Good day out yesterday went to 45m as thats seem to be the prefferred depth. Very slow morning went early to beat the rush, plenty of parking. Fishin didnt come on untill 11am about then it was all on Snapper two at a time. in my haste to replace a trace put a trace on that had 3 loops/hooks and up came  two Snapper and a good sized Gurnard. Biggest Snapper was 72cm and biggest Gurnard 42cm. Measured them for a club comp. Back at the ramp by 1pm.     Was one of the flattest days I have seen out West, virtually no swell and no wind. Lucky it was over cast in the morning would of been a real burner other wise.  "Bring on the game fishing"

Are you in the running for a prize?

Muzzfishing wrote: Are you in the running for a prize? Contest runs for 3 months so I doubt it, with all the clubs, getting there comps cancelled due to covid. The Waikato Sport Fishing club are running a measure comp.  Its open to all financial club members, easy to enter  as you just take a pic and enter it on line.  Got to be in to win.

Hi Muzz, nice report from Yesterday!! I heard about Your clubs Comp through a mate. Looked into it as with two other recent comps cancelled I was entered in Joined Myself and wife Heidi up and entered! Got to keep you Raglan Fisho's Honest! If it wasn't for Brian Mellow helping me out how to download app I probably would of flagged it. Got there in the end though. If the covid rules are good for  prizing giving at your club rooms when comp is finished look forward catching up then.  

This morning was the day according to swell map so we set out a cross the bar 7-00 am this morning and headed off to Gannet Rock,

Not much swell but a bit of the northerly chop roughed it up a little. Got to the Island and there were a dozen or so boats mainly bottom fishing plus a charter boat. We set up for jigging for Kings and a smallish boat picked up a rat close to the rock. Juri who was fairly new to jigging for kings thought it was luck the last time she tried but it wasn't long before she landed a just legal jobby. We jigged here for a little longer and I landed a very nice snapper on the 250 gm jig which was completely unexpected. No complaints from me. there didn't appear to be many kings here, so we moved out a bit and I found a pin with bait fish and what appeared to be a good number of Kings. Down with the jigs, Juri hooked one at the same time as me but hers was a very good one which after a battle where she thought she couldn't hang on longer, reefed her and broke the trace at the jig. We landed 7 or 8 more just legal ones and decided that was enough for the morning. Headed back with just a quick stop for some gurnard for a friend’s pot and back across the bar for lunch. Nice trip for the year ending.

Lots of boats out this morning according to my mate who is over from Perth, if the weather holds we are going tomorrow

had a report of big school of skippies at 60m due west of rags so did the long haul over there from Waihi on Monday. No sign of skippies until a single hookup a couple of km from Gannet. Lost at boatside. Another closer to the island - also lost. Was hoping for 10 plus from my 4 bungee plus shotgun setup. Back to the camp ramp where the outgoing tide caught this solo out and fixed the stern to the bottom while getting wagon & trailer. Tough on your own with a biggish boat. Only 2nd time there and first on my own. Did not feel too bad about needing the assist 'cos 3 nights previous when in the middle of loading onto trailer at Bowentown had to reverse out and go rescue (tow) a breakdown in. What goes around etc etc. Thanks to those guys (jetski & kayak). Won't be alone next time though.

Had plastic ready to go but on my own with a buggered back (tree fell on me years ago) that could well be too much to chew. Really needed to replenish my (skippy) bait & burley stash. No luck unfortunately. Would make the trip again with fresher intel and an offsider. Anyone over there keen and well informed? Morgan 6.3 extended .4m with 200 Etec G2. Would consider a 2 day effort - sleep in boat at motor camp.

That lot (skippies) is what I was looking for on Monday. Went to 65mthen turned to Gannet. Empty ocean for me. Did not bother with a snapper fish 'cos it's snapper city over here. Would not even call it fishing - more a (fat) snapper harvest. Same every year from 2nd week in Feb thru early May.

Normally I do get them over here though every year it gets harder. So far this year 5 mini skippies. Never seen them that small - did not think them even made that way, only a tad bigger than medium bullet tuna. Flesh soft and too mushy for bait and the 5 barely covered the bottom of one of my burley save buckets.I am not the only one to strike these - must have slipped thru the trawler nets. If we could get the easterlies to give it a rest I'd have another go out here - see if any normal sizes have shown up. Early April can still produce. Albies - I don't mind a couple for eating but no good for bait or burley. This time last year got 5 albies at once off north end of Mayor. After sorting out the shambles (boated them all) just put 3 bungies back over. Nec minute 3 at once. Flagged it after that. Just as well my mate's dad loves them 'cos he got all but one.