Coutta wrote: After a few weeks of **** weather then a week on the West Coast of the South Island (the Hokitika and Greymouth river entrances cured me of any thoughts I had of moving there) I got for a fish out of Tauranga yesterday. I started in 70 ft off the pipe on Matakana Island. A couple of pannie snaps and a 450 mm gurnard. I had a surface burly out as well as one on the bottom but had to leave due to being harrassed by the birds. Moved to the same depth just to the Mount side of Karewa and picked up another few snaps, another gurnard, a good trev and a few kahawai for the smoker. Trout and skippy was about even bait wise.  Back in by 1pm and beat the rush. A lot of boats out. Good day.

I just use a water pistol, you occasionally get a hardy one to puts up with it, but usually after a couple of streams of water get them they piss off elsewhere.

Speedy wrote: Coutta wrote: After a few weeks of **** weather then a week on the West Coast of the South Island (the Hokitika and Greymouth river entrances cured me of any thoughts I had of moving there) I got for a fish out of Tauranga yesterday. I started in 70 ft off the pipe on Matakana Island. A couple of pannie snaps and a 450 mm gurnard. I had a surface burly out as well as one on the bottom but had to leave due to being harrassed by the birds. Moved to the same depth just to the Mount side of Karewa and picked up another few snaps, another gurnard, a good trev and a few kahawai for the smoker. Trout and skippy was about even bait wise.  Back in by 1pm and beat the rush. A lot of boats out. Good day. Good result Coutta! How god damn frustrating are those little brown / white birds... Never been so much of a pain in my ass as they have the last few trips! Used to be the bigger brown mutton birds... but now these little buggers

Funy how they arrive and sit 6ft away,I always give them scarps and after 10/15 minutes they leave.Usually end up with a shag hanging around and chases what ever we release.Guess thats how the food chain works.

Just updated BELATED post m8

Yer, the MAX bite time was 1500 till 1730 and I came home at 1500 so also missed out. 

Thanks Coutta.  I was out from 10:00 to 1:00 yesterday at the 40 mtr mark towards Pudney.  Very patchy with 4 snaps caught all under size.  Thought about heading towards Karewa and Matakanabut again the wrong choice

Seen a lot on small logs (small enough to miss but big enough to do some serious damage) in the water along the Matua waterfront, be careful if you are out this weekend.

I took that same window, went out from Sulphur Point, was surprised how quiet it was. About a km behind Rabbit there are a couple of rises. Only got 3 snapper and a kahawai but thats enouhg kai for dinner, plus I was back and cleaned up by 10:30.

Hi Coutta, I thought the depth was pretty good, maybe its had a good blow out with all the rain water, the channel was angling out towards Motiti as it mostly does. Watch  the sharp bends near the cut, the one by the diversion where the other ramp is and the last bend by the coastguard jetty, go wide on those corners, there seems to be more sand etc built up there. Since the diversion the corner by the coastguard jetty seems to have more sand extending out from inside of bend.