posted: 07 May 2012 at 2:30pm
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I spurned your advances, did I not? ------------- Proud member of the Glen Innes Spearfishing Club |
Posted By: chains
Date Posted: 07 May 2012 at 4:12pm
| Stop trying to get rid of the champ title Lj, you are the CHAMP |
Posted By: Benno
Date Posted: 07 May 2012 at 8:43pm
Yeah I saw one of those suckers the other day... hanging under a ledge. Pretty cool. Rare? |
Posted By: long john
Date Posted: 07 May 2012 at 8:49pm
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medium rare is probably better? Na, not really rare, uncommon I suppose? If north of the BOI and on the hunt for one, you'd find one or two in a days diving. There was one camped at the outpost for a while ------------- Proud member of the Glen Innes Spearfishing Club |
Posted By: Benno
Date Posted: 07 May 2012 at 8:53pm
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Hmmm yeah a funky little dude. It's the first one I've seen/noticed. Burleyed in a couple of spotties with him... na jokes bro. |
Posted By: Benno
Date Posted: 07 May 2012 at 8:55pm
| Saw a couply Naultinus grayii up norf too LJ. You would have been frothing. |
Posted By: long john
Date Posted: 07 May 2012 at 8:56pm
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yes, definitely a case of 'the first one you've noticed'. Notch headed marblefish are the same. Were they decent spotties? ------------- Proud member of the Glen Innes Spearfishing Club |
Posted By: Diver Dan
Date Posted: 07 May 2012 at 9:42pm
Were they swimming?
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Posted By: Benno
Date Posted: 08 May 2012 at 9:23pm
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Posted By: long john
Date Posted: 08 May 2012 at 10:56pm
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Off to te paki this weekend so will while away several hours Leptospermum gazing and maybe loitering with intent under Corynocarpus because, ah, botany is my thing?
------------- Proud member of the Glen Innes Spearfishing Club |
Posted By: Unclejake
Date Posted: 08 May 2012 at 11:15pm
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The thing is. And perhaps it is a sign memory loss due to of aging. Certainly my eyes have gone bad in the last few weeks, but the thing is. The thing is: I can't read this forum without Google anymore. Youse fullas r 2 brainy
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Posted By: long john
Date Posted: 08 May 2012 at 11:24pm
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the thing is, you started it with the N word topic introducing latin names (granted, in contravention of N word topic rules..but there it is?)!
------------- Proud member of the Glen Innes Spearfishing Club |
Posted By: Unclejake
Date Posted: 08 May 2012 at 11:28pm
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Fair call. At this very moment there are two variable oyster catchers going NUTS outside. The racket rivals last night's little blue penguin underfloor braying, but at least the penguins seem to have left the building today. Shalom.
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Posted By: long john
Date Posted: 08 May 2012 at 11:31pm
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It's all hebrew to me too
------------- Proud member of the Glen Innes Spearfishing Club |
Posted By: Unclejake
Date Posted: 08 May 2012 at 11:33pm
| Newfish |
Posted By: BrettB
Date Posted: 12 May 2012 at 7:39pm
| Went to the cavs today with nrthlandbill..Had a quick look for a kingy first but couldnt get onto them bill shot a couple of nice pinkies and then we wer off for a snoop. First spot we went to had good ground and viz but wasnt very fishy with both of us only seeing tiny snapper apart from one eater that bill got. We then moved spots and 100m from the boat i snooped the first ledge wich had a good snapper sitting in mid water, it wasnt moving so i took a long shot and it peeled a bout 20m of line off the reel gun before holing up and the shaft falling out in my hands, luckily bill was close by so i used his gun to go finish it off seen as mine was a mess with line tangled in the weed..after another hour of diving produced only a few more pannies spotted we called it a day after having one last look for king |
Posted By: BrettB
Date Posted: 12 May 2012 at 8:30pm
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Posted By: nicko90
Date Posted: 12 May 2012 at 11:58pm
| nice fish bro what was vis? |
Posted By: Up2
Date Posted: 13 May 2012 at 3:23pm
| Primo fish Brett. |
Posted By: Renz
Date Posted: 13 May 2012 at 3:42pm
| Sweet one Brett. Looks like great conditions in the pic, wind was howling in the bay from about 11. Meant to be westerly all week so next weekend should be a go if it doesn't rain too much. |
Posted By: Greywulff
Date Posted: 13 May 2012 at 3:43pm
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Hi all, Any one know is the vis alway crap south Doubtless bay out towards Berghans point? has been the last 3 times I have went there to snoop..... What sort of weather or tides should I be looking for for good vis? ------------- Your not walking on water while I'm fishing here....... |
Posted By: Diver Dan
Date Posted: 13 May 2012 at 4:22pm
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Yep, it is always crap - you should drive down to Ti Point instead. Seriously though, the viz can be awesome through there - especially the closer to the point you get. Have had 30m plus viz there at times, though more usually 10-15m
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Posted By: BrettB
Date Posted: 13 May 2012 at 6:05pm
| Cheers..Nicko90 the vis averaged about 10m i guess a little better in a couple of patches |